Desperation

"Callie!" Ellie shouts at her friend, the beautiful lady standing in front of the operating theater.

"Finally, Ellie." Callie exhaled a breath of relief and took a step forward to greet her closest friend. She reached out her hand and drew Ellie into her hug.

"Where's mom? What happened to her, Cal?" Ellie frantically asked.

"Come, sit here. She is still undergoing surgery. She's been there for thirty minutes now."

"But … wh-what happened? I saw her yesterday and she … she's …."

Ellie is unable to continue speaking. Her body trembled, and tears were on their way down her flawless cheeks.

Callie gazed at Ellie with glazed eyes. She tightens her arms around Ellie's trembling body and caresses her hair without saying anything. Like Ellie, she too felt the same way. Stumped and afraid.

Diana, Ellie's mother, raised her from the age of three. Her parents never paid her any attention, but Diana gave her not just the love she craved but also the care and reprimand she expected from her parents.

She can't imagine what would happen if something bad happened to her.

"C-Callie... She's looking much better... The last time I saw her... But... but why?" Ellie asks a question in a shaky voice.

Callie wipes her tears. She shakes her head and looks at Ellie, her non-blood-related sister.

"I don't know either. The nurse called me and said that mom required another emergency surgery. When I arrived, they had already sent her to surgery."

Ellie closed her eyes. She buried her face in Callie's shoulder and began to cry once again.

"Callie, I can't take the thought of losing my mother. I simply cannot."

" No. You won't. We will not. Mom will surely get through this." Callie replied in a raspy and stammering voice.

Both best friends hugged in silence for the next few hours. No words, just a sobbing sound.

Ring … ring….

The silence broke when Callie's phone rang. She began to release her embrace and took a few steps away before answering.

"Callie Gray here... What do you mean by "unpaid"? ... May I know how much?" Callie's jaw sprang wide in shock when she heard the other party. She cast a brief glance at Ellie before nodding. "O-Okay. I'll be there. Thank you. "

Callie hung up the phone, gripping it fiercely. She furrowed her brows, attempting to make sense of what she had learned.

"How is this even possible? Didn't the Andersons foot the entire bill?

"Cal? Is there anything wrong?" Ellie stands and faces that woman.

Callie gasped. She tried to smile as she shook her head. "Oh, n-nothing. I just needed to check on something. Just stay here, hm?"

Ellie gives a weak nod. "Okay."

Callie turned around and hurriedly approached the elevator.

Another hour has passed, and there is still no sign of the operating theater's door going to open.

Ellie became more uneasy. "What took them so long?" Ellie murmured anxiously.

"Ellie, they are not out yet?"

Ellie turned her head around and looked at Callie, who was approaching her.

"Not yet," Ellie replied, shaking her head. "Cal, what if...."

"Ellie! What did I tell you? Think positive!" Callie snapped at her at once.

Like a little girl, Ellie folded her lips and nodded weakly. "Stay positive. She's gonna be okay. She's gonna be okay." Ellie chanted.

"El, do you have anything you'd like to tell me?" Callie inquired softly as she took a seat next to Ellie.

Ellie arched her brows and stared at Callie, perplexed.

"What do you mean? What about?"

Callie took a deep breath and handed Ellie a paper from the hospital administration which she got just now. "Here. The administration called and they … gave this."

Ellie took the paper and started to read it. "Bill? Why, why they gave it to you?"

Callie sighed. "Because my number is the only one they were able to contact at the moment. But … El, shouldn't Anderson pay for it? That's why you are willing to marry that ice block face in the first place, aren't you? Then ... why did they not pay for it for the last three months? Do you hide something from me?"

Ellie shakes her head in panic. "I-I don't know either. Cal, what should I do? Will they delay mom's treatment? Then ... the surgery?"

Ellie dashes toward the operating room door, pointing at it. "Don't tell me ... they, they stopped operating her right now that's why... that's why there is no news till now."

Callie bit her lower lip. Loss of words. She has covered half of the cost of the surgery, but there's no guarantee they will continue to treat her.

She wanted to pay for it in full, but unfortunately, the cost was far beyond her means.

"Cal, Callie..."

"I ... erm ... El, go and call Mrs. Anderson. Ask her. Didn't she the one who paid for mom's treatment?"

Ellie moistened her lips and nodded swiftly. "Indeed. Okay, I'll call her."

With her still trembling hand, Ellie took her phone and dialed Mrs. Anderson's number. But...

[Sorry, the number you dialed is not active or out of reach. Please try again in a few moments.]

"No... please, don't do this..." With a trembling hand, Ellie tries to call Mrs. Anderson again and again. But... it was always the automatic operator's voice who answered her.

"No…." Ellie's legs began to sag. She stared at Callie, but it was a blank look. "Cal... she turned her phone off ... Cal, what should I do ...."

Tears flowed uncontrollably once more. She was at a loss for what to do.

"She... she may be dealing with a lot right now. She's been away for the past ten months, isn't she? Ellie, think positive, hm?" Despite her uncertainty, Callie tried to console her only friend.

Ellie raised her head and stared at Callie in disbelief. "How, how about my mum then? Huh? She…."

Squeak….

The surgery room suddenly opened with a slight creak. A senior doctor came out and took his mask off.

"Doctor!" Ellie exclaimed. She stood up and approached the doctor hastily. "Doctor, how's my mom? Everything is fine, right? My mom is okay, right?"

Look at Ellie's pale and anxious expression, the doctor has no heart to speak. She knew Ellie and her struggle so far. It is so hard for him to speak.

"D-doctor?" Ellie once again called. But when she saw the doctor's face, her heart started to pound like crazy. "D-doctor … I saw her yesterday and … and I saw great improvement. So … so there's impossible that … her health deteriorated in such a short time, right? Right, Doctor?"

Ellie looked at the senior doctor, who was also one of the instructors when she was a medical student, with a gloomy expression and bitter smile.

"Doctor, please. Say a word...."