Price Of Time
1562 Words
The doctor didn't speak until they had walked several steps away from Room Three.
He stopped beside a wide window overlooking the hospital parking lot and opened the file in his hand. For a brief moment, his eyes remained on the medical reports instead of Brenda.
She noticed.
Doctors only searched for the right words when the truth was too heavy to deliver quickly.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Doctor...
Is my mother all right?
He looked up.
I wish I could tell you she is.
The answer stole the little hope Brenda had been holding on to.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
What happened?
Your mother's kidneys are deteriorating faster than we expected. The medication has slowed the damage, but it isn't enough anymore.
Brenda stared at him.
Yesterday you said she was stable.
She was.
Stable doesn't always mean improving.
The words settled heavily between them.
The doctor closed the file for a moment, as though giving her time to absorb what he had just said.
We've discussed her case with the surgical team this afternoon. They've reviewed every option available to us.
Brenda searched his face desperately.
And?
He took a slow breath.
She needs surgery immediately.
Relief washed over Brenda so suddenly that her knees almost gave way.
Then let's do it.
The doctor didn't answer.
The silence lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough.
Brenda's relief disappeared.
Doctor...
Why aren't you saying anything?
Because there is another problem.
He reopened the file.
The surgery itself isn't the only expense. There are specialist fees, post-operative care, medication, dialysis support and rehabilitation.
Brenda swallowed.
Just tell me how much.
The doctor looked directly into her eyes.
The estimated cost is five hundred thousand dollars.
The corridor seemed to tilt.
Brenda blinked , She waited for him to correct himself.
He didn't.
I...I'm sorry...
"I don't think I heard you properly".
Five hundred thousand dollars.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
She gave a short laugh that sounded painfully out of place.
That's impossible.
The doctor remained silent.
No.. there has to be a mistake.
She reached for the file in his hands, flipping through pages she couldn't even read properly because her vision had begun to blur.
These numbers...
They're wrong.
"I'm afraid they aren't".
Brenda shook her head over and over.
"No".
There must be another hospital, Another treatment, Another doctor, or Another country.
The doctor let her speak.
When she finally fell silent, he answered gently.
"If there were another option, I would be the first person to tell you".
She pressed both hands against her forehead.
"I don't have that kind of money".
"I know".
"I've already borrowed from everyone I know".
She looked at him sharply.
"Then you already know I can't pay this".
The doctor's shoulders dropped slightly.
"Miss Michael, I've watched you sleep on those waiting-room chairs for eight nights because you refused to leave your mother's side. I've seen you skip meals so you could buy her medication that wasn't covered by insurance."
He paused.
Believe me...
"If compassion could pay hospital bills, your mother would have been discharged days ago."
Brenda bit down on her trembling lip.
How long do I have?
The doctor didn't answer immediately.
She hated that pause.
It always came before the worst news.
"How long"?
"If we cannot begin treatment within forty-eight hours..."
He didn't finish.
Brenda understood.
Forty-eight hours.
Two days to find half a million dollars.
She slowly leaned against the wall, afraid her legs would no longer hold her.
The doctor dipped his hand into his pocket and handed her a printed estimate.
" You have to Talk to your family".
See what can be arranged.
Brenda stared at the paper.
"My father died twelve years ago , I don't have brothers or sisters ".
My mother's only sister stopped speaking to us after the funeral.
The doctor remained quiet.
She folded the estimate with shaking fingers.
"It's just me" .
The words came out so softly that they barely sounded like a sentence.
A nurse hurried down the corridor and whispered something into the doctor's ear.
He nodded before looking back at Brenda.
I have another patient waiting.
But before he left, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Don't lose hope yet.
Sometimes help arrives from the most unexpected places.
Brenda wanted to believe him.
She truly did but , as she stood alone in the long hospital corridor with a bill she couldn't pay and only forty-eight hours left to save the only family she had, hope felt less like a lifeline...
...and more like a luxury she could no longer afford.
Brenda left the hospital with the folded estimate still clutched in her hand.
She had read the numbers so many times that they no longer looked real.
Five hundred thousand dollars.
It wasn't a hospital bill , It was a wall.
The afternoon sun had begun to sink, but the heat still clung to the streets as she hurried toward the nearest commercial bank. She barely noticed the traffic or the people brushing past her. Her mind raced ahead of her feet, searching for a solution that refused to appear.
The bank was less crowded than usual.
She walked straight to the customer service desk and waited while a young woman finished speaking to another customer.
"Good afternoon, ma'am , How may I help you"?
Brenda sat down, her hands wrapped tightly around her bag.
"I... I'd like to apply for an emergency loan".
The woman smiled politely.
"Certainly ,May I have your employment details"?
Brenda handed over her documents.
The woman typed for several moments, her expression becoming more serious as she read the information on the screen.
Miss Michael, I can see you've applied twice already this month.
Brenda nodded.
"Both applications were rejected".
The woman looked genuinely apologetic.
"Your income doesn't meet the minimum requirement, and you don't have any property or guarantor listed". Even if I submitted another application today, the system would reject it automatically.
Brenda leaned forward.
I'm not asking for charity. I'll repay every cent. I can work weekends. I can take another job , I'll do anything.
The woman wished she had better news.
I'm sorry.
There isn't anything I can do.
Brenda remained seated for another few seconds before quietly gathering her papers.
"Thank you for your time".
She stood and walked out before the tears in her eyes could embarrass either of them.
Outside the bank, she opened her contacts and stared at the names on her phone.
There weren't many ,She pressed the first one.
The call connected almost immediately.
Brenda! It's been a while.
"Hello, Auntie Rose".
How are you? And how's your mother?
Brenda closed her eyes.
She's getting worse.
There was a brief silence.
Auntie... I need your help.
She explained everything.
The surgery, The deadline and The cost.
By the time she finished, the line had become painfully quiet.
Rose finally spoke.
Brenda... I wish I could help. I truly do But, my husband lost his job three months ago. We're already behind on our rent.
I understand No, listen to me.
Rose's voice broke.
If I had it, I would send it without thinking.
Brenda forced a smile her aunt couldn't see.
I know, Thank you anyway.
She ended the call before either of them could apologize again.
The second call went unanswered.
The third number had been disconnected.
The fourth belonged to an old university friend.
He listened patiently before sighing.
I can send you two hundred dollars tonight.
Brenda smiled sadly.
Thank you , but we both know that won't save her.
The evening passed in the same cruel pattern.
By the time darkness settled over the city, Brenda had sold the only gold necklace her father had ever bought her.
The jeweller counted the money twice before sliding it across the counter.
She stared at the notes lying between them.
That necklace had once been worth every birthday memory she had of her father. Now it had become less than a day's worth of hospital treatment.
She slipped the money into her bag without another word.
When she returned to the hospital, the corridor outside Room Three was quiet.She stopped before opening the door.
Inside, she could hear her mother laughing softly with one of the nurses.
The sound brought a smile to Brenda's face.
Then she looked down at the money in her bag.
It wasn't even close. Not even after everything she had sold.
She rested her forehead against the cool wall for a moment.
For the first time since her father died...She didn't know what to do next.
At that exact moment, her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
Brenda stared at the screen.
Under normal circumstances, she would have ignored it.
Tonight...
She answered.
Hello?
A calm woman's voice came through the speaker.
"Good evening Am I speaking with Miss Brenda Michael"?
My name is Victoria.
"I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Lucian Marco".
Brenda frowned.
I'm sorry...
"I think you have the wrong number".
We don't.
The reply came without hesitation.
"Mr. Marco has a proposal for you".
Brenda tightened her grip on the phone.
"What kind of proposal"?
A brief silence followed.
Then Victoria spoke four words that turned Brenda's world upside down.
A one-year contract marriage.
- Writer
