C8 Meeting again

Antonio happens to be working at the new company where he is collaborating with them. He still retains his position at his former company at Neil's associates but he is on a contracted term.

After two weeks of his work here, a meeting is called for the board members. Everyone is seated and waiting for the meeting to commence as all the chairs are occupied in the conference hall except for one which belongs to the secretary of the company.

"Shall we begin?" The vice president asked as everyone opened their laptops and picked up their pens to start the meeting but silence filled the room.

"Where is the secretary? The meeting can't start without her as she has the files. Should we wait a little more while someone goes to check on what's delaying her?" Someone asked as everyone noticed her absence.

"Why will she be late for a meeting? That's why I don't like having women to run my business." The president replied sadly as everyone just kept mute. All of them seated there were men.

"Let me have her checked. Please let's be patient as this has never happened before. Maybe something is holding her without us knowing, I'll be right back." The head of a sub department spoke as he excused himself and later came back and announced that she has left the company.

"On whose notice did she just leave like that?" The chairman spoke angrily.

"This has never happened before, it could be an emergency." Mr. Vince, who went to check on her, replied.

"Put her on the line and find out why she left." The president replied.

"Where are you? Everyone is waiting for you at the meeting and they are really angry at you for just leaving like that without letting any of us know." Mr. Vince spoke softly into the phone.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Vince, my daughter fell unconscious and I had to rush to take her to the hospital after getting a call about her condition from the school. I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry, please can the meeting go ahead without me?" She pleaded and he accepted to do something about it and explain to everyone so they won't be mad at her.

"She had to take her daughter to the hospital, maybe we should just cancel the meeting?" He asked for an option to what would be done now.

"Cancel the meeting because of a woman? Did we all come here to waste our time all because of a secretary? If she can't do her job well, why doesn't it be given to a man who is capable of such a position?" Antonio spoke angrily.

"We are sorry Mr. Antonio, you can understand how women are.towards their children so we can't blame her in this case since it was an emergency. We'll have to cancel this meeting everyone until further notice. Thank you all for your time and Mr. Vince, tell her we wish her child a quick recovery. Everyone can now go back to their work. Thank you." The president replied as he left first before the rest followed suit. Antonio got up and left angrily.

*****

At the hospital;

"Baby, I won't let anything happen to you okay?" Mia told her daughter as tears clouded her eyes but she tried to suppress them so that her daughter won't see it as she forced a smile.

"Mummy, please be strong. I will be fine, I just miss daddy…" Ariel said in a sad and low tone as she turned her eyes away from her mum.

"W- what did you say?" Mia couldn't believe that such would come out of her daughter's mouth, at least not now.

"Nothing." Ariel told her mum as she turned away from her and closed her eyes.

"See me in my office please." The doctor's voice sounded in Mia's ears as she turned and noticed that the doctor must have been standing there for quite a while and witnessed everything.

****

In the doctor's office;

"Doctor, what's her condition at present? When will she be discharged please?" Mia asked the doctor as she was really very worried and scared coupled with the guilt of her daughter's question.

"Your daughter is doing just fine medically but I'm afraid that her situation will worsen mentally until something is done." The doctor spoke to Mia calmly.

"I don't understand what you mean. She was unconscious and brought here and you are telling me that she is fine and nothing is wrong with her?" Mia questioned the doctor as she was beginning to get pissed off.

"Calm down Ms. I know what I'm telling you. The person who brought her here before you arrived is a school teacher who informed us that she kept calling her dad… If I may ask, where is her father?" The doctor asked her.

Mia kept quiet as she couldn't answer that particular question. She calmed down herself as she never wanted to ever answer that question but couldn't believe that it was coming as a solution to her daughter's illness.

"How does this have to do with her father?" Mia asked as she wanted to try and avoid the question.

"Well ma'am, I don't want to intrude into your personal life so I'll just tell you this. Your child is sick because she misses her dad and wants him back. The only thing you can do now to make her feel better is to reunite her with her dad or get her one. That is my own suggestion to you and the only solution to your daughter's illness. The next time she falls sick and is brought here again, I won't attend to her and will personally tell other staff not to do the same because there is nothing we can do for her. Rather, she will have to be taken to the psychiatric clinic which is too risky for a young child like her. Go and think about it." The doctor concluded as she closed the file on her table.

Mia felt so very devastated as her walls were crashing right before her eyes as she stood up, feeling very weak like she wanted to fall.

"But meanwhile, here are some drugs that you should get for her to help her feel better and reduce her temperature. Please don't think this will heal her, it is just to help reduce her temperature and.give her appetite to eat. Thanks ma'am." The doctor said as she handed her the prescription paper.

"Thank you doctor." Mia replied as the doctor smiled at her warmly.

Mia returned back to her daughter's ward. She was already sleeping. Mia sat on her bedside and held her daughter's little hand in hers as tears flowed down freely from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry baby, I'm sorry I put you all through this." She cried as she apologized and her tears fell on Ariel. Ariel opened her eyes as tears flowed out of it in a trail as it fell on the bed sheet. She closed back her eyes.