Chapter 6: The desperate plea.

~~In the ICU ~~

“Scalpel.”

The heart rate monitors started beeping erratically as they tore my stomach open.

“Suction. Hurry.”

“I don't think we can proceed with the surgery right now sir”

The assistant surgeon was saying to the chief surgeon.

“Shut it. get your act together please.”

“Can't you see the inside? It's not just one but two places- how can we get all these–”

He was cut off by the assistant nurse in the surgery ward.

“Vitals are dropping.” She said with alarm.

“Gauze–”

Outside the surgery ward, Georgina sat there like a dutiful mother except she wasn't there because she wanted to.

The police were also outside waiting for my surgery to be over and there were reporters too so she had no choice but to stay.

Just then, the doctor in charge called her in.

They were able to stabilize me but couldn't complete the surgeries because of the excessive bleeding and organ damage.

“Blood clotting in the lungs, broken hip bone, fracture on one of the ribs and arm,one kidney and some other internal organs damaged. She lost a lot of blood so it's tough to continue the surgery. For now, let's just wait and see as there's nothing more we can do for now.” He said solemnly.

“Thank you doc, I know you did your best so I have no complaints” she said with practiced sadness and crocodile tears.

The doctor walked out and Aiden walked in with Serena. After seeing the state I was in, he rushed to block Serena's view as the sight wasn't pretty.

“Mom, how's Kara? Is she going to be okay? She's not dying right?” she asked, genuine concern and fear showing on her face.

Mother took one look at both of them.

“Aiden, please get me my purse. I left it outside where I was seated and please get Serena water too.”

“Aiden, I want water too.” I said in my head desperately trying to speak even though I was unconscious.

I could hear them but they couldn't hear me.

He hastily brought the water over and handed the water and purse to Serena and mother respectively then he stared at my disfigured unconscious body for a while before Serena's phone rang.

“Who is it? Pierce?” Serena nodded at her mother's question.

“Take it outside, go and meet him if he wants to see you, even if it's for a little.”

She turned to Aiden whose gaze was already fixed on Serena.

“Take her there and bring some clothes for your wife tomorrow.”

“Mom, is it really okay for me to leave like this? What about kara?” She asked with hesitation.

“There's nothing we can do for her right now, don't worry. Go.”

“Alright, bye.” She walked ahead, leaving Aiden behind even though he followed her almost immediately.

“Don't you dare follow me.” Serena told Aiden, her voice laced with venom.

Now, it was just me and my stepmom alone in the ICU.

She took slow strides towards my bed, the steady beeping of the heart monitor cutting through the silence like ice.

She took look at the noisy machine and one at me peacefully laying there while struggling for life and decided to unplug it and disconnect my life support.

Everything went still within seconds.

“Good. Everything's finally quiet Kara. It's just the two of us.”

I struggled to open my eyes to see her adjusting my blanket.

“Mother–” I tried to call out.

“I should be honest with you now, right?

I never liked you from the beginning. Do you remember when we first met? At the orphanage? You tried so hard to get me to like you and it worked.

You were always crying at home because of the kids you left at the orphanage event though you were living well and I got more curious about you.

I wanted to know how long you could continue to be so pathetic and hide your greed while living a life where you can't even say what you want out loud. One where you don't know how you're looked down on and insulted when you're not there. Very pitiful, isn't it?

A lone tear slipped down my face as I watched the woman I'd called mother touch up her makeup like she didn't just put me in a ride to the afterlife.

“Kara dear, let me give you one last advice huh? Considering our past relationship.”

She leaned down so her lips were close to my ears then whispered.

“In your next life darling, don't be so good. That just makes you live a hard. And. Pathetic. Life.”

I gripped the sheets as tight as I could even though I didn't have enough strength make a ball with my fist.

The door to the ICU opened and closed. David walked in as she walked out.

“ Plug the machine back and come out.” She whispered to him on her way out .

As soon as she left, he took out his phone and called someone.

“Hello chairman, she alone now. Okay.”

He placed the phone by my ear and it was grandfather speaking. No. Begging. Desperately.

“Kara, I know I've not been good to you but I can't let you die. No way.

Please forgive me? Forgive this ignorant grandfather of yours, hm? Please– I don't want to be punished in the afterlife so can you please forgive me,huh?” grandfather's desperate pleas reached my ears even though I couldn't respond.

Just then, David ended the call and plugged the machine back in then the beeping continued before my heart started to fail. I saw the white light and just like that, I'm standing in the corner where my Stepmom’s giving a press conference. They can't see me but I'm too hurt to care.

“Like I said earlier, my eldest daughter did all of this on her own, how could such a good girl do something like this?” I heard her say as she cleaned the crocodile tears that threatened to stream down her face.

Actually, I wasn't good from the scratch. I had to be good so I tried. Desperately. It was the only weapon an abandoned child like me had to survive.

I was a child with a heart so desperate to be loved by family and they went ahead to stomp all over it.

Why did I have to be the butt of the joke? All this time, what did I work for?

Dear Lord, now that all this has happened, I regret my life with all my being. Please have mercy on this pitiful fool and if you give me one more chance, I'll give everything I have and get my revenge. I promise.

“ One, two, three. Shock.”

“Clear, one. Two. Three. Shock”

The lines on the heart monitor went flat no matter how hard the doctors desperately tried to bring me back, I was gone but with my last breathe I prayed to any God or diety that was up there.

One last question I asked myself as I thought I'd never have the chance to find out.

Why did my grandfather who's hated me since I joined the family and refused to see me ever since, suddenly begged me desperately to forgive him?