Hospital Drama
Beep... Beep...Beep...
The white room was quiet and the continuous beeping sounds coming from the vitals monitor could be heard. The dripping sound from the IV fluid and ticking of the digital clock in the bedside table also added to the awkward impression of the room. The white sheets and curtains gave the room a passive atmosphere. The smell of disinfectant wafted in the air hinting where the room is. It was a common setting in the hospital's private room.
A girl with a tube connected to her mouth and a machine connected to her for life support, laid unconscious and limp in the hospital bed. She was alone in the room. Her jet black hair and pale face made her look like a ghost. She looked lifeless. If not for the machine, one would think that the person is dead. She slept peacefully unaware of the chaos that was happening outside the room.
It was quite a drama which went straight out from a movie.
The valuable sheets of paper rained above the woman's head as the person in front of her threw it all into her face. The action was intended to look like a slap to the woman's face to insult her. The woman only looked at the person helplessly as the staff in the hospital only watched the show. It was like a scene from a drama where the rich bribed the poor and the poor wanted to fight back. They could only whisper and look at one another for they didn't want to interfere with their business.
What a pity. It was always the parents that cleaned after their children's mess even if that mess caused the death of innocent people. Not only would they have to look after their child, they would also have to fix their mistakes. However life is irrevocable. Once death comes knocking to one's door, there won't ever be a way out. There won't be any to fix it.
This was the case for the woman's situation. Her child was caught in an accident. It was her child who caused it. Because of her irresponsibility of drunk driving, two were caught and were both dead on the spot.
It was a shame the victim was a young girl and an old taxi driver. The victim and the woman's child even knew each other. They were neighbors.
The parents of the child and the relatives of the driver would come to the hospital to seek justice. They wanted retribution for the unfortunate of their loved ones. They wanted vengeance.
Though it is against God, they secretly wished for her death. That wasn't far from happening. The child was in a vegetative state. It meant that she will be dying soon.
That wasn't enough. If she was gone who would they unleash their anger to? The pain of losing someone was unbearable. They needed someone to vent it out to. Who else would be the one to blame? Of course, it would be her parents. It was their fault for raising a murderer.
The woman endured the curses and insults thrown to her but hearing other people call her child a murderer was hurtful. It wasn't because of pride. it was because she knew her child didn't mean for this to happen.
"You really are thick-skinned aren't you?! Because you are rich, you can buy my husband's life with money?!" the person said with a face full of tears.
"..."
The person only looked at the woman with mockery. She was an old woman who lost her husband for 40 years to an accident caused by an irresponsible young adult. It was a shame. His husband had dreams. He was a dignified old man. He was kind and worked to provide for his poor relatives. Their children already had their own families but they would always visit because they were fond of their parents. They were poor but because of his husband's perseverance, they made their children's lives better. Though he didn't have to work anymore, he still did it for his young relatives who had their parents abandon them. He wanted to help them go to school. He just wanted to help.
Her heart was in pain at the sudden reminisce of his husband's memories. It hurt because she thought that she was the one who was gonna die first. After all she was just a frail old woman and her husband was still alive and kicking. However, that changed. The person she would be with till her last breath died. And that child... killed him.
She pushed the woman's chest over and over again because she was angry. The bystanders only looked at the both of them with sympathy. This was really the hardest part of death but this was common in hospitals. They couldn't do anything about the old woman either, she was frail and it would be hard if she had a heart attack if they called the security. Besides, the younger woman didn't seem to mind. It was as if it was fine with her to take it all.
The woman left when she was satisfied but everyone knew she would come back. It had been 3 months since that accident so it was still fresh in everybody's minds. The girl didn't show signs of recovery. She was sometimes confined in the ICU. Her vitals were unstable. She might die any minute.
There were also wounds in her abdomen but miraculously it didn't pierce her organs. It was her brain that was failing. The crash dealt trauma to her brain. She was unconscious and the doctor's couldn't figure out how she'll survive.
The girl's mother went back to her child's private room. Her eyes began to tear up. Her heart ached at the sight of her child's pitiful condition. To other people's eyes her child is at fault, she still believes that believed she wasn't like that. She wasn't a murderer.
She sat beside her child and caressed her cheek, avoiding to touch the tube. She moved some strands of her hair and then held her cold hands. She tried to stop herself from sobbing.
"Ashley…"