The siren sound of the ambulance made spooky emotions in me as I held my mum’s hand and watched her struggling to cough with the oxygen covering her nose and mouth.
I cried silently watching her in this state, my heart drenched in fear as I tried to stop myself from thinking she’s dying and nothing will happen to her.
In no time we got to the General hospital and I watched my mum being wheeled out on the sick bed from the ambulance bus by the nurses into the hospital.
I muffled my sobs, clamping my palms over my mouth as I felt my face soaked with tears.
I ran behind them and they turned in another direction in the hospital as I tried to follow them.
“You can’t go in,” one of the male nurses said stopping me from getting into the emergency room as I stared at him in dismay.
I saw the doctors striding in as they put on their hand gloves and I sighed backing away, praying nothing happens to her.
A female nurse came up to me with a file in her arms.
“Please, sign this and write your name here,” She said giving me a pen and pointing to where I should sign and write my name.
I knew it was a document given to those who bring in patients, I finished signing and writing my name before she gave me a slight smile and left me.
I walked to waiting area cleaning my tears trying to be strong and have a positive heart that my mum would find.
God knows I will go crazy if something bad happens to her just like Dad.
“Camilla!” I heard someone call my name and I turned to my side to see Lillian running to me still in her work outfit.
“Lilly!” I gasped and ran over to her as we both embraced each other while I buried my head in her neck starting to cry again.
“What happened to mum?” She asked when we finally broke the hug as we went to seat on the chair.
I cleaned my tears still choking as I knotted my fingers together, taking in a deep breath before I faced her as she nodded telling me to go on.
“I came back from school, and noticed someone was coughing badly in the house, you know we’re aware of mum coughing slightly so I rushed into the kitchen where I heard the sounds coming from and saw mum helpless on the floor coughing so ba-badly…” I broke down with grieve, crying again when I saw flashes of mum being so anemic on the floor invade my memories.
Lillian rubbed my back slowly, using her other hand to hold mine.
“She was coughing so badly, clutching her chest and when I moved closer to her she was coughing out blood,” I cried gazing at her as she turned pale immediately hearing what I said.
I placed my head on her shoulder as I continued sobbing the tears not stopping at any moment.
“Why didn’t she tell us she was sick? she had been hiding things from us, Lillian, mum is dying,” I sobbed as I felt a teardrop on my hands.
I looked up and also saw Lillian with red-shot eyes as tears strolled down her cheeks. I’ve never seen her so broken like this, I always know her to be the strong and arrogant big sister.
She sniffed and released her hands from mine as she cleaned her tears looking at me.
“She has tuberculosis,” Lillian said and I froze for a moment before processing what she was saying.
“Tu-Tuberculosis,” I stammered hoping I heard the right word.
Lillian cleaned her eyes and wiped her nose with the back of her hands then faced me with a sad smile while I stared at her to tell me what the heck was happening with mum.
“You know I’ve been curious just like you, wondering what was wrong with mum about her coughing every time so I went into her room, trying to get see if I could find some clues since she refused to tell me what was wrong with her every single time I asked, I checked her closet and draw then I saw a folded paper,” She paused breathing in some air.
“I opened the paper and found out she was diagnosed with terrible tuberculosis–”
I stood up feeling so shattered as Lillian gazed at me…
“When did this happen?” I asked lowly.
“Last week!” She said.
“Last week! Why didn’t you tell me?… Why didn’t you say anything to me?” I cried feeling betrayed.
“I wanted to,” She said also standing up to reach out to me.
“I wa-wanted to tell you but you weren’t around,” She stuttered gazing at me guiltily.
“At least you should have called me!” I screamed clutching my fingers tightly around my hair as I dragged it out in frustration before squatting and sitting on the floor crying as Lillian rushed over to me and hugged me.
“I’m sorry Camilla… I should have told you immediately,” she choked as those passing by gave us sympathetic looks.
We heard someone cough lightly behind us to get our attention and we turned to see a man which was obviously in his 40s in a white coat.
I stood up immediately assuming he’s the doctor.
“Are you Miss. Evans?” He asked his dark pupil fixed on us.
“Yes, I’m the one and this is my sister here with me,” I replied quickly.
“Is my mum okay?” I asked nervously as his gaze fell on me with a condoling look before he sighed.
“I’m sorry but her condition is worst,” He said as my eyes widened with trepidation.
“D-do you me-mean she c-can’t get treated?” The words seemed so incoherent for me to ask but I fought my way through it.
“We’re trying our best, but she’s not getting responsive to any of the treatments,” He said worriedly.
“What do you mean she’s not getting responsive?” Lillian snapped glaring at the doctor.
“Your mother has aspergilloma, it is a late sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis, and her respiratory system and lungs have been badly damaged,” He said with a sigh as I buried my face in Lillian’s shoulder crying from what I heard the doctor say.
“We’ve given her some medication to stop the blood spurting out of her mouth,” He said.
“Can we see her?” Lillian asked and he nodded as he started walking while we followed behind him.
He showed us the way to her room and my heart crunched seeing the sight of my mother laying weakly on the sickbed.
The doctor excused himself and we got closer to her.
I smiled sadly sitting on the little space on her bed as I held her hand in which they passed a drip.
I gazed into her face and saw how pale and cadaverous her face was.
She shifted uncomfortably and opened her eyes.
“Mum!” I whimpered as my tears dropped on her hospital dress.
Lillian came to her side and also cleaned her tears that were oozing out from her eyes.
“Why mum? Why didn’t you tell us you were sick? Why did you keep things from us?” My heart macerated in agony asking those questions holding her hands as I kissed them looking into her eyes which were spilling with tears too as she gazed at us.
“You two have grown quite than I expected,” She started with a light smile bringing her hands to my face as she breathed haggardly.
“Camilla, I want you to stay strong no matter what happens, promise you’ll do that for me,” She said weakly and I panicked wondering what she meant by that as I felt my body convulse.
“Mum! No… don’t say that… nothing is going to be wrong with you, the do-doctors are working on c-cure for you,” I stammered pressing her hands on my cheeks she gave me a light sigh before turning to Lillian who stared at her full of emotions.
“Lillian!” She called faintly.
“Yes, mum!” Lillian answered in a crack voice stepping closer to mum as she gazed at her.
“Promise me to be by your sister always,” She breathed out closing her eyes.
“Mum!” I called before she opened her eyes weakly again.
“Pro-promise me!” She coughed lightly at first before it got intense.
“Mum!” I called out panicked gripping her shoulder lightly.
“I promise mum, I will do whatever you want please don’t leave us!” Lillian cried out as I gazed at the computer and noticed her heartbeat was getting slow.
“I’m so sorry girls, I-I lo-lo–”
She couldn’t finish her statement as her hands slipped from my cheeks and dropped by her side.
“Mum!!!” I shouted crying with fear as I shook her lightly.
“Doctor, someone help!”Lillian yelled as she ran to the door but the doctor and nurses already barged in.
I covered my mouth as they surrounded her, I glanced at the computer screen that was reading her heartbeat but it was stilled already just showing straight lines.
I can’t believe this is happening…
Why does this have to happen to me?
Why has life been so unfortunate to me?
I watched how they charged her chest with the compressor to revive her back but it was effortless as one of the doctors placed his fingers on the side of her neck checked her pulse and shook his head at the rest as they all stopped and one of the female nurses closed her face with the white blanket.
No! No!!
This is not real as I tried to run closer to my mum.
She can’t be dead…
“Mummmm!!!” I screamed running towards her but I was held back.
“Leave me alone! She can’t be dead… Leave me alone! I tried to struggle with the person holding me back as I watched my mum’s body wheeled out of the room.
“Mum!” I weep stretching my hands in her direction as I held back tightly.