Desperation has no limit

Staring at the message, I was in panic and confusion. My hands shook endlessly, my heart raced so fast, and unconsciously, tears fell from my eyes.

I felt so helpless, like I always did. I couldn’t afford to lose Amelia. She was all I had. I was determined and desperate, but I was too poor to take action.

I dialed the doctor’s number with my trembling hands. My voice was also shaking.

“Hello, Miss Isabella,” the doctor picked up the call and continued, “Amelia’s condition is now more complicated and unstable. Nobody can say what will happen next. Only money can save her right now.”

A few seconds of heavy silence filled the call. Then I broke the silence and said, “Please, doctor, give me more time. I will be back with the money.” Then the line went off.

The tension was so high that even the doctor sounded more serious than ever. Amelia was dying already.

“Who could help me now?” I said to myself.

My trembling hands couldn’t focus on work anymore. Some of my co-workers noticed that and began to mock me loudly. Lura and Earnshaw were making the mocking so obvious.

The manager also noticed I wasn’t stable anymore. Immediately, she permitted me to leave work for the day, showing sympathy again.

I walked slowly out of the restaurant, ignoring the mocking.

Anxiety wrapped around my body. I didn’t know what my next move could be.

Without hesitation, I ran quickly toward the hospital to see the worsening condition physically. I was only left with the ten dollars the restaurant manager had given me this morning.

I could not remove a dime from it for transport fare, so I decided to trek. Later, I continued running through the crowded streets. No one could help. People were minding their business, and the traffic noise added to my anxiety.

Quickly, I forced my tired legs toward the hospital.

I was very determined and desperate to save her. Arriving at the hospital, I was almost breathless. I rushed toward Ward 11 to see Amelia, but she had been transferred to Ward 22 again.

Quickly, I walked toward the ward. Nurses were moving endlessly with missions to complete. The hospital atmosphere was very serious, especially in Ward 22.

The smell of the hospital spoke it all. The humming sound of the machines was steady and professional.

“This ward is very different in atmosphere and setting,” I said to myself. But I still hadn’t found Amelia in the ward. All the nurses were busy; no one responded to me. The tension in the ward grew higher, like something was about to happen.

After a few minutes of waiting, Amelia was slowly moved back into the ward. The doctor behind her looked so stressed, along with two nurses.

I wanted to approach her immediately, but the nurses stopped me. Unconsciously, I asked loudly,

“Doctor, was she breathing anymore?”

No one replied. After a second of heavy silence, the doctor spoke.

“Hey, Miss Isabella?”

I answered sharply, “Yes.”

“The operation we did for Amelia was successful, but now the only thing that can keep her alive is money to get her medication,” the doctor said calmly.

Immediately, I replied, “Yes… yes. I will pay for everything. Just keep her alive for me.”

After the doctor left, I desperately approached Amelia and sat beside her. I held her fragile hand softly and talked emotionally to her, begging her to stay strong and not to die yet. I also promised to save her.

I was crying silently and speaking words she could not hear. Her body was still very weak. I softly held her palm, sadly viewing the flashback of how the accident occurred five years ago.

On a hasty afternoon, my father, Mr. Vincent, and his wife, Mrs. Vincent, were coming back from work in the evening.

They both stopped at our school gate to pick us up, but fortunately for me, I was attending a seminar after school closed, so I could not follow them. They only picked Amelia up from the car and left.

After some minutes, I heard the news that a terrible accident had occurred on the highway. Both Mr. and Mrs. Vincent died instantly, and Amelia was rushed to a nearby hospital. At first, I didn’t believe it, but after a few minutes, the news circulated, and I realized it was true. I broke down in tears.

And that was how everything turned around. Since then, nothing has been balanced for me anymore. I lived in chaos.

I was totally lost in thought, holding her fragile hand, when the sudden footsteps of the doctor brought me back to reality.

“Miss Isabella, you are here? Hope you have paid full or deposited money for her medication and hospital bills?”

I could not answer. I just nodded.

“Okay, do that now. You don’t have to stay long with her. Just pay the bills, then we will do the necessities,” the doctor said bluntly.

I only had ten dollars with me right now. I decided to deposit that first and continue to find more money.

I approached the hospital's financial section and tried to deposit the ten dollars, but I wasn’t allowed because the hospital Authority told me I couldn’t deposit anything less than 400 dollars first, since my unpaid bills were already very high.

Shortly, I wasn’t allowed, and I was asked to leave and return with more money.

I moved out. “Where do I go now?” I sat in the hospital hallway, thinking of possible solutions. I couldn’t hold it anymore. Unconsciously, I cried out loudly, feeling helpless.

After some moments of crying and thinking, I realized the problem wasn’t solved. I really needed to make a move, or I would lose her. I wiped my tears and motivated myself. I stayed determined and promised myself victory.

I completely walked out of the hospital premises and said,

“I will literally do anything to save her… even if it costs my life.”

I walked by the roadside, repeating to myself,

“I can’t lose, and I can’t watch Amelia die. I would go any miles to save her.”

I continued saying this statement to myself over and over again as I approached my apartment.

“I will do anything… even if it costs my life.”