Chapter 13 Chapter 13

Henry's head came up when he heard someone call his name. Rising to his feet, he saw a tall, gangly doctor like himself with a mop of light brown hair falling over his forehead standing a few away.

" Yes, I am Mr. Henry.

The doctor extended his hand.

"I am Dr. Lamartine, and I have just completed my examination of your mother", he said going through the file on his table.

He was the doctor who was assigned to carry out the CT scan on Mrs. Brighton, and the results were out.

" How is she?", Henry asked hoping that nothing worst than what he had seen was going to happen to his mother.

Bright blue eyes met his warm brown ones.

"I am recommending that we keep her here for another overnight for further tests", he explained gradually.

A frown settled on Henry's face as he did not want his mother to spend another night again at the hospital and the only reason why he had accepted for her to spend the night before was because of her bruises and the CT scan that she was to undertake the next morning.

" What type of tests are you talking about?", he kept the questions coming.

"Mrs. Brighton has suffered a concussion–",

"It is only a conclusion?", Henry asked, interrupting the doctor.

Doctor Lamartine nodded,

" Yes, in order to be certain that there is no neurological damage whatsoever. I requested for a CT scan in order to err on the side of caution as I have seen patients who were been diagnosed with mild concussion but ended up with something a lot more serious as the doctor failed to carry out a brain scan", he explained detailed.

The doctor continued,

'But from what I see here, if you don't want your mother to be here, we can just carry out the other tests and she can be discharged and sent home and and can continue treatment with the help of a qualified nurse".

Henry asked him to get the best nurse to follow them home to.take care if his mother, once everything was done.

Henry's mother had a CT scan, followed by a consultation with a neurosurgeon who had reassured her that the pictures of her brain showed no evidence of bleeding or swelling.

His recommendation to her was that she should have enough rest.

The doctor cautioned her to avoid aspirin, as it increased the risk of bleeding.

He had also given her a referral to a neurosurgeon whose office was close in her neighborhood.

Bethany had been standing outside waiting for a cab under the scorching sun but it was somehow difficult as all the taxis were already taken.

She had noticed that her friend had remained behind and she did not have the strength to wait for her not knowing that Eva was looking for ways to help with the situation at hand.

Bethany was still standing under the sun when she noticed that a car approaching had begun slowing down to stop in front of her.

She was right as that was Duke and Eva that were stopping to carry her so that Duke could bring them home before heading to the office.

Duke horn his car and Bethany was just there like she wasn't hearing the car horn. Eva who had been fed up with that immature character of her's brought down the glass and screamed,

"If you won't like the person having the car at least enter the car so that the sun will not roast you to the dead".

Bethany then saw that it was Duke and her friend that were in the car so she walked to the car and opened the door making her way inside the car.

" Sorry, I did not notice that you were the ones inside, I thought it was just a random person who wanted me to join him in his car", Bethany explained with sadness on her face as she had been sobbing and did not have any energy for another fight with anyone.

Eva on hearing this, felt guilty that as she had mistaken her friend's immobile attitude towards coming to the car even though she heard Duke horning but instead because she had no idea that it was people she knew.

"I am sorry too for the words I used Betty, please excuse me", she apologized.

Duke had been quiet all through and decided to speak out as it was his turn to verify something.

" Why do you seem to detest me so much young lady?", he asked looking at his rearview mirror.

Bethany did not know what to respond to his question but she was certain of one thing, and that was the fact that she did not detest him.

She was angry with him for portraying such inhumane behavior but she had come to discern that, it is never good to judge people that easily as everyone is not as bad as people might think.

If he was that bad, he would not have saved her life talk more of paying for her hospital bills and medications.

"I don't detest you, sir, I just think that we started from the wrong foot", she spoke softly looking out through the window with a sorrowful face.

Duke tried his best not to lose focus on the road, but Bethany's innocent and pretty face had captured his heart right from the night of the fire incident.

Eva who had been looking at Duke coughed as though she wanted to communicate something to him, but when Duke turned his look on her, she made gestures pointing to the road.

Bethany who was sitting behind did not get to understand anything that was happening in front as her head was saturated with the means of getting money for her Mom's surgery.

Duke drove for a while and told Bethany to direct where they stay so that he will not miss his track.

The road was not bad as he had thought when Eva had said that they live in country parts and that it was not accessible.

Here we are Duke muttered as he stopped the car for the ladies to step down.

" Thank you sir", Eva said happily.

Bethany held her breath and then looked up at Duke and expressed her gratitude for bringing them home.

Duke could not explain what was going on with him but he felt that his concern for Bethany had brought into the world something that he could not explain.

Bethany and Eva walked into the house while Duke drove to work. Eva laughing hard touched her friend's waist teasing her with both hands as she twinkle her.

Bethany with a stare of seriousness could not resist what her friend was doing so she burst out in laughter telling her friend to stop.

"You are so silly Eva", she said walking to the room to get some personal kinds of stuff. While Bethany was standing at the parlor waiting for her friend to come out, a knock was heard on the door.

" Who is there?", Eva asked as she approached the door.

Bethany, who had heard the knock from the room came out to see who it was and she was happy knowing that their neighbors were waiting for someone to return home to inform them about what was happening at the hospital.

Bethany let them in and while they sat down, she narrated everything to them, and as ever, they said that they will do a little contribution if whatever they can gather and hand it over to her.

Eva was so touched by the communal spirit that Betty's neighbors had, that she came to be shedding tears of commendation.

"Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement", Bethany murmured as she reached for her phone that had been vibrating in her pocket for a while now.

It was Bryan that was calling to let her know that doctor Travis just arrived at the hospital but he had not yet gone to his office to meet with him as he will easily recognize Bethany if he had to see her.

Bethany told him to wait for her as she was on her way coming back and she hung up the phone.

She told the neighbors that the doctor who is in charge of her Mother's health condition had finally arrived at the hospital.

" Go take care of your mother, we will do our part because she will do the same if any of us were to be in her situation", one of her neighbors said holding her hands as a sign of strength.

The neighbors left to their various homes and subside as most of them were farmers and company workers.

Bethany picked up everything that she needed including the little money she had been saving, and together with her friend, they left the house for the hospital again.

She had no time to go around to ask for money, as she had to get to the hospital doom enough to talk with the doctor before he gets too busy as he was the best surgeon in that hospital.

A cab that had just left a passenger was crossing the road and Bethany stopped it and asked the driver to bring them to Moderne Supermarket as she had to buy some food and beverages for her kid brother and also for her mom if she will be awake by the time they finally get there.

With a firm voice, Eva assured her friend that everything was going to be fine. But Bethany wasn't seeing that to be the case.

"I just need to get money now and I can do anything just to have it", Bethany's fell out of her mouth and she was so serious that her friend Eva had to ask I'm surprised,

"Anything you say?",

" Yes anything to save my mother's life", she acknowledged.

Eva looked at her friend and told her to be careful with what she wished for as it might just come to pass.

Bethany was just trying her best to save her mother's life as she had done a lot for her.

"Bethany, you said you are going to talk with the doctor right?", Eva asked again as though she had something at the back of her mind.

Bethany answered but was not sure he was going to accept to operate her mother while she pays the money in installment.

He always says that it's hospital policy that the deposit be made before the doctors can commence treatment.

With a deep sigh, Eva asked her friend, "why don't you give into what he is asking you, Betty, since you want to save your mol at all cost", she spoke with her head down as she knew the reaction that was to follow after the words she had just uttered.

" What in the world will make you say that Eva?", she was already angry and Eva had noticed that the taxi driver who had his ears on their conversation was only looking at his rearview mirror.

Bethany was not happy with what her friend had said because doctor Travis was an opportunist and a very selfish man who uses his position to demand copulation from persons like her who could not afford to pay.

Eva had heard this line so many times and she was tired of his naive her friend reasoned and talked sometimes.

"Look, Betty, we are in a world that not everything you see has to get to you. Not all rich people are bad and not all of them use their wealth and position to take advantage of others", she opposed her friend's manner of discerning things.

Bethany told Eva that she will never get laid by that old man just because he is the best surgeon and that it was the only thing he was asking for.

Eva laughed at her and said,

" You have not been in a tough spot cuz if I had this kind of opportunity that you have now, I bet you that my mother will still be alive today", she said firmly lowering her case so as not to share tears as she remembered the past.

Bethany has always known her friend to be a crazy kind of girl, but she did not want to believe that, she could sleep around with men just to make a way out of a difficult situation.

The taxi halted at the supermarket and Eva paid the driver and both girls came down of the car.

Eva had started her point and knowing who her friend is, she must be seeing her as a demon now.

The was total silence between the girls as they walked into the supermarket and picked up the basket to fill with commodities they were going to purchase from them.

Bethany looked at her friend and Eva, going through the biscuits on the shelves turned to her and ask,

"What is it with the look?. If you have something to say then you can say it and get it off your chest or better still can just go to my house", she said in an angry aura.

Bethany with a desperate look asked her friend,

" Am I that complex as a human being Eva? Do I hate rich people that much or do you think I am too naive?", she asked feeling bad.

Eva did not want to sound rude but she just had one question to ask her and from that, she was going to have her answer.

"How old are you Betty?. Twenty-three years old right?".

" Yes I am twenty-three years old", Bethany answered but could not understand why she was asking for her age whereas she knew her age very well.

Eva knew that her friend must be wondering why she was asking for her age, so she asked the question that she had been dodging for some time now,

"Do you have a boyfriend Betty?".

" No I don't", Bethany answered but still confused as to why the awkward questions.

Eva continued and she could already see on her friend's expression that she was lost as she was asking herself were all those questions were leading to.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend before?", she asked picking another packet of biscuits from the shelf.

" No, I have never had a boyfriend before". Bethany spoke out.

But Eva, why all the questions about my relationship status. What do all these have to do with what we are discussing she asked all confused.

Eva with a stillness shook her head and said,

"This means that you are a chaste Betty and that explains why you see everything that concerns a man and a woman to be a do or die thing". She whispered laughing so hard that her chest began to pain.

Bethany thought for a moment that her friend had become mad and she walked past her and continued to search for the things that she needed.

Eva following her friend behind told her not to bother but that she needed to cheer up from time to time.

Bethany has always had the conception that men are just distractions. She has always thought that having a man will bring nothing but pain and suffering in her life and she was not ready for that kind of experience so she preferred saying alone.

Her mother had also asked her these same questions a countless number of times just to at least know whether her daughter was seeing someone but her answer had last been a " no".

Packing everything that was needed into the shopping basket, Bethany turned and asked her friend if she had finished so that they could go to the desk and clear their items.

Eva nodded in agreement and they both left for the counter.

They left the supermarket and took another cab heading to the hospital.

Bethany was disturbed as to what her friend had said to her and she began asking herself questions.

She remembered that Eva had told her that she had a part-time job and that was what was sustaining her as the hotel was not existing anymore.

She decided to ask her friend if she could help her find a job at her second place of work since she was doing night shifts there.

"Eva?", she called out to her.

" Yes Betty", she answered manipulating her phone.

"You told me that you were doing a night shift at a company right?", she asked.

Eva with much hesitation replied,

" Yes, but I don't think you will like to the work there as it might not be good for you. Besides you can't handle night shift as you have never done them", she explained to Bethany.

Bethany being persistent, begged her friend to help her find a job at that company as she was ready to work In night shifts.

Eva remembered that Duke's friend Henry, had told her to get to his secretary the next day with her documents and that if Bethany for a temporary job.

She told Bethany about that but Bethany refused to work for Henry as he is Duke's friend.

"Have you forgotten that I have a debt I have to pay to Sir Duke?", she asked her friend scratching her head.

Eva could not seem to understand her friend anymore,

" How can you want a job but you decline one just because of your pride which is uncalled for in this present situation that you find yourself?", but Eva yelled at her.

Bethany squeezed her mouth like a child that had done something wrong and also knew that she was going to be scolded.

phone rings...

Bethany picks up and answers,

"Hello Bryan, I am on my way to the hospital already", she said looking at her wristwatch.

" Okay Betty, I am just calling to inform you that mom is finally awake as the last smoke that was in her throat came out". He said happily.