Nikki made gradual steps and headed to the end of the hallway. She wanted to take a glimpse of her mother before she went home to take a shower and then go to work.
She was lost in her thoughts. Nikki felt a force that threw her to the side of the hallway, and someone bumped into her.
However, she had no energy to argue with or confront this person. She resumed walking quietly toward the elevator door, patiently waiting for the lift to stop on that floor.
Nikki had guessed that the person she bumped into was still there, as she could feel a burning stare at her back.
If that person waited for her to apologize, she believed she was not at fault. And so she wouldn't do it. Instead, she anticipated that this person would yell at her; thus, she prepared to ignore him.
But she hears nothing at all. She entered the lift once it was emptied after everyone came out.
Pressing the 7th-floor button, she takes a glance at the closing door, and she catches a silhouette of a man leaving the elevator lobby.
Nikki wrinkled her forehead, wondering if he was the person she bumped into just a while ago.
'Oh, well... whatever.' She murmurs inside her head and shrugs a shoulder.
Pressing her back against the wall, she again fell into deep thoughts. She has to find someone sooner.
Her mother cannot undergo a procedure without the blood she needed through her recovery—at least three to five bags of RH-negative A blood type.
Nikki sighed helplessly. She was getting desperate every day. Where could she find this much?
Lucy Lindsey, her mother, is fighting for her life. She always has a seizure, and that is why there is someone who must watch her 24/7.
Without Doctor Ben's expertise and the expensive medicines, her mother may have died a long time ago.
Also, she has another problem. Her parent's insurance is almost reaching its limit, and soon they can't cover her mother's continuous medication after the surgery.
After then, she has to find ways to pay off all the hospital bills and medical costs, which won't be that easy.
"Nikki? Why are you still here?"
Lucy asked her daughter after she saw her entering the room. She studied her face; she could see how exhausted Nikki was, but still, she was trying to hide her tiredness behind her sweet smile.
She's been taking care of her at night, and then she would go to work full-time during the day.
"Mama, how are you feeling? Auntie Maria texted that she would be late this morning as she needed to drop her granddaughter off at her school."
"I see..." Lucy pushes a smile with her pale lips. "Nikki, I'm so sorry, hun."
"Ma? What are you apologizing for?"
Overwhelmed, she pouted at her mother. She plastered a cheerful smile on her lips while meeting her mother's gaze.
"I've become a burden to you, which you should enjoy in your youth. Perhaps find a husband to start a family and celebrate life, along with your children."
"Ma? Of course, you are not! You are my family. Why should I abandon you? I have no one left but you, then? I cannot leave you alone. I wouldn't be happy if I knew what you were suffering from." She tried not to get emotional, but her voice began shaking, and teardrops escaped her eyes.
It is not the right time to cry. Instead, Nikki should show strength rather than her mother, who suffered between them.
Lucy reached for her daughter's hand, squeezing it, and smiled bitterly. "Don't worry. I will get better soon. You knew how strong your mom was. I don't want to leave you yet when I know you can't find your favorite purple dress, which just folded in your closet."
She laughed as if it were true. Nikki could not live without her mother; she's the one who will tidy her things and even wash her clothes.
Every time, even for a simple thing, she would still ask her mother if she saw her stuff or found something on the floor while cleaning the house.
She's not messy, but her habit is to leave her things around her bedroom to find them easily when she needs them, which her mother loves cleaning before she goes to the shopping center, where they have a small diner.
But one day, her mother lost consciousness, and then it became frequent.
They made an appointment for a checkup, and Lucy's doctor began prescribing her pills to take every day.
After her laboratory tests, she was diagnosed with a rare illness that needed comprehensive treatment.
Now, they had almost used up all of her parents' funds, and soon she had to spend her savings. That doesn't matter, anyway.
She will visit the bank tomorrow and inquire about a loan. Maybe there is a better offer; she could pay for a long-term contract.
Of course, she would do everything for her mother.