Getting worked up

Chapter Twenty-seven

When the doctor emerged from the OR, after three hours, Anna suddenly jumped up. Vanessa also followed suit. Anna had decided to seat after standing for about an hour. She was frantic as she spoke to him, her voice uneasy.

"How is my mum? How was the surgery? Is she alright? Can I see her?" Anna asked, unable to control her emotions. 

"The patient was put under general anaesthesia. This means that we put her to sleep before the operation, to prevent her from feeling anything. We conditioned the patient to give room for new cells to grow in her bone marrow."

Anna and Vanessa both gave him a questioning look, seeing that he had not answered the question. 

"The patient suffered a minor complication during the surgery. She bled a little but we were able to have it under control. It's quite normal for patients to bleed during a bone marrow transplant, as long as the bleeding is not excessive. So, you have no cause for alarm." The doctor said periphrastically. 

Relief washed over Anna's face as she heard that her mum was alright. She almost jumped in joy. She held hands with Vanessa, jerking their hands as they showed delight in the news. God indeed answers prayers, Anna thought, silently thanking Him with closed eyes and a tear of joy formed around the corner of her eye.

"She'd be conditioned for the next nine days. This is to give her a high dose of chemotherapy with radiation. During this process, the patient might have trouble eating, she might have sores in her mouth or feel nauseous and even vomit, these are all normal side effects of conditioning. 

In the meantime, the patient is advised to take multivitamins and very nutritious foods. As much as possible, she should limit sodium and avoid alcohol." He said, in a palaverous manner.  

Anna and Vanessa nodded in understanding like children who just grasped a new concept. 

"It's totally fine to go see her, right?" Vanessa asked.

"Definitely." 

They both entered the room with their bodies covered in a blue nylon material. Just like the doctor had said, they met her mother sleeping, her breathing was even. Anna and Vanessa took the seat beside the hospital bed. Anna was the first to speak.

"I told you, mum, I knew you would scale through this. Thank you for not giving up, mum. I'm really grateful." She said, giving her mum a little squeeze on her hand. 

"Vanessa had also been quite supportive," she said, glancing over her shoulders to watch Vanessa with a smile plastered on her innocent face. 

"For the first time in a while, I was scared when you were in the operating room. It finally dawned so hard on me that you are my only parent, and I can't afford to lose you." She said, her eyes watery with tears. 

"You are a fighter mum, you've always been. We'll do this together." She said, letting out a throaty chuckle.

Vanessa sat there silently, holding Anna's fingers to comfort her. The duo sat in silence for the next couple of minutes. 

Within the next couple of hours, they were out of the hospital. Anna had headed home with Vanessa, as it was her day off. She'd asked Mr Alexander to make the day of her mother's surgery a no-work day for her. 

She was still surprised that he hadn't called her. He was probably giving her her space, knowing fully well that she'd probably be in the hospital with her mother. Still, Anna was bothered.

"Ever since Mr Williams stormed out of the hospital, I haven't heard from him. He didn't reply to my text, neither did he return my calls." She said, looking at Vanessa who was beside her in the cab. 

"Isn't it strange, Nes?" She added.

"He must have his reason for not wanting to call you. He probably doesn't want to disturb you. By the way, he knew you were hospitalized. He wouldn't want to bother a recovering patient with unnecessary calls." Her brows raised as she spoke. 

"Regardless, courtesy demands that you act in a polite manner where necessary." She scowled.

"I don't think this is something you should be getting unnecessarily worked up about, unless-" 

Anna looked up at her questioningly, hinting for her to finish her statement. Vanessa's eyes suddenly flickered as she looked at Anna, she tapped her fingers at her face at her discovery before she continued, "you are in love with the CEO," she said, in a hushed tone.