Kiss of A Titan
Chapter 9

After his father had left, Richard closed the curtains and for the next couple of hours before five pm, late in the evening, he spent the hours crying alone in his bedroom. He hadn't felt much pain and devastation in his life but he was

comforted that his mother was still around to listen to his complaints.

He couldn't care less if his father had less money to spend and cater for him compared to a good number of families with resourceful substantial earnings to feed and match their monthly expenses. He had come across a lot of humble families dwelling in the local urban areas of Houston for the few years he had spent in this part of town especially the humble homes of his high school friends notably Linder and Clyde but he had craved the affection and companionship in his family which had gone dry ever since his mom went ill and Ben left to work overseas. All he prayed for and wanted was that his mom should recover from ailment which had been the sole cause of the numerous quarrels between him and his father. It was difficult for him to bear the loneliness and it was not until he made up his mind to leave for the hospital to see his mom that he stopped being depressed and sad about his father's sudden departure. He quickly freshened up with a nice hot bath prepared by the servants, to wipe out all traces of him crying and got himself dressed up in a simple outfit of a red T-shirt and black pants. The thought of him not having his lunch yet didn't bother him nor did he stop him from taking a ride out of the mansion in his father's SUV car. Fortunately, Robert had returned back to the house in the nick of time to give him the car keys and he was less thrilled to be granted the permission to drive around town in the same car he had pleaded with his father to buy for him as a gift for his twentieth birthday.

Before sunset, Richard had driven ten kilometers away from the confines of his house to the hospital which was situated at a less crowded landmark with few people seen at the odd hours passing by either on foot while those taking a ride home in either bus or taxi were usually fewer than their counterparts. The hospital was located in the central part of the city and in no less than an hour and thirty minutes drive from his house, Richard arrived at the open parking lot minutes before nightfall.

He had been carefully fast enough to arrive in his destination without encountering accidents on the way to see his mother at the hospital despite his inner depression that was taking a toll on him since his dad's departure and he was sure that the visiting hours usually occurs in the morning but nonetheless, he went inside the hospital to see whom he wanted to see at such odd hour of visitation only to meet the few nurses on duty.

At first, the few nurses and the patients he met at the hospital paid him no attention when he first stormed in. He was frantic and in a state of haste which he knew wasn't good for him but he had long forgotten the rules of the hospital. The lights in the hospital were too pale for him to decipher the few patients who were lazing around the first floor of the building under close watch of the few nurses on duty near the entrance of the hospital. He realized that the hospital was preparing for a lockdown period which would occur in the next hour after dusk and noticed that the nurses were settling down to keep to their night shift.

The first floor had been less crowded with few clients waiting for their turn to be called to the counter and patients tending to their affairs. Prior to his arrival, much of the nurses and doctors had retired early to their homes from the hospital leaving a handful of nurses on night duty and knowing that it would take much time for him to be attended to, Richard walked further inside, taking his time to ease his tensed nerves and to reflect on whom to meet. In spite of the fact that he knew the ward where his mom was detained, he wanted to check if he could obtain permission to see his mom knowing well the hospital rules binding on all the visitors who regularly pays visits to the patients at each ward. He didn't want to be driven out of the ward for not abiding by the rules of the hospital.

The elevator lift by his left suddenly opened and fortunately, a young slim nurse came out, heading his way with a man in a wheelchair from the elevator by the side of his left. Then he quickly made himself known to the nurse rolling the crippled patient in a wheelchair towards the other side of the corridor away from the counter.

"Excuse me, miss", Richard said, not sure if the strange way the nurse looked at him was friendly or not.

"What do you want?"

"Uh....I'm here to see my mom...and", "I'm sorry but I can't help you, visiting hours ended in the afternoon and you can only see her tomorrow", she replied after letting go of the wheelchair, "Look, I know that because I've been visiting her for the past two years", "Then why did you come to the hospital so late in the evening?"

"It's kind of urgent", "What's urgent?"

"Sorry but I can't tell you. It's personal", Richard replied, despite knowing his chances of seeing his mom right away would be jeopardized "If you can't give a lucid explanation, then I can't help you", She replied and bent down to take hold of the wheelchair but Richard grabbed her left wrist. She was utterly terrified and completely shocked by Richard's behavior and wanted to scream, "Please, Listen, I really need to see her. I promise I won't take long", Richard bravely demanded regardless of the fact that his actions were utterly implicative rather than friendly. He knew that she could charge him with assault but he was desperate and she could see that. She couldn't speak and stared horrifically at him "I......Let go of me first", she requested politely and Richard let go of her hand. Just then, another nurse on her way to the elevator saw Richard and recognized him at first glance.

"Richard....that's you, right?" she asked from afar and went to meet them looking transfixed at each other, "What are you doing here at this time of the night?", "Glad to see you, Nurse Lucy", Richard spoke first after a slight pause. "You too, you didn't quite answer the question earlier", "I'm here to see my mom actually", "Your mom....?"

"And I told him he can't see her because visiting hours has already ended", the younger nurse intruded in her own line of defense.

"I see", "Nurse Lucy, I won't take long. Something urgent came up and she need to know about it", Richard explained hoping his petition would be granted. Nurse Lucy sighed and thought for a while.

"Fine, I'll help you but there'll be no next time", "Thanks a lot. I'm grateful for your help. Can I go see her myself, if that's... okay with you?", "Uh..... Actually, yes", Nurse Lucy replied and looked around to see if the other nurses were lurking around the fairly dark corridor, "But we transferred her ward to different last week and you can find her if you take the right hallway down to your left", Nurse Lucy directed.

"Is that so? Thanks again for your help", Richard replied in sincere gratitude and whisked himself away from the two women but he stopped abruptly at the remembrance of something Nurse Lucy didn't mention, "Oh, I forgot", "What did you forget?" It was a young nurse who asked him.

"I need to know the ward she was transferred to, just in case I can't find it", "It's ward nineteen. Hurry up now and go see her", Nurse Lucy replied and Richard walked away. He was keen enough to find his mother in the new ward she was transferred in and found her taking a nap on the hospital bed with a few patches of needles attached with narrow valves strapped on her body, particularly her left wrist. As he walked in, he saw that she was growing thinner than when he last visited her at the hospital and stifled a tear drop when he remembered the sharp pain inside his heart.

The room was a bit darker than usual and the venetian blind used in concealing the window as slightly open which paved the way for the chilly wind to enter into the tight spaced compartment.

Richard was careful enough not to make a slightest noise with his footsteps as he ventured further into the room. He didn't want to wake his mother up from the sleep and ruin her time to rest. Then his eyes trailed off his mother lying on the bed next to the beeping machine erected at her bedside which displayed the pace of her pulse and the rhythmic flow of her heartbeat.

He knew the cold wind wasn't good for her health and quickly pulled on the rope in order to close the blind. Then he returned back to keep her company at her bedside. He stopped beside the bed and watched her as she slept peacefully on the bed. The very sight of his mom sleeping eased his temper and placated his warring heart. He decided to leave and come back another time since he didn't want to ruin her peace time with disturbing news which he knew would not be too good for her. He took a few moments to peer at his sleeping mom but the pain in his heart was too heavy for him to bear and he didn't know when tear drops rolled down his cheeks from his eyelids.

It was only when he felt like crying that he held his mouth to prevent himself from making too much noise. The darkness in the room had helped conceal him in the shadows and the only light that was present in the room was the one gleaming on his mother's face which enhanced her beautiful apparel. He could see her face still possessing that prettiness she always had before she got sick and the wrinkles he thought would be severe considering her old age of forty. The sight of his mother not only appeased the temper he had been nursing because of his father's departure but also inflicted tearful wounds of pain and agony in his heart. He thought about keeping it a secret from her but he drove away the thought from his mind even though he felt that it would be too hard for her to bear. After spending a profound moment of silence standing by her side, Richard hitched up the blanket from his mother's abdomen and tucked her comfortably in the hospital bed. As he did this, she issued out a low moan and moved slightly. He paused as he felt a sudden flush of nervousness in his heart when he was about to touch the pillow, hoping she wouldn't make any further noise that would disturb her slumber. He felt he would get caught if he continued any further.