Chapter 263

Chapter 263

The doctor walked over and crouched down in front of Sophia.

"We've scheduled the surgery for next Tuesday. Over the next couple of days, Eloise will need a full physical exam first, then we'll start the prep treatment. Once she's in the isolation unit, she'll be there for about three to four weeks, until the new cells have settled in her body. Then she can come out."

Sophia nodded firmly and pulled Eloise closer.

Eloise wriggled her head free from Sophia's arms, tilted her face up at the doctor, and asked seriously, "What's the unit thing?"

The doctor smiled and reached out to gently touch Eloise's little face. "It's a very, very clean little room. There's a bed that can rock back and forth, you can put pictures on the walls, and there's a small TV. Eloise can watch cartoons in there."

Eloise's eyes lit up. "Can I watch Peppa Pig?"

"Of course." The doctor nodded. "Eloise can watch whatever she wants. The nurses will even bring in her favorite little cakes."

Eloise went quiet for two seconds, as if she was weighing up whether the surgery or the cakes was the better deal.

Finally, she made up her mind. "Okay, I guess that works."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Benjamin cleared his throat from the side and steered things back on track. "The pre-op tests start tomorrow morning. Eloise will need to come in on an empty stomach so we can draw a few tubes of blood. Then the conditioning treatment will involve a few days of injections. Eloise might feel a bit uncomfortable, but we'll manage it with medication so it won't be too bad."

Nicholas walked over with his cane and rested his hand on Eloise's shoulder.

"Sophia and I will be with her the whole time."

Sophia stood up and took Eloise's small hand in hers. "Eloise, let's go."

"Okay." Eloise nodded.

The doctor walked alongside them, explaining as they went.

"This is the isolation ward. Eloise will stay here until the surgery is done and her condition is stable, then she'll move to a regular room. But her room is the one at the very end, so even though you can't go in, you can still look in from outside."

Sophia and Nicholas leaned forward to peek inside.

It was a private single room. The walls were painted a soft green that felt instantly calming. Everything inside was fully set up — it didn't look like a hospital room at all, more like a cozy little bedroom.

Eloise looked at it for a moment, then turned to Sophia. "Mommy, it's actually pretty nice in there."

Sophia wanted to smile, but just as the corners of her mouth began to lift, her nose started to sting.

She crouched down and reached out to straighten Eloise's collar.

"Once Eloise is inside, just tell the nurses if you want anything to eat. Watch TV if you feel like it, and if you want to draw, ask the nurses for paper and a pen. The doctor said Eloise's only job in there is to eat well, sleep well, and be happy."

Eloise nodded obediently.

A nurse poked her head out from the room and smiled warmly. "You can come in now. Eloise's bed is all ready."

Eloise looked up at Sophia, then at Nicholas.

Finally, she took a deep breath. "Bye-bye, Mommy. Bye-bye, Daddy."

The nurse took Eloise's hand and led her toward the heavy door.

Sophia watched her small figure walking away, and suddenly she couldn't hold back. She stepped forward and pulled Eloise tightly into her arms.

Eloise was caught off guard and froze for a moment, her little hands hanging in the air. Then slowly, they came down and wrapped around Sophia's neck.

Sophia buried her face in the curve of Eloise's shoulder, her mouth opening and closing. There was so much she wanted to say.

She wanted to say, " Be brave, Eloise. Mommy's waiting outside. Don't be scared.

But every word she tried to say turned into a sob before it could come out.

In the end, she managed just one sentence. "Eloise... be good. Mommy's waiting for you out here."

Eloise rested her head on Sophia's shoulder and stayed still for a little while.

Then Sophia felt a small damp patch forming on her neck.

Eloise's shoulders began to tremble. Her little arms tightened, holding on to Sophia's neck as hard as she could.

Sophia's heart broke.

She held Eloise close and rubbed her back, slow and steady.

"It's okay. Mommy's here. Mommy's right here."

Eloise cried for a moment, then suddenly sniffled hard and lifted her face from Sophia's shoulder.

She raised her small hand and wiped her eyes roughly with the back of it, trying her best to hold her expression together. She gave a firm nod.

"Mommy, wait for Eloise. Eloise will be out soon."

Sophia's tears finally fell. She covered them quickly with the back of her hand, not wanting Eloise to see.

But Eloise saw anyway.

She reached out her small hand and clumsily pressed it against Sophia's cheek, wiping the tears away.

"Mommy, don't cry. Eloise is not scared anymore."

Sophia couldn't say a word. She just nodded, hard.

Eloise turned to look at Nicholas.

"Daddy." She called out to him.

Nicholas bent down, bringing himself close to her.

Eloise reached out her small hand and patted the back of his.

"Daddy, don't cry either. Daddy is a big, strong man."

The corner of Nicholas's mouth trembled, and then he smiled.

"Daddy won't cry. Daddy and Mommy will both be out here waiting for Eloise."

That seemed to satisfy her.

She took a long, deep breath, turned around, and walked step by step toward the door of the room.

Just before she reached it, she stopped and looked back.

She waved her little hand in the direction of Sophia and Nicholas.

"Bye-bye, Mommy and Daddy. Eloise is going in now."

And with that, she turned back around.

The nurse and the small girl walked slowly through the white door together.

The hallway fell quiet.

Sophia stood where she was and finally let out a sob she could no longer hold in.

Nicholas reached out and pulled Sophia into his arms.

She leaned against his chest and cried, her tears flowing without stopping.

After a long while, Sophia's crying slowly faded.

Nicholas looked down and gently tucked a strand of hair from her face behind her ear.

"I looked into it. The room has scheduled video calls with Eloise every day. The nurses will set up a tablet on her bedside table so she can see us, and we can see her."

Sophia sniffled and looked up at him.

Nicholas kept going. "The doctor told me they check her temperature and blood count every four hours. Every morning and evening, a nurse will sit and chat with her for a bit so she doesn't get lonely in there. All three meals are prepared separately just for her, with her own menu. Anything she doesn't like, she can swap out. Benjamin already put in a word — if Eloise wants any snacks, as long as they're on the approved list, they'll bring them in for her."

Sophia's eyes went red again.

Nicholas softened his voice a little more. "There's one more thing. I booked a suite at the hotel across from the hospital. One of those presidential suites — plenty of space. Mom and Dad, Grandma, the two of us, and Serena can all stay there without it feeling cramped."