The Billion-Dollar Windfall: Edwin Volvox

CHAPTER 2

The only possible solution Edwin thought of rendering, was pleas at the table of the doctor to get his mother treated, while he sought other possible means to get the money.

Upon his entry into the hospital, he was heading straight to the office, but then while he strode the hallway, something caught his attention. 

He noticed a patient was dumped in the hallway. From where he stood, he could see the struggles of the patient, depicting how much pain she was passing through. 

Pitifully, Edwin shook his head, thoughts of why the hospital could have done such a thing ran through his mind, but then he couldn't make out a reason as to why it happened.

Nevertheless, he kept on walking. He was almost a step away from the patient when his curiosity piqued. The same patient had a familiar bracelet he had gifted his mother.

It caused him to take a second glance at the person laying on the floor.

However, he was dumbstruck at the sight of what he saw. "Mother!" he yelled out in fury. All along it was his mother laying on the bare floor.

He turned to the next available nurse passing by, and then he yelled. "Why should my mom be treated this way? I promised to pay up already."

The innocent nurse jolted in fear as Edwin had approached her suddenly. However, when she realised he was done yelling, she caught a glance of Edwin and then she sneered.

"If the street was an option, we would have done just that. But then, we had to inconvenience the hallway just to find a space for your burden of a mom." the nurse rattled emotionlessly

"My mom is never a burden. She needs to be treated, that's why I brought her here and I p…"

"And her bills?" the nurse interjected immediately. "Your mom has exhausted about ten thousand dollars, if not more. Yet, this bill is compiled to the detriment of the hospital."

"We needed a bed space, and since she was lying there aimlessly, we had to shake her off." She added. "Now, if you will excuse me, I've got more important patients to attend to…Those that pay the bills are important."

Off she went without looking back. 

On the other hand, Edwin got really confused, he squatted by his sick mother, staring emotionally. "Mom, I will find a way out of this. But they weren't supposed to treat you this way."

His mother could only reply with tears, she was too weak to talk.

She was only diagnosed with appendicitis which had progressed into peritonitis, a serious infection as a result of delayed treatment.

The only solution was a surgery which he wanted to pay for, but all hope was lost. 

Edwin was still fuming with the fact that his mom was thrown out of the ward. He believed that regardless of not being able to pay up yet, his mother was supposed to be retained in the ward, not on the floor.

'if the streets were an option, we would have dumped her there.' Those words said by the nurse came rushing back and then, his anger multiplied.

He wanted to vent that anger on one of the hospital personnel. Luckily for him, he sighted that same nurse from earlier on, she was returning from wherever she went initially.

Edwin dashed towards her, and before she knew it, she was nabbed in the collar, the hold tight against her neck. "Why the hell did you all treat my mother that way?"

"Only dogs and animals are thrown out onto the streets. What do you take my mom to be? Huh! A dog! Rat! Or what?" he was continuously raging that he couldn't tell that his hold was just too tight against her neck, and her body pinned to the wall.

Her face had turned red and hardly could she breath. As much as she tried calling his attention towards the gripping effect, he just couldn't bulge, since his anger had taken a hold of him.

Luckily for her, fellow nurses began to walk through the hallway, same as guardians who came for their patients. "Help." she finally voices with a weak tone.

"Hey, let her go." Two male nurses got a hold of Edwin, pulling him away from the nurse.

She ended up coughing repeatedly while trying to grab her breath. "You all don't understand, she deserves to be dealt with, how the hell would she refer to my mom as a luggage for the street." Even while he was in the grip of the male nurses, he struggled.

The nurse on the other hand, had soon got a hold of herself. But then, even the spot where he had held her for long, was still red. "Even if I did construct the words like you just did, your mom is worth being referred to worse things. You all are an insane family."

"You have nothing to offer." The argument between the duo was suddenly becoming quite heated. If the male nurses should by mistake let Edwin off their hold, it was so sure he wouldn't let the nurse go, this time around.

Series of nurses and guardians had gathered around, trying to resolve the issue, but nothing fruitful was coming out of their intervention.

In a short while, the director descended the stairs and walked towards them. "What's going on here? What caused the ruckus." A tall lean man, with brown short curls. Dressed in a bespoke suit against his lean body walked towards them.

"I demand to know what the problem is?" he ordered with a creased forehead.

Without hesitation, the nurse explained all that happened without mincing a word.

However, Edwin was of the notion, that perhaps after listening to the situation, the director would tender justice with mercy and proffer a solution to at least keep his mother in the hospital, but then it was false.

"My nurse did just the right thing that should be done. I even blame her for not throwing the body out till this moment." Edwin was shattered by that word, his hope had been dashed into irreparable pieces.

"Guards!" The director called, two burly men in uniforms came forth.

"Make sure this body here leaves this premises in the next five minutes." The director rattled emotionlessly.

"Yes boss." Edwin was confused. He couldn't bear to see his mother in pain, she wouldn't get well staying at home.

Her condition will only worsen. While he was sy this, the guard suddenly went towards his mother's body preparing to roughly haul her out of the place.

"Don't manhandle my mom." he had cried out in vain.

However, a superior tone interrupted. "Let him go!"