Chapter 2
Clara the nurse rushed around the reception desk, dropping to her knees beside Lily as the little girl slid toward the linoleum floor.
“Lily! Stay with me, sweetie,” Leo cried out, his voice cracking with a terror that clawed at his throat.
Clara pressed her fingers gently against Lily’s burning forehead, her professional composure fracturing into raw empathy.
“She has a severe infection, Arthur. Her appendix might be rupturing. We need to admit her right now.”
Dr. Harrison didn’t even look down from his towering height, tapping his pen against his clipboard with bureaucratic coldness.
“Admission requires a credit card, insurance, or a cash deposit of five thousand dollars. Do these kids look like they can pay five thousand dollars, Clara?”
Leo scrambled up from the floor, desperation turning his hazel eyes wild and piercing.
“I told you, I can work! I’ll clean floors, wash windows, carry trash—anything! Just fix my sister!”
Clara looked deep into Leo’s tear-filled eyes, a heavy conflict washing over her kind features. She glanced around the lobby, noticing a couple of visitors pulling out their smartphones to record the commotion. An idea, desperate and unconventional, sparked in her mind. She pulled out her own phone, unlocked the screen, and knelt down eye-level with the shivering children.
“I'm sorry, sweethearts. We're not able to offer formal work to children here,” Clara whispered, her voice softening.
Leo felt his heart plummet into a dark abyss, his breathing turning ragged.
“However, if people like, follow, comment and share your story, I'll help your family to do a good job with a fair salary,” Clara said quickly, holding up her phone camera to record a brief video clip of the children.
Lily weakly raised her head, blinking through heavy tears, while Leo stared straight into the lens, his young face carrying the weight of the world.
Without missing a beat, the children spoke in unison, their voices echoing in the quiet lobby.
“Please like, follow, comment and share our story. We'll be waiting for your support. Thank you.”
Clara tapped upload on her social media app, posting the short clip to her public profile with a heartfelt caption detailing the hospital’s refusal to treat a dying child.
Within seconds, the video notification bell chimed softly. Then it chimed again. And again, turning into a relentless, buzzing symphony.
May you like
Dr. Harrison peered over Clara’s shoulder, his arrogant expression faltering as he watched the view counter spin from twelve to five thousand in under a minute.
Suddenly, the hospital’s main entrance doors burst open, and a swarm of local reporters and camera crews rushed inside, cameras flashing blindingly in the dim lobby.
