DOCTOR'S OFFICE
"What do the results say, doctor?" Chloe blurted out anxiously.
"I'm sorry to say that the tests came back positive, your sister has been diagnosed with a brain tumor," The male doctor replied in a solemn tone.
Chloe could not believe her ears, she had hoped that the tests would come back positive.
She had recently discovered that Trixie was exhibiting some strange symptoms and was always complaining of a headache. Chloe had taken action immediately and brought her to see a doctor at the hospital.
"But… How is that possible? She's still a child…" Chloe lamented loudly with tears in her eyes.
"Miss Rufus, your sister is in good hands and she will be fine, but we need to perform a Craniotomy which is surgery to remove the tumor from the brain." He explained calmly, showing her the image on the brain scan results.
"Is there any other option?" She asked with a frown, scared at the thought of the five year old undergoing surgery.
"With your sister's condition, a surgery is the only option to remove the tumor permanently." He answered, with a firm shake of his head.
"How much is the surgery going to cost?" She asked immediately, eager for Trixie to be healthy again as soon as possible.
"Because of the high risk, it is an expensive procedure…" The doctor answered, telling her the cost for the surgery.
The tears she had been holding escaped from her eyes at the huge amount of money she needed to save her sister's life.
"I can't afford that…" She said weakly, her voice breaking at the end.
The doctor gave her a sympathetic look,
"Your sister needs that surgery soon."
Chloe walked out of the doctor's office with a heavy weight on her chest, Her mind racing with thoughts of how to get the money for Trixie's surgery.
"I cannot lose her like mom, no! I will do anything possible to make sure she gets that surgery!" She silently promised to herself.
She wiped off her tears when she saw her sister on the bench with a lollipop between her lips, swinging her legs back and forth as she waited for her return from the office.uuu
"Chloe!" She exclaimed loudly, dropping from the bench and running into her arms.
"Trixie, I told you that you're too big for me to carry you now!" She said, struggling to hold her sister's weight as they walked down the hallway. Uu
Although she was glad that her sister was in her arms, safe and sound. Chloe's eyes brimmed with tears at the thought of anything happening to her sister.
"Why are you crying? Did the doctor say I'm going to die?" Trixie asked innocently, wiping the tears that had fallen out of her eyes.
"No! You're going to be perfectly fine, and I'm going to make sure of that." She quickly answered, assuring the little girl who gave her a small nod in reply, and went back to licking on her lollipop.
Chloe noticed a group of men walking towards them as soon as they stepped out of the hospital. It was as though they had been waiting for them.
"Are you Chloe Rufus?" The man at the front of the group asked, stopping in front of her.
Chloe eyed the men suspiciously,
"I don't know who you're talking about." She lied.
The man let out an amused chuckle.
"You don't need to lie to us, we already know who you are. And this must be little Trixie…" He announced, waving at the child with a sly smile.
Chloe took a few steps back,
"Who are you people?" Her hands grew clammy with nerves.
"Listen girl, we are your father's associates. To cut the story short your father owes us some money and he gave the two of you up as collateral."
Chloe stared at the men in horror, taking more subtle steps backward. She knew that her father often gambled away his money and landed in a lot of debts, but she could not believe that he would use his own children as collateral for his debts.
"Wha- what do you want with us?" She asked with a shaky voice, tightening her grip over her sister that was still in her arms.
The man licked his lips, eyeing her body crudely from head to toe.
"I'm sure we can make some good use for you, and even little Trixie too." He said with a sickening smile.
Chloe felt disgusted by his insinuation and shifted on her feet as his eyes roamed over her body.
Just then, a car alarm rang out in the air, grabbing the men's attention. Taking advantage of their distracted state, Chloe quickly turned on her heel and ran to the parking lot, jumping into the car that was closest to them. She swiftly jumped, pulled the door open and crouched in the backseat.
"Chloe? What is going on?" Trixie asked, eyes shining with confusion.
She shush her younger sister, whispering to her;
"Remember how we usually play hide and seek with daddy? We're just hiding so that those bad men don't find us, so we have to be really quiet until they leave, okay?"
Trixie nodded without saying a word, already knowing how the game went by now. She was not as naive as Chloe thought she was and somehow knew to take the situation seriously.
Chloe held on to her sister with her heartbeat racing on her chest, crouching in the backseat of a stranger's car. They stayed in that position for a while until She was sure that the men would have left.
She peeked out of the window and searched for the men with her eyes, they were nowhere to be found. Letting out a sigh of relief she concluded that they were safe to leave. But her movements were halted by the sight of the car door opening and a man getting into the backseat of the car, right next to her.
Her eyes widened in shock and Trixie stiffened in her arms, both staring at the unknown man.