Complex sentence: Hoping that her request to see him is a sign of improvement, Nick is stunned by her revelation that the father he thought was dead is really alive, and that he may know the origin of Nick's terrible gift.
Split into simpler sentences: Hoping that her request to see him is a sign of improvement, Nick is stunned by her revelation that the father he thought was dead is really alive. He is alive and may know the origin of Nick's terrible gift.