C5 Chapter five

Later that evening Harper was wiping tables, preparing for the next wave of customers that usually came Around 5 pm. Her phone rang suddenly startling her, the shrill of the sound destroying the calm atmosphere of the restaurant. Her heart filled with trepidation when she saw the caller ID. It was Dr. Myles, her Mother’s Doctor. She looked up and noticed Alessia looking at her worry.

“I’ll get it,” Harper said, excusing her self swiftly to the employees lounge. She picked the call, placing the phone on her ear, her hands trembling.

“Ms. Kings?” A firm yet gentle male voice came through, “ Yes,” Harper answered, her voice still shaky.

“This is Dr. Myles, from Dechoice Hospital. I’m calling on behalf of your Mother’s, she was brought in this afternoon. Her condition has become more severe than we expected.” He said,

“ She had a heart attack while she was taking a walk in the area, someone was kind enough to call an ambulance that brought her here.” Dr. Myles said,

Harper felt her hands go clammy , her heart racing, she asked “Mom? How did she end up at the hospital?”

“ She had a heart attack while she was taking a walk in the area, someone was kind enough to call an ambulance that brought her here.” Dr. Myles answered.

Harper felt her bones go cold from panic “ I’m on my way, I’ll be there as soon as possible” Harper said her voice trembling.

She hung up her phone and rushed with urgency into her Bosses office . The manager looked up from the document , he was going through startled by the way she burst into his office “ Is something wrong Harper? “ He asked.

“My mother .. .I’m so sorry Sir, I need permission to get off work.. an emergency came up, my mom was rushed to the hospital, she had a heart attack.” Harper said rushed, barely taking time to organize her speech, her eyes looked frightened and her skin pale from anxiety.

The ride to the hospital felt like an eternity, her anxiety increasing, she hurried the driver, pleading with him to drive faster. She felt panicky, her body cold with sweat . She prayed silently for her mother to be okay.

At the hospital, she quickly gave the receptionist her mother’s name and her room number, then receiving access she rushed up. Fear gripped her when she saw her mother from the partition window. She looked paler and sickly.

“ Ms Kings, please come with me” Dr Myles said. Leading her into his cozy office decorated with sleek, modern yet homey de or but she wasn’t here to admire the room Dr. Myles gestured for her to seat on one of the sofas opposite his chair.

“How is my Mother’s health Doctor?” Harper asked a little impatiently “ What could have triggered the attack this time?”

“ As for the trigger, we assume she may have been stressed from a past memory or physical activity, but based on our analysis of her condition, I’m so sorry Ms. Kings, but it seems to have badly deteriorated ,her heart is failing rapidly and we would urgently need to do a heart transplant”

Harper felt a wave of helplessness, her limbs going weak. “ What can we do?” she asked

“ Fortunately we happen to have a perfect heart for her in our donor bank, however we cannot go ahead with the surgery without the expense of the procedure being covered. What’s more there would also be additional costs for the long term care and medication.” Dr Myles said.

Harper felt her world crumbling a second time within the space of two months. How could they afford to pay for such an expensive procedure, their assets was already frozen and the proceeds from the house they sold was all used up, her wage from her waitressing job was barely enough to cover house expenses, they didn’t have any savings.

Harper felt despair as tears welled up in her eyes. “ I have no idea what to do, where am I going to get money from now? Who am I going to turn to ?” She whispered. The air felt heavy and suffocating.

Dr. Myles stood up to get her a box of tissues and a cup of water, placing them in front of her, he stated “ We would do try our possible best to offer you assistance, however we cannot neglect the urgency of the situation.”

“Thank you so much Doctor” Harper said. Leaving his office she went to visit her mom who was lying still on the hospital, her breathing laboured and shallow.

She was perplexed , she couldn’t figure out how her mother who had been just fine and energetic just this morning could be lying so still on an hospital bed, looking so sickly.

She wondered how she could possibly come up with the huge sum required to save her mother. The burden of her Mother’s medical bills and her own helplessness weighed her down. She really hoped for a miracle to happen.

She sat by her mother’s bedside, lost in thought, it seemed like fate wasn’t done dealing with them . How could she scale through, how could she walk this path that seemed bleak and impossible.