The drive to the hospital was a blur for Liam. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white, replaying his brother Dave's frantic words over and over in his mind. A pit of dread had formed in his stomach, making him feel nauseous.
His mom couldn't be that bad off, could she? She was always such a force of nature - working multiple jobs while raising Liam and Dave alone after their deadbeat dad skipped town. No matter how exhausted or stressed she was, she always had a warm smile and words of encouragement for her sons.
Liam owed her everything - his drive, his ambition, his moral compass that helped him escape the toxic street life. The thought of losing her made his throat constrict with panic. He couldn't fathom a world without his unwavering mother in it.
As he screeched into the hospital parking lot, he spotted Dave pacing back and forth near the entrance, cell phone glued to his ear. Liam killed the engine and leaped out of the truck.
"Dave! What's happening? Where is she?" he called out, his voice cracking with fear.
Dave whirled around, his eyes wide and reddened. "Oh man, Liam... they won't give me any updates. I got here as fast as I could, they just rushed her away."
The two brothers embraced in a fierce hug, holding on for dear life. Dave was trembling against Liam, unable to mask his terror. "This is really bad, bro. The paramedics... they said it looked like a major heart attack. Maybe even a few of them, back to back."
Liam felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting against the onslaught of horrific images flashing through his mind. Their unstoppable, ever-strong mom suffering alone, hand clutched to her chest as pain lanced through her...
"Where is she now?" Liam demanded gruffly, squaring his shoulders as his protective big brother instincts kicked in. "We need to go to wherever they have her so we can get some damn answers."
Nodding wordlessly, Dave led the way into the bustling emergency room. They approached the nurses' station, a grim-faced woman in scrubs consulting a chart.
"Excuse me," Liam said, his voice edged with tension. "We're here for our mother, Francine Parker. She was just brought in with a possible heart attack?"
The nurse eyed them sympathetically. "Your mother did suffer a major cardiac event at home and is in serious condition. Let me check her status."
She typed a few keys on the computer before replying. "It appears she's still being evaluated and stabilized in the Trauma unit right now. As soon as the doctors have an update, someone will come and escort you—"
"The hell with that!" Liam burst out, making the nurse flinch. "We need to be with our mom now. Please, just tell us where that trauma area is and we'll head down ourselves."
Dave placed a hand on Liam's shoulder, murmuring, "Easy, bro..."
The nurse pursed her lips disapprovingly but ultimately relented. "Very well. Down that hallway to the left, then through the double doors marked Trauma 1. But you may not be allowed in right away while they work on stabilizing her."
"Thank you," Dave said quickly, giving Liam a pointed look to indicate they should go now before she changed her mind.
The brothers followed the nurse's directions at a brisk pace, their hearts pounding in tandem. As they neared the restricted trauma area, the cacophony of shouted orders and machines beeping grew louder.
"She's crashing again! Defibrillator charged and ready!"
"Starting CPR compressions, I need a line in now!"
"No pulse, resuming chest compressions!"
The panicked voices made Liam halt in his tracks, frozen in shock and disbelief. He knew those sounds. He knew that code meaning his mother was being shocked and resuscitated after her heart had stopped.
This was not supposed to happen. Their mother never complained about her health. Where did such a terrible illness come from? Was this some cruel punishment? Liam's mind raced.
Dave turned back with a stricken expression, tears streaming down his face. "Oh God, Liam... this is really bad, isn't it?"
Before Liam could formulate a response, the heavy double doors burst open. A grim-faced doctor in bloodied scrubs emerged, letting out a haggard sigh. His eyes immediately landed on the brothers.
"You two must be Mrs. Parker's sons," he said solemnly. "I'm Dr. Richards, overseeing her trauma care..."
Immediately their eyes fell on him, Liam gazed at him as his heart fluttered in anticipation of some kind of good news. "Y-Yes, sir!"
The doctor gave them a weary smile and started coming toward them. But Liam closed the distance in seconds.
"Sir, how is my mother?" he asked before the doctor could speak.
"Mr...your mother is stabilized but..." the man paused and Liam's hope dwindled. The doctor had seen the nervous look on Liam's face and rephrased his next words carefully, fearing he might pass out from anxiety.
"Mr. Liam," he said gently. He needed to treat this case delicately. "I'm afraid your mother's heart is severely damaged and she'll need a heart transplant as soon as possible or she might not make it."
Liam's eyes widened at the doctor's words. Dave gasped, gripping his arms tightly.
His mother's heart was damaged and he was just finding out? Didn't things like this take time to get worse? When had his mother ever complained of heart pain?
And then Liam realized it. All the times his mother acted like everything was fine were a lie. She was hiding it from them.
Liam's legs were shaking and his lips trembling in fear. Why? Why was this happening to her now?
Nevertheless, he tuned out the chaos in his head and asked the doctor, "What do we have to do now?"
The doctor could see the pain in Liam's eyes; this was one of the hardest parts of his job, but it had to be done. "We will need to get a new heart donor, and due to the scarcity, it is quite expensive. It will cost around two hundred thousand dollars. If we act fast, we can get one in time."
Liam's head went blank, his whole world crumbling again. Was this even real?
Two hundred thousand dollars?
"B-but sir, I don't have that amount of money. I only have—"
"Mr. Liam!" The doctor cut him off. He had done the worst part - informing Liam of his mother's dire condition. Now it was up to him what to do next.
"We're very sorry, but without the money, we can't save your mother," he said sternly, then turned and left.
Liam couldn't sit back; two hundred thousand dollars was far too much for him. Where would he get that kind of money?
"S-sir!" He tried to call the doctor back, but he had already disappeared down the hallway.