Chapter one
1075 Words
She slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first and her head throbbed. She scanned her surroundings and realization dawned on her. She's in a hospital ward. How did she get here? She shut her eyes tight and tried recalling previous events.
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Miranda was preparing for her parent's return. They had gone on a work trip and we're returning that day. The phone rang, interrupting her work. She groaned before walking to the table and answering the phone.
“Hello,” she said as she answered the phone.
“Hi, this is Wellsbury hospital, we're calling to inform you that the owner of this phone has been involved in an accident. We'd like you to report to the hospital soon,” a voice came from the other end.
Miranda staggered a bit.
“A..acc..ident?” She stuttered.
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Miranda flung her eyes open as she remembered the recent events that landed her in the hospital. Her parent's death. She immediately stood up from bed and headed straight for the door. She stopped midway when the door opened and a doctor walked in. She rushed to him and grabbed him by the collar.
"Where are my parents?" She screamed at his face, shaking him vehemently.
"Ma'am, please get a hold of yourself. They're no more" the doctor said calmly.
Miranda slowly loosened her grip on the doctor and took a few steps back. She placed a hand on her mouth trying to hold back the tears.
The doctor walked towards her.
"Ma'am, do you have any family members we can contact?" But Miranda couldn't answer, she just sobbed quietly.
"I'm her family" a voice said. Miranda looked in the direction of the voice and saw her father's friend, Fred Volkov. She stood up and rushed to him.
"He…was saying that…my…my…parents…are de…ad" Miranda said between hiccups.
Fred moved close to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Miranda hugged him, crying bitterly.
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Miranda sat by the window, watching the sunset. Her parents had just been buried. She couldn't believe the news of their death until she saw their caskets being lowered into the ground. She wouldn't see them again. The thought brought tears to her eyes.
Miranda didn't realize she was already in tears until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Fred handing her a handkerchief. She gently took it and wiped her tears.
Fred Volkov was her father's friend. Her father had told her that they went to the same college and were even roommates. Miranda has always seen him sometimes visiting, but has never known his family or where he is from. She only knew he lived in Massachusetts.
"I'm so sorry about your loss, Miranda," Fred said, sympathy evident in his voice. Miranda replied with a nod while still sniffing.
"I want you to know I'll always be here with you if you ever need any help. Your father was a very good man to me," Fred said as his voice slowly dropped. He was also trying to hide his sadness.
“Thank you, Mr Volkov,” Miranda finally managed to string some words together.
"I'll be staying in a hotel for the meantime, every day, but I'll come check up on you every day", Fred stood up and made for the door. He turned back and said "you'll get through this girl", with which he opened the door and left.
Miranda felt lonelier than ever. She gently sobbed while reminiscing about the memories of her parents. She stood up and walked into her parents' room. She laid on their bed, her gaze fixated on the ceiling. Numerous thoughts ran through her mind. How will she survive alone? She had no friends and none of her relatives were willing to help. Not like she knew most of them, just her paternal uncle who is currently in jail for embezzling money. Her boyfriend recently broke up with her.
Realizing she had no one left, she thought of the best option to get out of the situation. Suicide. She stood up and went to grab a bottle of insecticide. She took some portion of it and started having difficulties breathing. Tears flowed through her eyes as her vision blurred. She heard someone scream her name before blacking out.
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Fred had forgotten his wallet in the washroom, together with his phone. He had realized it soon enough and came back to get it. He had seen Miranda raise a bottle to drink. He realized too late that it was poison she took. He saw her slumped on the floor and screamed. He quickly carried her to the car and rushed her to the hospital.
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Fred stood outside the operating theater praying for Miranda's surgery to be a success. The doctors had said they needed to operate on her as soon as possible before the poison started to spread to the rest of her system. Fred had agreed immediately and Miranda was taken into the operating theater. It had been 4 hours since she was taken inside and the door hadn't been opened.
A few minutes later, one of the doctors came out.
"Mr Fred, can I see you in my office?"
"Sure," Fred replied.
As they got into the office, the doctor said "the operation was a success. We were able to get the poison out of her system before it could spread."
Fred heaved a sigh of relief.
"Can I see her now?" He asked.
"Of course. She has been moved to the ward right beside the operating theater on the left side,"
"Thank you so much, doctor," Fred said and made to leave.
"Mr Fred, I called you in here to discuss a matter with you."
"What is it?" Fred asked.
"It's about the patient. I think she is suffering from PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. It's a condition that occurs after experiencing a tragic loss. The patient had just lost the two people closest to her. I advise she should not be left alone at this critical time as she might want to hurt herself. She should be surrounded by family," the doctor advised.
"Thank you doctor. I perfectly understand that. I'll make sure she's never left alone."
"You're welcome. You can go see her now" the doctor said.
"Will do that". With that, Fred left the doctor's office, his heart full of worry.
- Writer
