Page 57 of Lost Room Lawyer
“Yes, it does,” she disagreed. “It was important to you. It had been keeping you up for days.”
“It was … okay. Feels like it was ages ago.” I had just been sitting with Hector, Viktoria, and my father at the same tableeating risotto an hour ago. “Why didn’t you tell me about the red spots?”
“Because you would have just worried.”
“And now you’re here.”
“It seems like it was meant to be,” she said wearily. “You know, my grandfather also died of blood cancer, but …”
“You’re not going to die,” I interrupted. “That was ages ago. There are much better treatment options today.”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I’ll have this treatment, and everything will be okay.”
***
In less than twenty-four hours, I found myself on the bed, holding my mother in my arms. As her condition deteriorated with each passing hour, my sense of helplessness deepened. While she slept, I roamed the hospital corridors, compulsively typing on my phone. Now and then, I received messages and responded without much thought.
Dominic came by, and after he left, Viktoria unexpectedly appeared in front of me. I didn’t recognize her at first in her white doctor’s coat. Leo visited on Thursday, but I hardly noticed his presence. When there was no improvement by Saturday despite the chemotherapy, I lost my temper and shouted at Dr. Berger, demanding that he take decisive action.
My mother’s condition continued to deteriorate. Her body seemed to be eating itself from within. Her skin was pale and her eyes glassy. On Saturday afternoon, she weakly held my hand and gave me a sad smile.
“I love you, Nicola. Never forget that.”
“But you … you’ll get better …”
Those were her last words before she lost consciousness.
The monitors were not responding and there were no alarms, so I ran out and called a nurse. Shortly after, Dr.Berger confirmed that my mother had fallen into a coma and immediately began life support.
I sat there, frozen, next to the bed, my mouth agape as I watched the staff intubate my mother.
I didn’t even realize I had stopped breathing until my body gasped for air. Had I just been beaten? That’s what it felt like, I was sure. It felt like a hole had opened up beneath me, and I was falling. Deeper and deeper into pitch-black darkness.
The hours dragged on slowly, and I kept hoping she would wake up any moment. The constant struggle against negative thoughts was increasingly exhausting. Yet, I had to cling to hope, as it was all I had left. My tears had run dry; the shock had taken them all.
“I can’t believe this!” I heard Maya’s voice outside the door late Sunday afternoon; anger tinged her faltering voice. “This has all happened so quickly. It’s almost like Andy Hug.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Dr. Berger responded. “We’re dealing with a similar disease progression here.”
“That was twenty years ago,” Maya retorted. “By now, research should be advanced enough to cure something like this.”
“Unfortunately, Rina’s illness was detected too late.”
My thoughts were a storm of confusion. I only noticed Maya when she placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I brought you something to eat,” she said kindly, setting a jar and a chocolate bar on the table.
“I’m not hungry.” My voice was heavy and husky. The knot around my chest had tightened.
Maya ignored my words and removed the plastic lid from the jar. “It’s important that you eat something, Nico. Here.”
She pressed a spoon into my hand and managed a smile. The savory scent of gravy wafted up to me, prompting me to take a look at the food.
It didn’t surprise me much that it was mashed potatoes, carrots, and meat. Maya belonged to a generation that served hearty meals. But she seemed to be clever, as the fact that I didn’t have to chew much helped me eat a bit.
“Who is Andy Hug?” I asked between spoonfuls.
“A Swiss kickboxer,” she replied briefly, while adjusting my mother’s blanket.
