A Sip Of Forever

CHAPTER5

Elara was flabbergasted at what had just happened. She couldn't wrap her head around what had just played out on the stage. “Camella never looked sick when leaving the house” Elara thought, as she called for help and tried to resuscitate her sister before they got to the hospital. Camella was put in Mrs Becker’s car and rushed to Marlene's hospital. A hospital known for its good doctors who put lives first before money and provided good equipment, yet expensive. Camella was struggling to breathe and blood was oozing out of her nostrils by the time they got to Marlene's hospital. Elara's anxiety was palpable as she kept checking her sister's pulse from time to time, shouting at Mrs Becker to drive faster. When they arrived, Elara rushed into the hospital to call the attention of the nurses. The nurses all quickly followed her to the car, brought a wheelchair and carefully took her in. Camella was lowered onto the crisp white sheet and the head doctor was quickly called as her case was an emergency one. It was beyond them. Elara paced round the hospital, her clasped hands trembling uncontrollably as tears streamed down her face. As the head doctor attended to her sister, Elara watched anxiously from the glass ward. “Get her on Oxygen now”, the doctor directed the nurse. “ And bring me the chart,I need to check her vitals”. The nurse scurried to comply and Elara's eyes followed her every move . She quickly reached for her phone from her bag and dialed Mateo's line. This was the time she needed him the most. It rang thrice but no answer. “Why is he not picking up my calls?” She asked, no one in particular. She made up her mind to go see him after ensuring that her sister is fine. Elara heaved heavily and hauled herself up against the wall as sweat slicked her skin. Watching her sister battle with her life was heartbreaking, her mind replaying the image of Camella's smile, her cheerful laughter and her award. For the first time, she prayed. Mrs Becker, on her own part, never left Elara's side. She put a call to the school management to alert them of what had just happened. She pleaded with her colleagues at school to conclude the graduation party as she wouldn't be coming back to school again. She knew Elara needed someone at that time, and she was there to support her. Camella has been her favorite student, and she has played the role of both a mother and counselor to Camella in school. She had on many occasions suspended bullies for her sake. She sat beside Elara and held her hands in comfort. “ She will be fine”, Mrs Becker said quietly. Elara looked at Mrs Becker and smiled. “Thank you,” Elara said. She watched as Mrs Becker stood up and went to a corner to answer a phone call. Elara noticed for the first time that Mrs Becker was a beautiful woman. Her forty-five-year-old face looks young and smooth. One would think she is still single if not for her ring on the ring finger. She dressed professionally. Her suit skirt fit her so perfectly, showing off her elegant curves and her tucked-in blouse added more to the prettiness. Mrs Becker walked towards Elara and she turned her gaze towards Mrs Becker. She smiled at Mrs Becker and kept mute. A thin line of tears crawled down her cheeks. She was tired and wished that her sister would be discharged in good health. As she sat beside Mrs Becker,she scrolled through her phone to dial Maya's number but suddenly…. Something felt off. The doctor and nurses had grown tense, including their movements which seemed rushed and quickened, like they were in the middle of a more critical emergency. Elara pulled herself towards the glass ward again, and then she saw it. Her sister was jerking like she was having a convulsion. Her eyes rolled as she jerked her body. Her breathing is tense and heavier. One of the nurses reached for equipment in a flurry and another held something up to the light. A monitor also began to beep in a frantic rhythm. “W… What's happening?” Elara asked hoarsely, but no one responded. No one even looked her way, as she raised her voice this time. “What's happening to my sister?” She asked again. They all ignored her, as they were all bent over Camella, calling names, switching tools and working as fast as possible. After what seemed like ages, the jerking stopped. Camella became limp as her body wasn’t moving no matter what they did. Panic gripped her at once. “Someone should talk to me. "What's going on?” She asked hoarsely, banging her hands on the glass ward. The head doctor came out of the ward and gently ushered Elara into his office. “Doctor, please talk to me. "What's happening?” Elara asked,her voice many notches lower. “Please, you need to calm down,” the head doctor said. Elara gave him an odd look and kept calm. “Your sister Camella has a cancer of the heart called Cardiac sarcoma” Elara burst into laughter as she looked at the doctor. It was her first time hearing this and she didn't want to believe this news now. “She was diagnosed with this disease three months ago and advised to talk to her family about it” The head doctor said, handing Elara her sister's diagnosis. Elara read through it and tears streamed down her eyes. “Camella didn't tell you? The head doctor asked again. “No she didn't” Elara said, her face etched with pain and anxiety. “How could Camella keep her health issues away from her? "Why didn't she relate this to her?” Elara thought, all to herself. “Doctor, is she going to be all right?” Elara asked, handing over the document back to him. The doctor shook his head slowly and said “ I'm sorry, we tried our best, but we lost her. “It's not true, Doctor,” Elara said, stepping back. She quickly left the office and rushed into her sister's ward. Camella! Camella!” Her voice was desperately loud, as if raising it would make Camella hear better and respond. When she stopped speaking, grasping Camella's wrist, resting her head on her chest, the silence was broken only by the whir of the ceiling fan as it sliced through the still air. “Noooooooo! Camelllllllla!” Elara's voice rang out so pure and high it seemed to come from the ceiling. The nurses covered Camella's body with a white cloth but did not cover her face. Elara wept and rolled herself on her sister's body. “Camella, please don't do this to me. "This is not what you promised me”, Elara said, her eyes clasped with hot tears. Mrs Becker and the nurses stood there, as they watched Elara and her sister's body. They, too, burst into tears as Elara's words were touching and emotional. They made feeble attempts to pull Elara off. As Camella's body was rolled on the stretcher into the Ambulance. Elara rolled herself to the floor. It took the efforts of the nurses and Mrs Becker Stormont in the hospital to calm her down. “Elara, please calm down. "We need you to stay strong,” Mrs Becker said, her voice unsteady. Elara felt her world shattered over and over again. She ignored the nurses and Mrs Becker as she hurriedly picked up her bag and followed the ambulance to the mortuary. Elara watched as her sister's body was dressed by the mortuary attendant. She couldn't endure it, as hot tears streamed down her cheek. She hated herself and her world. Lost the only family she had, Elara felt her world crumbling down. Elara left the hospital and boarded a taxi to Mateo's apartment. She dialed Mrs Becker's number and told her she had left the hospital. She pulled a jacket from her bag and drew it close to herself as she started having cold shivers. “ I need someone to console me at this time” she thought.