Chapter 5 THE LONGEST 24 HOURS

The hospital ceiling had some thin cracks.. the walls must have heard the most sincere prayers, more of cries and sadness.

I must have stared at them too long and lost track.

It's funny how something broken could still hold itself together for this long...

The hospital is kind of like me..

I lay on the tiny visitor's couch in my mother's room, fully clothed, arms folded, body cold. I hadn't slept, just blinked, hissed, sighed, breathed and repeated...

Mom's chest rose and fell gently on the hospital bed beside me. Machines beeped steadily, like they were singing lullabies to keep her from slipping away, a soft reminder that time was passing.

I turned the brown envelope over in my hand for the hundredth time. I didn't know why I brought it in with me again knowing what it contained. Maybe I thought if I held onto it hard enough, the answer would spill out like magic.

That everything will finally work out in the end.

But I couldn't figure it out yet.

All I could hear was a whisper.. "choose, you have to decide now".

Tears went down the two corners of my eyes.

I wiped my eyes again, but it kept coming without warning.

"Should I accept this offer?".

"Is this how I would lose my virginity after I fantasized about having an affectionate moment with the man I was ever gon' spend a night with?".

"Should I go on? what if I can't get pregnant?"

"Nick Kings?"

I picked up my phone to search who he was online, remembering how he was described..

"coldhearted, powerful, wealthy and complicated"....

"What if he kills me after I give birth to the child so I wouldn't come close to him at all"...

My head kept spinning, questions kept thudding in my skull.

"What if I hate him?"..

No, Haven....not now. I didn't know him enough to"... I murmured.

"Would I trade nine months for the woman who gave me her whole life"...

A soft rustle beside me pulled me out of my thoughts.

Mom turned slightly in her sleep murmuring my name.

"My Haven"...

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

This wasn't just a reminder but a choice to make.

No one else was coming. Maybe Nick Kings is the miracle after all.

No long lost uncle or aunt was coming. All they had to offer when my father went to ask for their assistance was...

"Sorry, I can't. Wish I could, prayers, have faith and God will provide.. No help, nothing! Just mouth and mere words.."... I hissed.

"No secret inheritance. I even thought of a Gofundme online but how long would that take? Days or weeks?"..

I looked up at the wall clock, it was almost 5:00 am. I have until two hours to make up my mind.

I stood slowly, walked to the window and watched dawn breaking over the sky. Golden Light pouring in slowly..

6:55 am...

I stood beside Mom, holding her hand. Her breathing had changed. The nurse who came in a few minutes back kept checking the monitor and frowning more than usual.

Then I knew something bad was about to happen...

I watched Mom's chest rise and fall like she was tired of the effort. Her lips looked pale.

Her eyes fluttered once. Twice.

Then... nothing.

Just the machine.

The beeping slowed.

Then the chaos began.

Doctors rushed in. A crash cart was wheeled over. Nurses called out codes I didn't understand.

I just stood there... frozen.

One of the doctors tried to move me back but I held onto the bed.

"No. No, she's okay. She was just sleeping. She was okay..." I yelled..

"Miss," a nurse said gently. "Please wait outside."

I stepped back slowly, like my soul was dragging its feet.

Outside, the room felt too quiet. It was too cold but I was sweating. I leaned against the wall and stared at the door.

Seven.

Seven o'clock on the dot.

That marked it.

A full 24 hours.

The deadline Dr. Vanessa gave me.

And now... Mom was fighting for her life...

For a moment I felt my heart giving up too. I could hear the loud thuds of my heartbeat.

I just stood there, shaking.

Until the door finally opened thirty minutes later...

The same doctor walked out. His eyes tired from the efforts he made to resuscitate her.

"She's stable," he said.

Just two words.

But they were enough to make me collapse into a chair.

She had come back.

They had brought her back.

She had almost given up.... but she didn't.

And in that exact moment, neither would I.

I pulled out my phone with trembling hands and called Dr. Nessa.

She picked on the first ring.

I didn't wait.

"I'll do it," I said. "If this is how I lose my virginity, then... it's for a good cause."

There was silence on the line.

Then Nessa exhaled. "Are you sure?"

"No," I said honestly. "But I'm doing it anyway."

"Okay. Meet me at the hospital cafeteria in ten minutes"... Nessa said.

***********

I sat in the hospital cafeteria, still clutching the brown envelope. This time, it wasn't just paper.

It was a decision. A contract. A path I couldn't un-walk.

Nessa walked in minutes later. She didn't hug me or smile too wide. She just sat beside me and nodded.

"You made the right choice.. You are doing this to save her."

I nodded slowly. "Yes, I have to. It's my only choice."

"Nick will want to meet," she said.

"I figured."

"It'll be formal. He's not... good with emotions."

"Okay," I muttered, "Better."

"But he'll respect your choice. And your terms."

I raised a brow. "I get terms?"

She gave a small smile. "You're doing something most people wouldn't. So yes, you do."

I nodded.

"Where will the meeting be?"

"His office, probably," she said.

"No," I said quietly. "Neutral ground. Somewhere public but quiet."

Nessa gave me a long look. "Alright. I'll arrange it."

"Thank you... for the help and saving my mom's life." I said politely..

She reached out and squeezed my hand.

"You did the saving, Haven."

*********

Mom's eyes opened slowly, blinking against the light.

She turned her head, saw me sitting beside her, and gave the faintest smile.

"Haven," she said.

"I'm here."

"You look tired."

I laughed quietly. "You look worse."

She chuckled softly then winced.

"Don't laugh, you'll break something."

She turned her palm up, and I placed mine in it.

"I love you, Mom."

She squeezed it. "I know."

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"You just focus on getting better. I'll handle the rest."

She closed her eyes again, but that smile remained.