DADDY’S PARAMOUR

Chapter 04

Chapter 04: Hospital Scene

I was shocked when I found out that my mother was in the hospital. Our neighbors told me she was rushed to the hospital. I was at Raven's house at that time because he didn't have work and it was his day off.

When I arrived at the hospital, I saw my older brother. It turned out he was the one who brought our mother to the hospital. It's good that he was able to help this time.

"What happened to mom?" I immediately asked my brother as I approached, feeling nervous.

"I don't know, but they ran some tests on her to find out what's wrong," he said.

I nodded repeatedly. I didn't know why she was brought to the hospital or what her illness was. All I knew was that she had a severe cough. I just didn't expect that she would be taken to the hospital probably because of it.

I just sat quietly by the side of mom's hospital bed.

The smell of alcohol and medicine permeated the air. I could hear the faint sound of the machine beside my mom. My brother excused himself for a moment, saying he would just smoke outside. I knew he was also nervous.

When my brother left, the doctor approached, holding a clipboard.

"Are you the one looking after your mom?" the doctor asked me. I immediately nodded. "The results of your mom's X-ray and sputum test are out. She has TB, tuberculosis in the lungs."

I swallowed hard upon hearing what the doctor said. I immediately felt fear in my chest because mom was diagnosed with TB.

"TB, Doc? But, can it be cured?" I asked with my heart pounding and my hands growing cold. I couldn't bear it if something happened to mom. It's my fault because I let her work alone. If I hadn't allowed it, maybe she wouldn't be sick now.

"Of course." The doctor quickly replied to me. "She will recover as long as the treatment is continuous. She just needs to rest and take medication every day for six months." This statement made me pause. Six months of treatment? Damn it, I really need to find a job. If I rely on my brother, mom might die. Mom is all we have left because dad is gone.

Soon after, the doctor excused herself after telling us what we needed to do.

I slowly sat down, gently squeezed mom's hand, and sighed while tears welled up.

I whispered, "Mom, you'll get better, okay? You can't leave us behind. I'll find a job so you can stop working." I said while tearing up.

I really need to find a job. Come what may, I'll just make sure my salary goes to mom. My kuya arrived at the hospital and immediately asked.

"Did the doctor come? What did they say?"

I felt like blaming him, but it's also my fault why mom got sick. If only I had worked, maybe she wouldn't have gotten sick.

"They said it's TB," I answered softly, took a deep breath, and looked at him. "Mom can't work anymore, kuya. So please, can you work? Support your family and I'll take care of mom." I told him.

My kuya stared at me and took a deep breath before answering.

"Okay, I'll start looking for a job. So I can help with mom's treatment." He replied. I sighed in relief. I thought he would say that finding a job is difficult.

"Thank you." I said and then took my leave. I planned to visit Mel's aunt to see if she had talked to her employer. I need to work so we can afford mom's medication. She can't work anymore because she's sick. She kept doing laundry without taking breaks, that's why mom got sick.

When I arrived at Mel's aunt's house, I knocked on their door. I know Mel's aunt because I often see her. I hope she's here because it's already late.

I couldn't find my friend; she might have gone out. The door opened, and I saw Mel's aunt's child.

"Is your mom here?" I asked the child.

"She went out. Just bought something." The boy replied. He looked about ten years old.

"Is that so? I'll just come back later." I said and was about to leave when I saw Aunt Zeny. She was surprised to see me.

"Mhalee. You're here?"

I smiled at her. "Aunt, have you talked to your employer?"

"Oh, yes. I told Mel to let you know." She told me.

"Is that so? What did they say? Can I start working? Because I really need a job." I said to her, feeling nervous. What if they've already hired someone else?

"Come here tomorrow at 6 am because my shift starts at 7 am. My employer just wants to see you first." She said, which made anxiety start to creep in. What if I don't get accepted, right?

"Ahm, okay, aunt. Tomorrow then." I told her and then said goodbye. I went home feeling sad. Sad because mom is in the hospital. And I'm not even sure if I'll get accepted tomorrow. I was planning to get an advance so mom can have her medication.

When I got home, Lena immediately came up to me.

"Mel was looking for you. She came by earlier," she told me. I nodded and gave her money to buy rice and other groceries.

"We'll have noodles again. I'm out of cash," I told her in a sad tone. Then I went to the room because Lena would be the one to cook.

I feel sorry for Lena because she doesn't get to eat nutritious food. It's always noodles, eggs, and sardines for our meals.

It's because we're poor and her husband's lazy. She really can't eat nutritious food.

The next day, I woke up early because I was going to check out the job opportunity. I had already told Raven last night that I was leaving today. He was sad because I might have to live in. I told him I would be staying out, so we would still see each other every night.

Tita and I immediately left for her employer's house. It was just one ride away, she said.

"Is your employer kind, Tita?" I asked while we were on the jeep.

"Yes, he's nice. But he's old."

"Old? Male or female?" I asked her again. I was a bit nervous, hoping that my future employer, or hers as well, would be kind.

"He's a man, because Sir Matias is a widower. And his children are abroad. So it's just the helpers who are with him here," she answered with a smile. I felt a bit uneasy. I didn't know why, but finding out that my employer would be a man made me nervous. "Don't be afraid, Sir is nice. Plus, he's rarely at home because he's always at his hardware store," she explained. It seemed Tita noticed I was nervous. I smiled and felt relieved because our employer was rarely at home.

I was scared because what if our employer turned out to be a creep? Some people have a creepy look in their eyes.

People say that when they're old, they can get a bit lecherous. Especially now, since my employer doesn't have a wife, right? I couldn't tell Tita because she might scold me.