Jasmine's POV
I felt bad.
I felt terrible.
A sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach made the ride to the hospital very, very uncomfortable, and my sister wasn't helping my current feelings. Instead, she kept on asking Bradley exasperating questions about me and him.
He was blushing like a clown and seemed to enjoy talking about his intentions on fixing what was broken between me and him and becoming a better man.
I was the only one who wasn't interested in the conversation because I could not shake the image of Mr. Hollen's eyes murdering me when I got into the car with Bradley.
Things happen and sometimes you don't know how you've gotten to a point in life, but, yet for all, you're still there.
"This is great Jassy. Maybe reconnecting with Bradley wasn't such a bad thing," Zenia said.
"Oh, we both know why I'm now tolerating him, Zenia," I said back, shaking my head from the thoughts of even having feelings for Bradley again.
We arrived at the hospital and were walking towards our mother's room. Bradley decided to stay in the car. My mother was never very fond of him and I didn't want to upset her by having him at my side in her presence.
We pushed in her room door and entered the cold room.
Mom had her eyes open, lying silently on the bed. She looked towards us as we entered.
"Hi Mommy," we greeted her together.
"Hello... babies," she said back, sounding out of breath already.
She was getting worse and I knew I would have to get that money very soon before it was all too late.
We sat around her and Zenia started braiding her hair in cornrows. She always had a thing for hair but she didn't want to become a hairdresser. She was more into fashion.
As I looked on, I mentally bombarded myself with questions.
What if Bradley doesn't give me the money?
What will happen to my mother?
Will she really die?
My mind drifted back to Mr. Hollen and the concerned look in his eyes when I told him I had to visit my mother in the hospital.
Would he give me the money? Could I ask him if I didn't get it from Bradley?
"Jasmine, are you alright?" Zenia asked me, noticing I was silent and lost in thoughts.
"Yeah... I'm alright," I answered and gave a small smile.
Mom wasn't speaking much. She looked pale and sad, and she sounded out of breath whenever she made an attempt to say something to us. She knew she was dying.
When Zenia was through combing her hair, we left. It was better to leave her to rest than to have her in a state where she was getting emotional.
"Jasmine, you have to get that money!" Zenia said when we took the elevator down.
"You don't think I know that? I know I have to get the money but I just cannot ask Bradley for the money so soon. He might think that's all I want from him."
"Well that is all you want from him."
"I know that Zenia. But I don't want him to know that. I wouldn't get the money if he knows that I don't have any interest in getting back with him."
"Argghhh!"
"Would you relax! I'll ask him for the money."
"When?"
"Tomorrow. When he comes and take me out for lunch, I'll ask him."
"Great. Lets keep our fingers crossed that he gives you that money."
He would be my only option since I chose him over Mr. Hollen. Well, I didn't quite choose him over Mr. Hollen. I just allowed him to take me to the hospital instead.
We walked towards the parking lot and Zenia was still talking about the money and how Mom's life was depending on it and her life was hanging in the balance.
"Where is he?" Zenia asked, scanning the parking lot for his car.
"Behind you," a voice answered.
We turned around in unison and saw him standing right behind us with three cups in his hands. We didn't even notice he had been right behind us, listening to our conversation.
"Were you listening to everything we were saying?" Zenia asked.
"Every word," he answered.
My heart froze.
"Bradley, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," I started, acknowledging that it made absolutely no sense asking him tomorrow when he had already heard us talking about our mother's condition.
Zenia looked on with a 'go ahead and ask him already' expression on her face.
"Bradley, I really need a very huge favor from you. Our mother has came down with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and it has gotten to the stage where there's no alternatives but to have a lung transplant in order to save her life. I can't afford it Bradley. I was hoping that you could loan me the money and I'll pay you back. I promise. It's a total of seven hundred thousand dollars."
I looked into his eyes. He was taken aback and seemed stunned by the news I had just told him. His expression was unreadable.
"Will you lend me the money?" I asked him again.
He moved over to Zenia and handed us each a drink he had bought. With his hand free, he raked it through his hair, much like Mr. Hollen.
"Yeah, I'll lend you the money," he said at last.
A breath of relief flew from my lungs and I found myself hugging him. "Thank you, thank you so so much. This means so much to me," I said, appreciating the kind gesture he was about to do for my mother, Zenia and me.
She looked happy as well.
But our happiness was short lived. Like always.