Chapter 2: Her best choice

He pulled back the three students and read the information on the bulletin they were hiding from him.

"Ooh, I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"

"No. Just continue reading," the gay man said while giggling himself to the highest.

He felt sorry for the three students, so he thought of a way to help them.

"Look, I think I can help you guys...Okay, follow me."

The rich man thought that his condo was dirty, so he would just let those students work so that they could pay for the exam. Otherwise, it would be even harder for him to find a cleaner.

Jane's group followed behind the campus sweetheart. Upon walking, the students they passed by were stunned, looking at them. They made rumors about what they saw without basis. All of those were heard by Jester's ear, but he endured it. For him, those words were nonsense.

Meanwhile, examination day started with bad news for Jane. She got a call from her mother. It's about her father's condition.

"Jane, your father is in the hospital." her mother said on the line.

"Are you serious, mom? How is he?" with a loud and vibrating voice.

"At this moment, the doctor gave him medicine to calm his inner pain, but I don't know if we can afford him here in a couple of days. I almost ran out of money."

"Don't worry mom, I will find a way."

"Okay Jane."

"I'll just call you later, mom. Take care of Papa, Goodbye. "

It had been hard for her to choose between her studies and her father's hospitalization, but she finally preferred to send her money to her family. It's the money she received from Jester, the time she and her friends got a light job in his place, that will be in the hands of her family.

It was almost time to start the examination. Lila (Jane's friend) noticed that her classmate Jane wasn't in the room yet.

Henry, who was busy retouching his make-up, was stopped when his friend Lila touched his hip with a finger. The gay man smirked for a moment and his foam from the powder had fell.

"Hey, Henry. Have you seen Jane?" Henry turned his head slowly and replied to his friend.

"No. Is she not here yet?"

Lila automatically replied back to her friend at a high volume of speaking.

"Obviously, look at her chair. It's vacant."

The gay man just sighed and looked at Jane's visible chair. They wonder why their friend will be absent on the day of the exam, which is not her attitude.

While the two friends of Jane kept worrying about her, someone was sighted outside the room using the window. It was Jester, who had checked Jane's attendance at that moment, but he saw nothing seated in her chair. However, a wave and a greeting welcomed him from the students watching him inside. He just waved back at them, then moved away, and went back to his room.

He was distracted by his mind's thoughts about where Jane went.

"Where did she go?" he asked himself while still imagining the latest moment with Jane.

Without an idea, he just kept on guessing Jane's whereabouts until the examination ended.

After one hour of traveling, Jane arrived at the hospital where her father was confined. She ran toward her father's room and checked the condition. She even asked for the doctor's results, which had not been released. Until an intern doctor entered their room to give the results of a few tests he had done.

"Your father suffered... COPD is a disease that has no cure now, but we can give him medicine for today's treatment. This is just to help him stay calm during the attack of the disease. Fortunately, the patient is stable for now, so you don't need to worry," the doctor said.

She felt relieved to know that her father was safe, as if she didn't have any insight about the disease.

"Jane, why are you here? You are supposed to study at your school and take your exam today," her father tearfully said.

Jane took his hand while rubbing it smoothly.

"Father, you are the most important thing to me. Don't worry about my studies. I will cope with them later, okay?"

Even though she wanted to cry, she pulled it back in order not to face her father solemnly.

"Jane, my daughter," whispered his father.

"Pa, take a rest and I will be right here. Stop talking, just rest well. All is well."

And she rubbed her thumb on her father's hand to ease the pain and to help him sleep well.

Jane's father suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), classified as one of the most serious and dangerous respiratory illnesses, and COPD is the number one problem in most pulmonology offices. Though the doctors gave the patient an initial treatment, Jane knew the possible outcomes explained by the hospital.

A few seconds later, someone texted Jane.

"Beshy, what happened to you? Is there a problem?" text message sent by Henry.

"Well, I'm sorry for not informing you and Lila. I'm in the hospital now," she replied.

"Who is in an emergency?" replied Henry.

"My father, I spent all my money, including my allowance, on his bill at the hospital. That's why I couldn't take the semi-finals examination," Jane's message to Henry.

"I understand. Just give the hospital's name and address and we will go there after class."

"Rodriguez Hospital, in front of SM Mall, beside RD Pawnshop."

"Copy. Take care beshy."

Then, she took a deep breath after the call. She didn't expect that there were a lot of good people in the world who were ready to help her in times of encountering burdens in life.

Two hours later, a group of people came to the hospital where Jane's father had been confined. One man left for the cashier section to pay for the bill and the other two had met Jane at the information area.

"Beshy, how's your father?" Lila asked.

"He's in a stable state now."

"Oh, that's good. By the way, don't worry about the bill from your father. There's someone who paid for it."

Her eyes glazed over suddenly at the good news she had heard. Her family was really struggling with the hospital bill, so she was excited to know who was a kind-hearted man willing to help them.

Then she asked to clarify, "Who?"

"Guess who?" Henry replied with a smile on his face.

Jane's expression changed for a while, thinking about what kind of person would be willing to help her family? And who is he?