Her lab partner for the experiment was extremely anxious. After he made a few calls, she finally picked up. "Hey, I'm sorry. I have something going on at home. I have to go home today." Anita's sobbing voice came through the phone.
The senior was stunned and said anxiously, "Anita, what's wrong?"
"I'm fine. It's just that my father is sick. I have to go home today, so I can't go to the experiment today. I'm sorry," Anita said as she composed herself.
"It's okay, be careful. We'll talk about the experiment when you get back!" said the senior.
After hanging up, Anita tried to calm down as quickly as possible. She had cried already. She had suffered too many blows recently, so Anita told herself to be tough.
After applying for leave, Anita took the earliest bus ride home without bringing anything.
When she reached home, she realized that her father had not gone to the hospital.
Anita tried not to sound sad. After she packed her father's things, she said, "Come on, let's go to the hospital."
Her parents didn't say anything when they saw what Anita was doing. But her father said in a low voice, "Why go to the hospital? I'm fine. I'm not going."
Anita turned to them with red eyes. Before she could say anything, Dad surrendered. "Okay, okay. I'll listen to Anita."
They went to the hospital in the afternoon to check on the time of the operation. When everything was arranged, Anita watched her father fall asleep on the hospital bed before pulling her mother out quietly.
"Mom, I remember I recommended insurance for you back then. Didn't you say you bought it for both of you?" Anita said to her mom.
Her mom didn't meet Anita's gaze and didn't respond.
Anita continued, "I've already called the insurance company. 70% of Dad's surgery fees can be covered by insurance. Don't worry too much."
"Anita, your father and I didn't buy the insurance," her mom said sheepishly.
"No? Why didn't you buy it? Didn't you tell me that you bought it?" Anita suddenly became anxious.
Her mother squeezed her hand in distress. "After we lost our jobs, to save money, we didn't buy them."
"Mom, is it because of my PhD tuition fees? Is it because of my tuition?" Anita asked again.
"No, no, Anita, don't think so," her mom said anxiously.
Anita looked at her mother's old face, which looked slightly anxious. She suddenly told herself, I can't panic. I have to calm down. "Mom, it's okay. I was too anxious just now. Don't worry about the surgery fees. I'll think of a way."
After Anita had appeased her mother, she sat down in the corridor and began to think. The cost of hospitalization, the cost of the surgery, and the postoperative nursing fees would be such a huge expense that Anita was afraid to calculate it. What should she do?
The next day, when her father woke up, Anita still pretended to be cheerful and told her parents not to worry about the fees. She told them she had already borrowed money from her friends and asked them to wait for the operation in peace.
Ethan arrived at noon as well. He looked like he had just rushed here after work. "Anita, how's your dad?" Ethan asked anxiously when he saw Anita.
"Stage 2 liver cancer," Anita said to Ethan with her eyes red.
After she saw Ethan, Anita hugged Ethan and cried.
Ethan knew how fragile Anita was at this time. He reached out and patted her. "Don't cry, Anita. I'm with you. Don't be afraid."
After releasing her emotions, Anita felt a lot better. However, she saw that Ethan's clothes were dirtied by her tears and snot. Since she knew that Ethan had always been a clean freak, she said shyly, "Ethan, I'm sorry for dirtying your clothes."
"It's fine. I'll just go back and wash up," Ethan said indifferently.
"This contains all the money I've been saving over the past few years. It's all here. Take it and get your dad treated first," Ethan said as he handed the card to Anita.
Anita looked at the card Ethan handed her and hesitated about whether to accept it. Her father urgently needed money now, but this was Ethan's savings over several years.
Seeing that Anita was unwilling to accept it, Ethan reached out and pulled Anita's hand to place the card in her palm. "Take it. We're friends. I won't take no for an answer."
"Ethan, thank you so much. Don't worry, I'll pay you back," Anita said gratefully.
Ethan smiled but said nothing. 'I never need you to return my kindness. I just hope you can see that I'm still by your side,' Ethan thought silently.
Although she had Ethan's support, the surgery fees were still too high. Her father's surgery would be held in a week.
Anita had tried her best to get enough money during the week, but it was still far from enough. In the end, Anita felt a sense of desperation.
This afternoon, Anita was about to break down after a week of raising funds without any progress. She did not dare to stay in the ward, so she sat on the long corridor outside the hospital and thought.