Ben's contact was the first number Drake noticed on Delia's phone as he sped along the by-pass, avoiding the long, hectic traffic. It seems she had wanted to call him before her attack.
Drake kept adjusting his darted gaze from the road, back to Delia who laid lifeless at the back seat and at the phone in his hands.
"Hung in there, Love" He cried. He was breathing hard and his brow bathed with sweat– He instinctively dialed Ben's line. With just a few rings, Ben's voice echoed from the receiver's end.
"Your mother had been shot, Ben and had rushed her to the hospital – Ryne hospital " He announced; the line suddenly dropped afterwards.
Soon, he pulled over in front of the hospital, Drake hastened down from his end and rushed to Delia. He immediately scooped her in his arms and raced off into the hospital.
" Fight on, Delia, please..." His trembling voice stammered while he shuffled through the corridors.
"Help us, please – She's dying" He shouted and a few nurses raced to their aid with a stretcher.
Although Ben had a cold character and all–yet his mother remained a softer part of him, no matter how rude he turns to her. He always shudder to think of loosing her just like he lost Mavin, although he spent his entire livelihood without her in the picture.
With the split of light, his car pulled over in front of Ryne hospital; he swiftly swung his legs out of the car and raced off. Just when he got to the corridor, he noticed his mother's blood covered body being pulled away, towards the emergency ward.
"Mum!" He howled which brought Drake's gaze on him. He stared at the young man in the distance with pitiful eyes– his white sleeves stained with blood.
"Ben–" He mumbled on an impulse.
Ben, without further words, dashed towards them– He immediately held the stretcher just when he neared them, causing them to halt in their steps. Ben instinctively laid over her in tears.
"Mum?– Mum!" He screamed.
"Put yourself together " A nurse mumbled and as if on a sudden impulse, she quickly added. "We need to take her now, her conditions may worsen if her operation is delayed. Drake on hearing that, held him away from the stretcher, making way for them to proceed. Ben violently cried as he struggled to free himself from his arms ; He finally succeeded in freeing himself and held Drake by his collar bone.
"What did you do to my mother!" He screamed. Drake instinctively held his hand and shook it off him.
"Let go off, me– I have no idea of what happened to Delia! ; Pull yourself together! " He barked with a creased brow but his eyes expressed his empathy. Ben instinctively felt numb as he stared at him ; his face contorted and his body trembled. He shook with tears as he slowly faint to the floor– Drake hugged him.
"I'm sorry, dear– So sorry you're going through all this" He consoled
*********
Hansel sat in the dark with his legs crossed and his back leaned over the sofa as he took a sip of the glass of wine in his hand, over a cigarette. A sinister smile displaced on his lips following the ring from his phone.
"Yes, Foil– Tell me the good news" His voice sounded.
"Mission accomplished " He stated and Hansel chuckled.
" Good " He laughed while he uncrossed his legs and inched forward from his seat, placing down the glass– He jerked from the sofa and paced in the hall.
"Let's see how she returns from that grave of hers to fight for custody" He chortled and then dropped the line.
EMERGENCY WARD
Delia's operation had already started, all the nurses and doctors' hands were on desk as they fought like soldiers at the war front while they battled to save her life. A sudden beep, beep sound from the monitor showing her life line alarmed them; their gazes became alert.
" What happened?– I thought she was doing well" A doctor queried with a nervous gaze, their movement instinctively became fleet as they tried every means to bring her condition to stability.
" Her blood level suddenly dropped" One announced.
" What's her blood type? – Call for them to bring us some blood" He exclaimed and on a sudden impulse, urged the rest.
"Come on, let's try to hold her condition to stability while they're not yet in with the blood, huh?"
Everyone briskly went on their way to help stabilize the situation while Fina, the nurse who had reported Delia's situation sped to the telephone on the wall, right inside the ward to deliver the information.
"Blood, AB negative needed urgently " She announced.
"Wait a second "A soft voice answered from the receiver's end of the phone. Within a sec, the voice came again. "Sorry, none available now – hold on while we find a donor soon "
"What?– But it's very urgent, I'm not sure we can wait that much; we may lose the patient before you even find one." She spoke with so much heat that for a moment, the voice remained silent. The others stared at her in anxiety.
" What's going on?" The doctor asked but the voice over the phone cut in sufficiently to push her point further. "That's the only option, Fina"
She had no other option than to agree while they find ways to keep the patient stable till the blood arrives.
"Okay, go ahead– We'll hang in here till it comes " She answered and returned the phone, turning back to the rest of the team.
" We presently have no AB negative in our blood bank, they're on their way to find a donor" She transmitted the message.
"And can we hold on that long? " Another nurse asked.
"We have no other choice– Let's do our best, till then" The doctor replied.
**************
Drake leaned over the wall of the corridor leading to the emergency ward with his fixed gaze on the young nervous man, pacing along the door of the ward. He mused as he watched his stepson battling with his emotions – His athletic frame shuttered in agony. Drake's heart instinctively burst with sorrow. Just then, he heard a nurse howled from the counter.
"Blood, AB negative needed for the patient in the emergency ward– It's urgent."
"Delia?" His gaze instinctively travelled back to the emergency ward and back to the counter. Without hesitation, he sped to the counter.
"Please take my blood, I'm AB negative and the patient is my wife" He stuttered. Ben's gaze spontaneously fled to him.
"Blood?– They need blood for my mother?" He stammered and rushed over to their end.
" Okay, follow me" He heard the nurse say to Drake when he neared them. He hastened after them as they sauntered off.
A few test were carried out on Drake but the result came out, impossible for him to donate since there were some complications– Ben instantly volunteered.
" I'm AB negative as well, please take mine–She 's my mother" He added on an impulse.
"Okay, let's get started then"
They swiftly went through his health records and with a few test, he qualified to donate.
EMERGENCY WARD
Beep, Beep, Beep – The sound became more fluent now and they noticed they were at the end of it. All means to hold her on had already being applied and blood was still not in.
"What to we do now? " Fina asked in a nervous tone.
"Nothing, this is the best we can do" The doctor replied. " All we can do now is to just watch her pass to the other end" He added with tears in his eyes. They all hopelessly stared at the monitor as it kept beeping and the curved lines gradually turned straight.
"The blood is here ! " A voice announced.