WE CAN'T LEAVE EACH OTHER

ELLA BITTEN BY A SNAKE

"Please slow down your steps. The ground is very rocky and the sun isn't fully out yet." He warned again after finding it hard to catch up with her fast walking pace.

"Don't worry about me! I'd be fine."

They continued their journey with both of them being miles apart.

"Aaaargghhh! Oh no! My goodness!" Ella screamed before falling on the ground.

What happened? Jude shouted while running towards her.

He caught up with her only to sight a snake crawling into a nearby hole.

"Phew! What a huge snake! I warned her to desist from walking hurriedly. But she wouldn't listen. I hope she hasn't been bitten," he loudly said.

Jude grabbed her body immediately. Then checked all over her. He discovered a bite mark on her leg with some blood spilling from there.

"f**k! My worst fear has become a reality; indeed, she has been bitten. Now we have landed ourselves in further trouble." He said, while resisting the urge to cry.

Being very tense, he paused and calmed himself down with a deep breath. Thereafter, he looked at her eyes, and they were only half open. Her eyes fully closed when he tapped her cheeks so she could utter some words. His anxiety resurfaced once more.

"I hope she hasn't kicked the bucket." He muttered under his breath.

Jude bent and put his ear close to her chest. Ella's heart still pounded.

"Wow! I thought the worst had happened. Thank God, she's still alive."

Still far from the highway, he pondered on how to move her unconscious body to the hospital.

"I've no choice but to carry her on my back to the highway. There's neither anybody nor vehicle around. Hopefully, a good Samaritan would come to my aid."

After a couple of attempts, he finally carried her on his back. Then headed towards the highway. Ella was very bum loaded. His fast walking pace reduced as he went farther. Some distance was covered when he became tired eventually. But the journey still remained long. Knowing it could take forever reaching the highway, he dropped her in a secure spot and ran there alone. Jude couldn't believe how fast his legs were. He arrived there almost in a jiffy. Like a traffic warden, his hands were stretched at every passing car. He hoped a good Samaritan would stop and render some assistance. Many cars didn't oblige, leaving him very dejected.

"Maybe I should just do this all by myself! Since nobody wants to help," he thought.

His hope arose when a car, which was moving speedily, began to decelerate. A short man with a lot of facial hair got down from the car and approached Jude.

"Young man, I sighted you stretching your hand at every moving car. What's wrong?"

"My girl was bitten by a snake! I need your help in taking her to the hospital."

"Wow! I'm so sorry about that. Where is she?"

"I kept her at a secure spot. It's just some miles away."

The good samaritan urged Jude to get into his car; they headed to the secure spot. They arrived there, carried her into the back seat of the car and zoomed off to the nearest hospital. Ella's case was deemed an emergency. She was carried quickly into the ward for immediate treatment. While Jude and the good Samaritan found their way into the waiting room. Seated just behind the window, Jude silently prayed for her. They had only a year left to graduation; he couldn't imagine losing her now. His tense-filled face caught the attention of the good Samaritan.

"You look very anxious! Don't worry, she'd be fine." The good samaritan said while patting him on his back.

"I have to be worried. Her situation is an emergency. Anything can happen."

"I heard the doctor say that too. But I believe she would pull through. Just have some faith, man."

"I'll. Thanks for showing some empathy."

His tension was doused. His face got relaxed too. No further words were said between them as they waited eagerly for the doctor's arrival. The silence got broken when Jude's phone rang.

"Excuse me, Sir," he said while going to the lobby.

"Hello, Daddy! Good to hear your voice after such a long time."

"Thanks, my son! It's good to hear yours too. I called to wish you all the best in your forthcoming exams." A husky-sounding Bellingham responded.

His good wishes were returned with a sigh. Bellingham became worried.

"Jude, you don't sound happy. What's the problem? I just heard you sigh."

"I'm quite tired and overwhelmed. But I'll be fine."

"I understand how stressful college could be. It's just a year left for you. Everything would soon be over in no time. Lest I forget, the mason job that took us to London would still keep us for some more weeks. Ensure you communicate this information to your siblings later. Goodbye, Jude."

Still stationed in the lobby, watching a lot of patients trooping into the hospital had him seriously thankful for sound health. He was totally engrossed in the situation of a middle-aged woman. She begged for her dying daughter to be admitted and treated. But her plea fell on deaf ears. Jude reached out to the security personnel hindering her from entering into the hospital. He found out that the dying girl had been treated before. But they absconded without settling the bills. Hearing the amount of the unsettled bill had him shocked. It was an amount he thought every working-class person should be able to afford. Jude wished he had the money to offset their bills. The girl's dying state got him worried.

"It's so unfortunate I wouldn't be able to render any help. I'm just a student who still has his own problems to sort out too," he muttered.

The middle-aged woman was relentless and continued to force her way into the hospital. The S.P. resisted her until she smacked him in the face.

"The temerity!" The S.P. said, then raised his hand to retaliate.

Jude held his hand and stood right in between them.

"Why do you want to add to their misery?" Jude asked.

"To hell with their misery. I must have my revenge."

He pleaded on her behalf. But the S.P. wasn't ready to forgive.

More people around came to plead with the S.P., too. But that only got the S.P. angrier.

"Nobody should beg any further. If you take revenge, I'll deal with you," Jude warned.

The S.P. got scared by his threat.

"He looks very strong and intimidating. There's no need to pick a fight with him. "The S.P. thought.

The S.P. backed out eventually. But stared at Jude angrily before walking away.

The physician admitted her dying daughter. But warned that treatment would be discontinued if the previous bill isn't settled after 24 hours. Calm was restored, and Jude walked back into the waiting room.

"Why did it take you so long to return?" The good Samaritan quizzed.

"Quite a lot happened outside. But everything's fine now."

Right after Jude got seated, the doctor entered into the waiting room.