Luxury In Adversity

CHAPTER 1

"Darling, please don't say things like that. You aren't dying anytime soon. You'll live to see Matt's first walk, first word…."

"Mummy, how can you say that now. You said you'll take me to the mall and get me anything I want if I topped my class. I did mum, I came first. So you have to fulfil your promise..."

"Mummy…mummy… why aren't you answering…"

Maria has been married to Chris for 15 years. She hasn't really had any serious health issue until recently, she noticed she had frequent nose bleeding, dizziness and on rare occasions, loses consciousness.

Chris has always been an attentive husband and father so it was easy for him to notice his wife's health wasn't normal even though she tried concealing it from him as she didn't think it was anything to worry about. He rushed to the hospital when she fainted again and was immediately admitted.

She got better after a while so in a mini celebration, Chris sent the kids off with some cash to get some food and drinks for everyone.

They were happy about her health but that was short lived as she got the worst news in her entire 50 years of living. Her husband, Chris, was with her when she got the news. When the  the doctor entered her room, he informed them that she had a brain tumor which was very large and it was too late for surgery.

Now she just laid on the hospital bed with tears running down her cheeks while her husband and her sons, Luke, Mark, John and Sam from eldest to smallest, sat surrounding her.

12 years old Luke knew a bit of what was happening. He knew his mother was very sick but didn't know the severity.

Mark, being 9 years old, had some clue about the things happening around him. He just knew his mother was sick.

John was 6 years but wasn't too attached to his mother so he sat by a corner and quietly watched Sam because he wanted to help out in one way.

Sam was a toddler so he sat in his crib watching everyone in the room.

Just then, Chris remembered Sam so he quickly strode across the room to where the baby's crib was.

"Daddy, what is the problem?" John asked after seeing the tears on his father's face.

"Nothing honey" he replied trying to force a smile on his face but it seemed like a very difficult task.

"Come on little man, come talk to mummy" he spoke again but to Sam this time. He gently picked up the toddler and easily strode back to his dying wife.

"Darling, have you seen our baby? I can't take care of him alone. So don't even think of dying and leaving all the responsibilities to me" Chris said while wiping some escaped tears.

Maria knew her family was trying to be strong for her. She couldn't even cry anymore. This is an irreversible condition and no amount of tears can change it, is what she kept chanting in her head but after every chant there's always a little voice reminding her that she will die which in turn made her scared.

She looked at her small family, one person at a time and lingering for a while on each person as if memorizing their face, except she was never seeing them again.

"I need a glass of water" Maria croaked and her husband immediately dropped the toddler in his crib and rushed out to get a bottle of water from the clinic's shop.

After a while, her husband not still back, she tried sitting up but felt dizzy. She noticed that her limbs are not responding but she still forced herself but then mistakenly shifted her breathing mask. She tried breathing but she couldn't. Her eyes grew wide after realizing that she might die of her carelessness and not by the sickness. She searched for her eldest son and found him comforting the smaller boys but she couldn't get his attention. She felt like all her organs were dead except her eyes and heart which was beating very fast.

Luke heard the increase beeping from a machine connected to his mum but didn't know what it meant. He looked over to where she layed and she looked calm with her eyes closed. He just thought she slept off, with a sigh, he turned back to Sam who was still wailing.

"Shhh…Sammy...shhh…mummy is sleeping please be quiet. Okay I'll buy you biscuit and juice…shhh…" Luke kept mumbling things to the toddler to calm him but it wasn't working.

'if mum was okay, she would know what to do' he thought making tears sting his eyes and he let them down freely. He was a child after all, he was allowed to cry.

"Honey I'm back". All the kids turned to see their dad with a bottle of water. When he got to the bed, he frowned. Something was not right, he thought.

"Daddy that machine was beeping so fast just now. Why is it quiet now?" Luke asked looking at his father for answers.

"No, no, no, no. This is not happening" Chris panicked and ran out of the room.

"Doctor, doctor, nurse, where are you, somebody help…" he screamed outside the room. He ran back into the room and tried shaking his wife again but got no reply. With tears streaming down his eyes, he was about to run out and call for help again but saw two nurses rush into the room.

"She isn't responding? what is going on? Please don't tell me she is no more, I don't want to hear it. Please save her, make her wake…" Chris kept talking.
One of the nurses ran to get the doctor while the other ran a quick check on her.
Not long, the doctor came in with more nurses, some carrying some tools

"I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you and the boys to step out for a while" the doctor told the crying man.
He quickly picked up crying Sam and ushered the rest outside the room.

They all sat on a bench facing the room where the dying woman layed. After a while, Chris felp impatient, he gave Sam, who had quieted down, to Luke, got up and paced along the corridor.
The doctor and nurses didn't spend much time in the room. They soon got out. While the doctor waited to talk to Chris, the nurses hurriedly walked away. The two men walked to a corner, a bit far from where the kids sat.

"I'm sorry sir, but you wife is no more"
Chris just looked at the doctor with wide eyes, he was tongue tied. He knew she would die soon but not this soon. He didn't know what to do or say.

"We will take her to the mortuary now and when you feel a bit okay, we need to talk. I have some things to tell you".
With that, the doctor forced on a smile, patted him on the shoulder and walked off.
Chris was devastated, he didn't know what his next move would be. He turned to the kids and found them looking at him.

"Let's go home" he finally found his voice

"We all can't leave mummy here. I'll stay with her" Mark said and got up from the bench heading to the room the doctor came out from.
His dad held him back before he could reach the door.

"Mummy is dead right?" Luke asked his dad looking so serious for his age
"Let's go home" he replied while trying not to breakdown.
With that they all walked out of the hospital, into their car and drove home.