Charlotte, accompanied by Mrs. Berry, rushed to the nearest children’s hospital to get Ellie immediate medical attention. It was already twenty minutes to midnight, yet there was still a long line at the hospital.
Then, Charlotte left Ellie with Mrs. Berry and quickly get in line with the other registrants. She was extremely anxious and worried for her sickly daughter.
“I didn’t even get to check on Robbie and Jamie when I rushed out of the house with you. I wonder how they’re doing right now.” Mrs. Berry was still perturbed about the vexatious ones at home as she was feeding Ellie.
“Those two can take care of themselves, so there’s no need to fret about that.”
Charlotte was feigning to be unconcerned, but she was more worried than anyone else about Robbie and Jamie. Both of them are still toddlers. Although their bodies aren’t as frail as their younger sister, still, how can I not worry? Please be okay.
“I’ve told Fifi to keep an eye on them,” said Mrs. Berry. She then rambled on, “Fifi was acting weird today too, though, ensconcing herself inside that little cage of hers all day long. She only came out to play with Ellie at night right after you left.”
“Yeah. With Fifi by their side, they’ll be happier.”
At the same time, Charlotte was getting more and more distressed by the minute as there was still a long line of registrants ahead of her. Come on… If this keeps up, Ellie would have recovered on her own before we even get to see the doctor.
“In my days, getting a family doctor would have done the trick. There’s no registration whatsoever…” Mrs. Berry sighed.
The moment Mrs. Berry brought that up, Charlotte reminisced about her days back in the Windt family. They had a personal doctor. Even if the illness were chronic, they would just go to a private hospital to get treatment immediately, without the need to wait.
Even if things remained the same, people would have changed. The past would be nothing but a distant memory…
Out of the blue, Charlotte recalled that she had Raina’s contact number and that she was told to call her if she had any health-related issues.
Charlotte was a bit conflicted, however, as calling Raina also meant making her current situation known to Zachary…
Forget it. Let’s just keep waiting.
“Mommy…”
Ellie had just opened her mouth for a bit, and a stream of fresh vomit came out from her mouth.
“My god…” Mrs. Berry quickly helped her clean her mouth.
“Ellie!” Charlotte hurried over to Ellie’s side and wiped her face with one hand while patting her back with the other one. “Ellie, don’t be afraid. Mommy’s here, okay? Mommy’s right here.”
“Mommy, this is unbearable…” sobbed Ellie.
Ellie’s face was pale white. Her whole body was soft as butter, and all the food she ate before was all over Mrs. Berry. Her usual shiny bright eyes were then filled with poignance and overflowing with tears…
“Ellie, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll go see the doctor soon, okay?”
Having done wiping the stains on Ellie’s clothes, Charlotte carried Ellie to the side to call on the nurse there. “Miss, my daughter can’t seem to handle it anymore. Can you please let the doctor have a look at her first?”
“Because of the season change, it’s usual for children to get infected by the common flu. Many kids have fallen ill, just like yours, and they all have to wait for their turn unless it’s an emergency like asphyxia. Or else, you’ll have to wait for your turn just like everyone else.”
The nurse was so occupied with her job that she didn’t even spare any time lifting her head to look at Charlotte.
“But…”
“Excuse me.”
Right at that moment, Charlotte was pushed away by the other parents to the other side.
Now what? Seriously, what do I do now?
“Miss, why don’t we go to the other hospitals and test our luck there? We’ve already waited for about half an hour, and the line is still as long as the start. If we keep on dawdling this way, I’m afraid Ellie can’t hold on anymore,” suggested Mrs. Berry as she wiped the stains on her clothes with a wet towel.
Looking at her unconscious daughter’s pale white face, Charlotte was left with no other alternatives but to ask Raina for her help before things exacerbated any further.
Raina answered her phone almost instantly. “Ms. Windt?”
“Dr. Langhan, my uh, my friend’s daughter got sick. However, the children’s hospital was full of people, and they’ve waited for hours, but it still isn’t their turn yet. Unfortunately, the girl’s condition is getting worse by the minute. Do you suppose that you can…”
“Okay, Ms. Windt, calm down. Just bring your friend here. I’ll treat her personally.”
“Okay, thank you so much. May I have the address?”
“I’ll send it you right now.”
After hanging up the phone, Charlotte and Mrs. Berry called for an Uber and headed towards the address.
Fortunately, the hospital was less than two miles away from where they were.
On their way there, Charlotte whispered, “Mrs. Berry, later when we meet Raina, just tell her that Ellie is your granddaughter.”
