CHAPTER 01: SEARCHING FOR BLOOD DONORS
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MAINLAND CITY HOSPITAL, Mainland City
Nikki Lindsey had been staring blankly at the pink Chinese Magnolia tree across from the bench she was seated on; however, she could not appreciate its beautiful blossoms when her heart was breaking apart.
She has already lost count of how many sighs she hurls from the deepest part of her lungs; yet she is unable to keep herself together. Her head was all messed up, raking her brain where she could provide blood for her mother.
Nikki calmed her troubled heart and immersed herself in staring at the full blooms of the tree further; but, all of a sudden, someone blocked her vision.
"Miss Nikki Noreen Lindsey?"
Nikki was still lost in her train of thought when she looked up to whoever this person standing in front of her...
She craned her neck and was stunned for a moment.
Like an angelic voice, how beautifully he pronounces her name with his Indian accent blended beautifully with his English fluency.
Soon, she recognize the man towering over her. She stood abruptly from the bench she was sitting on.
"Doctor Ben!" Nikki bursts out nervously. Surprised, her face blushed upon realizing how she looked like an idiot in front of the doctor.
She felt timid.
Nikki attends to her mother the entire night. She hadn't taken a shower yet nor had she washed her face when she went outside to wait for someone who would bring her breakfast over this morning.
But then, Doctor Ben appeared so suddenly that it made her conscious of her looks. Hence, she was very anxious when she greeted the doctor.
"Good morning, Doctor Ben."
"Good morning, Nikki!" Doctor Ben Ryan smiled warmly at her.
Meeting his gaze, the doctor seemed not to mind whatever she looked like this morning. Anyway, Doctor Ben has come across more embarrassing circumstances in his profession...
'You are here to help your mother, Nikki. Not to flirt with her physician!' Nikki scolded herself. Even if Doctor Ben sees her stressed face, it is no big deal to him. She's the only one who is concerned about it.
Doctor Ben Ryan is a specialist in any rare case of an illness like her mother, Lucy Lindsey.
But as the doctor approached her personally, worries crept into Nikki's chest. She prays Doctor Ben didn't bring any bad news as he spoke with her in the garden rather than asking his secretary to relay a message that he wanted to talk with her.
"I did call you in the hallway. But you didn't seem to hear me," said Doctor Ben, giving Nikki a worried look. He understood that Nikki had been doing everything for her mother. Seeing her lost in a trance, Ben could not help but feel pity for this girl.
"Are you alright, Nikki?"
"Oh, that… I'm very sorry, Doctor Ben. I didn't hear you calling out to me," she admitted and apologized. Indeed, she walked into the lobby with a clouded mind, worrying about her mother.
"Nah. It's okay! I just wanted to talk to you about something." This time, Doctor Ben pursed his lips into an understanding smile—the usual warm smile he gave to all his patients.
"Oh, okay, err, Doctor Ben," she said, trying not to stutter her words. Nikki gathered her thoughts in one place as she prepared herself to hear whatever Doctor Ben would tell her.
"I already explained everything regarding your mother's condition." Doctor Ben began. "But since her blood type, RH A negative, is such a rare one, I cannot assure the success of her medication without continuing the blood transfusion."
Nikki's world collapsed once again. In these passing months, she's been looking non-stop for a donor who has the same blood type as her mother.
Maybe they were on the top list. Still, this blood type is uncommon for 7.8 billion people on this planet, especially in their country. Nikki is always thinking that she would not have this problem if only she could give hers.
Unfortunately, her blood type is different from her mother's.
"But don't lose hope, okay?" Doctor Ben's encouragement. "We never stop seeking a person with the same blood type as your mother. Even in the small towns of this country, we've been searching for someone willing to sell a bag of his blood," he added.
Before she replied, Nikki heaved a long sigh, nodding. "Thank you, Doctor Ben. I also keep contacting my relatives, and maybe they know someone who could transfuse blood to my mother."
"Keep praying! Surely, an angel will descend from heaven."
Nikki smiled at the doctor's positive phrase, which comforted her. "Thank you, Doctor Ben."
There would be nothing to lose if she believed in miracles. She hopes to heal her mother, but that won't happen if she can't get someone who has the same blood type as her mother.
Where could she find that person?