When Chloe left the hospital, it was past eight in the evening, and a thin drizzle had begun to fall. She took the bus back to the office.
As she entered the company lobby, she spotted Donovan standing tall and distinguished, one hand casually tucked into the pocket of his dress pants, the other holding a cell phone and speaking to the receptionist. The bright spotlights in the lobby made him seem even more distinguished and unattainable.
Chloe's heart skipped a beat.
'It used to be that I wouldn't see him for months, but why is it that recently he's always here?'
He brushed past Chloe while on the phone, and she wasn't sure if he heard her soft utterance, "Mr. Blake."
After taking the elevator, Chloe turned around only to find that Donovan's figure had disappeared into the night. The rain was pouring down now, and she wondered if he had brought an umbrella. Her father had always left home without one, and it was always Chloe who chased after him to hand it over. He would pat her head and say, "Chloe's grown up, taking care of me now."
Tears blurred Chloe's eyes.
Chloe worked overtime until four in the morning. She didn't plan on returning to her rented place and decided to catch a quick nap at the office while waiting for the workday to begin.
She had barely settled at her desk when her phone's ringtone jolted her awake. Seeing that it was Dr. Johnson calling, she quickly picked up the phone. In the past two years, calls from Dr. Johnson meant either a deterioration in Hollis's condition or another reminder to pay the hospital bills.
"Chloe," Dr. Johnson said with a hint of urgency, "after you left yesterday, your mother developed a fever. We suspect it's due to mucus accumulation in her lungs."
"How serious is it?" Chloe asked, standing up from her seat, her heart racing with concern.
"Don't panic just yet," the doctor reassured her, "We've performed an emergency procedure, and her condition is currently stable. However, with yesterday's surgery and this month's hospitalization, the total cost is estimated at around sixty thousand dollars. It's crucial to settle this in one go. Delaying payments puts us in a difficult position at the hospital. Additionally, given your mom's condition and both you and Jacob working, have you considered hiring a nurse? Regular care like repositioning and cleaning can help prevent infections."
Chloe stood there, dazed. On top of working an exhausting night shift, this was like a bolt from the blue. She couldn't afford sixty thousand dollars – she couldn't even come up with six thousand right now.
Her monthly internship stipend at New East International Group was a mere six thousand five hundred dollars, and with half a month left before her next paycheck, she still had to cover rent. Even with the prospect of obtaining her CPA certification and the promise of a higher income in the future, that was still a year away. She was fully aware that Dr. Johnson had gone above and beyond for her – without his unwavering support, her mother might have already been discharged from the hospital.
Sixty thousand dollars. It was a fortune. She had already borrowed from every relative, and now there was nobody left who would lend them money. As Chloe felt utterly lost, she suddenly remembered what Donovan had said the night before. Sixty thousand seemed so little compared to five million. Her resolve began to waver.
The need to hire a nurse for Hollis was clear. Dr. Johnson had mentioned it before, but Chloe had never been able to afford it. Now, the consequences of not having a nurse were becoming painfully apparent with her mother's improper care leading to the accumulation of phlegm in her lungs. It was necessary to hire a nurse.
'Chloe knew that for someone like Donovan, finding a woman to marry would be easy. Could there have been any changes since last night?' she wondered, growing more agitated by the minute. She got up and headed for Donovan's office door.
It was just past five in the morning, and Donovan's office was still empty. Chloe waited at the door, fighting off sleep.
As Chloe dozed off, Donovan arrived.