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Dad woke up again in the hospital, immediately trying to pull out his IV.
Tony pushed him back onto the bed.
Dad was desperate, “I’m not buying it. Are you guys staging this whole thing to smooth things over?”
He chuckled cynically, “C’mon, this is low. You’re better than this, playing games with these kids?”
Tony’s eyes were bloodshot, his lips quivering as he struggled to convey the grave news.
Eventually, he met Dad’s gaze and murmured softly.
“We took samples from Kelsey and ran them against the body’s DNA. The results… they match perfectly.”
His voice broke, trembling along with his hands.
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It was painful to see him so affected.
The room fell into a heavy silence, thick enough to feel like time itself had stopped.
After what seemed an eternity, a muscle twitched on Dad’s face.
He managed a strained smile, “Smith, you kidding me right now?”
Tony hastily wiped away tears, his eyes intense, “Harper, I’d never joke about Emily’s death.”
Upon hearing that, Dad tore out his IV and, despite Tony and the nurse’s attempts to restrain him, he dashed from the room like a man possessed.
Clad in his hospital gown, one slipper missing, he made a beeline for the morgue.
He stumbled along the way, his hand bleeding unchecked, but he pushed forward relentlessly all the way to the
station.
The morgue lights flickered on, blindingly
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bright.
My body lay in repose under the stark white sheet.
My spirit hovered above, longing to tell him, “I’m right here, been waiting so long for you.”
He moved towards me slowly.
As he drew closer, his steps slowed, and just one step away, he couldn’t advance any further.
Lifting the sheet, he stared at my disfigured face, his fingers gingerly touching the mole on my earlobe.
He suddenly remembered–the mole his eldest daughter had.
The first time I found this mole, I was terrified, crying hysterically.
I told my parents I was sick, that I was getting moldy.
Dad laughed, lifting me up, “It’s just a mole,
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a lucky one at that. Our Emily is a blessed star, meant for great things!”
That had made me happy back then, and I grew to love the mole on my ear.
But Dad, this mole didn’t bring much luck,
did it?
It didn’t even help you recognize me.
One drop, two drops…
Dad’s tears fell onto my face.
Oddly, though I was gone, I could still feel the warmth and wetness on my face.
“Emily… my daughter, oh Emily!”
“How could I not recognize you? How!”
“Emily!!!”
Dad broke down, his cries echoing through
the room.
He forgot that as a forensic pathologist, he shouldn’t let tears fall on the body.
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Tony tried to pull him away, but he clung to my table like a wild animal, refusing to let
- go.
“Don’t touch me! I need to protect my girl! Everyone just back off!”
It felt good, after all these years, to finally be the girl watched over by her dad.
But Dad, this protection came far too late.
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