After hanging up with Raymond, Charmaine swiftly changed and practically ran out of her apartment.  Luck must be on her side for when she stepped out to the curb a cab was pulling over.  She waited impatiently for the passenger to alight from the cab and recognizing a neighbor, mumbled a greeting before hopping into the cab.  During the ride, she kept wondering how Raymond was doing.  He had sounded extremely worried over the phone.  How Charmaine wished there was more she could do for him.

The taxi barely pulled to a full stop when she threw the door open and jumped out, handing the driver a few bills that was far more than the metered fare.  The hospital was extremely quiet and as Charmaine walked hastily down the corridors, her footsteps sounded exceedingly loud on the cold hard tiles.  She hurried in the direction of Gigi's room but stopped short when she spotted Raymond slouched on the floor against the wall.  "Raymond!"

Raymond lifted his head and seeing who it was immediately shot to his feet.  "Charmaine!"  He was relieved that she was here without his asking.  He needed her more than anything right now.  With Charmaine by his side, he could withstand anything.  "You're here," he murmured and hugged her tightly against him.  With his face buried in her hair, he mumbled incoherently, "I don't know what's happening.  I don't know."

Charmaine glanced towards the closed door to Gigi's room.  There were muffled sounds from within as whoever was inside continued on with whatever they were doing.  She brought her hands around Raymond's back and soothingly rubbed it up and down.  "Everything will be alright," she whispered.

Raymond pulled away to look down at her.  "She's dying," he croaked and Charmaine could tell he was trying very hard to fight back his tears.  "And I can't help her."

Charmaine didn't make any comment.  What can she possibly say at this crucial time?  The door to Gigi's room opened and the doctor walked out.  Charmaine remembered him as the on-call doctor from two nights ago, Dr. Bosco Wong.  His eyes found them right away and with a grave expression walked towards them.

"Is my mom okay?" Raymond asked anxiously, his voice hoarse and panicky.

Charmaine slipped her hand in his and gave it an encouraging squeezed.  She wanted him to know she's here for him and he has her full support.  Raymond acknowledged it by turning sideways to give her a soft, shaky smile.

"Her condition has gotten worse over the past twenty-four hours.  The medication and chemotherapy is not working.  Right now the sedative is only a temporary solution to prevent her from feeling any pain.  It won't kill the cancerous cells nor stop it from spreading.  My suggestion is for her to remove the cancerous cells from her stomach before it spreads to the point where removing it isn't even an option anymore."

Raymond in a harsh breath.  He knew all this already and didn't need to be told about her condition repeatedly.  Controlling his frustration, he quietly said, "I am fully aware of my mother's condition.  I just want to know what happened to her just now."

Bosco looked sympathetically at Raymond and said with remorse, "Your mother's body has rejected the latest medication we gave her.  Given the amount of pain killers we've been administering to her it would eventually have a large impact on her other organs.  And just now your mother experienced an allergic reaction to one of the pain killers.  We've taken it off her and given her a local anesthetic to numb the pain."

Raymond's heart stopped a beat at the latest revelation.  His mom was deteriorating right before his eyes and there's not one damn thing he could do about!  Never in his entire life had he felt this useless and defeated.  Gigi had always appeared invincible to him.  Even when she was sick with a fever of 107, she would still go to work.  Not even a twisted ankle could stop her from going about her daily routines.  To Raymond, Gigi depict the modern superwoman and he was proud that she was his mother.  Muttering a curse he turned from the doctor and slammed his fist against the wall.

"Raymond!" Charmaine grabbed his hand before he could hit the wall again.  She struggled to pull his hand down.  "Please, don't.  Please," she pleaded softly.

Raymond bent his head and rested it against the wall.  Taking deep breaths he gradually uncurled his fingers and wrapped it over Charmaine's.  "I'm sorry," he rasped in between breaths.

Relieved that Raymond had quickly composed himself, Charmaine suggested gently, "Let's hear what else the doctor has to say."

Raymond turned back to face the doctor, his face revealing the anguish he was feeling but his emotions were in controlled.  Keeping a steady voice, he asked, "What can we do now?"

"Surgery is her only option," Bosco advised solemnly.  "I know her surgery is scheduled for the week after but I'm going to have it moved up to next week.  I'll coordinate with Dr. Ron Ng and make the necessary arrangements at the specialty hospital."

Raymond nodded dully.  He was grateful for Ron's help with his mom.  However, did Ron forget to mention the fact that they didn't have the money to pay for this surgery that would keep his mom alive?  Pushing away the sarcastic thought, Raymond simply said, "Thank you."

Bosco patted Raymond's shoulder and said with assurance, "The doctors at the other hospital specialize in these types of surgery.  Your mom will be in great hands and I guarantee she'll be back to her usual self in no time.  So don't worry too much."

"Thanks again Dr. Wong," Raymond repeatedly blankly.  Bosco gave Charmaine a small smile, bobbed his head and left.

"Raymond…"  Charmaine turned him to face her and lifted her hands to cradle his face.  The grief and agony on his face caused her heart to pummel with apprehension.  She did not like seeing him this way at all.

Seeing the lines of worry etched across Charmaine's features, Raymond shook his head to clear away his distressing thoughts.  Without meeting her gaze, he peeled her hands from his face.  "I'm fine," he assured her and turned to lean his face against the wall.  He needed a few seconds to collect himself before facing her again.

Charmaine didn't believe him.  He will never be alright until Auntie's health was back in track.  She hated seeing him like this: helpless, miserable and beaten by an invisible force that was far deadlier than anyone can imagine.  Touching his back she said softly, "Let's go in and see Auntie."

Raymond pushed himself off the wall instantly.  Instead of following Charmaine to Gigi's room he grabbed her hand and halted her.  "Charmaine."

Charmaine turned to look at him.  Raymond looked more like his usual self and there was even a hint of a smile on his lips.  "What?" she breathed.

"Thank you," Raymond whispered and suddenly pulled Charmaine into his arms where he held her closely and forcefully.  Nuzzling her hair he trailed kisses down to her face and stopped at the corner of .  In a light feathery voice, he said, "Thank you for being here.  You have no idea how much it means to me."

Charmaine's eyes brimmed with tears as she returned in an achingly soft voice, "You mean a lot to me too."

Raymond moved his lips a fraction of an inch and kissed her.  The kiss was brief but tender and full of infinite promises.  Lifting his head he looked down at her, "Let's go in and see my mom."

Gigi was lying very still in the bed.  All sorts of tubes were sticking into her arms.  Her complexion was a sickly pale white, her once rosy cheeks looked gaunt and dark.  Even her breathing sounded abnormal.  Her eyes fluttered opened when she heard a noise by the door.  "R-Raymond?" she gasped then went into a lapse of coughs.

"Mom!" Raymond rushed to her.  Peering fretfully over her, he asked, "Are you alright?"

The last of the cough subsided and Gigi looked up at her one and only beloved son.  "R-Raymond…" she stammered and swallowed hard.  When she spoke again, her voice was stronger, "I-I thought I would never see you again."

Raymond smiled despite the tears that have begun sliding down his cheeks.  "Don't say stuff like that.  The doctor said you're going to be fine."

Gigi shook her head, "I know what's going on.  You don't have to hide it from me."  Looking up at the white ceiling she let out a ragged sigh and said, "I'm going to die."

"NO!" Raymond shouted.  He grasped her shoulders and shook her gently.  "You're not going to die!  Your surgery has already been scheduled.  Just hold on for another week and after that you'll be like your old bossy self again."

Gigi stared at Raymond, a hopeless smile on her lips.  "Son, you and I both know we don't have the money for the surgery."

Raymond shook his head vehemently, "You're wrong!  I already have the money."

Gigi's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "H-How…"

"You don't have to worry about that," Raymond interrupted, his voice breaking as he continued, "You just concentrate on staying strong until the surgery."

Gigi wanted to question Raymond further about the money but it was taking too much effort on her part to stay awake.  “Alright,” she agreed.  Stifling a yawn she closed her eyes and mumbled, “Tired.  Sleep.”  Gigi dozed off within seconds.

Raymond watched Gigi sleep for a few minutes and then stood up.  He walked towards Charmaine, a desperate look on his face.  “Where am I going to get the money?” he whispered harshly.  “I can’t let her die.”

Charmaine glanced over at Gigi.  She was sleeping so peacefully in contrast to the turmoil her son was in.  Wordlessly, Charmaine wrapped her arms around Raymond and felt his body tremble as he let his misery pour out.  His tears soak through her shirt instantly but she didn’t care.  Nothing mattered except finding a way to help Raymond and his mom.  At that very moment she knew what she had to do.