Golden Sacrifice

Chapter 7

She rose from the bed, strode to the window, and pulled the curtains open. Gazing outside and thinking about what to do. The silence of the doctor is palpable; he encourages her to come home. If not, she would be by her brother's side by now.

Alice's eyes glazed over, her eyes fixed on some point in the distance, and her fingers twisting together in a knot as she tried to make sense of the doctor's silence.

“I'm going to the hospital now.” It was as if something spoke through her.

Alice didn't waste a second; she sprang into action, dressed up immediately. Her hands trembled slightly as she closed her buttons. She grabbed her handbag and set off to the hospital.

As Alice arrived at the hospital's hallowed halls, it seemed so serene and calm, unlike where she had visited. She went straight to the doctor's office, knowing permission was needed to enter the theater where the surgery was done. With a deep breath, Alice pressed the doorbell to the doctor's office.

Unfortunately, she didn't hear a word from anyone. “The doctor is not around. He's very busy currently. Have your seat in the reception and wait for him, ma'am,” a nurse said to Alice after she waited for so long in front of the doctor's door.

“Where's he…?” Before Alice could complete her sentence, the nurse vanished into thin air.

As minutes ticked by, Alice's patience wore thin. She stood up to go and made her way to her brother's ward, but he wasn't there. The moment she got there, her gaze went all over the room, but he wasn't there. “I know he won't be here,” Alice whispered to herself.

She asked one of the nurses around, who was hurrying past her, where the surgery took place, and she was directed there. As the elevator lifted her to that floor, she got confused; scanning the rows of doors and wards, she couldn't figure out exactly where her brother would be.

She stood there to listen keenly, anywhere she heard voices, and then she would check there.

“How will she feel if she gets to know about this? She will be heartbroken. How do I tell her?” Alice heard murmurs in one of the rooms. Her heart skipped rapidly, but she needed to be calm.

“How sure am I that they're referring to me?” Alice whispered to herself and she pressed the doorbell. “Who's that? The person should wait at the reception; I will attend to the person soonest,” a voice from the ward echoed to her.

Alice couldn't walk anymore; her legs were fixed on the floor as fear and anxiety paralyzed her the moment she heard that. She didn't know how to even climb into the elevator.

As she got downstairs, her eyes fixed on the floor, full of tears. The only news she was waiting to hear was that her brother was fine.

Tears blurred her vision, they streamed down her face like a broken bank.

Her heart was beating so fast, her breath catching in her throat, as she imagined the worst-case scenarios.

“Did you find your brother?” a familiar nurse asked her, seeing her sitting from afar. “Why are you crying?” She asked her again as she drew closer to Alice, seeing her in tears.

“Where's my brother, please?” Alice questioned the nurse, her voice breaking. Her eyes fixed on her.

“They're looking after him now. He will be fine. Don't be too worried. Be strong like always,” the nurse said. She patted her shoulder and left. Her reassuring smile and tone were a bit of hope to Alice, but she was still not convinced.

Alice's thoughts were interrupted by the soft ping of the elevator. As the door swung open, her gaze met the doctor's; he forced a smile, his jaw dropping in shock. He went numb and seemed lost in thought. He was looking for the right words to say to Alice to get her calm. Her eyes were already reddish and swollen.

The doctor's eyes searched Alice's pale face, his lips parting as if he wanted to speak, but he hesitated. “You have always been strong; this shouldn't be different, Alice.”

The doctor's eyes filled with deep regret and pain as he said, “We lost him. Even though we tried, the delay in carrying out the transplant made matters deteriorate this way.“Take heart, Alice,” the doctor added in a low tone like a whisper.

Tears streamed down Alice's face controllably and his hands moved to wipe it. She was already wiping without confirming whether her brother was still alive or dead. “I perceived all this, and that's why I wanted to stay by his side during the surgery, but you convinced me to go home. Assure me that you will handle everything perfectly. Now where's my brother?” Alice yelled at the top of her voice and was crying bitterly.

Her actions attracted the hospital crowd closer to her. They sympathized with her and calmed her down. “Where's my brother's body?” She finally inquired from the doctor.

“It has been deposited at the nearby mortuary, Alice,” the doctor replied.

“You need to go home now before it gets late. It's already 8 p.m.,” the doctor advised, supporting her to get inside her car. “Drive safely," he added and left.

The thought of going home was unbearable; she needed to cool off her mind from this anguish and sorrow. “What exactly is she living for in this wicked world? I blame that woman who took advantage of my vulnerability after making that enormous sacrifice,” Alice kept murmuring. She was driving and didn't know where exactly she was headed.