Katrina sleeps restlessly that night.She is haunted by nightmares and her forehead beads with cold sweat. She whimpers throughout the night and jerks from time to time, waking Aaron up in the process. Because of this, Aaron also doesn"t sleep well.
As daybreak approaches, Katrina finally falls into a deep sleep.
When Aaron gets up, he watches Katrina with a sigh. He can"t bear to wake her up. Loosening his hold on her waist, he gets out of bed carefully and tiptoes to the bathroom.
While Aaron takes a bath, Katrina"s phone rings, she was awakened by the call, she quickly rubs her eyes and answers the phone in a daze. Who"s calling so early in the morning? I just started to sleep a few minutes ago!
As soon as she answers the phone, Farrah"s urgent voice cries out, "Katrina! Come to the hospital right now! Make it faster!"
Katrina jerks awake. With a strong sense of foreboding, she struggles to keep her voice calm and asks, "What"s wrong, Farrah?"
"It"s Mr. Anderson, and he"s in critical condition! He"s dying, Katrina! You need to be here before he pa.s.ses away," Farrah"s voice is trembling while informing Katrina.
Farrah"s words ring in Katrina"s head, shocking her into silence.
I don"t understand… Yesterday, the doctor told Farrah that Uncle Anderson still had a month to live. Even though he looked like he was in a lot of pain, he could still talk to me when I visited yesterday. How did his condition worsen so quickly? Why is this happening soon?
I thought I still had a month… How did this happen?
Tears start to blur Katrina"s eyes. "I"m on my way! I"ll be right there!" she says, hanging up the phone.
Katrina pulls the blanket away and gets out of bed, going to the closet to dress up. She felt so drained because of the news Farrah brought to her.
She is so distracted by the news that her hands are shaking while she puts on a dress. Overwhelmed with anxiety, she struggles to zip the dress up several times. She feels like bursting into tears. She burst into tears, and pain engulfs her heart. She only had her Uncle Carl as her family.
The sound of running water in the bathroom stops, and when Aaron emerges from the bathroom in a bathrobe, he is taken aback by the sight of Katrina dressing up.
She"s trembling, he realizes, watching her struggle with the zipper of her dress with tears in her eyes. I wanted her to sleep longer. Why is she suddenly up? What the h.e.l.l is going on?
Aaron strides towards Katrina and zips the dress up her back. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he hugs her from behind and whispers in her ear, "Why aren"t you sleeping? What happened?"
"Farrah just called me, Uncle Anderson"s in critical condition! He"s dying! I have to go to the hospital right now!" As soon as Katrina is dressed, she moves towards the door, anxious to get to the hospital.
Aaron frowns. I can"t let her go out on her own! She couldn"t even dress by herself, and something might happen to her!
He pulls Katrina back. "Give me a few minutes to change. I"ll take you to the hospital. Brush your teeth or fix your hair while you wait. I will not take long to dress up. Honey, please calm down, fix yourself first, we will go together,"
Seeing Aaron"s earnest face, Katrina nods despite her anxiety. "Okay."
Even if I rush out now, I won"t be able to get a taxi immediately. It will be quicker to let Aaron bring me to the hospital.
I just woke up, she remembers. I can"t go out like this. He is right, and I should fix myself first.
After Aaron goes to the wardrobe to dress up, Katrina rushes to the bathroom to brush her teeth and tidy herself up.
Five minutes later, Aaron takes Katrina by the hand and strides downstairs.
Comforting Katrina in her time of need is the only thing he can do. "No matter what happens, I"ll be there for her. He needs me this moment," he vows to himself.
At the sight of the couple, Randy hurries over and says, "Mr. Wilson, Miss Miller, breakfast is ready..."
Aaron keeps walking without even glancing at Randy. "No need for breakfast, we have to go. Katrina got an emergency,"
Randy watches in a daze as Aaron and Katrina rush out of the house. What happened? Why are they in a hurry? It"s unusual for them to leave in a hurry!
When they reach the car, Aaron lets go of Katrina"s hand and coaxes, "Get in and fasten your seatbelt."
Katrina quickly opens the door and settles herself inside, while Aaron circles the car and gets in the driver"s seat. After adjusting the mirrors, he fastens his seatbelt and hits the accelerator, heading straight for the hospital.
Knowing Katrina is in a hurry, Aaron drives fast the entire trip. It takes them nearly half the usual time to get to the hospital.
As soon as the car is parked, Katrina rushes out and runs to Carl"s room.
Aaron follows close behind, escorting her all the way through the hospital. He never says any words, yet he doesn"t fail to be with her this time.
The first person that Katrina sees is Farrah, who is hovering at the door of Carl"s room. The moment she sees Katrina, her eyes lit up, and she hurries over, "Katrina!"
Katrina asks, "Farrah, where"s Uncle Anderson? Is he inside?"
After a moment of hesitation, Farrah says slowly, "No, he"s not inside. He"s in the operating room for emergency treatment. Katrina, you have to prepare yourself. Your Uncle is dying. Whatever might happen, you should accept it. His chance of recovery is thin."
Every word that Farrah uttered seemed to explode like a bomb before Katrina"s. She could not accept that her Uncle might die so soon. This is probably the most painful truth she fears to face. Gradually, all the important people in her life disappeared.