chapter 1

VIOLA

*

*

*

I held on to the stretcher as the nurse pushed my brother out of the ambulance into the hospital, I suddenly felt stuck, like my world was falling apart.

"Please save my brother", I pleaded, tears running down my cheeks, two nurses lifted my brother from the stretcher and laid him on the bed, instantly the nurse started attending to my brother while the other nurse exited the ward.

The nurse injected drugs into saline and inserted them into his veins.

After the nurse was done with her treatment, she ordered me to follow her to the reception, to collect a medical card for my brother.

 I followed her quietly, with my thought on how to gather money for his treatment.

"She needs a medical card, attend to her quickly, the doctor requested her presence", she said in a commanding tone to the nurses stationed at the reception desk and leaves afterward.

"I guess she is the superior" I mumbled to my ears alone.

"What is your brother's name?" One of the nurses asked me.

"Jayden smith"

She wrote the name on the medical card, filled in some other columns on the card And she handed it to me

"Go and make a deposit of hundred dollars to the accountant ", the nurse said.

I looked at the nurse and asked her the amount again, just to confirm if I heard her right, She answered, however it was the same amount of money.

I sighed deeply, I don't have that amount of money, "Where would I see it?", I asked myself inwardly as I strode towards the accountant's office.

If I have to beg and ask for the grace of a few days to gather the money I will have to do it.

I was halted halfway by the scream of the nurses at the reception desk, I turned around and strode back to the reception desk.

" Miss, you didn't pay for the medical card," The nurses chorused angrily.

"Why are they angry?" I asked myself rhetorical questions.

"How much," I stuttered.

I'm afraid of hearing the cost, hoping  It won't cost more than the few dollars in my bag, life can be frustrating to poor people, I was thinking of how to get the deposit money, yet medical card fees surged.

"Ten dollars", One of the nurses answered with her scornful gaze at me.

"Okay", I replied. Then I unzipped the cross bag on me and brought out a Squeezed few copies of money I had.

Firstly I straightened the squeezed money before I counted it, the money was a total of eleven dollars. I heaved deeply after confirming the amount is more than the medical card fees.

I stretched ten dollars to the nurse, she raised her eyebrows and gave me a mockery stare before she collected the money.

I saw the nurse leaning her ears close to her partner and murmured to her ears.

The second seem to be a blunt nurse, She spoke loudly, and I heard her talking about my squeezed money.

I refused to be bothered about them, I'm only bothered about my brother's safety not the other way round, I made the payment and leaves their sight.

I walked towards the accountant's office with my heart thumping rapidly, I joined the queue, though I'm not with money.

 The accountant was busy attending to people in the queue.

"Move forward and if you are not ready get lost from the queue", It was the shout of the people at my back that interrupted me out of my reverie, I was so lost in thought, am imagining the reaction that will broach, Explaining my situation to the accountant. 

I was so embarrassed, is even an understatement, I felt like disappearing from their mockery stared, shame engulfed me,  I had to leave the queue with timidness, The courage to face the accountant was no longer in me, I have to go and plead with the doctor instead. 

*

*

*

" eerrrrrrrrrrrr" knocked

There is no reaction from the doctor,  I knocked on the door again yet he didn't reply, I get tired of waiting, my brother needs proper medications, I slammed the door, and it opened, revealing a handsome guy in his late thirties,  his gaze was fixed on the work he is doing on his desk.

"I didn't remember answering you to come in", He said without sparing me a glance.

"Good day sir, the nurse said you requested my attention in your office," I said to him, though I wish I can tell him my thought about his rudeness, but I can't since I need his favor.

 I have not finished my word, When he raised his head, and his eye fell on me, Immediately he gasped, And his mouth formed "O"

"I am sorry miss, I thought it was the staff I sent an errand that's knocking", He said in a pleading tone.

"There is no problem sir" I replied to him.

Though it is a nasty altitude whether is a staff or not, I expected much from a doctor, everyone deserves to be respected.

I pulled out a chair for myself and sit hastily.

"What can I do for you?", He asked me

"Is he dumb, he sent for me" I muttered under my breath, I explained my situation to him, I let him know that I don't have a father again, and my only brother is here in the hospital fighting for his life, I need your favor, by attending to him while I go outside to gather money.

'This is not a charity organization miss, though I understand you, yet this is a business organization, we paid staffs and without the patient payment, the hospital won't be able to pay their staff likewise, I implore you to go out and find the money quickly, he needs a test and it will have to wait till you come back.

I find my ankle on the ground, I begged him tiredness, then he accepted my pleading 

"But he would be left with the first treatment until you deposit the money", The doctor added with no emotion in his tone.

I stared at the doctor and grinned 

"Why are you wicked? After telling you my father is late, I'm only left with him, We have no one that can help us, yet he still said they are not a charity organization" I mumbled

"I shouldn't have disturbed myself explaining my problem to him," I said in my head.

" Doctor I will find the money, Please don't let him die", I stuttered, though he deserves my insult, at least I appreciate him for the test he will conduct on him.

"Thank you," I said and bowed slightly.

"Go and find the money quickly miss, Let's save him", I don't know why I felt this way, But his last word is from a spiteful mouth.

He reiterated as I moved towards his door.

I walked out of his office with tears on my face, I don't know where to go or who to call Until one person rang in my head, My biological mother who disowned us before I lost my father.

I don't want to have anything to do with her again, I have vowed never to ask for her help again after my father died of illness and she has the money to treat him but he refused to help upon my pleading to her.

I decided to take the long walk to her office since I don't have more than a dollar with me, and no cabman will be willing to offer me a ride to her office with a  dollar.

*

*

 Sweat ran down to my eyes due to the fast-walked to her office, I used my hand to dry my face and then rubbed my hand on the clothes I wore.

I entered the office, I met her secretary on her desk, Who was busy glancing at a mirror in her hand.

" Good day ma" am, "I said, She raised her head and scanned me from head to toe.

"What can I do for you? The secretary asked.

I don't know why my mother changes her secretary often, had it been she was the one I met two years ago when I came for my father's treatments, I won't have to re-explain myself

"I want to see the boss here," I said

"Who did you say you are looking for?" the secretary asked me again with an irritated look.

"I want to see my mother", I said angrily

She busted into laughter and looked at me like feces, though  I can't blame her, no one will believe I'm the daughter of the CEO of OREBS COSMETIC, The most influential woman in the cosmetics business, with the way I looked, the clothes I wore has worn out, I looked shabby and messy, my hair looked dirty, I haven't wash my hair for the past two days.

I believed am smelling though I can't perceive myself, I believe others might perceive my smelling.

I could have put on something better, If not that I came here from the hospital directly.

"If you come here to beg for money, This is not a charity organization," the secretary said sarcastically.

I feel like dragging her hair and giving her the beating of the century, but I don't have the strength for it.

"Called your boss out, let's see if she will deny me or not ''I yelled at the Secretary angrily.

"Madam is not around, and I'm sure you are not her daughter, I have not heard her mention having a daughter and every staff here knows her only son," She said rudely to my face.

I scoffed "That must be her rude stepson" I mumbled.

I was shocked when the secretary called in security to throw me outside, they carried me like a beggar and threw me outside the gate.

I stood outside the gate with tears streaming out of my eyes, I couldn't stop nor clean the tears, I allowed the tears to flow down, I need it right now because if I don't allow it to flow down I might explode inside, am tired of life already.

I stood there waiting for my mother, She is the only hope I had. I have to endure the humiliation and wait for her.

After few minutes

A car drove in, and I recognized the car,  It belong to my mother, I trailed after the car inside, the security screamed at me immediately he sighted me.

'Leave her" she said as she saw how the security is trying to carry me.

She hopped out of her car with her rude stepson.

 I saw her stepson whispering to her ears 

 She instructed me to follow her and I trailed after her into the office.

I entered the office with her, her secretary looked at me with a scornful look again, she tried explaining herself to my mother.

"She's my disowned daughter" She hushed her with the response, She told her not to feel bad for treating me that way.

 "You are doing your job rightly," She said to her.

Hearing her say this, I felt bitter, She treated me as trash just the exact way her staff treated me, I expected her to rebuke the Secretary for treating me unjustly but she praised her instead.

"What are you doing here? The last thing I remembered, when you came here last time, you blamed me for your father's death and vowed never to step your foot in my office again", She said with a blank expression, she didn't feel empathy for me.

I went on my knees instantly

"Please I'm sorry, it was a slip of tongue, Jayden is sick and I need hundred dollars to deposit for his payment," I said to her tearing up, my voice is filled with emotions.

Instantly my mother open her bag and counted hundred dollars for me.

"This is the money, Let today be the last time I will ever see you in my office again, my family is not comfortable seeing you around me, especially my husband and I don't want problems in my family," She said stretching the money to me.

 I wished I could reject the money, but I endured the pain and the rage in my heart and collected the money from her.

To be continued

----------------------------------------------------------------

IT'S  A VERY GOOD PLOT, I WILL APPRECIATE YOUR REVIEW UNDER EACH CHAPTER, YOUR COMMENT IS WHAT WILL HELP ME KEEP PUSHING THE STORY FORWARD

HELP ME OUT BY ADDING TO YOUR LIBRARY.

LOVE YOU ALL READERS OF THIS BOOK

FROM WORTHWHILE NOVELS.