Hearts and thorns

CHAPTER TWO

The taxi was too slow, caught up in traffic, I stepped out of the taxi, hearing the screams of the taxi driver after me, I began to run again, my lungs burning, my heart beating, the blood in my body pumping harder, I bumped into many people, all I could think about was my son, how much in pain he was, if I could give my heart to him I could do so. I arrived at the hospital after a long many minutes, the sole of my shoe had been pulled away and my hair was in ruffled tatters, my cloths had bits of mud in it. I met the receptionist at the hospital, my body aching me so badly.

"Please I want to see Jaime, Jaime rowan, he is my son." I half shouted. The receptionist was kind with me, even in my panic shouts she responded calmly to me.

I ran to the emergency unit and could see my aunt and Sarah sitting on the bench, my aunt looked worse than I did, her eyes bulging heavy, she loved Jaime so much, he brought life back into her; I melted into her arms desperate for contact with family.

"You took long Clerice." Sarah said in almost a whisper.

"I ran here." I responded.

"He collapsed, I got a call from his school, they tried to reach you for long but they couldn't then they called Me." she was crying too.

"I'm sorry for stressing you too Sarah, I'm very sorry." I apologized.

"What are you saying, Jaime is our son, and not just yours, even my parents love him, and think of him as theirs." Her hand was at my shoulder reassuring me.

"What did the doctor say." I asked

"He didn't say anything to me, just go in and meet him." I let go of my aunts hand and went to the doctor's office trying as hard as I could to put up a strong face, my aunt walked behind me, I could hear her low sobs, her weeping was contagious almost making me cry too, the doctor's office was white with a big screen in front of him, a nurse sat behind him.

"hello sir, I am Jaime's mother." I said.

"Oh good, please sit down." I had not enough patience to sit, I ushered my aunt into the chair and sat beside her on the other one.

"I have terrible news." He began and at that moment I felt my heart tighten, my stomach churned already expecting the worse. "Jaime needs a heart transplant as soon as possible, he is very weak and to be honest he may die anytime."

The world almost ended for me, no matter how much I had already prepared my heart for the news it came to me like a heavy bomb, my legs felt weak, I nearly crashed back into the floor, my poor son Jaime, my poor son. As I walked out I went to see my son, lying weak on the hospital bed she touched the glass window as Sarah touched her from behind.

"Clerice I aren't got much money a few hundred dollars at most we could sell what we can but the money still wouldn't be enough, why don't you look for his father."

"Who?" I asked.

"Jaime's father Abraham." There was surprise in my eyes, I didn't realize why Sarah would talk about him after so many years of her silence "Abraham, he is bloody rich, he could buy this hospital if he wants, his family owns more than half the entire city, just go to him, I am sure if he knows Jaime is his son he would help."

"never." I said. "I am never going to him."

"I don't know what's wrong with you Clerice, there is a high chance that he would accept the child, you never told him directly that he was the father of your child, I don't know what you are so scared of, his family or what."

"You don't understand." I said.

"Make me understand."

"I had gone to his house before, I wasn't allowed to see him."