Shalom

Chapter Twelve

"Hmmm!" Dr. Philip who was in his early thirties shook his head sympathetically and sighed. He peered into the eyes of Fredrick Jesujuwonlo who lay on the bed.

His health condition had gotten worse. He was suffering from chronic hypertension and high blood pressure. His blood pressure had dangerously shot up because of his missing daughter and it was accompanied by chronic hypertension.

The doctor who was attending to his case had advised that he should have a strict bed rest and his wife, Eunice, had made sure he stuck to that with a series of medication usage.

But the doctor thought his health condition would be better but it only got worse daily. He was more confounded than ever because he had administered several dosages of pills but to no avail.

In his confused state, the doctor attempted to leave the room while Frederick called him back, holding the hem of his white coat faintly.

In shock, he came to an abrupt halt, turned, and adjusted his pair of recommended glasses.

Frederick killed his head and opened his mouth to speak.

Dr. Philip, knowing what was about to happen, moved to where his head was laid and gently pushed it up via a pillow.

"Thank you very much," Frederick appreciated him via a small smile in between his teeth.

"You are welcome, sir. How are you feeling now?" Dr. Philip asked as he settled on the edge of the bed.

"I am not getting any better. I feel I am going to die soon," he spoke those words slowly but with an ounce of pessimism.

On hearing that, Dr. Philip's countenance darkened. He knew Frederick wasn't fibbing. He was a medical doctor, and no doubt but he needed some little faint from his patient to make him feel he could do better to prevent his death medically. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

He was a Christian too. So, he needed to apply some faith that was from God to preach to the sick man that he wasn't going to die soon.

He smiled and reached for his two pale hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"You are not going to die soon. You are going to live longer years on earth to declare the works of the Lord."

A small smile played out on Frederick's lips which momentarily faded.

"I know who can keep me alive to live longer years on earth just as you have said but now she is missing - good as dead." He said in deep sorrow.

Dr. Philip's brows furrowed in confusion. Plus, a great concern etched his features.

"Who could that be?"

Frederick sighed. "It's my daughter. Her name is Sharon. The reason why she disappeared is a long story that I can't share. It was because of her disappearance and her vow not to ever step foot in this house again made I suddenly fell sick."

"Wow!" Philip was beyond speechless. He frantically racked his brain for words but nothing was coming forth.

And just like a flash, something dropped in his heart.

"Have you prayed to God about it?"

Frederick smirked. "Of course yes. But nothing happened."

Philip turned white.

Frederick saw his facial expression and continued.

"I have even told my co-pastors about it but it seems as though they find the task so difficult to carry out."

Philip was about to say something that was dropped in his heart when the door creaked open. He turned his head towards it's direction. Samuel entered.

He was a little surprised when he saw Philip and his dad conversing. He walked up straight to the sick man.

"Dad, how are you feeling now?"

Frederick looked up to him and smiled. "Son, I'm not getting better. Find your sister for me." He turned his head away.

Samuel's eyes darted between Dr. Philip and his father.

It seemed as though he ignored the doctor's presence but he didn't.

"Good morning, doctor. How is my daddy feeling?" Samuel asked in concern.

Philip let out a sympathetic sigh. "Well, I don't know. But as it is right now, his health is not improving one bit. So he said we should be on the lookout for Sharon and bring her back to him, that is when he can get healed."

"Wow! This is pretty serious. And speaking of that, I spoke to Sharon yesterday."

Philip's and Frederick's faces shot up.

"You did?" They asked in sync.

"Yes. But she was speaking about death. Like she was going to die or maybe she wanted to die."

But after Samuel said those words, he immediately regretted what he did because the unexpected happened.

Fredrick began to gasp for breath which made Philip and Samuel more alarmed.

Philip hastily moved towards him and pressed his hands against his chest periodically screaming the name of Jesus at intervals. While Samuel on the other hand, not knowing what to do dashed out of the room.

~~~~

The rays of the rising sunlight penetrated through the windows and rested on Shalom's countenance. She moved her body slightly and peeked one eye open at the effect.

A yawn escaped while she stretched her body. She rose from the bed and sat up fully awake and aware of her surroundings. Her eyes settled on the beautiful wall clock that rested on the wall. It was exactly 8 am.

She suddenly had this knowing feeling that she wasn't in her room. Still trying to fathom where she was, she turned her eyes from the wall clock and locked them up with a skeleton model that was standing anatomically at one corner of the room.

She cringed in fear. Beside it, there was a shelf filled with several textbooks and books that Shalom wondered if reading books was what the owner of the room got to do in their lifetime.

Curiosity etched her skin as she stood up from the bed and strode towards the shelf to have a sneak peek at the textbooks.

Her hands caught a medical textbook. She carried it and went to bed to probably have a read. She wasn't a student of medicine but she loved trying new things.

She also did the same to Samantha, which she always found strange. According to Samantha, she wasn't focused on her departmental books.

She opened it and flipped through the pages. The door creaked open, and Rhoda entered. She was dressed in a sleeveless flowery gown with a pair of flip-flops.

Today was her free day.

"Good morning," her melodious voice echoed in Shalom's ears which made her look up to catch a glimpse of who had just greeted her.

"Hi," Shalom smiled and closed the book.

Much to Shalom's surprise, Rhoda wasn't moved when she saw her with her book. All she did was to let out a chuckle.

"How was your night's rest?" She asked and settled beside her.

"Fine. I think I have met you before. You came to my hostel with Samantha."

"Yes. I did. You left in annoyance. You were in the middle of the road that night. A moving vehicle almost crushed you. You passed out as a result. I rescued you and took you to my hostel." Rhoda recounted.

"Oh!" Shalom gaped. "I'm so sorry. That night was so tough for me." She was tearing up already.

Rhoda patted her shoulder. "You don't have to cry. You can confide in me. Do you mind sharing?"

Shalom wiped off the tears that had gathered in her eyes and nodded.

"Okay. Before you start, do you mind if we grab something to eat?"

"Alright," Shalom sniffed and nodded.

"Good. I will be right back," Rhoda stood up and left the room for the kitchenette.

Shalom watched her go in awe.

To be continued.