Chapter 3

"Greetings doc"

"Hello sir, you must be Mr. John"

"Yes, I am a doctor"

"Oh, nice meeting you"

The scene covers Mr. Johns and the doctor's glances. John after returning home and couldn't find his wife, was informed by Mrs. Peters, their neighbor and family friend, of the recent accident sustained by Jane. It happened that she was in the process of washing and putting the toilet and bathroom in order when she unconsciously slipped to the floor. She was immediately taken to the hospital when the neighborhood heard her cries and wailing.

"So doctor, I heard of my wife's accident and I am here with my daughter to see her" Mr. John speaks.

"Yeah, I can see. Kindly go into the ward and check on her first then you come let's talk. By the way, I am Doctor Elvis" He said and introduced himself, then ordered a nurse to go with them.

"Alright, thanks a lot. I will be right back doctor Elvis" He said as he went in with Anabel in the company of a nurse.

They finally arrived in the ward where Mrs. Jane was and saw her lying almost lifeless on the bed. She was placed on oxygen but that isn't the problem here.

"Hi Mom" Anabel moved closer to her and tapped her fingers but was objected to by the nurse. Jane saw them but couldn't speak or move her body. She only managed to lift a finger from her left hand in response to her daughter's greetings.

Me. John also made his presence known to her and made eye contact with the pained woman.

They've seen how critical her condition is but only the doctor could explain her medical issues.

They looked at her once again, playfully tapped her hands even though it was against the nurse's order, stayed a little while with her, and proceeded to the doctor's office.

"So doctor, we are here based on my wife's health" Mr. John reminded Elvis who seemed to have different issues running in his senses.

"OK, you. You are the husband to my patient, em Mrs. Jane right?" He asked to be sure.

"Yes, I am"John answered him.

Elvis brought out the papers from a file containing the outcomes of some test that was conducted for Jane. He glanced through them, wrote further details, and kept them back in the file.

"Well, according to the results from the test we conducted, your wife's spinal cord got broken and I am sorry to inform you that it amounted to her having a shift," He said.

"What! Shift! " The tensed Anabel shouted and was calmed by her perplexed father. Tears unconsciously rolled down her eyes while she was under Johns's arms. The doctor also flicked his eyes around them and sympathized with them. He looked at their dress and concluded in his mind that it was gonna end there since they wouldn't be capable of handling the financial processes of Janes's medications.

However, at the observation of a few silent minutes, Mr. John broke the silence.

"I appreciate your efforts doctor but is there something that can be done against it?" He asked.

"Yes, of course, there is" He responded and Anabel on hearing this, sat up.

"What's the solution sir" John asked.

"She would have to undergo a surgery which is fifty-fifty on its success or failures. If successful, she would spend weeks here in the hospital until she's strong enough at some point to leave" He explained

"And what if it failed?" John asked

The doctor stopped his explanations for a few minutes and calmed John to be optimistic.

"As I said, it's gonna be fifty-fifty but honestly speaking, I am not pessimistic about it"He assured.

"Alright, an operation would be conducted and how much are we talking about here?" Mr. John asked.

"Five million dollars will go for it. Nothing more, nothing less" He responded.

The scene ended with them looking at each other and neither they nor Elvis spoke again.

It was evening when Anabel woke from sleep. Her face and countenance were no longer friendly as usual. The thoughts of her mother's condition troubled her the most plus the demands of Madam Sharon.

She went into the kitchen and started to prepare meals that would be taken to the hospital. Minutes later, Abigail arrived home and was also told about the latest situation on the ground. After minutes of crying silently, she asked Anabel about their visit to Sharon and was highlighted.

Mr. John, on the other hand, sat in the parlor watching film with the standing fan on towards his direction. All this was to ease himself of the crisis going on in him, bringing his health challenges to mind.

"Mrs. Edna wasn't happy about your absence today"Abigail informed.

"Even tomorrow, I won't be in the restaurant"Anabel responded.

"I understand. I won't go to work also"Abigail said.

"Yes, called her and told her our current challenges. I don't think we would work there again" Anabel ended.

Mr. John called on Anabel, to discuss things related to Sharon's proposal.

"Considering the situation on the ground, have you concluded the proposed contract marriage?" He asked.

She observed a little silence before speaking.

"I have agreed to her proposals"She answered.

"It won't go for ten million dollars again"He informed.

"You think so?" She asked.

"She needs the marriage for her useless son, and if you deliver a child, you are now directly a mother to a billionaire. But since we are surrounded by unpleasant circumstances, she will need to increase it. Let's say fifteen million dollars"He suggested.

"You have a point. But won't it feel irritating to her" She inquired.

"It won't. She is a multi-billionaire and her useless son is also a billionaire"He said, leaving them laughing.

After cheering them up, Anabel went to the kitchen to dish out food for her dad and package some that would be sent to her mum. They all prepared to live at the same time and as they stepped out of their house, Johns's phone rang, behold, it was Sharon calling.