ChapterFour: TheTurningPoint
2318 Words
Williams followed her line of sight. His expression tightened.
“Do you know him?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I need to leave. Now.”
The waiter approached with the bill. “Dessert?”
“No,” she said. “Please.”
The waiter hesitated. “You barely touched your food.”
“Wrap it,” Williams said. He reached for his wallet.
She pushed back her chair. It scraped loud.
Williams stood. “Wait. We should talk.”
“Not here,” she said.
She turned towards the aisle. The waiter steps aside.
“The door is straight ahead,” he said.
“Thank you,” she replied
Williams placed cash on the table. “I will walk you out.”
No. Do not follow me.
Her steps hastened as she moved past the tables with her head down
“Julie,” Williams called.
She did not answer
She reached for the door. Her hands slipped once. She tightened her grip harder and stepped into the street without looking back.
Cold air hit her face.
Outside, she walked until she felt numb.
Williams stopped at the doorway. He scanned the street. She had gone
She reached home around midnight. She had a cold bath and slid into her bed. She cried until her chest hurts.
Sleep takes her late.
Morning followed
She sat at the kitchen table with her friend. Plates untouched. Steam roses from the food..
“Tell me,” she said.
The restaurant was quiet, clean and expensive, she continued. “We ate. We talked. He was very charming.
Julie listened with full attention.
Dessert was about to be served, she said. “I lost my appetite.”
Julie watched her.
“You lost appetite?”
“I saw Andy,” Kate said
Julie stiffens.
“At the same place.”
“Yes.” “Same room”
Julie exhales.
“Did he see you.”
“I do not know,” she said. “I did not wait to find out.”
Kate picks at her food as her friend mirrors her. The room stayed quiet again.
Then she heard a sharp sound.
Wood against skin. A cry cuts the air.
You push your chair back. It scrapes the floor. You stand at once.
“Mum,” she shouted
She ran towards the stairs. Her friend followed.
She saw her halfway down. Her body laid twisted. One arm gripped the rail. Her face tightened with pain.
Kate froze for a second.
She knelt beside her.
“Mum. Talk to me,” she said
She groaned. Her voice shakes.
“My leg,” she said
She scanned her body. No blood. No open wound. Her breathing sounded shallow.
“We need to get her up,” Julie said
Kate slid one arm behind her mother’s back as she braced her legs. She lifted with care until pain crossed her face. She cried out.
“Slow,” she said.
Sweat forms on her neck.
Step by step, she moved her mum up the stairs.
She reached the landing and guided her towards the bed. She lowered her gently
Her mum exhaled.
Julie stood near the door.
“I will call the doctor,” she said.
She nodded as she sat beside her mother. Hands interlocked
“Mum. Stay awake,” Julie sobbed
“I am here,” her mother replied.
Minutes passed. The clock ticked . A car passes outside.
The doctor arrived. He carried a small bag. He greeted her with a brief nod.
He checked her pulse. He pressed her leg. He asked Kate some questions and she answered in short gasps.
He straightened. His expression is firm.
“She needs rest,” he said.
You nod.
“She fell,” she said. “She has been weak for days.”
He looked at her. His voice lowered
“Her condition has worsened,” he said.
Kate’s stomach dropped
“She needs close care,” he continued. “More tests. Better equipment.”
“What does it mean,” Kate asked
“It means home care no longer works,” he said.
Silence filled the room.
“She needs a specialist,” he added “In the city.”
Julie's heart pounded
“How soon?”
“Soon,” he replied. “Time matters.”
Her mother opened her eyes.“I will be fine.”
Kate smiled at her.
The doctor packed his tools.
“Arrange transport. Do not delay.”
He left
The door closed. The house felt smaller.
Kate sat beside her mother again.
“I will make sure you get better. promise.”
Julie watched from the corner. Her eyes softened.“We will figure it out.”
Kate nodded lost in her thoughts,
City hospital. Specialist care. Transport. Bills.
Her cafe pay ran through her head. Daily hours. Weekly wages. The numbers fell short.
She paced around the room
Her friend spoke worriedly.
“You should eat.”
“I cannot,” Kate replied
She returned to the bed. “Try to sleep.”
Her mother nodded. Her eyes close.
Kate stepped outside the room and whispered with your friend.
“We need money.”
She nods.
“And fast.”
She breathed out.
“We go to the city. We will find a doctor.”
Julie nodded. “I will help.”
She returned to the dining table. Food sat untouched.
Julie cleaned up in silence and packed a small bag. Clothes. Documents. Medicine.
She checked on her mother again. Her breathing sounded shallow.
She sat beside her until night.
Her phone lit up with messages. She ignored them
It rang twice. She answered.
“Kate,” her cafe manager. “You missed your shift.”
“I know,” she said. “I need to talk.”
“Go ahead.”
“I am resigning.”
Silence followed.
“You are leaving?” he asked.
“Yes. I am moving to the city.”
“For work?”
“For my mum, her health is deteriorating. The doctor advised us to meet a specialist in the city”
He breathed out.
“When will you return?” he asked.
“I will not,” Kate said.
“You gave no notice.”
“I know. I am sorry.”
Another pause.
“You were reliable,” he said. “This is sudden.”
“I have no choice.”
He cleared his throat.
“I pray she gets better,” he said.
“Thank you sir”
I will process your last payment with an extra bonus for your mum.
“That helps,” Kate said.
“Take care,” he said.
“You too.”
The call ended.
She lowered the phone.
She stood up.
One job ended. One city waited.
Morning arrived early.
Julie entered the room with her phone in hand. “I found someone.”
She looked up.
“A driver,” she continued. “He goes to the city. Midtown Manhattan.”
You nod.
“When.”
“Now,” Julie said
She checked the room once more. Her mother still asleep
Outside, a dark car waited. The driver stood by the door. Middle-aged. Quiet eyes.
Kate pulled her into a brief hug.
“I need to sort things here,”Julie said. “I will join you soon.”
They held hands.
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
They entered the car. The door closed. Julie stepped back as the car pulled off.
She watched her bestie fade through the window.
The road stretches long. Buildings thin out. Traffic thickened again.
The driver spoke once.
“We reach the city by noon.”
She nodded at him.
Julie sat upright. She kept her bag between her laps as her mum laid on her shoulder.
Fuel stops. Toll gates. Long bridges.
She tracked time through road signs.
The city rises ahead. Tall blocks. Loud streets. Tight lanes.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Julie
“There's a job vacancy for a secretary position in an organization, just in case you are interested.”
She stepped out of the car as the city noise closed in. Voices rise. Sirens pass. The driver opens the back door. She reached out at once.
She slid one arm under her mothers knees. She placed the other behind her back. And lifted her. Pain pulled through her shoulders. She held firm and turned towards the sidewalk.
The driver pointed ahead. “The Hospital is two blocks down.”
Each step felt heavy. Her breath shortened, her arms burnt but she kept going.
People stared. Some stepped aside.
Her mum shifted in your arms. “Kate,” she whispers.
“I am here. Hold on.”
They reached the corner. The light turned red. Cars stopped. She crossed fast.
Her shoes hit the pavement hard as her bag swinged against her side.
They reached the hospital gate. Glass doors slide open.
A nurse looks up from the desk. Her eyes widened.
“Help,” Kate cried. “My mum fell yesterday and we were instructed to meet a specialist immediately.”
“Put her here,” the nurse said
Kate lowered her mum onto a stretcher. Her arms shook as she released her.
Her mum cried out. Her hand gripped her daughter's sleeve.
“Stay,” she said
“I will.”
Two nurses rushed over. One checked her pulse. One lifted her leg with care.
“She has pain,” one said.
“Yes,”Kate replied. “She fell at home. A doctor sent us here.”
They wheeled her down the hall
“Registration,” the nurse said. “Name.”
Kate spoke fast as she spelled each word.
“Insurance,” the nurse asked
Kate shaked your head. “None.”
She typed. Her face stayed calm.
They turned into a room. White walls. Bright lights. A thin curtain.
They lift her mum onto a bed. She winced.
“Breathe,” Kate said towards her mum.
A doctor entered. He wore a blue coat. He scanned her chart.
“When did the fall happen,” he asked.
“Yesterday morning,” she said.
“Any pain before the fall,” he asked.
“Yes. Weakness. Fatigue.”
He nods. He pressed her leg. She cried out.
“X ray, Blood work. Now.”
The nurses rolled her bed out.
As Kate walked beside them, her phone buzzed. A message from Julie. She ignored it.
Kate sat on a bench outside imaging. Her hands on her knees.
Minutes pass. A cart rolled by. Shoes squeaed on the floor.
A nurse called her name.
“Results soon,” she said.
Her mum returned. Her eyes closed. Sweat lined her forehead.
“I am here,” Kate assured her.
She opened her eyes and tried to smile.
The doctor returned with her file.
“The fall triggered a serious injury to her blood vessels in the brain,” he said. “She needs admission.”
Kate's chest tightened.
“How long.”
“Several days,” he said. “Several tests have to be followed to check for any bleeding and swelling.”
She swallowed hard. “How much.”
He named a figure. The number landed hard.
“I will handle it,” she said.
He studied her face. “Payment plans exist. Speak with the finance department.”
She nodded again.
They moved her mum to a ward. Two beds. Curtains drawn.
She watched her mum drift off.
Kate stepped outside the ward. Back leaned against the wall. She dialed Julie.
She answered at once. “Did you reach?”
“Yes, We are at the hospital.”
“How is she,” Julie asked..
“She has an injury in her brain, she will be here under observation until all tests are out.
“I am coming,” Julie said.
“Take your time.”
The call ended.
Kate met the accountant near the desk. He spoke in a low tone.
“A deposit is required”
She opened her bag and counted her notes. The stack looked thin.
She handed it over.
“This covers for just today and tomorrow,” he said
“What about other days,” she looked at him
He paused. “I will prepare your bill sheet by tomorrow.”
She returned to the ward
The machine beeped slow and steady as her mum was asleep.
Hours passed.
A nurse brought in water
She checked her phone. No missed calls.
Night settles. Lights dim.
She rested her head against the wall. Sleep pulled at her. She fought it
She thought of where she would get money to pay the hospital bills. She had no place to stay. She thought about the city. The streets outside.
She dozed off beside her mum,
Morning creeps in through the window. Pale light fills the room.
A nurse checked her mum's vitals. A doctor reviewed her charts.
“A specialist arrives today,” the doctor said.
Julie walked in an hour later. She dropped her bag and hugged Kate tight.
“How are you,” Julie asked as she glanced at her mum ,”
Kate exhaled
“I am fine.”
I have made payment for just two days, Kate replied.
“I have some cash with me, Julie said, I can help you with some bills and a place to stay.”
No, that's too much to ask.
“I just need to get a job immediately, Kate said, can you send the information about that secretary job you were talking about?”
“Sure”
Kate received the link from Julie on her phone
“Rivers group”
“Job vacancy for a secretary position”
Kate stared at the name as if it felt familiar, her eyes fixed without recognition. “Rivers group.”
- Writer
