Chapter 11
Ruby groaned in frustration as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She was at work and was not supposed to take calls, so she decided to end the call and put her phone on vibrations to avoid any more disturbances’
She looked at the screen only to discover that it was the nurse, Cheryl from the hospital.
She had not gotten the chance to go visit her sister since she paid the bills as there had been a lot of things she was dealing with.
She decided to take the call as her sister’s health was more important than anything.
“Hey Cheryl…..” She muttered after picking up the call.
“I see you’ve decided to ghost everyone now you’ve paid your sister’s bill” Those were Cheryl’s first words the moment she heard Ruby’s voice.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been caught up with a lot of things, how’s Kimberly doing?” she questioned.
“I bring good and bad news,” Cheryl said, instead of answering Ruby’s question.
“What good news and bad news?” Ruby grilled as her heart raced. She silently hoped that her sister was safe.
“The surgery was successful…” Cheryl began and Ruby found herself breathing in relief.
“I’ll come first thing tomorrow morning…” she chimed in as she had no shift the next day.
“I’m yet to disclose the bad news” Cheryl snapped as Ruby held the phone tight.
“What bad news?” she asked in a low voice her heart racing, if Kimberly’s surgery was successful, then what other bad news was Cheryl talking about??
“She’s in a vegetative state” Cheryl disclosed.
“What the hell is a vegetative state??” Ruby shrieked.
Ruby’s hands trembled, her heart racing with anxiety as the words “vegetative state” echoed in her mind. Her sister, Kimberly, had just undergone surgery and she had been hoping for good news, only to be faced with an unexpected, and potentially devastating, development.
“She’s not conscious,” Cheryl continued. “Her body is functioning, but she’s not aware of her surroundings. We don’t know how long it might last.”
“But how?” Ruby stuttered.
“It’s all of your fault Ruby, you caused it!!!” Cheryl accused in a cold voice.
“If you had brought the money in time, none of this would have happened!! The moment your sister was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage, that was when she was supposed to be operated on!!” She added, not minding the effect of her words in ruby.
“It was not my fault Cheryl, you know how hard I worked to get money for her treatment..” Ruby defended her voice shaking.
Ruby’s words caught in her throat as Cheryl’s accusation stung like a slap to the face. Guilt twisted in her gut, amplifying the overwhelming pressure she had been feeling since Kimberly’s diagnosis.
She had been trying her best to scrape together the money for her sister’s treatment, but the lack of savings and the scarcity of well-paying jobs in their area had made it an uphill battle.
“I know you’ve been doing your best, Ruby,” Cheryl’s tone softened slightly.
“But if you had brought the money earlier, none of this would have happened. Rest assured she’s out of danger, now we have to pray that she wakes up soon”
“How long is she going to be unconscious?” Ruby grilled, fighting back her tears.
Cheryl sighed, her expression weighted with the uncertainty of the situation.
“It’s impossible to predict, Ruby. Sometimes people in this state can regain consciousness within days, sometimes it can take months or even years. The only thing we can do is wait and hope for the best.”
Ruby’s heart dropped at the thought of her sister, once vibrant and full of life, lying motionless in a hospital bed.
She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
“Alright then, I’ll come over tomorrow, I’m working, have a nice day,” she said to Cheryl.
“You too”
The phone disconnected as Ruby’s shoulders fell weakly, she felt numb at that very moment. She didn’t even know what to think, but at least get sister was out of danger.
“Rubyyyy!!” Her manager, Madan Jane yelled as she entered the kitchen.
“Ma’am” Ruby stuttered as she turned quickly.
“What the hell are you doing here???” She asked, her voice loud enough to bring down the roof.
“I.. I…” Ruby stuttered loss of words.
“You what???”
“A customer placed an order for the past ten minutes and here you are doing God knows what!” She fired at Ruby.
“I’m sorry, I’ll get the coffee done immediately”
“Sorry for your damned self. It seems as if you’re tired of working here! If you keep up with this attitude, I’ll cut your pay for the month!!” She threatened, storming out of the kitchen.
Ruby quickly made her way to make a cup of cappuccino, before rushing out with the cup in a tray.
She went to the table and served the coffee.
“I’m very sorry sir for any inconvenience..” she apologized to the male customer who already had an impatient look on his face.
“It’s nothing..” He said as Ruby sighed in relief. Thank goodness it was not one of those rude customers like Jaxon, because they would have definitely given her an earful.
“Thank you” She bowed slightly as she made her way to leave.
“Excuse me” the man stopped her just when she was about to leave.
“Do you need anything else?” She asked.
“No..” he began clearing his throat.
“Do I happen to know you?” He pursed his lips as Ruby shook her head.
“I don’t think so..” she smiled politely at him.
Most of the male customers usually used this as a tactic to get her number or any other female customer.
“But I don’t think so..”
“You look very familiar..” he deadpanned, sounding sure of himself.
“Ruby right?” He raised a brow at her as Ruby narrowed her brows.
“Yes.. s” she stammered.
“Don’t you remember me? Kevin. From college.” He explained as Ruby fixed her eyes on him.
Black-haired, handsome, and dressed in a suit.
He had changed a lot, that’s why she didn’t recognize him.
Of course, she remembered him, he used to be a very good friend back then but she lost contact with him.
“Yes I do..” she finally smiled.
“Kevin, how are you doing? It’s been such a long time” she chuckled.
“As you can see I’m doing good and you?”
“I’m doing great” she replied, her smile never falling from her face.
“Can I at least get your contact? So we can catch up later. I think you have to get back to work” Kevin asked as it would be inappropriate for him to keep speaking with her while she was on duty.
“Sure,” she said, collecting his phone from him as she typed in her phone number.
“I’ll send you a text later” Kevin informed collecting the phone back from her.
“Okay, sure. Catch you later” She waved at him before rushing back to her duty post to avoid Madam Jane and her never-ending berating and tongue-lashing.
….
I hope you’re enjoying my book. Please show your support by voting and commenting.
Love Author.