Chapter 5: j

Flashing red and blue lights and an alarming siren signalled as the double doors of the emergency room burst open. Pushed by several nurses, doctors, and other medical staff, a lone hospital stretcher flew through the medical centre toward the doors to the operating room. Upon seeing the pale familiar figure being flown away, Daisy Louis stopped in her tracks, and her pupils shrank.

What the hell happened?

She stiffly turned her frozen body, and seeing the paramedics disappear into the long corridor for the OR; Daisy felt like her spirit had departed. She nearly dropped dead in that instant. Her face paled.

No, what the hell was going on?

‘Why is my mum being rushed to the operating room?’

It isn’t even more than ten minutes yet since Daisy left her mother’s side for the restroom to empty her bladder, dwell in sorrow and spill out her tears.

Daisy turned back with wide eyes to look towards the entrance they had just wheeled her mum out from, and it wasn’t any emergency ward. In fact, that has been her mum’s ward since she was transferred to this hospital last week. But her mum suddenly being flown away by that team had caused a stir in her hazy mind. In the heat of the moment, the scene had looked too familiar that the blue clothes won by the paramedics backed against the low lights coming from her mum’s ward had given her the light illusion. The hazy scene had tugged her mind, and seeing a familiar scene rolling out in front of her, her mind rewound down memory lane.

That fateful morning, over a month ago, when her mum suddenly collapsed in the kitchen, they had rushed her to the hospital to receive a shocker. Just like she had just been wheeled out, her mum had been wheeled immediately from the emergency room to the operating room to have her breasts removed without even giving her family room to digest the news. She had been battling breast cancer for four years without telling even her husband.

Fortunately, the surgery was successful, and her radiation therapy followed. Afterwards, they transferred her to a bigger hospital with higher technological facilities to help her recover and recuperate properly and effectively.

Mrs Louis had been saved even before they had her transferred. The woman was out of danger cause the surgery had been successful. But seeing her mum stuck in unfamiliar-looking machines making beeping sounds she only thought were unpleasant broke her heart. It’s already over a week after the surgery and days after she was transferred here, but Daisy had to every day watch her mum lay there lifelessly. Even though the hospital had assured them that Mrs Louis would be out of the coma soon, it didn’t in any way help the sickening emotional state Daisy was in, as the only thing she wants is to see her mum open her eyes and talk to them again.

She isn’t the only one that feels that way; her father too, Mr. Louis, and her kid sister, Violet Louis, also.

Ten minutes ago, Daisy had left her dad, her boyfriend, Edward, and her friend Cindy in her mum’s ward to go clear her head. Edward had wanted to accompany her, but she had stopped him, wanting to be alone for a few seconds.

After crying bitterly and begging God not to take her mum away just yet, she came back only to meet this heart-wrenching scene.

‘Why is my mum suddenly being wheeled to the operating room? What the hell happened?’

When she finally snapped out of her thoughts and turned to run after the paramedics, they had disappeared into the operating room with the door shut immediately. She froze and turned back to the ward to see her dad standing just in front of the entrance with bloodshot eyes, looking extremely downcast.

Her heart squeezed.

Through her hazy vision, she could see her boyfriend and Cindy standing over there and staring at her sympathetically as if waiting for her to take in the shock before looming over.

Her knees grew weak, and just when she fell to the ground, Edward reached out and held her in his arms. Seeing his woman tremble in his arms, his chest tightened. He felt helpless cause he could do nothing to stop her pain. He could only accompany her and watch her break for her mum.

Her tears flowed while her lips trembled.

“Your mum was calm when she suddenly started to jack. We were frantic. I immediately turned on the alarm while your dad rushed out to get the doctor. The doctor pumped her chest, but they had to wheel her to the theatre. Your dad just signed up for another operation.”

When Edward uttered those words, Daisy burst into tears and sobbed loudly. She let out her agony and cried in his arm.

“Noo… n.. oo… no…” were the only muffled sounds she could cry out.

‘In just ten minutes, things had turned grave.’

“It’s going to be okay,” Cindy consoled her, patting her back.

Mr Louis standing at the ward’s entrance, stared at the trio wearily, his chest heaving and his breath deep and heavy. He looked extremely downcast.

It is nobody’s wish to lose one’s beloved spouse and partner. He really hoped his wife would come out alive. Besides, Daisy still has a kid sister in High school.

In short, it’s just too early to lose her.

Minutes passed, and the long corridor remained deserted with just the four of them. Those minutes passed as days to Daisy, tormenting her. On different occasions, she made attempts to rush toward the operating room but got stopped by Edward and Cindy.

They wouldn’t let her behave rashly or turn crazy.

Soon, she grew so weak as her body couldn’t take it anymore. She has had three consecutive sleepless nights. Seeing how weak and pale she had become, Edwards scooped her in his arms and took her into her mum’s ward. He gently placed her on a couch, but she insisted on lying on the bed her sick mum had laid on for days.

Immediately her body touched the bed; she passed out.

Two whole hours later, Daisy sprang up from the bed with wide eyes. She flew out of bed with just one thing in her head, ‘her mum.’

She could not believe she had slept off like that.

Just as her legs hit the cold marble floor, a hand grabbed her arm. Knowing who it was, she unconsciously relaxed but still struggled to get out of his hold.

She just wanted to see her mum!

She turned to look at him, her eyes widening and glimmering with tears. “I want to see my mum,” she cried pleadingly.

Edward, who was already standing in front of her, held her shoulders firmly, then looking into her eyes, he breathed out, “Your mum is out of the theatre. The surgery was successful and she has been transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit.”

Immediately after he said those words, Daisy stood up from the bed. With Edward still holding unto her shoulders, he stared down at his girlfriend with sad eyes. Cindy, too, looking sad and sympathetic, was already standing in front of her, trying to get her to calm down.

These two are the people in the whole world asides from her family that she considers God sent. They’ve always got her back and are always there for her.

“Where is my dad?” Daisy sighed wearily, and Cindy answered, “he is with the doctor.”

“I want to see my mum,” she heaved, and her teary eyes became red-rimmed. Edward nodded, and then he immediately scooped her in his arms before taking long strides out of the ward.

A sharp cold gaze pierced his back as he walked out of the ward with Daisy to reveal Cindy’s grave and murderous face. Her eyes looked extremely dark, and a deadly murderous aura emanated from her. She smirked coldly as she watched Edward naturally carry Daisy in his arms, and then she sneered.

Just then, her phone rang.

She brought it out and, seeing the restricted number displayed on her screen, an evil smile plastered on her face.

As usual, she picked up the call, placed it against her ear, and then stayed silent, waiting for the person at the other end of the call to speak. She wouldn’t be saying a word while the other end dished out her orders.

“It’s done,” a cold domineering voice spoke through the phone into her ear. “Mrs Louis will have a cardiac arrest in a few hours. I already arranged for your director to call you over to the movie set. You wouldn’t be there when it happens.”

Before the call dropped, a very important verdict was passed on to her. “Remember, you have to seduce Edward.”

Cindy dropped her hand before staring at the blank screen of her phone with a cold smile. She could not help but smirk at how gullible and overly trusting Daisy was. And even though she doesn’t know who this enemy of Daisy she’s working for is, she does not care as long as she is making a fortune from this.

The day she had asked who this anonymous and mysterious lady is, the cold feminine voice had simply said… “I am the Lady from the Coasters.”

Afterwards, the mysterious lady had eerily warned, “If you want to keep your life, don’t ever ask who I am again.”