The Debt

IRINA

I ran without shoes, the night mist slapping my body. Now and then, I looked back. No one was chasing me, so I stopped for a moment. Before I knew it, I was on Dumbo Street, an elite residential area in the city.

"Has he really let me go?" I'm out of breath. There was no sign of them chasing me.

I only took my phone and backpack with me, and in my rush, I even left my shoes behind. The soles of my feet ached, and my hands were still trembling as I tried to turn on my phone.

A message notification from Cassy appeared, and, more importantly, one from the hospital: "Oh my God, my grandmother!" My heart fluttered. I was lucky enough to see a taxi stop in front of me.

Now and then, the taxi driver would glance at me anxiously, my appearance already a mess. My ginger hair was tangled, my lips pale without lipstick, my wrists flushed red from where I'd tied them.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" asked the taxi driver as soon as we stopped in front of the hospital.

"Yes, thanks," I replied, handing over some bills.

Running into the hospital, I headed to my grandmother's room. But my grandmother disappeared. "No way, no, no.." I shook my head anxiously.

Previously, the hospital had threatened to force my grandmother out of the room if I didn't pay the remaining treatment f*e, and my grandmother was scheduled for surgery at the end of this month.

"Hey, do you know where my grandmother was moved to?" I asked the receptionist.

"I will help you. May I know the patient's name?" she replied.

I said my grandmother's name; my voice hurried. "Please, find her for me quickly, please." Tears were already welling up in my eyes—panic, regret, anger.

"Ms Scoot, don’t worry, I’ll check the data for you," replied the receptionist.

"How can I be calm? My grandmother is dying, and you are kicking her out just because we don't have money? Are my debts that much of a burden to you?" I protested.

Suddenly, everything went dark, even though my eyes were wide open. I took several deep breaths, wondering how cruel someone could be to get money and how unfortunate we were not to have any.

"Patient, I mean, your grandmother has been moved to the VIP ward on the fourth floor. All bills have been paid, and her surgery schedule has been confirmed, which will be next Saturday," said the receptionist.

"What?" I gasped, my eyes blinking in panic. "Did I hear you right?"

"You've already paid the hospital bill, and this is the schedule for your grandmother's surgery, and the doctor in charge is also the best specialist we've brought in from abroad. I think you've misunderstood, Ms. Scott. Is everything okay with you?" the receptionist asked me.

I'm like Cinderella, who became sparkling overnight thanks to her fairy godmother. But who is this fairy godmother?

"B-but I don't feel like I paid the hospital bill. Who paid for it?" I said.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Scott. I can see that you've already confirmed the payment here. Are you feeling okay?" Her eyes moved from my head to my toes.

I wiped my tears, realizing that people around me were already glancing at me. " It's okay, thanks," I replied.

My HeartHeartheart was still pounding as I headed towards my grandmother's room, as soon as the door opened. My grandmother looked at me, "Oh, my beloved grandson," she said.

My HeartHeartheart was pounding. In the past two weeks, my grandmother's dementia had relapsed several times. I was so worried she wouldn't recognize me anymore, but this time the look in her eyes showed just how much she did.

"Grandma, oh thank goodness," I hugged her.

"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you. What's wrong with you, Irina? Why are you in such a mess?" My grandmother's eyes moved to see the soles of my bare feet. It was already turning red on each side of my toes.

"There are a few things that happened, but they are not important. How do you feel? Is anyone sick?"

"Ah, when I was looking for you around this hospital, my chest felt so tight. But a tall, very handsome man helped me. He was a kind man."

"A man?"

"Yes, then he took me to this comfortable room, and the nurse was also very kind to me," my grandmother smiled gently, she touched the top of my head—warmth, affection, tenderness. Everything I need to survive is with my grandmother.

The nurse entered my grandmother's room, checked the medical equipment, then turned to look at me and my grandmother alternately. "You can't stay up late, your body condition must improve before the operation," she said.

"Oh, I got it," replied my grandmother

"If you need anything, please let me know.”

"Okay, thank you," I replied. Their treatment was completely different. This is the first time we have received such good treatment.

Some nurses were rude to my grandmother because they knew about the debts we had at this hospital. They look down on us, lowly, despicable, poor.

"Grandma, I’ll be home in a bit, change my clothes, and bring you a change of clothes. Just get some rest, okay?"

"My beloved granddaughter, you must be having a hard time because of me. That's why I'm begging you to get married soon and…"

"Come on, Grandma, I'm fine!" I replied confidently.

Two days later, I was still anxious thinking about who had helped me. Not only did that person pay off the hospital debt, but that person also knew about the debt I had with the Russian loan sharks. How could that be?

"Cessie, I'm in the hospital garden, please stop pushing me, didn't I tell you? Miron destroyed your camera. I will compensate you immediately," I sighed.

Cessie was still in disbelief as our plan had failed while we spoke. I flinched as the wind gently brushed against my face. The smell of cologne is thick.

I couldn't believe my eyes. The man was back again. He stood in front of me, his hands in his pockets.

"How? Have you got the money to pay off your debts to me?" said his voice.

"Sir Miron? W-what? What debt do you mean?" My voice trembled.