CHAPTER 2 — THE HOSPITAL BILL
1773 Words
The smell of antiseptic filled the air.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
Rihaya sat outside the emergency room with trembling hands while nurses rushed in and out of the hallway. Every second felt longer than the last.
Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
Josh.
Josh.
Josh.
The sound of hospital machines echoed faintly from inside the room while her mind spiraled endlessly with fear.
Please be okay.
Please don’t leave me too.
She had already lost too much in this life.
She couldn’t lose him too.
Not Josh.
Not the only family she had left.
A doctor finally stepped out of the emergency room, removing his gloves slowly.
Rihaya shot to her feet immediately.
“How is he?”
The doctor sighed tiredly.
“He’s stable for now.”
Rihaya almost collapsed from relief.
For now.
Those words frightened her.
“What happened to him?” she asked weakly.
The doctor looked at her carefully before motioning toward his office.
“Come with me.”
The fear in her chest grew instantly.
Doctors only spoke privately when the news was bad.
Very bad.
Rihaya followed him silently into the small office. The room smelled strongly of medicine and old paper.
The doctor sat down first.
Rihaya remained standing.
She was too nervous to sit.
The doctor opened Josh’s test results again.
“Your brother’s condition is serious.”
Rihaya swallowed hard.
“We discovered cancer cells spreading through his lungs.”
Hearing the words again somehow hurt even more.
Cancer.
The word sounded like death itself.
“He has been sick for longer than he admitted.”
Rihaya slowly lowered her gaze.
Of course Josh hid it.
He always smiled through pain.
Always pretended to be okay.
The doctor continued gently.
“If treatment starts immediately, his chances improve greatly.”
Hope flickered inside her chest.
Immediately.
That meant there was still time.
“There’s surgery involved,” the doctor added carefully.
Rihaya nodded quickly.
“Okay.”
“Chemotherapy too.”
“Okay.”
“There will also be medication costs.”
“…Okay.”
The doctor hesitated.
Then finally slid a paper across the table.
Rihaya looked down.
And froze.
The number written there didn’t even feel real.
Her vision blurred slightly.
No.
No, no, no.
That amount of money was impossible.
It was the kind of money rich people spent carelessly.
Not people like her.
Not factory workers.
Not girls who skipped meals to survive.
“There has to be another option,” she whispered.
The doctor’s expression softened slightly.
“I’m sorry.”
Rihaya stared at the paper again.
Her fingers shook violently.
“How long do I have?”
“If treatment doesn’t begin soon…” The doctor paused carefully. “His condition may worsen very quickly.”
Rihaya felt like the walls were closing around her.
Everything suddenly became too heavy.
Too loud.
Too cruel.
She looked down at her worn clothes.
Her cracked slippers.
Her tired hands covered in small burns from factory work.
How could someone like her ever afford that amount?
The doctor sighed quietly.
“I know this is difficult.”
Difficult?
No.
This was destruction.
Rihaya slowly dropped to her knees beside the doctor’s desk.
“Please,” she begged.
The doctor’s eyes widened.
“Miss—”
“Please give me time.”
Tears rolled down her face instantly.
“I’ll find the money somehow.”
“You should stand up.”
“I’ll work day and night if I have to.”
“Please—”
“I’ll do anything.”
The doctor looked uncomfortable.
Rihaya’s tears continued falling uncontrollably.
“Please save my brother.”
Her voice cracked painfully.
“He’s all I have.”
The room became silent for a moment.
Then the doctor sighed deeply.
“I’ll delay the admission process temporarily.”
Rihaya looked up instantly.
“But not for too long,” he warned gently. “You need to prepare quickly.”
She nodded repeatedly.
“Thank you.”
“His body is already weak.”
“I understand.”
“Don’t waste time.”
Rihaya clenched her fists tightly.
“I won’t.”
When she finally left the office, her legs felt weak.
Everything around her looked blurry.
People walked past her normally.
Nurses laughed somewhere nearby.
Phones rang.
Life continued.
Meanwhile hers had just shattered.
Rihaya slowly entered Josh’s hospital room.
He was awake now.
The moment he saw her expression, guilt filled his eyes immediately.
“It’s expensive, isn’t it?”
Rihaya forced a smile instantly.
“No.”
Josh stared at her silently.
“You’re lying again.”
She sat beside him quickly.
“I said it’s okay.”
“How much?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Rihaya.”
She grabbed his hand tightly.
“You’re going to get better.”
Josh looked away quietly.
“We can’t afford this.”
“We’ll find a way.”
“There is no way.”
“There IS.”
Her voice rose sharply.
Josh flinched slightly.
Immediately, guilt flooded her chest.
She softened her voice.
“There has to be.”
Josh stared at her tiredly.
“You already work too hard.”
Rihaya smiled weakly.
“I’m strong.”
“No, you’re not.”
The words hit harder than expected.
Josh’s eyes slowly filled with tears.
“You haven’t rested in years.”
Rihaya looked away immediately before he could see her own tears forming.
“I’m your big sister,” she whispered.
“That’s my job.”
Josh suddenly laughed weakly.
“You say that like some superhero.”
Rihaya finally smiled a little.
“Maybe I am.”
“You’d make a terrible superhero.”
She gasped dramatically.
“How disrespectful.”
Josh chuckled softly before coughing again.
Rihaya’s smile disappeared immediately.
Fear returned.
Sharp and suffocating.
No.
She couldn’t sit there crying.
She needed money.
Fast.
“I’ll be back,” she whispered.
Josh frowned.
“Where are you going?”
“To fix things.”
Before he could stop her, she hurried out of the hospital.
The hot afternoon sun hit her face immediately.
But she barely noticed.
Her mind was already racing desperately.
Money.
Who could lend her money?
Who?
She spent the next several hours running around the city.
Everywhere.
Every possibility.
Every desperate hope.
But one after another—
doors kept closing in her face.
“Too risky.”
“That amount is impossible.”
“You have no collateral.”
“Come back with a guarantor.”
“Get out.”
By evening, Rihaya stood outside a small betting shop breathing heavily.
Her feet hurt terribly.
But she forced herself to keep moving.
There was still one place left.
Loan sharks.
The thought alone terrified her.
But fear no longer mattered.
Josh mattered.
That was all.
The loan office sat hidden between two dirty buildings. Men with tattoos stood outside smoking cigarettes.
One of them looked her up and down slowly.
“What do you want?”
Rihaya swallowed nervously.
“I need a loan.”
The man laughed immediately.
“You?”
“I can repay it.”
“With what?”
“I work at—”
“How much?”
Rihaya mentioned the amount quietly.
The men burst into loud laughter.
One nearly choked on his cigarette.
“That’s not a loan,” another mocked. “That’s madness.”
“Please.”
The first man stepped closer.
“What exactly do you own?”
Rihaya remained silent.
“House?”
“No.”
“Land?”
“No.”
“Car?”
She lowered her gaze.
“No.”
The man smirked cruelly.
“Then what exactly are we investing in?”
Rihaya clenched her fists tightly.
“I can work.”
“Factory worker salary?”
The men laughed again.
One of them shook his head mockingly.
“You poor people always dream too big.”
Rihaya’s chest burned painfully.
“Please…”
The man’s expression suddenly hardened.
“Get lost.”
“But—”
“I said GET LOST.”
His shout echoed through the street.
People nearby turned to stare.
Humiliation crawled up Rihaya’s throat violently.
Still—
she bowed her head slightly.
“I’m sorry.”
Then she walked away.
Her vision blurred again.
Not from exhaustion this time.
From helplessness.
The city lights slowly brightened as night approached.
Rihaya stopped walking eventually.
Her legs couldn’t carry her anymore.
She leaned against a wall, breathing shakily.
What was she supposed to do?
How was she supposed to save him?
She thought about her parents.
Their funeral.
Josh crying beside her years ago.
The promise she made afterward.
I’ll protect you.
No matter what.
Tears slid down her face silently.
“I’m trying,” she whispered brokenly.
“But it’s not enough…”
A loud voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“If you’re late again tomorrow, don’t bother coming!”
Rihaya looked up sharply.
Her factory supervisor stood nearby outside a small shop.
The moment he recognized her, his expression twisted with annoyance.
“You skipped overtime.”
“I had an emergency.”
“Not my problem.”
Rihaya lowered her gaze respectfully.
“Please don’t fire me.”
The man scoffed.
“People like you are always begging.”
Her jaw tightened.
“You think crying changes poverty?”
Rihaya remained silent.
The supervisor stepped closer mockingly.
“Look at yourself.”
His eyes swept over her worn clothes.
“You people are born poor because you’re useless.”
Something painful twisted inside her chest.
“But please—”
“Even if you worked your entire life,” he interrupted coldly, “you’d still die poor.”
Then he walked away laughing.
Rihaya stood frozen.
The words clung to her skin like poison.
Die poor.
Her eyes slowly lowered to her trembling hands.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe this was all life would ever give her.
Pain.
Work.
Hunger.
Loss.
A loud burst of laughter suddenly echoed nearby.
Rihaya turned slightly.
Across the road, several women stood beneath glowing streetlights.
Beautiful clothes.
Heavy makeup.
High heels.
Men surrounded them.
And strangely—
they were laughing.
One woman held a huge stack of money while grinning proudly.
Another counted bills happily.
Rihaya stared silently.
The amount of money in their hands looked unreal.
One of the women noticed her staring.
She smiled knowingly.
Rihaya immediately looked away and started walking quickly.
Her heartbeat felt strange.
Uneasy.
Confused.
But as she continued walking through the dark street—
that image refused to leave her mind.
The women.
The money.
And Josh lying weakly in that hospital bed.
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