Bound to You

Chapter 16: Figuring Out

Sierra paid the taxi driver and she and Ileana made their way to the entrance. Ileana jerked as the loud siren of an ambulance boomed suddenly around them and the vehicle sped away from the area. She watched it as it went. 

She reached for Sierra's hand and she was thankful that her aunt only tightened the grip. They passed through the hospital's automatic doors and as they entered, she found that it was unusually quiet today. This was rare. 

She could even hear the low rumble of the television which was pointlessly showing some national geography documentary about wildlife. No one except the receptionist was watching. 

As they approached the desk, she greeted them with a smile, "Sierra, how are you?" Her aunt managed a smile, shared a few random talks with her and then they headed to Room 12A. They knew the way by heart.

She slowed down despite herself as soon as she spotted the room. She didn't want to go through that pain again. A tight knot formed in her throat and she shuddered, "Sierra...I don't want to." 

Her aunt held her close, "It's going to be alright, sweetheart."

Sierra pushed the door which was slightly ajar and Ileana instantly barged inside, ran to the woman who was sitting on a chair, beside the bed, flinging her arms around her. The woman let the newspaper she was reading go and returned the embrace even more strongly. 

No words needed to be spoken. 

Ileana loved the comforting arms of her mother and during school terms, she only got to see her once per week and that was never enough. For a moment they stayed like that and Veronica pulled back, "How are you, my darling?" 

"Fine mom. How's dad?" The routine conversation. 

Sierra sat on the edge of the bed beside the man who was sleeping and she caressed his hair.

Mason Danvers was admitted here since almost a year now. Unbeknownst to him, he contracted an illness which doctors couldn't even classify. 

The symptoms only showed weeks after Leroy Burrell threw that chemical at him and his colleagues and locked them in that room. He was hospitalised immediately after he suffered a heart failure. 

The memory was so vivid it hurt. He was barely surviving. His conditions seemed to have just worsened as months passed and his wife, Veronica has been taking care of him all the time since then.

The woman released Ileana after that long hug and just motioned to Sierra to come outside with her. Sierra wondered if she had even taken a break from her work. She was doing a lot of overtime lately. She was still in her nurse uniform and just looked exhausted. 

Without a word, she followed her till they arrived to a spot where there were hardly any people.

Veronica stretched herself for a moment, not knowing how to put in the words. Sierra sensed the hesitation in her, "You can tell me anything, Vee." 

She held her shoulder, smiled warmly and the smile died down instantly when she heard the anguish in her voice, "His doctor told me he'll have to undergo an urgent surgery. A heart-transplant. I don't know what to do, Sierra." 

She suddenly broke into tears and Sierra instantly held her close, rubbing her back, trying to process the overwhelming information. She never saw her cry before. Knowing that such a strong woman could break down...she herself didn't know how to feel. 

Veronica cried silently, wetting her blouse with her tears, "I...I don't have the money. We've already trespassed the health insurance coverage two months back. If this surgery isn't done, I'll lose him forever. I can't let that happen."