TWISTED BOND

CHAPTER 3

Stephanie's heart pounded terribly, as she rushed into her apartment. The living room was

empty, and everywhere was unusually quiet, worsening her already panicked heart.

“Mom!” She screamed in fear, paying attention to receive even the slightest sound. But none

came through. At this point, she could feel a painful jab in her heart.

“Mom!” She called louder this time, as she tiptoed to the room, while critically looking around for

anything suspicious. Still not getting any response, Stephanie rushed to her room, her heart

panting terribly, hoping and praying all was well.

As she pushed the door open, her face ghosted immediately as she saw her mother lying on the

bed, drenched in sweat and struggling to breathe. Quickly, she regained herself, rushing to her

mother's side, trying to tame her emotions.

“Mom! What happened? What's going on?” She said, her voice rising as the tears dropped, no

matter how hard she desperately tried to stop them from falling.

“Steph…my…chest ... .pain” her mother stuttered laboriously, but Stephanie couldn't make

sense of her point. But she knew she could not let her talk anymore. Her stuttered breath was

already too scary. Quickly, Stephanie got out her phone and dialed 911, her fingers trembling as

she punched the numbers.

“Hello, this is 911. What's your emergency?”

“Hello, yes, you guys need to hurry down here. My mother's dying” she said, fighting to keep her

voice steady while wiping the tears from her face using the back of her hand.

Quickly, she communicated the details of her address to them and the severity of the situation

on the ground, urging them to hurry up. While waiting for the ambulance, Stephanie held her

mother's hand, offering words of comfort and reassurance. Her thoughts drifted back to the

times her mother had been there for her, through every challenge and triumph. The thought of

losing her was unbearable. And she kept struggling, fighting the oppressive thoughts.

The sound of the siren broke into her competing thoughts, creating consciousness in her. She

stood up hurriedly, rushing out to let the paramedics in. They moved swiftly, assessing her

mother's condition and preparing her for transport.

"We need to get her to the hospital immediately," one of the paramedics said, looking at

Stephanie. "Are you coming with us?"

"Yes, of course," Stephanie replied without hesitation, walking out with them and locking her apartment.

The ride to the hospital was filled with anxiety for Stephanie. Grace's stuttering breaths seemed

to worsen, scaring Stephanie the more who urged them to drive faster. Stephanie clutched her

mother's hand, tears running unrestrainedly down her cheeks, whispering prayers. Upon arrival,

her mother was whisked away into the emergency room, and Stephanie was left in the waiting

area, feeling helpless and alone.

She paced the floor, her heart pounding harder, and racing faster as each minute passed. She

constantly kept peeping into the emergency ward, hoping to just catch a glimpse of what could

be happening, even though she was well aware of how futile that was. Finally, a doctor

approached her, his expression grave.

“Miss Cole?” The doctor asked

“Ye…yes, please. What happened to my mother, doctor?” Stephanie asked, her panic vivid

through her voice and expression.

“I'm Dr. Ramirez. Your mother has had a severe heart attack. We're doing everything we can,

but she's in critical condition. Do you know if she has any underlying health issues?”

“Health issues? No! She was in high spirits this morning, just before I left for work!” Stephanie

replied exasperatingly. Her falling tears resumed as she wondered what could have transpired in

that short interval of time.

Dr. Ramirez placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We're going to take good care of her.

And we'll find out what could have led to this. I guess there must have been an underlying issue

that went unnoticed by either of you. But trust us to do our job. Right now, the best thing you can

do is stay calm and be strong for her."

Stephanie nodded, drying her face with her palm "Thank you, Doctor. Can I see her now?”

“Yes of course. Please come in” he said, leading the way to her mother's ward.

Upon seeing her mother on the bed, her breathing stabilized, Stephanie released a sigh of

relief.

“Thanks, Doc.” She said, turning to Ramirez, her expression proving how grateful she was.

“It's okay. We are just doing our job. I'll leave you too now. Let us know if you notice anything.”

He said smiling, and took his leave afterwards.

Stephanie sighed again as she took the seat beside the bed, her eyes fixed on her mother. She

couldn't imagine losing the one person her life hung on.

She had no friends. Or, she was just bad at keeping friends. She was very antisocial and the

one relationship she had with Noah, her ex-boyfriend, had suffered these consequences. Her

job and her mother only mattered to her. Everything else didn't seem to get her attention and so she suffered the consequences of such decisions. Not like she regretted it though. She

preferred her life that way. She didn't see the need to have the crowd by your side when you

could just have the dearest ones and be sure you have the right people surrounding you.

As the hours passed, Stephanie remained by her mother's side, watching her fight for her life.

She couldn't help but think about the challenges they had faced together and how her mother

had always been her pillar of strength. Now, it was her turn to be strong. She stayed by her side,

holding her hand and offering silent prayers for her recovery. She didn't know when she had

fallen asleep.

The next morning, Stephanie woke up to the sound of the beeping machine. Her mother's pulse

was reading low. Panic surged through her as the medical staff rushed into the ward, telling her

to excuse them. Fear gripped her every being, as she anxiously begged the doctors to explain

what was going on. Instead of getting the reply she wanted, she was shunned from the ward

and made to anxiously pace the waiting room.

Stephanie felt she was running mad as each minute passed. She constantly kept practicing

breathing exercises so as not to give up on the panic attack that was threatening to take over

her already frail being. She kept whispering words of prayers, begging God to spare her mother.

Finally, after long minutes of anticipation, the door to the ward flung open, with the medical staff

marching out.

“See me in my office, Miss Cole.” Dr. Ramirez said, and Stephanie very well knew that all wasn't well.