Chapter 1 The Sickness

"Hurry up! Dave," Ivy cried out loud to her brother, who had gone to get water for their mother, Mrs. Smith.

Dave rushed out from the kitchen with a cup of water, stretching it to his mother, " Here mum, I hope it relieves the cough."

Their mother has been really sick and she doesn't seem to be getting any better. They could imagine the pain a single person must be going through trying to stay alive.

"Sorry mum," Ivy said as Mrs. Smith made a louder cough after gulping more water from the cup.

"I hope I can raise enough money by the weekend, at least I will be able to get you more drugs," she added.

Mrs. Smith got a bit of strength to speak for the first time in a while, "Don't worry kids, I'll be fine."

"Doesn't look like you will," Dave murmured.

They felt so much pity for her, it's been over a year of getting drugs and even sorting hospital bills, yet all doesn't seem to be well.

Mrs. Smith's health has greatly worsened. And now, they could no longer afford the bills from the hospital so they had opted to just buy drugs only since they were barely trying to survive.

"Don't say that!" Ivy cautioned her brother.

"Come on Ivy, I really want mum to be healthy. I'm in pain knowing she hasn't been herself for months, knowing we could lose her if we don't take her for a proper surgery and treatment," Dave answered almost in tears, taking a seat close to his mother and patting her.

A louder hack came this time around, it was continuous and felt like it wasn't ending anytime soon as Mrs. Smith held her chest in pain.

With worry, Ivy let out, "I think I'll have to use the little cash with me and see what I can get at the pharmacy, I had thought I could wait till the weekend and get more money to add as soon as I get my wage for the week."

Making her way out, rushing toward the door, Dave stood up too. "Please let me come with you," he said.

"No Dave, you need to stay here with mum. At this point, we can't leave her all by herself," Ivy insisted.

"I know, but... or just let me go instead, I'll rush down as fast as I can and I don't think you have that much strength, you were with her all day and probably haven't rested," he persuaded.

Mrs. Smith, who was persistently coughing, tried to speak. Although, it was low, like a person on their deathbed, "You both can go, I'll be fine."

They rushed to the nearest pharmacy where they were only able to get just one tablet of drug. Obviously what they could afford with the money they had at the moment.

"Please, can you help us with some other drugs to hasten her recovery, the cough has really been too much lately," Dave begged the pharmacist.

"Y-Yes Ma'am, I will pay you the balance by weekend, Please," Ivy added tearfully.

" I really wish I could, but I can't, I'm so sorry" the pharmacist, who was only an attendant in the store replied.

With no delay they headed home while they had all their mind and thoughts on their mum.

"Gbaamm!!!" the sound of a loud thud surfaced on the busy road.

"No! Daveee!!!" Ivy cried out as she watched her brother struggle for his life on the ground, while people already gathered at the scene.

"These kids, you shouldn't cross the road without watching properly," the drunk driver spoke out, as he smelled of alcohol and some sort of rich wine.

"R-Really?" Ivy said rushing at him, but later turn back to her brother who was moaning in pains, as he was bleeding profusely.

"He wasn't watching, so relax girl. Not everything that happened is my fault; if you had both been paying attention to where you were going, this could have been averted, and I wouldn't be in such a mess," the man spoke, rolling up his sleeves as he was sweating amidst the chaos.

"Okay, I'll give you some money, take him to the hospital," he offered rudely.

"Why not drive us to the hospital, please. My brother is in dying need of help, he is bleeding," Ivy cried, trying to support Dave off the road where he laid.

"Look girl, I don't have such time, you can see I was heading somewhere. I'm just trying to be kind here and help, but I guess you don't want it," he said blatantly, then went back to his car and zoomed off.

Some of the kind observers came to assist her as she took her brother to the nearby clinic but it felt like the day was already cursed for Ivy.

"We lost him, he already lost so much blood before he was brought here Ma'am," the doctor announced.

It was a shock, a big cut in the heart to Ivy, "What do you mean by that? Where is my brother?" she yelled as she tried to gain her balance on the floor in the hospital.

How was she going to break such news to her parents, especially her mother, who was almost dying when they left home that evening

"I'm so sorry, we tried all we could but I guess it was too late," the doctor said.

She couldn't do anything as she sat there shedding hot tears with no one to console her. Her legs were rather too heavy to walk home. She wished she had been able to save him.

She could not get the gruesome sight off her head; her beloved brother, her only sibling, died right in front of her eyes, it was one of the worst nights in her life.

A knock came at the door which brought Ivy back to her reality, as she was carried away still unconsciously mourning her brother even after months of his death.