Chapter Thirteen

Lucky's wound gradually started to fade over the course of seven days, though it took a long time. This indicated that the wound would eventually disappear, leaving only the scar; who knows, he thought, the scar may even vanish in time.

Lucky was finding it difficult to live in the house because of Esther's tyrannical personality. Esther's back-up was Mark, but he also takes the biggest hit from it. Because of this, a tree's root doesn't suffer during strong winds; instead, the branches, which help to collect carbon dioxide to feed the root, take the beating and slapping of the wind in stride while the root revels in it.

Esther became more domineering than ever, so that even if an ant wanted to pass through the wall and failed to listen or recognize her presence by asking for her permission to go through, it would be crushed to pieces. Lucky was an object of slaves during that period. He would stay in the house for hours preparing dishes upon dishes, trying all his best to satisfy Esther and Mark altogether. Sometimes he cleaned Esther's room and made sure it was clean at all times, unless he was ready for continuous insult.

There was no time for him to leave the house, except if he sneaked at night, because Mark was a person who obeyed a command to the end. Despite both of them being friends, once an order is given, Mark fulfills it to the extreme, even though it cost him breaking up the relationship― it was never his business.

When Lucky was sweeping Esther's room, he noticed a blinking light that kept flashing while also noticing that the surrounding area was vibrating. He almost glanced at it. If you aren't prepared to accept the results, don't tamper with anything that was put in her room. Lucky understood the law. To check if it was a bomb, he made the decision to look at it closely. He slowly extended his hand after which he meticulously took off all of its coverings. At that point, he realised it was Bianca's phone. He answered the phone immediately.

"Who is on the line?" Lucky asked almost in a whisper.

"Please give the phone to the owner," the caller said, as if he was being disappointed with the voice.

"Do you know who you are talking to?" Lucky asked.

"That isn't my business."

Lucky sighed deeply while putting the phone close to his ears. He then hung up the phone. He had a thought about how he ought to get rid of the SIM card. In order to limit potential consequences. He quickly kept the SIM in his pocket.

Esther stormed into the room as if she had a suspicion. Thankfully for Lucky, he had finished and put the phone away, though discernible. She wouldn't, however, assume that a hand had touched it. She carried the phone with haste and gripped it tightly as if it were her own. She strangely regarded Lucky as if she had received a message from within that something wasn't right. The only way to catch them was to stare sternly and for a long time at the offender's face; if he or she backs away without looking at you, it means that they have actually done something wrong; however, if they make eye contact with you, there is no reason to suspect them. By staring directly into his face, she attempted to use this technique on Lucky, but bad luck had it that as Esther did so, Lucky returned his gaze while smiling.

She opened the door while holding the phone tight and closed the door behind her. Perhaps her mind would have told her that he wasn't the one.

"I know your secret. I am perfect at this," Lucky crooned. "Never in your life will I give you this SIM again. You can't succeed with your plan over Bianca."

When evening arrived, the sun was still blazing as if it were still Joshua's time when he had ordered the sun to remain stationary. After five minutes of sleep, Lucky got out of bed and realised he hadn't visited Bianca since he had returned from the hospital, owing to the demanding activities he had been engaged in since arriving. He questioned whether Esther had a kind heart or a cruel one. If she had been God, the earth would have probably disappeared—if not entirely, then at least half of it.

He quickly put on his dress―a casual one though. To avoid the problem of Mark and Esther and the unnecessary exam question he was going to face from Esther. At least a lie would help. He thought about how to fabricate the lie that would be suitable for her hearing. Finally, he got one. He would dash out from the backdoor and then slipped into the carpark and walked narrowly along the fence to avoid being seen by Esther. This was the thought that played through his head. But ill luck had it that as he opened the back-yard door. Esther was standing there like a police woman on duty. It shocked him.

"Where to?" Esther mumbled.

"I am going somewhere," he said. Just then he realized that it was the pure truth that came out of his mouth.

"Alright. Come in quick," said Esther.

Lucky was shocked by Esther's words. The usual Esther would have asked for the address of the place, even though it was just the nearest bus stop connected to the house, but she would still ask nonetheless. This was the Esther who always made sure she stipulate a time for you to come back to the house. But now, was this really Esther?

"Alright ma," answered Lucky, with a calm voice but somehow a strict face. He walked out quickly before a second thought would come to her, he would have boarded a cab.

At Vintage hospital, Lucky's mind went back to the day Bianca was brought there. His mind kept replaying the way they wrapped her like a dead person. His face quivered a little with the pale creasing of his cheeks that followed. His temperament swung to an automatic, sorrowful one. He approached the gate, almost in tears. But why bother crying when she is alive? He asked himself. Then he walked through to the reception. The reception was strange today, in the sense that it was populated by people who sat down. Then a lot of thoughts came into his mind.

Why the gathering today? Was there an accident?

He then made his way directly to the front desk, waving to everyone he met. He secretly observed them to see if they would respond to him. This was done in order to gauge the depth of their emotional suffering. Some returned his greeting, while others muttered something back to him, and the remainder chose not to respond.

"Evening, sir." Lucky greeted, this time it was a male receptionist.

"Evening, how may I be of help, sir?" the receptionist replied.

"I came to visit a patient. Just to know her health status."

"Can I know the patient's name?"

"Bianca, sir."

"Uhm… Bianca," He held the mouse located near to the computer, scrolling up and then typed on the keyboard "Alright, a female patient, right?"

"Of course."

"Just take a seat. The doctors are in an emergency situation right now, so you have to wait a little bit. Hopefully one comes around," the receptionist said.

"Is it Bianca?" Lucky asked, gasping for breath.

"I am not aware of the patient, but that was the order," he calmly said with no trace of trepidation, smiling at him.

Lucky turned back to look for a seat but said nothing in response. A million thoughts came and went as he was moving down in search for an empty seat. Is it Bianca? What if she is the one, let me see her dying so I can wish her safe journey to eternity. God, please let her not die, let Esther plan not come to pass. Please God answer my prayer. Let her sin not be counted against her. He finally sat down on a chair. Don't let her sin be used against her. Beads of sweat started forming itself on his forehead despite that there was an AC (Air Conditioner) located at two pillars corresponding to each other of the reception. Which was fully working. Gradually the sweat formed itself into sprinkles of water that in progress began soaking into his dress. He pulled out his handkerchief to wipe the perspiration from his face. His eyes were wide open and his spirit wandered far from the body's location. The level of his unconsciousness was such that he wouldn't notice if someone reached into his pocket and took all the money he had out one by one. What will JK think of her predicament? Will he be okay over there to see that the girl he brought to his house was admitted into the hospital after three weeks of his departure? How will he treat Esther? knowing fully well that she would have an upper hand to Bianca problem? In fact, what made Lucky more worried is that, there will be little or no caution to Esther about her involvement in Bianca's case. Maybe he feared Esther.

As crowded as the big reception was, he could still hear the humming of the AC (Air Conditioner) blowing its cool air. He was actually feeling it, but his body wasn't adapting to the AC. He looked at everybody at the reception. Some kept their hands on their lips while their thumb at the lower end of their cheeks. Making their first finger with the thumb form a 'U' shape and were in deep thought. Nobody was actually smiling. This nuance of expression from everybody in the reception made him to wonder if it was somebody else's that was in an emergency case or maybe all of them were waiting to be admitted. A tinge of an instinct told him that it was an influential person probably a well-known individual. Bianca is not well-known in the society, he pondered. Just then a head popped up at the entrance of the receptionist door, maybe Dr. Kenneth face. Because it looks much familiar like him, in terms of the hair colour, the face appearance and the height. But the person didn't wait for more view of his or her personality.

"Hello sir, we've been here for so long," a voice finally said to the receptionist.

The male receptionist raised his face, as if he had just been awakened by the voice. He then pretended not to have heard the person who spoke, but despite several attempts to call someone's attention and find out what was said, his efforts were in vain.Then, nobody told him that he was supposed to hear the voice because it was the loudest voice in the reception

"Oh, sorry sir, if I correctly heard what you just said, I am not the one keeping you waiting. I said there was an emergency case which needed all the doctor's presence. So, sir, please bear with us."

The man who spoke previously nodded his head to show acceptance.

The response from the receptionist suddenly spiked a little qualm in Lucky's mind about his previous belief of who the victim was and then the fear arose again. This time Lucky battled with it, furiously as if he were in the middle of a wresting bout punching an opponent. All of a sudden, he started developing claustrophobia. He stood up from his seat, frustrated about the delay. Yawning. He could not tell if he was hungry or getting fatigue gradually. He fidgeted a little as if being struck with ice that covered all over his body. He yawned again and sat down this time. As Lucky sat down, the receptionist picked up the ringing phone that was on his table and then began to talk. After three minutes of conversing, he placed the phone on his desk and bowed his head. Just then, a patient was rushed in. It clearly shown that the person was an accident victim. Her legs were badly injured. Series of cut were on her hands, blood was on the bandage tied to her head, maybe she had a wound there. Who knows? As she was being carried by a stretcher. Looking at the woman once is enough to feel scared and irritated. The people who sat down in the reception before the arrival of the victim, where easily agitated. The women there closed their eyes tightly squeezing their face. While some men pierced their eyes on the screen of their phone. While the other men who had courage to see blood just stared pitifully at the victim nodding their head in sorrow. The receptionist stood up from his seat with nylon gloves on his both hands that you begin to ponder the time he wrapped the gloves on his hand. He made some calls. Talking rapidly into the phone like as if he had just changed to a rapper. Then he directed the men who were pushing the stretcher to a room connected to the reception. Another door connected to the main building opened. A nurse came in, gloves on her hands. She stood at the reception for seconds and ran straight into the room where the victim was, and closed the door behind. The reception got noisy all of a sudden. People who never knew each other from Adam talked together. All the talks, gossips centered into the victim they had just saw, some minutes away. Lucky was all alone. Nobody wanted to talk to him, the person at his side faced backward talking to the person at her back. Perhaps she might have noticed that Lucky was never getting into any conversation of that kind or was simply bothered.

The door where the victim was, opened again, this time it was the male receptionist. He stepped out and walked into the reception; his direction showed that he was not walking directly to his seat but to the path of Lucky.

"Sir, doctor Kenneth is waiting for you on the staircase. You can go and meet him" he said to Lucky, but when he got to doctor Kenneth name he talked faintly as if his voice cracked.

Lucky nodded.

Standing up from his seat, Lucky felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at his back and then went to the door that led to the main building with the staircase in the middle. He saw a figure resting on the barrier putting on an all-white outfit as he was about to ascend the stairs. Like a man who hasn't eaten in days, he ascended the stairs one step at a time. Until he approached the figure and realised it was Dr. Kenneth. He gave him a light tap on the back. Dr. Kenneth shook a little because he hadn't anticipated a tap and perhaps didn't notice when the door was opened, much less when someone was climbing it.

"You almost took my soul away, by the sudden tap" Dr. Kenneth said, stretching his hand for a handshake

Lucky just laughed but his laugh didn't last for a minute. It was actually a forced giggling.

"Did you appear?" Dr. Kenneth asked, "Because I didn't hear the footstep of your leg."

"Is that what you think, alright," Lucky said, forcing the pleasantries to stop. "How is her health? I hope she is recovering fast."

"Of course."

The response sparked some joy in Lucky's heart. His face brightened a little and then his lips knew how to smile and retain it for a longer period.

"Can I see her?" Lucky voiced out.

"You can come to see her, because her condition isn't that bad again."

Lucky followed behind Dr. Kenneth as he ascended the stairs in front of him. They arrived at a hallway with a number of I's and T's leading to various areas of the hospital. As they passed each door while moving past it, it was locked. There was a rectangular plate set on top of the doors. The rectangular plate had the following written on it: "ward 50," "special care," "ward 120," and so on.

They eventually arrived at a door with the words "after ICU patient" written on the rectangular plates above it. After many minutes were lost just by walking, a door was opened by the doctor.

The door made a loud noise that annoyed Lucky and caused his heart to pound violently. His heartbeat increased and decreased at the same rate, as if the fast and the normal heartbeats were in competition for supremacy. As they entered, two patients were separated from one another, and the placement of both beds created a L shape, but the vertical and horizontal axes never touched. The doctor went to the vertical bed where a drip was going to the patient's left backhand through a wire.

"This is Bianca," the doctor said.

"What?" Lucky wailed.

Bianca had undergone a significant transformation; she appeared starved and pale, and her entire face had taken on the appearance of a spotted, jumbled-together rock. Her slim and silky face changed into that of an AIDS patient. Her hair was cut in the front in a way that resembled an insect chopping up a leaf and leaving numerous holes in it.

"Quiet," the doctor warned, "You don't shout that way, I thought you were a man."

Lucky started crying, and tears began to fall to the ground.

"I'm sorry." He begged the doctor, "My feelings overpowered me."

Once more glancing at Bianca, Lucky nodded his head in sympathy for her abrupt transformation. He started to rant and rave. "Bianca. This is excessive. You've endured a lot of pain. My heart is broken by you. I have faith that you will regain your beauty and turn back into a prized object of gold. Doctor, has she ever woken up?" Hoarsely, Lucky questioned with his bare hands, while he dried his tears.

"Yes. but not entirely. The best day ever was today," he said.

"How? Why?" Lucky questioned tensely.

"Because she was vibrating when I was taking out the old needle today as I changed the drip. She shouted "painful" as I started puncturing the new needle, she opened her eyes briefly, and then quickly closed them again".

"Is it true that she couldn't perform any of the tasks you just listed?"

"No doubt. She didn't do anything other than open her eyes, smile briefly, and then stop."

"Was that frequently?" Lucky questioned, his mind racing with various ideas.

"Only once a day," he said, "not that frequently."

"How do you know that?"

"Oh, do you doubt that Vintage Hospital provides only the best care? Here, a nurse is kept for the entire day. A nurse works here from the morning until the afternoon, and another works only at night."

"Do you realise that she can wake up? As far as I am concerned, I am going to stay in this hospital because I know I can't leave until I see her doing some of the things you just mentioned."

"Okay, but in any case, all that matters to me is that she shouldn't be stressed."

Lucky went nearer to Bianca, stretched his hands to her face as torrent of tears began rolling down his cheeks. "Bianca, for my sake. Wake up. I want to see you talk to me. Please. Don't neglect me."

Lucky looked back to see Dr. Kenneth just folding his hand across his broad chest and simply watching the scenario. Then he continued, rubbing his hand on her face. "It is Lucky, who never did any bad thing to you. Okay, if you don't want to wake up for my personality. Just wake up because of JK…."

Before Lucky could finish his words, he noticed a sudden shake from her. He stopped talking and watched her intently, but yet there was no other move from her.

"Bianca," Lucky called.

There was still no response.

This time, Dr. Kenneth moved closer to Lucky, standing shoulder to shoulder with each other. "Bianca, it is Lucky!" Lucky said again.

Bianca's loud, laboured breathing kept Lucky and Dr. Kenneth on the alert. Then something unexpected happened. From her head to her toes, Bianca stretched her entire body. After that, the rapid, loud breathing slowed down to allow the loud, regular breathing to take over. They continued to watch.

Her eyes slowly began to open, though it took a while for them to do so. When Lucky was struck, he was powerless to act; the hardest thing for him was to scream. His eyes began to well up with tears. He wasn't sure if they were happy tears or sad ones. He only realised Bianca was awake.

"Bianca," Lucky called.

Bianca looked in the direction of Lucky.

"Do you still remember me?" Lucky asked, almost leaping up.

A smile was what Bianca gave.

"Thank you, Lord." Lucky said as he burst into praise of God.

The door screeched and opened. A female nurse appeared. She was quite shocked at what was happening as she stood still for a minute and then went closer to see what really was going on.

"Bianca, awake!" she exclaimed.

Bianca tried to sit upright as she kept on struggling and struggling.

"Please make her sit," doctor Kenneth summoned the nurse.

The nurse obeyed him and made her sit down. Lucky was all over the moon. This was a miracle to him. He got nearer to Bianca. "Do you remember me?"

She nodded and whispered, "Yes."

Lucky went and embraced her, as he wept on her shoulder.