Once the doctor’s head peeped through the door and caught sight of Fanny and Melissa well seated by the side of sickly Lisa Bake he sounded excitedly, “Excuse me Fanny. I have some good news to tell you.”
Fanny shut a striking nervous stare at Melissa and she did same. They wondered what good news that the doctor had to give other than the half a million dollars being provided.
“You just have to stay back with granny. I will be with you in a minute. Let me go and hear the good news,”
Fanny spoke to Melissa and disappeared.
Upon getting into the spacious office the doctor raised a newspaper to his sight and pointed at the headline: Mike Don The World Richest Man To Pay A Visit To Madwick Hospital.
The doctor read it aloud and cast an anxious stare upon the restless face of Fanny Luis, “What does it tell you Fanny Luis?”
Through raised brow and trembled lips Fanny Luis managed to say, “Are you telling me that the world richest man is going to pay a visit to the hospital today, uh?”
The doctor swung in his chair and uttered yet further, “Not just that. When I read further I got to know he is visiting today with his entourage and the ministry of health.” The doctor paused , tapped his fingers severally on the desk and said, “His purpose is to pay the medical bills of all the patients , especially the less privileged ones .” He rubbed his palms excitedly and intoned, “All things being equal your mother is going to be among the top five names I would present to him.”
“Ah! Ah! uh!” Fanny contemplated and grinned before breathing uneasily , “Um doctor are you…” he stuttered and lowered his gaze in guilt, “Are you sure he is going to pay my mother’s medical bills?”
The doctor dragged a menacing brow at him, “Yes of course Fanny Luis. Come to think of it are you supposed to be asking me that question? I thought Mike Don is your son-in-law. What are you hiding from me, Fanny?”
Fanny Luis shook his head in disapproval, sniffed back the tears that were about to well up in his eyes , “Doctor, please can we just discuss something else and forget about Brian Patrick or whatever he is called. You say he is going to be of help to my mother. I would be excited and be the happiest man if he should pay my mother’s medical bills…”
The doctor snorted and briefly shut his eyes as he wondered what must have transpired between us, “Well since you don’t want to tell me what it is that is between you and your son-in-law, hopefully he will pay Lisa’s medical bills because she is the number one less privileged patient at my hospital at the moment.”
Fanny’s brow chiseled as he stamped his feet on the floor, “I beg your pardon, doctor. My mother is not less privileged. I am Fanny Luis, once the richest mogul in Rio Hondo . I made money before the so-called Brian Patrick or whatever he is called. If not for his vengeance and wickedness, I wouldn’t be in your hospital sourcing for meager half a million dollars to pay my mother’s medical bills.”
The doctor dimmed his eyes at him in tolerance and smiled briefly, “Come on Fanny Luis, you are taking this too personal. But literally I am stating the obvious. Some days ago we had general ward round and statistics show that it is only your mother that is owing the hospital such amount of money . I expected you to pay half of it, but it seems you are broke and back on your last toes…”
Furiously Fanny stamped his hands on the desk and the doctor flinched within his chair, “I am not broke!” he beamed through wailing tone, “I am not back on my last toes. It is just a matter of time, I will get back my wealth and shine. I may be broke now but that is not my end…” he broke down in tears and left the office in wrath.
Later that same day Fanny and Melissa were staring hopefully at the stilly face of Lisa Bake when a sonorous wail of siren blared somewhere outside the hospital.
Hastily they scuttled to the window to behold my convoy of Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati, Lamborghini and vintage car laden with police, all lined up in their glory. This time around I was accompanied by the ministry of health.
Paparazzi and journalist hounded the Madwick Hospital. Flashes of light from camera at different angles shot at me.
Promptly a band of police officers and my well-suited, nice-looking security and protocol officers stood in row and chested out as a few opened the door for me to alight.
And once my foot stepped on the ground the whole of police officers and my security bowed and hailed, “Welcome the world richest man!”
“This is more than wealth, father,” Melissa mumbled next to her father, who was gaping at the scene and he was short of words.
“Brian Patrick is the god of wealth now. The earlier we accept the truth the better.” She shook her head in loss and grinned hugely.
“You don’t need to remind me, daughter. It is all playing before me, even government officials bow to him now. What a man!” he tilted his gaze to Melissa and said yet further, “The doctor says he will be visiting the hospital to pay off the medical bills of some less privileged patients…”
“Hmmm, is it that of all the hospitals in Rio Hondo, it is only Madwick hospital that he found worthy to visit?” She snorted and lowered her gaze, “What does it tell you father?”
Through clenched teeth Fanny groaned, “I know my daughter. He is out to ridicule us again. He knows Lisa Bake is admitted here and he wants to rub it on our face by paying the bills of other patients leaving Lisa Bake …”
Melissa shook her head, “if he doesn’t see the patients we may benefit from it because I told the doctor early enough about changing the name of Lisa Bake so that he won’t know she is related to us, when he will be paying the bills…”
Fanny Luis smiled briefly , “That was thought of you, daughter. Let’s hope it works that way.”