What could be worse for a brother than watching his younger sister swing between life and death right before his eyes, while he stands helpless, unable to ease her pain?
In one of the wards of Auka Hospital, a girl named Liya lay in a coma, oblivious to everything happening around her.
liya had long black hair, and her fair skin glowed in the darkness.
The lights in the ward were dim, and moonlight streamed in through the window. Beside the bed stood a boy,
Black hair and black eyes, with tears shining in them, a well-built body, not from the gym, but from hard labor.
Tears streamed down his face. The anguish and fury Dane felt upon seeing Liya in that condition were clearly reflected in his eyes
After all, Liya was the only family Dane had left in this entire world.
A few years ago, their parents had committed suicide due to overwhelming debt, leaving all the burdens on Dane and his younger sister.
Dane had no money, his savings were depleting, and every day, loan sharks' thugs knocked on their door. This pushed Dane to quit his studies and start working.
The contractor at his labor site suggested he move to the city for better-paying jobs.
Left with no choice, Dane entrusted his younger sister to a neighbor and moved to the city, taking on any work he could find to send money to the loan sharks and cover Liya's expenses.
For three years, Dane had worked tirelessly in the city without a single day off. He couldn't visit home even once.
The hotel where Dane worked, he started as a waiter, but now he had risen to the position of manager, as he was educated enough for it.
But that morning, a call came out of the blue: Liya is in the hospital because she had an accident.
Without hesitation, Dane dropped everything and rushed back.
Dane steps forward and sits on the bed near his sister's feet.
"What is all this? Why did your accident happen? It should have been me instead of you." Dane says, holding his sister's feet.
Tears begin to flow from Dane's eyes as he thinks about his sister, who is only 17 years old and is currently in a coma.
No one knows when she will wake up or if she ever will.
"This is all my fault. I couldn't keep you safe. If I hadn't gone to the city to work, none of this would have happened."
He began blaming himself, consumed by guilt. He didn't know how Liya had ended up in this condition.
Even the doctors couldn't provide any answers.
While Dane was lost in his guilt and sorrow, the ward's door suddenly slammed open, startling him.
The sound echoed in the room, intensifying the night's eerie silence.
When Dane turns around, he sees the nurse, who is standing by the door, glaring at him.
The nurse was wearing a white skirt that reached her knees, with skin-colored stockings underneath and a tight white shirt that looked like its buttons could pop off at any moment.
She didn't appear to be very old. Her lips were painted with dark red lipstick, her eyes lined with kajal, and dark circles shadowed beneath them.
The only thing worth noticing about the nurse was... cough But why do we even need to focus on what's worth noticing about her?
"The doctor has called you. Come with me."
"But why is he calling me?"
Hearing Dane's words, the nurse rolls her eyes and gives him a side glance before saying,
"Just do as you're told, no need to ask too many questions," The nurse's tone is very rude. She speaks as if she's ordering Dane around.
But poor Dane quietly gets off the bed, glances at his sister, and follows the nurse.
As soon as Dane steps out of the ward with the nurse, she starts walking ahead, taking out a lipstick from her pocket and applying it, pouting.
She seems to think of herself as quite beautiful, but in reality, she looks more like a witch than a nurse.
Then, as they reach in front of an office, the nurse stops, touches her hair to check if it's in place, and pulls her skirt a bit higher from the waist, revealing her thighs.
She then wrinkles her nose and knocks on the door.
"Doctor Vel, it's me..."
"Yes, Nurse Miren, come in."
Miren opens the door and walks in, with Dane following behind her.
As soon as he enters, he sees a middle-aged man sitting at a desk, working with files.
"Doctor Vel, I've brought the girl's brother as you asked,"
The nurse's words dripped with sweetness, and as she spoke, she shyly tucked her hair behind her ear like a teenage girl.
I mean, she wasn't that young to be acting this way.
But despite her behavior, Doctor Vel, who was watching from the front, couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you, Miren,"
Hearing Doctor Vel, the nurse smiles and walks out of the door, waving her hand in a "bye" gesture before leaving.
Dane, who had been standing between the two of them, witnessing it all, finds it quite awkward.
Obviously, anyone would feel the same way in such a situation.
Dane silently sits on the chair in front of the doctor's desk, but he's worried about why the doctor called him in for a meeting.
"Doctor, my sister will be fine, right? There's nothing to worry about, is there?"
"She's my only younger sister, doctor. She's my life. Please, doctor, don't let anything happen to her."
Hearing Dane's words, the doctor looks at him and then opens a file, beginning to work on it. He continues working for a full five minutes.
During those five minutes, poor Dane stays silent, not wanting to disturb the doctor. He's too innocent, really.
In today's world, people don't often allow innocent souls to live peacefully.
"She will be fine, but you'll have to pay the hospital bills." The doctor says
"I'll definitely pay for the hospital expenses," Dane says immediately.
Just then, the doctor pulled out a bill from a file and placed it in front of Dane.
Hesitantly, Dane picked up the bill, and as soon as he looked at it, his eyes widened in shock.
[10 million]
This amount was no small sum, especially for Dane. Where would he get so much money from? How?
Countless questions like these were gnawing at Dane's mind.
"Doctor, are you sure there hasn't been a mistake? How can it be 10 million dollars?"
Dane asked hesitantly, clinging to the hope that the bill wasn't his and that the amount might be less.
Hearing Dane's words, the doctor placed the file down and looked at him with a face full of disdain. His eyes seemed to mock Dane's poverty.
"If you can't afford treatment in such an expensive hospital, you shouldn't have brought her here. You should've taken her to a hospital for the poor."
Hearing the doctor's words, Dane felt utterly helpless. Anger surged within him, directed at his own poverty.
In the past three years, he hadn't managed to earn even 1 million, and now a bill of 10 million was staring him in the face.
"Doctor, but Liya was admitted to the hospital just today. How can the bill be 10 million for just one day?"
Dane's questions only fueled the doctor's anger further.
"Doctor, please, look at my situation. Give me a chance to pay the bill in installments," Dane pleaded desperately.
"Where will I get so much money all at once? But yes, I can pay it off little by little over the next five years." Dane says.
Doctor Vel starts glaring at Dane.
"Our hospital doesn't offer that facility. You'll have to pay the entire amount in one go, or I'll throw your sister out of the hospital."
"It's because of us that your sister is still alive, but if you try to transfer her somewhere else, she might not survive," the doctor says.
Dane froze in fear, realizing that if he couldn't pay, his sister's treatment would stop.
Panicked, he quickly got off the chair and dropped to his knees on the floor.
"Please, doctor, give me just one week. Just one week, and I promise I'll arrange all the money, no matter what. I'm begging you," Dane said, his voice trembling.
The doctor sighed in irritation. "Fine. I'll give you a week. But if you fail to pay the bill, I'll file a case against you and throw your sister out of the hospital."
Hearing this, Dane felt a wave of relief despite the harsh words.
At least he now had one week—a small chance to do whatever it took to gather the money.