Counting Down The Days To Go
Hospitals And Relatives.
“Honey, come quick! Your father fainted while he was driving. We’re at the hospital,” My mother’s words repeated over and over again inside my head as I rushed down to the hospital.
I wasn’t crying or anything but I was definitely panicking. My parents might not show enough love and concern towards me but I definitely didn’t want to lose either one of them so early on in life.
“Please by okay,” I muttered to myself as I flicked on the radio to calm me down. I reached the hospital in a matter of minutes thanks to the acceleration pedal but once I entered the hospital, I somehow felt afraid to go and see my father.
What if he was in critical condition?
What if he was in a coma?
What if I was…too late?
I shook my head to clear out those inauspicious thoughts and headed towards the receptionist.
“Hi, may I know where is Robert Belton?”
The bored receptionist didn’t even look at me. Instead, the fifty-something woman with gorish bright red lipstick lazily tapped on her keyboard and pointed to her right.
I muttered a quick thanks before walking down the hallway labeled “Teminal Illnesses, Private Wards and Counseling Rooms.”
Figures. It was just like Mom to let Dad stay in a private ward.
“Honey! Over here!” I heard my mother cry out from somewhere. Turning around, I saw her waving to me.
“How is Dad?” I asked as I walked towards her.
“He’s sleeping now. Thank God some one found him in time! Apparently his blood pressure went through the roof and he felt dizzy and fainted while driving! Luckily it was at some quiet road and not the highway,” My mother said quickly and swiftly. I could see tear stains on her cheeks and couldn’t help but think about the shock she went through only a few hours ago.
“I’m glad he’s fine,” I said, heaving out a sigh of relief.
“Me too,” Mom said rather wobbly. She must have been spacing out as when we were turning around a corner, she bumped into another woman.
“Sorry!” Mom couldn’t help but cry out after been bumped back into reality.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” The woman said. After she shook the mop of dark hair away from her face, I came face to face with a familiar woman.
“Alice?” I asked, wondering what the heck she was doing in a hospital.
“Crystal?” She asked in an equally shocked tone. “What are you doing here?”
“My dad isn’t feeling so well so he was hospitalized. What about you? Are you okay?” I asked out of concern. After scanning over her body, she seemed perfectly fine so she must have been visiting or something.
“I…er…well, you see…” She trailed off as her husband came up behind her.
“Crystal?” The man asked.
“She’s here for her father,” Alice said in a seemingly reassuring tone. Her husband only gave a nod to signify that he understood.
“Who are you visiting?” I couldn’t help but feel a bit nosy.
“A neighbour,” Alice said with a small smile.
“A relative,” Matt spoke the same time Alice did.
“A relative who is a neighbour,” Alice said with a rather sheepish smile.
“Okay,” I said with a shrug.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry about your relative,” My mother said. “But my husband’s blood pressure went way up high and he fainted. We better go and see how he is now.”
I waved bye to the couple as Mom dragged me along.
“Wait! Which ward is he in?” Alice asked.
“C-514.”
“Oh okay. Bye then.” She said before turning towards her husband and whispering something to him. He nodded and turned back to give me one last glance. That guy is starting to creep me out.
“I didn’t know they had relatives in this town,” Mom muttered as we entered Dad’s ward. “Didn’t they just moved here last September?”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking the same thing. Mike never mentioned that he had relatives in this town. I thought he told me that his extended family was situated in California.
I shoved those unimportant thoughts out of my head as I saw my father lying on the hospital bed. "Dad?"
There wasn’t a response as my dad was sleeping rather peacefully. This was the very first time I had seen him so week and deranged that it almost scared me.
“Don't worry honey, he’s going to be okay,” Mom whispered from beside me.
I really hoped that Mom was right.
I wasn’t crying or anything but I was definitely panicking. My parents might not show enough love and concern towards me but I definitely didn’t want to lose either one of them so early on in life.
“Please by okay,” I muttered to myself as I flicked on the radio to calm me down. I reached the hospital in a matter of minutes thanks to the acceleration pedal but once I entered the hospital, I somehow felt afraid to go and see my father.
What if he was in critical condition?
What if he was in a coma?
What if I was…too late?
I shook my head to clear out those inauspicious thoughts and headed towards the receptionist.
“Hi, may I know where is Robert Belton?”
The bored receptionist didn’t even look at me. Instead, the fifty-something woman with gorish bright red lipstick lazily tapped on her keyboard and pointed to her right.
I muttered a quick thanks before walking down the hallway labeled “Teminal Illnesses, Private Wards and Counseling Rooms.”
Figures. It was just like Mom to let Dad stay in a private ward.
“Honey! Over here!” I heard my mother cry out from somewhere. Turning around, I saw her waving to me.
“How is Dad?” I asked as I walked towards her.
“He’s sleeping now. Thank God some one found him in time! Apparently his blood pressure went through the roof and he felt dizzy and fainted while driving! Luckily it was at some quiet road and not the highway,” My mother said quickly and swiftly. I could see tear stains on her cheeks and couldn’t help but think about the shock she went through only a few hours ago.
“I’m glad he’s fine,” I said, heaving out a sigh of relief.
“Me too,” Mom said rather wobbly. She must have been spacing out as when we were turning around a corner, she bumped into another woman.
“Sorry!” Mom couldn’t help but cry out after been bumped back into reality.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” The woman said. After she shook the mop of dark hair away from her face, I came face to face with a familiar woman.
“Alice?” I asked, wondering what the heck she was doing in a hospital.
“Crystal?” She asked in an equally shocked tone. “What are you doing here?”
“My dad isn’t feeling so well so he was hospitalized. What about you? Are you okay?” I asked out of concern. After scanning over her body, she seemed perfectly fine so she must have been visiting or something.
“I…er…well, you see…” She trailed off as her husband came up behind her.
“Crystal?” The man asked.
“She’s here for her father,” Alice said in a seemingly reassuring tone. Her husband only gave a nod to signify that he understood.
“Who are you visiting?” I couldn’t help but feel a bit nosy.
“A neighbour,” Alice said with a small smile.
“A relative,” Matt spoke the same time Alice did.
“A relative who is a neighbour,” Alice said with a rather sheepish smile.
“Okay,” I said with a shrug.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry about your relative,” My mother said. “But my husband’s blood pressure went way up high and he fainted. We better go and see how he is now.”
I waved bye to the couple as Mom dragged me along.
“Wait! Which ward is he in?” Alice asked.
“C-514.”
“Oh okay. Bye then.” She said before turning towards her husband and whispering something to him. He nodded and turned back to give me one last glance. That guy is starting to creep me out.
“I didn’t know they had relatives in this town,” Mom muttered as we entered Dad’s ward. “Didn’t they just moved here last September?”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking the same thing. Mike never mentioned that he had relatives in this town. I thought he told me that his extended family was situated in California.
I shoved those unimportant thoughts out of my head as I saw my father lying on the hospital bed. "Dad?"
There wasn’t a response as my dad was sleeping rather peacefully. This was the very first time I had seen him so week and deranged that it almost scared me.
“Don't worry honey, he’s going to be okay,” Mom whispered from beside me.
I really hoped that Mom was right.
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