The greatest weapon anyone can use against us is our own mind. By preying on the doubts and uncertainties that already lurk there.

Stay away from my son!

You will just ruin him.

He doesn't love you!

He doesn't love you!

He doesn't--

I shook my head, hard, trying to ward off Kris's mom's voice that kept on replaying in my head for the past five minutes of sitting in the waiting room. God! I hated that woman. But why did you save her? whispered the little voice in my head.

The little voice is right. I did save her. Or I'd like to think I did. After a whole minute of staring at Mrs. Wu's lifeless body, I snapped back to my senses. Panic surged throughout my body so I ran to the hallways, wailing for help. Thank God it's a small hospital. It only took two cries of help before the doctor and the nurses came rushing to the room.

Dr. Huang, as she introduced herself, declared a fatal heart attack. Mrs. Wu was immobile and all the lines on the bedside monitor had gone straight so they used a two-padded equipment, which I think is called defibrillator, to revive her. The doctor, a slender, tall woman who I presume is the same age as my mother, called out different number of joules. First was fifty but Mrs. Wu had no reaction even though her body was thrown into the air because of the strong current. Next was seventy-five and still nothing. She responded only when Dr. Huang pressed a one hundred fifty joule charged pads into her chest. The lines on the monitor barely zigzagged and I knew that Kris's mom is still in a critical condition.

The doctor then turned to me and spoke in a hurried voice, telling me that Mrs. Wu had a myocardial infection and that she needed urgent surgey. She asked for Kris but, of course, he wasn't there.

"Look, miss, the patient will be in a much worse state if we don't operate on her," Dr. Huang spoke in a rush that I could barely make out the words. "I think Yi Fan considers you as one of the important people in his life for him to let you see his mother so I suggest that you sign the guardian's consent." She shoved the pen and paper into my trembling hands. "We don't have much time."

I was in a state of crisis and my anxiety was rising to the highest level so I did the only thing I know was right--I signed the paper.

***

Ten minutes have already passed since I texted Kris and he still hasn't come. Yes, texted because I didn't have the courage to call him. I mean, what do I say? Hey, Kev. You're mom's in the operating room getting a heart surgery and I think I'm the reason why. Of course, I can't. That's what I would tell him if I wanted to stay away from him. But I won't. Never.

The grandfather clock in the waiting room was ticking loudly and it only made the wait more excruciating. My hands wouldn't stop trembling and I kept wishing I wasn't alone. That Kris was there hugging me and assuring me that everything's going to be alright.

But that's just me wishing because five minutes later, Kris came rushing with his disheveled hair, wrinkled pajamas, and unmatched slippers--black on the right and red on the left. On a normal instance I would have but no, nothing what has happened that day was normal.

"What the hell happened?" were his first words to me.

"Kevin, it's going to be alri--"

"No, don't tell me it's going to be okay because it doesn't help!" He was gritting his teeth and he kept throwing his arms in fury. "We left her last night perfectly fine and this morning, I wake up to your text that she had a heart attack?! Sam, my mother is a cervical cancer patient, why would she have a heart attack?"

"Actually, your mother and I...we had an argument," I explained in a voice too low I thought he wouldn't hear.

"WHAT?!?" He charged at me like a raging bull and stopped abruptly when he's inches away from me.

"I...uh...your mother...she...," I stammered, not knowing where to begin. Should I start at the part where she told me to stay away from him or should I go directly to the part where she said with certainty that he doesn't really love me?

"You fought with her?!" Kris remarked with disbelief. "Damn it, Sam! That's my sick mother we're talking about. And here I am actually thinking that you two get along. She absolutely likes you! What could have happened?!"

You're wrong. And, well, your mother happened, were what I wanted to say but nothing came out of my mouth. I was too scared to even mutter another word. I never knew Kris could be this mad.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, walking away from me. He started pacing back and forth the waiting room, his left hand on his hip and his right on his mouth.

"Tell me, why is she in the ope