A Night With A Vampire

1 | sick

1 | sick

“Charlotte,” my mother called out my name. Her eyes were shut closed, and a thick tube was running down her throat, yet she was able to utter my name.

“Yes, mom, I am right here. Don’t worry,” I quickly said as I pressed my hand against hers. She clasped onto my hand like it was the only thing left.

The constant beeps of the heart rate monitor echoed in the small hospital room. My mother’s hands were wrapped with different IVs and drips. As every second passed by, I got more worried. I pressed my head against her hand and waited for the doctor to come back with the results.

My mother suffered from chronic chest pain all her life due to working in factories with exposure to gas and other chemicals. It wasn’t too long until she got lung cancer. I was able to notice it immediately, and without wasting another moment of her life, I took her to the hospital two years ago when I first found out that there must be something terribly wrong with her. The doctors were able to convince me that it wasn’t too serious as it was the early stage of lung cancer. With the right treatment plan, she could get better.

I invested everything into her treatment, and she did get better until a few hours ago. She coughed blood and then collapsed on the floor. I called over the emergency, and she was taken to the hospital.

The door to the ward swung open, and I moved away from my mother. The doctor walked in with a nurse by his side.

“How is Mrs. Samantha feeling? Has she woken up?” the doctor asked me.

I glanced back at my mother. Her eyes were still shut closed, but she was awake and in pain.

“Yes, she said my name. Has the tumor returned back?” I asked the doctor.

There was a hint of disappointment on his face when he nodded his head, “Unfortunately, yes, however, it isn’t too serious yet. We will need to put her up for chemotherapy immediately. If that doesn’t work out, then we will require to do a surgery,” Dr. Stevens explained.

“But how? It wasn’t supposed to come back, it hasn’t been a year, and it has been back already.” I argued.

“Ms. Charlotte, you have to understand that cancer can come by at any time. Was she exposed to gases recently?” he asked.

“Yes, she started working at the factory again, but I asked her to stop. Is it because of that?”

“Possibly!” he exclaimed. “We will have to put her under care for now, and then we will begin the tests to confirm the tumor. There is a possibility she will be staying here for over a couple weeks,”

I took a deep breath and then nodded, “Where can I fill the forms?”

“By the reception,”

I moved away from my mother and walked out of the room. She needed rest and care. My phone began ringing as soon as I got out.

“Hey, Dad!” I picked it up.

“Hey, honey, how is everything? I am on my way to the hospital, sorry I got a little late.” He replied.

“The doctors say that mom’s tumor is back again. They are heading towards chemotherapy once again. Let me know when you’re here, I am outside by the reception, filling the forms.” I replied.

“Okay, take care, and I will be there in a bit!” he said.

I closed the call after that and went to the reception. My parents separated when I was very young; the reasons behind the separation were still unsure. I came from a low-class family, and my parents spent everything they had on me to get a proper education. And it was my time now to repay back the favor…once again.

“Ms. Charlotte?” the receptionist asked.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Great! Umm, please these forms,” she placed a couple of papers in front of me and a pen.

“How much do I have to pay for the chemotherapy?” I asked. The last time I bought my mother here, it was hectic, the amount the hospital charged on my card was unbelievable. It took months for me to pay back.

“Your health insurance company covers up 25% percent of the drugs Dr. Stevens will be prescribing, apart from that, there will be an extra charge for the radiation and any surgery that is required. As a down-payment, it will be $6000 for this month.” She explained. “Once the payment is completed, we can move her to a different ward and start the treatment.”

“Is it fine if I pay a couple of days later? Just a few days, I need to arrange the money,” I replied.

“As Mrs. Samantha has been our patient before, we can delay the payment for a week,” she smiled at me.

“Great! Thank you,”

I sighed and began completing the papers while worrying about where I would get the money. My father barely had anything in his pocket. He was surviving a paycheck to paycheck life. I spent all my savings on my mother last year, and since then, I didn’t save anything.

I had no other option but to get a private loan or something along those lines.

“Charlotte,” my father called out from a distance as he saw me in the reception.

“Dad,” I breathed out before running into his embrace. “She’s sick again,” I cried.

My father caressed my back and comforted me, “It will be okay. She fought through it last time. I am sure she will fight this again!”

After settling down and signing all the papers, I walked into the ward where my mother was. My father held her hand and spoke courageous words to her while I sat in the corner alone, whimpering in silence. I just wanted this all to be over…for once and all.

After my mother slept, my father came to me and offered me a cup of coffee.

“I can’t eat anything,” I said.

“You have to eat something, Charlotte. If you get sick, then who will take care of your mother?” he asked.

After a moment of silence, I took the coffee from his hands and began drinking it.

“The hospital wants the payment by next week…” I trailed off.

“How much is it?” he asked.

“Six grand,”

“That’s a lot. I do have some money, but it isn’t enough.” My father replied.

“I will do something, don’t worry.” I got up from the seat and began packing up my things. My work was going to start soon, and I couldn’t be late. It was the only way I was making money.

“Charlotte, you don’t have too. I will arrange something,” my father argued.

“No, you can’t afford that amount of money, and that’s the only down-payment. I need to get a loan, or this will stress both of us,” I explained.

“Where are you going?” he asked with curiosity lacing in his tone.

“I am going to work, and let’s see what I can get. Can you take care of her while I am gone?” I asked.

“Of course, you don’t need to ask that. She may not be my wife, but she is still a person who I care about,”

“Thank you,” I leaned down and hugged him.