I have to work to pay for the hospital bills.
She can't help being thankful for Owen's existence despite the annoying attitude. She held her face in her hands as she psyched herself into her strong girl persona and entered the clinic.
"Good morning, boss."
Lucy saw a worried face as soon as she opened the door.
"I heard what happened. How's auntie?." Uncle Fred didn't wait till she was fully inside and walked towards her in urgency to hold her hands. He spent his childhood knowing Nana so this level of concern is understandable.
"She's recovering." Lucy doesn't want to go into details so she gives the most convincing smile she can muster. She knows it's selfish to deprive her uncle of information but she wants to settle this on her own. She's positive she can do it. Work. Save up. That's all she had in her head.
"That's good to hear." He sighed with relief. "Tell me if you need anything." He lowered his gaze a bit. "You don't have to carry everything on your own."
His words caught Lucy off guard and she felt a tiny pinch in her heart. "Thanks, Uncle Fred."
Her day went as usual. She arrived at the hospital with some fruits in hand. Nana is sleeping again.
She's sleeping a whole lot.
*Knock, knock.* A knock on the door kept her mind from wandering needlessly.
It was a male doctor accompanied by a nurse. "Hello. Are you patient Miller's guardian?"
"I'm her granddaughter." She stood up and glanced at Nana. She's still deep asleep.
"It's normal to sleep long hours after a heart attack. She's recovering from the shock. Let's give her a few more days to recuperate." He was flipping through the charts and cleared his throat when he got to the last page. "Can I talk to you outside?"
Lucy felt my stomach churning as she followed the man outside the room.
"The patient has a weak heart, it's a surprise she only got admitted now. Her laboratory results show possible blockages in her coronary arteries. We can do a procedure to access and remove the blockages."
"Procedure? Like an operation? Doc, she's old. Is it safe?" Lucy is panicking just hearing about it.
"Don't worry, the procedure is minimally invasive despite being costly. Your other option would be to rely on medications but her quality of life will take a hit. She can't do most normal activities and even light ones can be very challenging".
"She worked from morning to night without any problem before this. I don't understand how this happened." Lucy knows Nana is way past her prime but she was as strong as a bull till a few days ago.
"It's normal for conditions like this to go unnoticed until a stressful event triggers the problem and it becomes impossible to go back to the patient's normal physical capacity. Has the patient been subject to a traumatic event, loss of a loved one, or financial problems recently?" The doctor continued. "It's important to know the patient's stressors at this time to avoid aggravating her condition."
He waited for a response and talked again when there was none from the other party. "Her old age isn't helping either. I recommend going through the procedure as soon as possible."
Lucy's phone rang and I saw "Owen" on the screen. She made sure to save his number last time.
"I'll go ahead." The doctor took off.
Lucy was left with shock and a ringing phone on hand.
"Hello." She answered.
"What room are you in?" Lucy felt the urgency in Owen's voice.
"Excuse me?" She understood that he was asking for the hospital room but she didn't get why he needed that information.
"What room?" He repeated in the same tone.
"301." It's easier to just answer and ask him later, Lucy thought. Her mind is all over at the moment and there's no harm in telling, anyway.
The call was dropped immediately and she was left contemplating whether she should ask if he was coming but chose to let go of the thought and head for the nurse's station to get the details of the operation, instead.
"The initial deposit would be around a hundred thousand with possible additional costs for multiple blockage removal." A tall nurse explains thoughtfully.
Lucy was told to prepare at least double the amount for the whole operation. Hearing the figures makes her want to cry right at that moment. Where the hell am I supposed to get that?
She sat on the bleachers while covering her face to calm herself down. After a few minutes, she got up and walked toward Nana's room. There's no use worrying now. She just needs to do her best. They can get through this.
She opened the door and was greeted by a back with broad shoulders covering the patient on the bed.
She collected herself from a quick stun and went out to see if she was in the right room. She might have been too shocked with everything that happened so she made a mistake.
"Lucy is that you?" That was Nana's voice. The man turned around and it was Owen holding a bouquet of flowers. She could finally see Nana and was reassured that she was in the right room.
"What are you doing here?" She's confused by Owen's presence. Sure, he helped Nana that one time but she doesn't remember having enough connection with this man for him to personally drop by in this kind of situation.
"Visiting."
Does this man only know to give irritating answers? Lucy did a mental eye roll before asking again. "I understand that you're visiting but my question is why?." She can't believe she had to spell out something so obvious.
"Luc, don't be rude to our visitor. It's not every day I get a handsome guest." Nana interrupted while smiling. Although still weak, her voice is filled with so much vigor compared to before. Lucy let out a small chuckle when she thought about how Nana had a newfound strength after seeing a young stud.
"You should take it easy." A lot of tension left Lucy's body after seeing Nana smiling again. She's thankful for Owen and his pretty face.
"Thank you for visiting. Please have a seat" She took the flowers from Owen's hand, set them up at a nearby table, and gestured at an empty chair. Lucy sat on another chair and held Nana's hand.
Before they knew it, Nana was sleeping again. She didn't even have enough energy to chat for more than a few minutes.
Owen sat there silently for half an hour. The mood was suffocating. Lucy had to say something at least. "So, why are you here? I don't believe we're close enough for you to visit." At this point, she can only assume that he came here because of their employee-employer relationship.
"I'm visiting grandma, not you."
Am I being treated as a side character? She doesn't know how to feel right now. She grits her teeth and tries to remember that should be grateful for his visit.
"What is your relationship with grandma, then? I don't ever recall her talking about you." It was true. If someone like Owen had a connection to Nana, she would have known.
"I'm a regular at her snack shop. She doesn't know me by name but she is a precious person to me." Lucy is getting more and more confused but she's too tired to pry. Owen's expression didn't change one bit since earlier so it's hard for her to discern if he is showing genuine concern or not.
"Okay. Anyway, Nana needs a lot of rest, you should leave soon." Am I being too hard on him? But Nana indeed needs to rest and visiting hours will end soon anyway. I better send him away so I can rest, too.
He stood up slowly and turned around before getting to the door "Alright, if you need anything, let me know." Lucy felt a clutch in her chest.
Should I ask for money right now? I mean, he is offering, and getting the operation sooner is much better for Nana's health.
She couldn't tell if it was because she was taking too long to respond but he reached for something inside his jacket and handed her a card with his signature. "Show this to the hospital if you need assistance with the bill." Lucy received the card with both hands and a bow.
It hurt her pride immensely. She felt like a beggar receiving alms on the street. She wanted to cry right there but she can't throw away the chance to save Nana. She managed to hold herself back and say thank you before Owen closed the door.
She stood there frozen in a few seconds and the door opened again. Owen came back and tightly held her hands that is still holding the card.
"Don't misunderstand."