Surgery

Hannah's apartment was completely dark. She took two steps into her apartment but she fell to the floor clutching her chest. She suddenly couldn't breathe and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Hannah has been scared of the dark since she was a child. She doesn't switch off the light, even when she sleeps or when she goes out. The house was completely dark and it brought back painful memories that she hopes to forget.

Hannah slumped to the ground with laboured breaths. She tried to reach for her phone in her bag and when she got it, she turned on the flashlight. In normal circumstances, Hannah would have left the apartment immediately after she saw it was dark but this time, there was a child in the house and she hoped that nothing had happened to Penelope. She struggled to get back on her feet and moved further into the apartment. Her lack of breath and her already aching legs were not helping as she kept on walking in slow steps towards the room.

The room was dark and there was no sign of Penelope. Hannah strained her eyes in search of Penelope and took slow and silent steps into the room. She directed her flashlight to all the corners of the room but she still couldn't find Penelope.

Hannah got scared. What if the assassins have taken Penelope along with them?! She turned around and was about to step out of the room when she stepped on a broken piece of glass. She sucked in a sharp breath and winced a little. She pointed the flashlight to the ground and she saw broken pieces of glass scattered across the floor. There was blood on the floor and when she looked closely, she saw that the blood stains left a trail that led to her closet.

She leapt her left leg and swallowed her pain as she followed the trails to her closet. She took a deep breath and opened the closet. The sight that welcomed her made her heart shudder

She saw Penelope sitting inside the closet, clutching her knees tightly close to her chest while she trembled violently. Hannah went pale, She tried to move closer to Penelope but slipped on something. Luckily, she didn't fall and regained her balance but when she looked at what made her slip, her eyes widened with dread evident in them.

Blood had pooled around Penelope and had spread all over the closet. Hannah raised her head back to the child and she felt tears gathering in her eyes as the child trembled in front of her.

Hannah moved closer and wrapped her arms around Penelope. Seconds later, Penelope stopped trembling and Hannah felt her body go slack in her arms. Hannah detached herself from the girl and noticed that she wasn't moving anymore.

'Is she dead?' Hannah asked herself and quickly checked her pulse. Penelope was still alive but her pulse was slower than normal. Hannah carried the girl in her arms and ran out of the room. She hissed audibly as the pain in her right foot was unbearable but she continued running out.

She took a cab and directed the driver to the nearest hospital. She kept on checking Penelope from time to time on their way to the hospital and didn't realize when she started crying.

When they arrived at the hospital, Hannah rushed out of the cab without paying the driver but the driver didn't stop her. He could see the condition of the child and by just looking at her, he could tell that her condition was critical. He turned to look at the back seat of the cab that had been soaked with blood. He sighed. He would have to change the seat as it wasn't made from leather.

Inside the hospital, Hannah went to the nurse at the reception and explained Penelope's condition to the nurse. Penelope was instantly admitted as she was an emergency case. Penelope was placed on a stretcher and the nurses pushed the stretcher into the ICU.

Hannah saw a doctor who she assumed was going to attend to Penelope and she ran to him. "What is happening to her doctor, when will she wake up?" Hannah asked the doctor with fear visible on her face. "We don't know yet ma'am, but with the look of things, she has lost a lot of blood, we need to get her into surgery". The doctor said and left Hannah, who was suddenly quiet.

Hannah couldn't think of anything as her brain had already shut down. The only thing that kept ringing in her head was that Penelope was going to undergo surgery. Her heart slipped from her chest as she slumped down on the floor and broke into tears, sobbing audibly. Was it that serious?

She kept thinking about what happened to Penelope and her fear slowly transformed into anger. The person who encroached on her apartment had come to attack her but found Penelope instead. She was sure that the assassin was not from her gang as they all knew not to mess with her. Only a handful of the gang members knew her apartment and those were trusted men of Raymond.

A nurse came out of the surgery room, pulling Hannah out of her thoughts as she rushed toward the nurse. "How is the child, is she alright?" She questioned the nurse immediately after she got to her. "The child has lost a lot of blood, her life is in danger and unfortunately, we don't have her blood group in our hospital. We will contact the blood bank and other hospitals to check if they have matching blood". The nurse said and hurried away.

'I can't just stay here, waiting for some calls to be made, I need to do something. Nothing can happen to Penelope. She thought as wiped her face which was stained with tears. Hannah brought out her phone and dialled Raymond's number. She was sure that he would help her out.

Raymond picked on the first ring but before Hannah could speak, she heard his voice. "What happened Hannah, where are you right now? Are you in some kind of trouble? I have already sent people to look for...". Raymond stopped talking when he heard her sniff through the phone. "What happened Hannah, are you crying? Talk to me Hannah, what's wrong". Raymond asked. He was starting to get worried when he didn't hear Hannahs's voice.

"I need your help, Raymond". Hanna finally spoke. "What do you need my help with? In fact, just tell me where you are, and I will be there soon". Raymond said over the phone and Hannah could hear the sound of keys and hurried footsteps over the phone. She knew Raymond would help her.

"I'm at the hospital, the one close to my apartment. I need your...". Hannah was interrupted by Raymond's voice over the phone. "What happened Hannah, what are you doing in the hospital? Are you sick or injured? Just tell me, Hannah, quickly". Raymond was scared, he couldn't keep his calm anymore as he waited for Hannah to speak. " Don't worry Raymond, nothing happened to me. I just need you to help me arrange for a blood donor. B+ and I need it urgently".

"Okay Hannah, I will arrange for it as quickly as I can". Raymond said and hung up.