Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Silvia could not read the report she was seeing on the piece of paper. The letters and numbers jumbled together, an illegible mess. Her heart pounded against her ribs.

The cold white hospital walls appeared to be suffocating her, crushing her under the burden of the news. The quiet beeping of heart monitors in the distance echoed in her ears, a steady reminder of mortality.

"What is this, sir?" She questioned in a puzzled manner with a very confused look on her face.

The doctor slowly exhaled, as if getting ready.

“Your mother...," he adjusted his glasses, "I am sorry ma'am. Your mother has an ischemic cardiomyopathy, a severe heart condition,” he broke the news to her, the words hanging heavily in the air.

Silvia’s head snapped up. “A what?” Her voice cracked. She blinked, trying to shake her head as if that might somehow cause the medical jargon to make sense.

"Doctor, you just told me she was fine! How can she be fine if she has. that? A minute ago, you were the one telling me that my mother was fine, that my she was in good condition.”

Silvia's panic took hold, and her stomach tied up in knots. She felt lightheaded as if the earth had shifted beneath her feet. The metallic, antiseptic scent of the hospital, thick with some odor—blood, maybe?—nauseated her.

The doctor softened his voice as he clarified further. "She's fine for now. But she collapsed from utter exhaustion, arrhythmia, dizziness… all indications of her heart not pumping as it ought to. The decline has been taking place for a while."

Silvia clutched the arms of the chair, her knuckles white. “You can treat her right?” she asked nervously. “There is a treatment and solution to this, right sir?”

As she spoke, her mind raced with possibilities and fears—her mother had always been her rock. What would she do without her?

She needed him to say yes. Needed it more than her next breath.

The doctor hesitated.

“Well, that's thinking in a positive direction. There is a solution,” the doctor said.

She nearly collapsed with relief. “Oh, thank God.” That glimmer of hope was her lifeline, the only thing keeping her from breaking down right there in his office.

But,” he continued, his voice lowering, “it’s going to cost a lot.”

Silvia’s heart sank as she froze.

“How much?” she asked, her voice barely steady.

The doctor exhaled slowly like he was bracing himself. “Your mother will likely need a heart transplant.”

A ringing filled Silvia’s ears.

“How soon?” she managed to ask, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Well, as I explained, your mother may need a heart transplant. More tests are being carried out. If what I suspect is right, she may need this transplant as soon as possible. We need to carry out evaluations that would confirm her procedure eligibility. These tests could include overall health assessments, cardiac function, lung/pulmonary function, blood pressure, and psychological well-being tests.”

“How soon is soon sir?”

"Within a month. Without a transplant, she…” He hesitated, as though the words were too heavy to say. “There’s only a slim chance she’ll survive beyond that.”

She barely heard him.

Silvia was beginning to see the reason why the doctor had earlier warned about the cost.

“What will happen if we don't get it done before one month has elapsed?” she asked.

Asking for the cost would come after he answered this question.

“Her heart right now is weak. There is only a slim chance that her heart can support her. One month is a small time, but we will try all we can to sustain her until that time,” he replied. The steady beeping of a heart monitor down the hall beeped away like a countdown.

“So, how much is this going to cost?” This was the most important thing to Silvia. She knows that this…..

“I am afraid you'll need one million dollars for us to start the surgery. You can pay the balance when the surgery is successfully done.”

“DID YOU JUST SAY ONE MILLION DOLLARS?!”

Silvia's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She shook her head trying to process the staggering amount. One million dollars. Where on earth would she ever find that?

She couldn’t even afford a new pair of shoes last month, and now she needed a million dollars?

“That's a lot of money. Where do I get such an amount from?” The words spilled out, tinged with disbelief and desperation.

To her surprise, the doctor did not show any sign of emotion. "I am sorry. There is nothing that we can do about this," he replied in a soft but firm voice.

“We’ll need it to cover the pre-transplant care, organ procurement, surgical procedure, and hospital stay, just to mention a few.”

She blinked to make sure she had heard not misheard. One million dollars just to start? She stared at the doctor who did not flinch.

“I don't have any money with me, sir. Can you try to reduce the price?” She tried pleading, but knew it was futile. It wouldn't hurt to try though.

The doctor sighed. “I wish I had a different answer for you, Miss Silvia. But if we don’t act soon…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.

Silvia forced the scream welling up in her throat back down.

Her mother couldn’t die. Not now. Not when she’d fought so hard, suffered so much, just to keep them both alive.

She dismissed her discussion with the doctor and hurried to check on her mother, who was in a ward. Her legs felt like lead, her heart even heavier.

Silvia was happy to see that she was conscious now. At least, that is a relief. “How are you feeling, mum?” She tried to mask the pain and put a smile on her face.

“I will be fine,” her mother replied weakly with a soft smile on her face.

Silvia kissed her mother on the head and took permission to get some things done.

The hospital corridor stretched ahead of her, long and hollow.

Machines beeped in nearby rooms. A gurney passed by, its wheels creaking. She caught fleeting glances at other patients—some sleeping, some hooked up to IVs, some whose eyes were so empty that they seemed lost.

Was this what awaited her mother?

No. She wouldn’t let it come to that.

Wiping away the tears streaming down, she forced herself to move. She needed a plan. She needed help.

The first person she had in mind to ask for a favor was Rebecca.

She took up her phone while she stood outside the hospital and her fingers fumbled as she dialed Rebecca’s number. It was already morning. She silently prayed Rebecca would be awake.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice..

“Good afternoon,” she sniffed, as the person on the other end picked up the call.

Silvia's voice was too dull, so anybody who knew Silvia very well didn't find it hard to hear the pain behind her subtle and sweet voice.

“Hey, Silvia,” Rebecca’s familiar voice came through the line, light and casual.“Have you been crying?” she asked in alarm. Rebecca was able to hear the pain behind Silvia's voice.

“I need your help,” she managed. “Mum… Mum—” Her voice broke, and the tears spilled over.

“Talk to me,” Rebecca urged. “What’s wrong?”

“Mum is sick. She needs a heart transplant,” she sobbed.

Silence.

Then, Rebecca’s voice, more serious now: “A transplant? What’s wrong with her? I can't remember Mum having any majpr health challenge. What's wrong with her?” She asked curiously over the phone.

“Her heart is failing. The doctor says she has one month.”

“Oh my God.” A deep inhale. “Silvia, I’m so sorry honey. How can I help?” Rebecca asked. She sounded less troubled on the phone.

Silvia shut her eyes, then said the impossible words.

"The doctor is requesting a huge amount. I just need your help to come up with one million dollars."

There are reasons why people lack money, but it has been known that Rebecca was never in that category.

A sharp intake of breath on the other end, then a splutter.

“What?”

“One million. That’s what it costs,” Silvia repeated.

Rebecca coughed, and Silvia heard the unmistakable sound of something spilling—water, maybe.

“One million?” Rebecca echoed, as though saying the number aloud would make it less absurd.

“Silvia, I— I don’t have that kind of money.”

Silvia’s stomach dropped.

“But anything you can give—”

“I wish I could,” Rebecca interjected. "I mean, I have savings, but nowhere near that amount. How do you want to come up with such an amount? I don't have such money now."

A heavy sigh. “I wish I could help, but I don’t know how.”

Rebecca made it clear that she wasn't disposed to help her.

She bit back her disappointment. “It’s okay. I understand.”

After hanging up, she stood frozen, the cold morning air biting at her skin.

One option left.

It made her shudder in fear, but she had to try.

Ralph.

Her boss.

The man who once told her she’d be begging him to let her die if she made another mistake.

It was a long shot. A dangerous one. But she had no other choice.

She quickly rushed home, showered and headed to the office.

Desperation was a harsh motivator but her mother's life is at stake here.

At exactly 8 a.m., she stood outside his office, with her pulse raging in her ears.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

“Come in,” his voice barked from inside.

Pushing open the door, she stepped in, feeling like she was walking into the lion’s den.

Ralph sat behind his desk, reviewing paperwork. He barely glanced up. “What do you want? You never come here unless you’ve done something wrong.”

“Good morning sir,” Silvia muttered. Her throat was dry but she forced the words out.

“Good morning, Silvia. What is the problem?” Ralph skipped the pleasantries and requested that she get down to business.

Silvia, knowing that Ralph had a hectic schedule, cleared her throat and began.

"I require your help, sir," she blurted.

Ralph raised his gaze for the very first time, his piercing eyes holding hers.

His head tilted slightly, interest piqued. “Oh?”

Silvia's heart drummed as she prepared herself to have the toughest conversation of her life.

This was it.

She was about to beg the devil himself for mercy.