Chapter 7

Lunch hours were the only time I could relax. The pile of files I go through everyday was almost making me lose my sight. And that jerk of a boss was not making things any easier. He doesn’t like seeing me seated without doing something ‘productive'. He always emphasizes the fact that time is money.

Things weren't this hectic when Old Mr Hardin was here. Asher Hardin wanted to do something entirely different from his father. The meetings we had were very stressful too since he always argued with his father's old employees who believed in upholding his father's legacy. He had shouted at them once that if they do not like his methods they are very free to leave but without any severance payment from ‘HIS' company. Emphasis on the ‘his'. That had shut them up for awhile.

As I sat in my favorite place; the kitchen couch during lunch, I couldn't help but think of my sister Elle.

She was always a bright child. Our parents had her late hence our age difference.

She was seven years old when this illness started. So she had been battling with it for years.

We had gone out on a family outing. Elle insisted on playing on the swing. Mother was however against it. But I couldn’t say no to Elle's pretty puppy eyes.

“Just once. Okay?"

“Okay” her joy was everything to me at that moment. Having lost our father in a car crash the previous year Elle had shut everyone out. He was her best friend and she looked up to him. She hadn't smiled since then. So seeing her on that swing smiling and laughing I was teary-eyed.

It happened so fast that none of us saw it coming. The swing had taken her up and then she fell off hitting her head in the process. Fear gripped me when I saw Elle's unconscious face.

When we got to the hospital we were told that Elle was in a vegetative state. She was asleep for a very long time. When she had woken up the test revealed that a tumor had formed in her head but surgery was needed to find out if it was cancerous or not. It later turned out to be cancer.

Ever since then Elle had been a very familiar face in the hospital.

Thanks to Garrett her hospital bills were taken care of.

My phone suddenly rang bringing me from my train of thoughts.

It was my mum.

‘Hey mum' I breathed immediately I accepted the call. But she didn't reply.

‘mum what's wrong?’ I asked with fear gripping every core of me.

Then I heard the sniffing from her end of the call.

‘mum..?’

‘Darling it's Elle..’ I didn't wait to hear the rest when I dashed out of the kitchen. I ran back to the office picked my bag and ran out.

‘Don't hang up mum’. I breathed ‘I'm on my way there'.

‘o.. okay'

Getting a taxi was taking too long so I started running. I hadn't run for long before I spotted a yellow cab coming towards me. I immediately flagged it down and blindly got in.

*~*

‘oh you are here Lorie, I'm sorry I made you come. It's just that there's no one to call and ..’ my mum said immediately she saw me. She was seated beside Elle's bed. I stared at my sister. She didn't deserve this pain.

‘what happened?’ I asked hugging my mum's weeping figure

‘sh.. she threw up blood all of a sudden an.. and started jer.. jerking. Ah, didn't know why. Ah screamed for the doc.. doctors before..’ her tears made her I sound like ‘Ah'

I kept on staring at my sister.

She was unconscious with tubes sticking from her mouth and needles pierced into her skin. She was very pale.

Tears welled in my eyes and I couldn't help but cry.

I cried for my sister. I wished I could take her place.

I wished to be the one lying there instead of her.

I turned to look at my mum she was a mess. She looked ten years older than her age. And her collar bones were shooting out. She held Elle's hand and kept on smoothing it.

I decided to be strong. Not for myself but for my family. For mum.

‘Have you had lunch?’ I asked her.

‘I will, soon’. She replied, giving me a dry smile.

‘I will get you something' I said getting up.

The hallway was extremely long but I appreciated it because it gave me time to think.

At the hospital canteen I got my mum her favourite snack sandwich and coke.

‘Hey Lorie'

I turned towards the voice it was Henry. Henry and I got acquitted through my constant visit to the hospital. Henry was a nurse there and he was a very nice guy.

‘you look like shit' he said chuckling

‘Haha tell me what I don't know’ I snorted

‘came straight from work?’

‘yeah’.

‘Don't worry she will be fine. Soon she will be dancing and rocking at some Jakes party' he said laughing.

I imagined Elle drunk dancing in a club with stockings wearing a very short sexy gown. I even imagined us going shopping together, going for a swim and having lunch on the shore of the beach.

‘I hope so.’

‘Cheer up Lorie’. He smiled putting his hand around my shoulders.

I gave him the brightest smile I could muster. Before we parted ways.

The nurses at the counter kept on throwing me pity looks. I wanted to hate them but I couldn't.

When I got to Elle's hospital bed mum was asleep. I covered her with a blanket, kept her food on the table and sat on a chair resting my head on the edge of the bed.

The sun was setting when I woke up

I didn't realise I had fallen asleep.

I reached out for my phone to check the time then I saw 12 missed calls. 7 from Jasmine and 5 from an unknown number.

It was then it hit me. I hadn't called my boss nor Jasmine to inform them about the situation on ground.

Definitely I was going to get fired.

Asher wouldn't open his blocked ears to listen to my reason for leaving the office without any reason or permission.

I wouldn't call him.

I don't have the balls to.

Literally and otherwise if you know what I mean.

He wasn't one to mix business with pleasure. Oh so I guess.

I called Jasmine back.

‘Lorie! What the hell happened?’ she screamed, I had to take the phone off my ear. I wasn't ready to go deaf.

‘my mum called from the hospital.’ I replied

She went quiet for sometime before asking

‘how's Elle?’

‘she's asleep now’

‘okay, I will come over after work.’ She said then ended the call after telling me to be strong.

*~*

When she came by the hospital, she brought some fruits along with her.

‘Hey Mrs Amaris, how are you?’ she asked hugging my mother.

‘I'm good Jas. How's work?’ my mother asked, smiling slightly at Jasmine.

‘work is how it ought to be'. Jasmine said dismissively.

‘Thanks for the fruits Jasmine'. I said to her, placing them on a tray that was on the table.

‘oh it's nothing'.

She stared at Elle for a while before sitting down beside me.

We chatted about work for awhile. She told me how Asher went livid when I didn't come back from lunch break and how manager Lee Yang got an earful from Asher.

I felt bad for the manager.

And I felt bad for myself thinking of the query that awaits me.

Then my phone rang. It was the unknown number from before.

‘Hello who's this?’ I asked

‘Its Asher.’