MASON WILLIAMS AND THE CELESTIAL SYSTEM

$50,000 bill

The taxi stopped at the entrance of the central hospital, and the old taxi driver hastily opened the door for Mason, who glided out from the back seat with Helen's unconscious body in his hands. The old man nodded for Mason to go ahead and leave the fee, considering his emergency, and Mason wore an appreciative look and moved toward the building. The hospital was bustling as it was the weekend and was filled with emergency patients. He headed straight to the ER.

"Excuse me!" With Helen in his hands, Mason charged forward, and people who saw him cleared his path.

"Nurse!" Mason's voice shivered as he stared at Helen, who was still unconscious. Mason was familiar with the wreck of losing a loved one, and it was a nightmare he had yet to overcome. The thought of losing another sent tremors down his body. "Nurse!" He screamed louder.

"Right here," two female nurses quickly approached him with a stretcher. "What happened to her?" One of them inquired while the other took Helen from his hands and placed her on the stretcher.

"I…I don't know. She couldn't breathe, and suddenly she collapsed." Mason replied, recalling Helen collapsing to the ground. It was the second time she had collapsed, and the first time was a few weeks ago, which was a day before her heart transplant.

"Wasn't she the one who underwent a heart transplant recently?" The nurse asked, her gaze switching from him to Helen.

"Yes," Mason confirmed, shaking his head. "She recently went through a heart transplant. Nurse, what's wrong with my sister? Please help me."

"Has she been taking the prescribed medication?" The nurse asked.

Earlier today, Mason noticed Helen's drugs had finished and planned on buying another one immediately after his salary was paid so she could continue her medication.

"She didn't take her medicine this morning," Mason replied. "I planned on buying them today, But I got home late."

"We are going to do our best to make sure she is okay," the nurse nodded at Mason, who was trailing behind them. "You have to wait here," she said, approaching the emergency ward.

"But-"

"Please just do as you're told, sir," The nurse replied, already attaching an oxygen mask to Helen. Mason nodded like a child and watched as they disappeared through the closed door, separating him from his sister.

It had been twenty minutes since the nurse took Helen through the door with a staff-only sign created on it. Mason was restless, glancing at his watch every passing second. He ran his trembling hands through his curl. He constantly stared at the closed door with anxiety running through his veins. It was already 9 pm at this time, which didn't look like it due to the crowd trooping in and out of the hospital.

"Excuse me."

Mason jerked his head forward, jumping when he heard the masculine voice. The doctor who exited the door approached him. "Are you the relative of the girl who was brought in?" He said.

Mason nodded his head. "Yes, I'm her big brother," he replied immediately. "What is wrong with my sister doctor?"

"Come with me," the doctor replied, and Mason nodded, trailing behind him.

Mason's heart ached as they approached where Helen was. He watched his sister through the transparent glass; she lay on the hospital bed, breathing through the oxygen mask. Even when the cardiac machine reading her pulse said she was stable, that didn't ease Mason's mind.

"She is a strong girl," the doctor said, interrupting Mason's thought. He tilted his head to the doctor, whose hand was folded around his chest. "How long had she been having the chest pain?" the doctor asked, sending a puzzled look on Mason's face.

Chest pain?

"Chest pain? Mason asked, bringing his questions to reality.

"This isn't the first time she has had those pains in her chest. And if you ain't even aware of it, God knows how long she had been enduring it."

These words made Mason's heartache, and he tilted his head to his sister. "I am sorry, Helen," Mason muttered to himself. "How long have you been enduring those pains? You should have told me I am the older one; I should be the one worrying about you and not the other way around."

Even though Helen was nine, she was always worried about Mason, who would return home tired from his job. Sometimes, she had suggested joining Mason, but he refused and told her it would make him happy if she was not worrying about him and focused on her studies.

The thought alone of Helen going through tremendous pain without his slightest knowledge hurt him the more.

"Is she going to be alright?" Mason's voice cracked.

"Mr?"

"Mason Williams," Mason answered.

"Mr.Williams, she is stable for now," the young doctor said. "After the results from the test, the hospital suggested it would be better if she stayed under our observation and received some treatment considering her condition."

Mason nodded in response and swallowed hard at his statement, knowing what would come next.

"But the treatment is expensive, Mr.Williams." the doctor sighed as if he could read Mason's financial status.

"How much?" Mason gulped, mentally calculating his savings.

"Fifty thousand dollars, and she will be assigned a personal nurse until her treatment ends, which would run for a month."

Mason's heart dropped instantly, and his ear muffled every other word the doctor uttered.

Where on earth was he ever going to get that kind of money? He didn't have any parents who would assist him in these critical times since they both grew up as orphans. Even the bank would only grant him such a loan if he had property he could use as collateral. He knew this very well because he had gone to the bank the first time Helen required a heart transplant.

"Mr. Williams?" The doctor called, dragging Mason out of his thoughts. "What is your response?" he asked, staring at Mason.

"D…Do what you must to save her; I will come up with the money," Mason replied, glancing at the doctor, who nodded in response.

"Her treatment will begin immediately, but it will only continue when you have the down payment for her treatment." the doctor said, and with a heave of his shoulder, Mason nodded his head.