GRAND RETURN OF THE WAR LORD

Chapter 4

Third Point Of View 

There was a life on the line and it was not Logan's. It was the life of the person he loved and cherished the most. 

Time was running fast and as each second passed, the only thing he could think of was how slowly the old man was dying. 

Logan was going crazy. His shirt was buttoned half way and his hair was not brushed neatly. 

He jumped into the next taxi he saw, pleading with the driver to take him to the hospital whose address he had.

His heart kept pounding greatly in his chest that he feared his rib cage was about to burst open. 

Every second felt like a lifetime as he imagined the worst. What if he dies immediately he gets to the hospital?

He kept on uttering all sorts of prayers that the driver thought he was a mad man. 

Was this how he was going to live his life? He was so worthless and poor to the extent that he had nothing to offer in return to the man who had saved him from death!

In split seconds, he arrived at the hospital and he burst through the hospital doors and was directed to the critical care unit.

His stomach kept rumbling as he approached the room and goose bumps filled his body. 

He didn't know what to expect. 

As he stepped his right foot into the ward, the sight that greeted him stopped him cold. 

The old man laid there, feeling pale and weak, with tubes, oxygen and wires attached to his frail body.

His chest rose and fell with so much difficulty and each breath was such a struggle for the old man. 

The beeping machines echoed in the room and it was a harsh reminder that time was running out. 

There was not much time on his side. He was going to be dead soon if nothing happened. 

Logan felt a lump rise in his throat.

He stepped closer with his hands and feet trembling. 

The old man, who had once been so full of life, now looked like a shadow that could barely be recognised. 

Logan’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces like a broken glass as he watched the man struggle to stay alive. 

“Please... stay with me,” Logan whispered to him. His voice was already breaking as he struggled to fight back tears. “Don’t leave me. Not like this. Remember, what I have promised you.”

The old man didn’t respond and his eyes remained closed. 

Reality hit Logan like a punch in his throat. This situation was too critical to be standing like a fool. He could see that the old man was slowly giving up and his hands were tied at the moment. 

He wiped away the hot tears that had already forced its way down his eyes. 

He turned towards the door, looking for the doctor. He needed to ask the doctors some questions. He needed to plead with him if there was another alternative.  

After a few minutes of searching, he found the doctor in his office, going over some files. 

He looked up when he entered and he didn't utter a word. He already knew why he was here.

“Doctor,” Logan began with a painful tone. “I need to know what I can do to save him. You said all he needs is surgery, right? Fine. Let’s get it started. Please.”

The doctor sighed. He lifted his face from the documents that he was going through and rested his eyes on Logan. 

“Mr. Logan, I understand how hard this must be for you, but the hospital policy is very strict. We can’t proceed with the surgery unless you provide at least part of the payment upfront.”

Logan’s heart sank. This was the worst. He had hoped the doctor would consider his situation and do something at least. 

“But... I don’t have anything. I’m begging you, please. He is all I have got. Take pity on me and start the surgery. He is dying, doctor! He is dying on the bed that he is laying on!”

The doctor shook her head, still standing firm on what he said earlier. 

Although his eyes were filled with so much sympathy for the man in front of him, he could hardly do anything. 

He was not heartless. It was just the hospital rules. If he goes against it, his job would be at stake.

“I’m sorry, but the cost is too high for us to cover without assurance of payment. The surgery alone is going to be incredibly expensive. If you can’t provide part or full payment, we can’t proceed, Mr. Logan.”

He sounded so harsh to Logan and his legs suddenly became so weak to carry his body. 

“Are you saying that there is nothing that you can do about this? No way to start the surgery and I can pay later?” he asked. His eyes were already filled with tears again and this time, he didn’t stop it from flowing. 

“Please, I will figure something out. Just help me. You are human for God's sake. Don't harden your heart towards me. I have no one except him. Don't you get it?” he said, almost yelling at the doctor. 

He was frustrated. What was he going to do to make him help him? Should he roll on the floor and cry his eyes out? 

The doctor’s countenance softened towards him, but it didn't change anything. His answer was still the same. 

“I wish I could help, but the hospital has strict rules. You need to bring the money first. I’m truly sorry and I sympathize with you. I value my job the same way I value human lives, Mr. Logan. I sincerely hope you find your way around this.”

“Bullshit! Bullshit, doc! Fuck the rules! Fuck you and fuck everybody. If this old man dies, his blood will be on your neck,” he ranted out and stormed out of the office. 

His heart felt like it had been ripped out of his chest. Every word the doctor said felt like another nail in the coffin. 

His pleas had fallen on deaf ears, and now the man who had saved him was lying there, fighting for his life, and Logan could do nothing.

He had to make a quick decision, he pulled out his phone and called his friend, the one he had gone to the club with the night before. Maybe, just maybe, his friend could help.

The phone rang, and Logan’s heart raced with every ring. When his friend finally answered, Logan wasted no time in telling him about his ordeal. 

“Hey, man, it’s me. Please, I need your help. I’m at the hospital, and my old man is in a critical condition. He needs surgery, but I can’t pay for it. I was hoping... I was hoping you could lend me some money. Just enough to get the surgery started. Please, I will pay you back, I swear I will.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Logan’s heart sank further with each second that passed.

He prayed that he would get a positive response from him. 

“I’m really sorry, Logan,” his friend finally said, “But my business is in a deep mess. I need to raise funds myself. I have got investors breathing down my neck, and if I don’t get the money soon, I will be in serious trouble too. I wish I could help, but I can’t. Not right now.”

Logan’s heart dropped into his stomach. How could his friend turn his back on him when he needed him the most?

“Please,” he kept pleading, perhaps his friend would change his mind. "I have no one else to turn to."

“I’m sorry, man,” his friend repeated. “I really am. But I just can’t help you at the moment. I hope you find a way.”

Logan hung up without saying another word. His entire body felt numb. This was his last hope and it had just slipped away, and now he was left with nothing. 

No money, no help from anywhere. 

He walked out of the hospital and his mind kept racing as he tried to think of a way. Any way to raise the money. 

But every idea that came to him seemed impossible and illegal. If he did anything illegal, he would possibly end up in jail or get caught. 

How was he supposed to come up with two million dollars when he could barely afford food and rent?

He thought about selling everything he owned, but even that would not be enough.

What does he have that he wants to sell off? He had nothing of value. 

His job, if you could even call it that, barely paid enough to keep him on a normal day.  

No matter how hard he thought, every possible solution didn't look like it would work. They all fell apart before his very eyes. 

Frustrated and desperate, Logan left the hospital and found himself wandering the streets. 

His heart was surrounded with so much darkness that sunk deep into his soul. 

He had never felt more hopeless in his life. Everywhere he turned to ask for help, he was met with dead ends. No one could help him. No one cared about him. 

After walking aimlessly on the street in the middle of the city, he became exhausted and found a bench where he sat. 

His hands held his head tight as it kept pounding severely. The hot tears streaming down his face was enough to fill a bucket now. 

How had his life come to this? How could he be so helpless?

For hours, he sat there, staring at the ground, unable to think of anything that could help him from what he had found himself. 

While his face was buried in his hands as he thought of what to do, his phone buzzed in his pocket. 

He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. A call was coming in from an unknown number. 

“How come all these unknown motherfuckers keep calling me? Stay out of my life!” he blurted out in frustration and kept his phone away. 

After some minutes, the same number called again and he stared at the screen, contemplating if he should answer it or not. 

“Sophia?” he asked, surprised that she called him. He tried to hide surprise and continue with the conversation as if it was a normal one. 

“I would like to meet with you, Logan. I have something important to discuss with you,” she disclosed. 

“I'm sorry, Sophia. This is not the right time. I am very busy,” he declined, totally not interested in what she had to say to him. 

“Busy you say? I won't disturb you then. If you can afford to lose a very huge amount of money, then no problem.”

His eyes suddenly lit up as he heard money. This might be the answer to his question. 

“I'm interested. Where are we meeting and how much are we talking about here?’