CHAPTER 01 ~ THE PAIN

SIX YEARS LATER

"Mommy mommy I ham hungy." little April said as she saw her mom getting ready for work.

"Yes baby." Julie said and roasted some bread for her daughter and gave her a glass of milk.

"Yuck." April made a disgusting face and refused to drink the milk, "Why mommy?" she asked slowly in her baby voice and turned towards her mom who stood by her side seeing April not completing her food. "We eat this daily. I ham tied of it."

Julie knelt down and think of words to explain her daughter that it was difficult for her to maintain two jobs and also take care of April without making April feel left out and that all their money goes to rent and bills that they have nothing left for food. It wasn't Julie's fault that she didn't complete college but she will never make April feel burden for it.

"You have this today and tomorrow evening we will go out and have a fancy dinner. Is that fine, baby?" Julie asked and April nods her head and consumes her food. Julie smiles and started running around the house again to get ready. She managed to afford a nanny for her daughter till she joins school according to her budget but now April is off age where she need to join school. Julie wonders where she is going to get the money from.

"I am here." April's nanny, a 85 years old grandma who was abandoned by her children in old age refuses to go to old age home and lives near Julie agrees to help Julie for free of cost but her pride doesn't allow it and grandma decided to take whatever Julie can offer at the end of month.

"I am leaving. Don't trouble grandma." Julie warned her but as she was about to close the door she noticed April falling on the floor with blood flowing from her mouth and she lost consciousness.

"Aprillll" Julie's painful scream echoed in whole neighborhood that someone saw the scene and called the ambulance. Julie wasn't in a state to think or do anything. She was holding onto April as tight as she can as salty liquid fall from her eyes without stopping.

Few hours later, Julie is a bit stable because she has to be otherwise there is no one who can take care of them. Grandma stayed with her till the doctor comes out with the results. Seeing the doctor walk out with two of his assistants and looked at Julia to realize she is not in right state to hear what he is going to say.

"I assume you are related to her and her daughter." he said turning to grandma who nodded positively.

"April has a disease which is in final stage and can't be cu.. " Julie didn't let him finish his sentence and grabbed him by his collar looked deep into his eyes that the doctor got scared. people pulled her aside but she keeps shouting the doctor is not saying the truth because he knows they can't afford the bill.

"I will pay you whatever you want doctor but please give the solution to my daughter's problem." she pleaded to him and many mothers across the hall feeling her pain stood watching her in piti as their eyes filled with tears.

"The disease your daughter has. No cure was found here but she have some 20 percentage of survival if you take her to Germany. They have cure for this nut it's too late for your daughter to get treatment. You must have given her treatment when you saw the signs itself." the doctor said and moved away to his next patient while Julie fell on the floor.

"I am sorry, dear." she heard grandma saying but can she really blame anyone in this situation? she was working multiple jobs which barely make the month end and grandma is old how can she identity any signs even if she had seen any?

"You should have warned me when you felt like she is not well." Julie accused the old woman regardless of knowing she wouldn't help much.

"You are the oldest in age and must have seen kids getting sick." she said as grandma hold her hand but she ditched her hands. Grandma spoke regardless of whether Julie heard her or not.

"I have seen sick kids and had then stronger myself but now I am 85. I can't see anything far 50 meters clearly. Mostly your daughter never troubles me and always stays within my vision zone so that I can have a eye on her and I have never seen her sick.

Julie didn't say anything but when grandma hugged her she didn't stop but cuddle into her arms like new born kangaroo clutching to its mom hoping it was all a bad dream and that she never made the mistake of going to that party.

"I killed a person and spoiled a guy's life along with mine." she whispered softly without letting grandma knows and got into semi consciousness.

"KEITH!" hearing the name she jerk from her place and looked here and there. She saw a little kid going with his mom and assumed he is the Kieth someone yelled for.

While on the older side of the hospital, Keith who came for a regular checkup of his grandfather saw someone crying hugging a old woman and felt a familiar feeling. He felt like someone close to him is in trouble.

"Hey kiddo what happened?" grandpa called him but he wasn't able to look away from the direction or the crying lady with whom he felt some strong connection. The lady is shouting the hospital staffs to save her daughter.

"Keith!" his mom called him a little louder as he get back to his senses and pushed his grandpa inside the check up. As they go in unknowingly he asked his grandpa a weird question.

"How will you feel when one of your kid is in deep trouble or pain?"

Grandpa was confused but they went inside and as Keith's mom left with the nurse to buy some medicine, Keith grandpa looked at him.

"Parenthood is not simple. Parents feel the pain double times more than their kid when they get into a problem. When you realize your own blood is in pain it pains you. It may sound strange but that's the power of parents. They get their kids pain in double. But why are you asking me this?"

Keith can't reveal it to him. How can he tell his grandpa that he is feeling like his heart is being ripped and soul is being sucked out of his body after seeing an unknown woman cry for her daughter as if they both are his.

Suddenly he heard a sound from his phone and realized he got a notification from his right hand men. seeing the message Keith felt like his heart getting frozen and mind gets black from years old guilt.

"Kenny, we found her. The woman you were searching for. Her name is Julie Lexington."