ɴᴀᴛᴀʟɪᴀ

Natalia Short Story [english]

The mother, waiting nervously in the waiting room, breathes fitfully, her eye
circles dark as the stormy sky, her eyes filled with tears like the raindrops outside. Her daughter's situation appears hopeless. Her sense of time seems to be disappeared. She might be waiting for hours or just for a few minutes. Since she has been waiting in the dark room, she has not been informed about Natalia's health situation. Just before she falls asleep, she hears a door opening. The responsible nurse slowly comes out of the surgery with an apathetic glance. The mother jumps up anxiously from her seat.

"Nurse, tell me, how's Natalia?", she almost shouts panicked and upset.

"Ma'am, I cannot tell you anything, yet." The nurse tries to escape the
conversation.

"But, Miss, I've been waiting here too many sleepless hours and she's my daughter. I need to know.", she says slightly irritated.

"We will do everything to save your child, Ma'am.", the nurse responds while she leaves the waiting room quickly.

The mother cannot hold herself anymore and breaks down in her seat. Memories come up in her mind. Natalia making her first steps, saying her first word, which was 'Mommy', celebrating her first birthday, her first day at school, learning to ride a bike. Her whole life she believed in God and prayed, but this time she is disappointed and cannot understand the reason of God taking her daughter away from her, since Natalia is an innocent child and too young to die.

The door opens again and the sound reminds her of reality. This time it is the
doctor. He seems friendly and confidently to her, which confuses her. Hope starts rising in her.

"Ma'am, we saved your daughter from the brain tumor.", he says smiling at her.

After the mother is speechless, because she already expected the worst, the young doctor continues: "You can take her home tomorrow morning, so please go home now and rest. You look exhausted."

"But Doctor, I want to see her before I leave."

The cold winter wind blows in her face as she tries to reach the hospital. The weather did not change, the day seems to be the same as yesterday with the only difference that Natalia will survive today. God must have heard her prayer. Arriving at the hospital she notices things she used to fade out the last days, all the ill people and their families. She never did notice them. She unconsciously heads the office of the young doctor.

"Doctor, I'm here to take my daughter home."

Her good mood changes abruptly when she sees the sad look of the doctor.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but we lost her a few hours ago. We wanted to tell you personally, so we did not call you."