She felt a touch on her shoulder but didn’t turn around. She continued crying and holding her mother’s hand.
“Why are you crying?” Mira asked, moving from behind and standing in front of her with concern.
“My mom’s body is cold, I think she’s…” Natalia struggled to speak through her tears, shivering uncontrollably.
Mira hurriedly left the ward and returned with the doctor shortly after. Without wasting any time, he examined Natalia’s mother. After a few minutes, he checked her pulse and looked down with a sad expression, shaking his head.
“Doctor Douglas, what’s wrong? Why is her body so cold?” Natalia asked anxiously, concerned about the doctor’s somber demeanor.
He shook his head once more and gazed at her. “I apologize, Nat,” he mumbled, then turned to look at her mom.
She hurried over to him, tugging on his white coat and shouting, “What happened to my mother? And don’t you dare confirm my worst fears because she’s all I have in this world.” Natalia cried, still clinging to him.
“Your mother is slowly slipping away, but there’s still a chance to save her,” he said, locking eyes with her.
She released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Wiping away her tears, she placed her hands on her chest to steady herself. “So… you’re saying she can be saved?” Natalia exclaimed with wide eyes.
“Yes. Her heart condition is deteriorating, so we need to start the surgery at any moment now,” he disclosed.
“Wow! Thank goodness.”
“But you must complete the payment for the surgery, or else your mother won’t receive any treatment, including the surgery itself.”
Natalia felt her heart racing as she gulped down nothing, and then she tried to speak. “But I thought–”
“I’m sorry, Natalie. This is not a charity hospital,” he said nonchalantly. “If you want your mother to be save, you have to complete your payment within two months. Your mother’s life is in your hands.” With that, he walked towards the exit, then turned around to signal Mira to follow him before leaving the ward.
“Nat, be strong for your mother, okay?” Mira said, running her hands down Natalia’s shoulders before hurrying off to meet Doctor Douglas.
Natalia turned to her mother, tears welling in her eyes. “I promise I’ll get you out of here healthy and alive,” she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. With one thought in her mind, she had to save her.
She ran out of her mother’s ward, her mind buzzing with thoughts.
Twenty thousand dollars? How the hell was she going to come up with that kind of money? Had the doctor lost his mind or something? Why was he suddenly being so harsh? So many questions ran wild in her mind.
She couldn’t even manage to save a hundred dollars in a month, let alone thousands. Just thinking about what the doctor had said a few minutes ago was making her feel ill.
‘Maybe I should consider asking the bank for a loan? Once my mom is out of the hospital, we could move to another country and I wouldn’t have to worry about paying it back.’ She thought. ‘Or should I fuck around? Of course, momma didn’t give birth to a bitch. Okay! What then should I…..’
She bumped into Mira, who was coming out from the doctor’s office. “When did you intend to tell me?” Natalia raised her gaze and asked, tears streaming down my eyes.
“I was about–––”
“Shut up. You know what? I’m disappointed in you.” Natalia hollered, glaring at her in disgust.
“I’m sorry, Nat,” Mira whispered and her eyes started growing moist.
Natalie’s eyes lingered on Mira one last time before walking away. She left the hospital without saying a word because she needed to get to Kate’s house quickly, but she didn’t have any cash for the cab.
When they arrived at Kate’s home, she nervously approached the cab driver. “Um, Mr., I don’t have any cash on me,” she began. “If you wouldn’t mind, you can have my cellphone in exchange.” She handed him her cell phone.
The cap driver simply smiled and said, “I could tell you didn’t have any cash on you the moment I saw you left the hospital. I could sense that something was wrong. Did you lose someone?” He asked, his eyes full of sympathy.
She sniffled. “No, but I’m on the verge of losing someone dear to me.”
The man moved closer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know who it is, but you need to stay strong for them. They need you now more than ever. Don’t let fear take over. You are much stronger than you think.” His kind words touched her heart, filling her with warmth.
Natalia gazed at the stranger before her, meeting his loving and affectionate gaze. “Do you happen to know me from somewhere?” she inquired with curiosity.
He chuckled softly. “I don’t know you from anywhere, my dear, but I sense that you could need some kind words right now.”
Natalia held his gaze for a moment. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“Take care of yourself and don’t worry so much, child, everything shall fall into place soon.” he said before getting into his car and driving away. Natalia watched until the car was out of sight. Since her father’s death, no one had looked at her with such love. She was grateful for his kind words, which helped calm her down.
She knocked on Kate’s apartment door for a few minutes, but there was no response. Just as Natalia was about to leave, someone opened the door.
“Natalie, is that you?” Kate’s mom, Caro called out, causing Natalie to stop and turn around. Caro stood at the door with her hands on her waist, glaring at her.
Natalie hesitated, unsure whether to approach Caro and ask about Kate or to walk away. She knew that Caro couldn’t stand her, and Caro had made it clear that she didn’t want Natalie to be friends with her daughter for reasons unknown.
Natalie could see the deceit in Caro’s eyes as she stood and decided to approach her to ask about Kate. “Good afternoon,” she greeted.
Caro stood emotionless, not responding to her greetings. Natalie didn’t take it personally, as Caro had always been like that since she and Kate became friends.
Natalie asked nervously, “I came to see Kate.” She tried to avoid eye contact with Caro at all costs.
“I have warned you never to step foot in this house, haven’t I?” Caro lashed out, giving her a murderous glare.
“I’m sorry. I-I just—-”
“You just what? Now leave and never return back here,” Caro yelled, pointing at the gate.
Natalie released a soft sigh and began walking away without uttering a word. Caro scoffed loudly and went back into her room, slamming the door so hard that Natalie could hear, shaking her head in sadness.”
The moment Natalie stepped outside the gate, her phone vibrated and caught her attention. She checked the caller ID, which displayed “My bestie” boldly on her screen.
“Hey, Nat,” Kate’s voice boomed on the phone speaker.
“Hey,” Natalie muttered weakly, her gaze wandering around.
“Where are you right now? You don’t sound good,” Kate inquired, noticing the sadness in Natalie’s voice.
Natalie began to speak, “I’m at your house. I—-” she tried to explain.
“Wait, you met my mom?” Kate exclaimed, her jaw-dropping. “I hope she didn’t say anything mean to you,” she added.
Natalie chuckled softly, “No, she was nice to me.” She lied smoothly, not wanting Kate to have a conflict with her mother again because of her.
Kate scoffed loudly, finding it hard to believe Natalie. “That’s strange. By the way, I’m not at home. I came over to see Mr. Khan the moment he called. He said he’s been trying to reach you but it wasn’t connecting,” she informed.
Natalie expressed annoyance, “Why? It’s our day off. Has he forgotten already?” she said.
“He said someone is here looking for you. That’s why he called,” Kate revealed.
Natalie frowned, “I wasn’t expecting anyone. I wonder who it is. Did you see the person’s face?” she asked.
“Yes, I did. Mr. Khan told me he’s a new client who only wants your services. He’s willing to pay any amount for your work. It could earn you a lot of money,” Kate disclosed.
As soon as Natalie heard the word ‘Money’, her stomach fluttered with excitement as she needed it at the moment, she couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, I’ll head over right now. But I don’t have a transport fare, can you help me out?”
“Always broke, huh? Just come over, I’ll cover it,” Kate teased before ending the call.
Without hesitation, Natalie hailed a cab and headed straight to her boss’s home, her mind racing with thoughts about the new job the client had mentioned.