The ReBel

Flames of Fury

The next day at school, Ceb was determined to avoid eye contact with Alex but years of friendship seemed to drag her towards him like a magnet. He didn't bring up the topic, it seemed out of sheer respect to Ceb's feelings. Even if Alex could be a pain at times, he wouldn't dare to hurt her feelings. In the cafeteria, Alex wouldn't stop about the new gadget piece his parents had gifted him, when her phone rang. It was her dad.
She scowled. Her dad was never the one to call.
"Ceb, it's Papa. Your mom's at the Apollo hospital. Come as soon as possible. They said her left lung collapsed"
Ceb was stupefied. She didn't realize that her dad had already disconnected the call. Neither did she hear Alex repeated 'What's wrong?'
When it finally hit her, she narrated the little information that her dad had given her. Both their faces were etched with worry. Alex dragged her to his car, since Ceb's mind was too clouded to make any decisions.
Within no time they were outside the ICU of the hospital. Her dad shrugged his shoulders and buried his face in his hands. But Ceb needed answers.
But she also knew her dad wasn't in a position to give any. For the first time Ceb pitied her father and emphatically patted his shoulders.
The doctor stepped out of the ICU what seemed like hours later. She ran to him and fired an array of questions.
From what the doctor said, Ceb found out that her mom suffered from something called 'Chronic Bronchitis' and since it was left untreated her left lung had seemed to stop functioning.
He also said that her mom would be fine but her routine abilities would be diminished to a great extent since part of her each lungs were beyond repair. He emphasized on how such diseases required immediate treatment and often they even lead to death. It was obvious to Ceb that the Doctor was trying to hide his astonishment on not having her mother checked for her condition earlier.
The pity she felt for her dad dissolved and was replaced with flames of fury instead since it was his negligence that brought her poor mother to this stage.