When There Is Nothing Left But Love

“Mrs. Fuller, you’re back from the trip,” Stella greeted me.

I was so mesmerized by her drastic change that I fell silent for a moment. After a while, I threw a smile at her and nodded. “Yeah. By the way, are you going out with someone? You look gorgeous.”

“You’re flattering me, Mrs. Fuller.” She blushed. We both laughed.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Sasha’s mother. I answered the call as I knew it was around the time that she would ask me for money for Renee’s chemotherapy.

Instead of the usual sobbing I was expecting, the woman sounded calm on the other end. Instead, she forced calmness into her voice and said, “Mrs. Fuller, are you free to come over? Renee wants to see you and thank you personally.”

She sounded rather unusual to me, so I asked in confusion, “Mrs. Brooks, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just that Renee wants to express her gratitude for your generous support with her medical fees.”

I promised her I would stop by. I ended the call, bade Stella farewell, then headed to the hospital.

I hated the iodoform smell in the hospital, so I quickened my pace to Renee’s room. Both her grandparents were in the ward with her. They had aged considerably when I last saw them two weeks ago. Now, their wrinkles were more prominent, and they looked haggard.

stood up from her seat when she saw me entered the room. “Mrs. Fuller, thank you for

hadn’t eaten, so I agreed to stay and looked after Renee. Then, they excused themselves and went to the cafeteria. The emotion I felt when I looked at the child

bed with a pale and gaunt face. It was heart-breaking to see such a lovely girl terribly emaciated because of cycles

treatments. Renee deserved the best specialist out there who could cure her illness. It was just unbearable to

was surprised to see me. “Ms. Stovall…” she called out my name with a quavering

wake you

her head and looked at me. “Where

for lunch. Renee, are you thirsty?

Thanks,

held her bony hand. My heart ached for

little kids, so we fell into silence. I noticed her gaze drifting from me to the ceiling

Stovall, am I dying?” She

to suppress my tears and force a smile. “No. The doctor will cure you, and you will get well very soon. After that, you can run outside, play under the blue sky, or even go

eyes sparkled