Beyond The Pain

COERCED COMPROMISE

CHAPTER FOUR - COERCED COMPROMISE

“Wha..what? Which hospital? What happened to her?” Clio asked, trembling.

“Cedar General Hospital,” The voice replied.

“Okay, I'll be there as fast as I can. Is Lyra okay?” Clio asked but the call was long disconnected.

Without much thought, Clio stopped the next taxi while wondering why Nora refused to tell her anything about Lyra.

Clio's heart pounded heavily in her chest as the taxi drove along the street.

She tried her best to fight back tears but the thought of her little girl being in a hospital made tears flow down her cheek freely.

“Please drive faster,” Clio implored in hopes that the driver would listen to her this time.

The driver adjusted his rearview mirror so he could see Clio at the back, “You've asked me this six times ma'am. I can't go beyond 50 kilometers per hour unless you want to get me stopped by the police.”

Clio's soft sobs were her reply to the driver and even though Clio's ginger hair was a mess, it did well to cover her face so the driver didn't see her sobbing.

Clio, stay strong. She mustn't see you like this. She'd be fine, it was probably... Clio's thoughts stopped upon the realization that she had no idea what happened to Lyra.

Clio clasped her hands together, resting her face on them as she took a deep breath to stop herself from crying.

She looked out the window and a memory suddenly drifted into her mind...

“Lyra, remove the coat. It's not even your size,” Clio stated as she ran after the little girl.

Lyra’s giggle filled the air as she ran around the sitting room, “Mom, I'm playing pretend. I want to be a doctor so this is my doctor's coat!”

Clio halted as she stood akimbo while watching Lyra run, “You're still too young to be a doctor Lyra, you have to finish school first.”

Lyra didn't stop running around, “No mom, I can be a doctor right now, Mr Bear is my patient,” She wiggled the teddy bear in her hand.

“And this is my stethoso!” Lyra stated in excitement as she pulled out Clio's earpiece from her coat.

Clio couldn't help but chuckle, “Doctor Lyra, it's called a stethoscope, not a stethoso.”

“I'll call it what I want!”

And just before Lyra could run towards the dining area, Clio got a hold of her.

“There you are!” Clio wrapped her arms around Lyra and the two giggled their hearts out. “You’re at your destination ma'am!” The driver's words snapped Clio out of her thoughts. “Um..uh,” Clio quickly searched her bag for some change.

Extending a hand towards the driver, Clio gave three dollars to the driver.

“Ma'am, you're supposed to give me two dollars..” The driver tried to call Clio back but she was in too much of a haste to worry about some change.

Clio dashed into the building as a mother desperate to see her child, she stopped in front of the receptionist, “I'm Clio..Clio Clarke..my..my daughter was rushed here from her school...please what room is she in?”

“I'm sorry ma'am. I'm not allowed to give out such information. It's against the protocols.”

“Goddamnit! I'm her mother! Didn't you hear me say that?!” Clio yelled at the receptionist, attracting the attention of some nurses and people around.

The receptionist remained quiet, “Tell me where my daughter is!” Clio demanded with swollen eyes that glared daggers at the receptionist.

“I'll tell you.” Clio turned immediately to see who it was.

Clio rushed immediately to the man, “Mr Richard, what happened to Lyra?” Richard let out a soft, sad sigh.

"According to Ms. Johnson, Lyra's teacher, she was playing tag during recess when she suddenly clutched her nose and began bleeding profusely,” Clio's eyes widened in horror, her grip on Richard's arm tightening.

"The school nurse suspected a nasal fracture but then Lyra passed out. We were deeply concerned about Lyra's condition so our school's emergency response team sprang into action," The hospital's antiseptic scent and beeping machines increased Clio's anxiety.

Tears clouded her vision, "Please take me to her," Clio requested.

Following a small nod, Richard led Clio to Lyra's ward.

The two soon stopped in front of a double swing door.

Clio looked through the observation window and her breath caught at her throat when she set her eyes on her child.

The overhead lights hanging atop Lyra's body made her skin even paler, a drip hung beside Lyra's bed, delivering what seemed like medications to Lyra. The doctor placed a stethoscope on Lyra's body, listening to her heartbeat while the nurse checked if the drip was still flowing.

“My baby,” Clio muttered as she broke down in tears.

“Mrs. Clarke, you have to be strong for Lyra. She's going to be fine,” Richard comforted Clio, with a somber expression.

“I'm trying my best to stay strong but it's difficult when I see my daughter in such a state,” Clio said amidst her sobs.

Richard made her sit on the chair just beside Lyra's ward, “Don't worry, she's going to be fine.” Just then, the doctor came out of the ward.

Clio rose up to meet him immediately, “Doctor, how's she doing?”

The doctor looked at Richard with a questioning look, “She's the girl's mother.”

“Oh. Ma'am, please come with me. I'd like to speak with you.”

Clio followed the doctor closely until they got to his office.

“Doctor, what's wrong with her?” Clio asked, with curiosity tearing at her lungs.

“After a series of tests and examinations, I found out that Lyra has aplastic anemia, which means her bone marrow is unable to produce enough red blood cells,” The doctor explained.

Clio’s face, already red from the tears, became white from shock, “Is there a cure for it?”

“Of course. She could undergo a bone marrow transplant. You just have to birth another child. We can use the child's bone marrow for the transplant.”

Upon hearing that, All Clio could think of was her altercation with Jayden.