For Your Happiness - Chapter 43 - Mother’s Illness

Three months later, at 3 AM, Shao Han’s cellphone rang. Both she and Wu Di were deep in sleep and didn’t hear it initially; it rang for quite some time before Shao Han was finally awakened by the noise, puzzled about who could be calling so late. When she saw it was Shao Bin on the display, she quickly answered and moved to the living room to talk, trying not to wake Wu Di.

“Hello,” Shao Han whispered.

“Shao Han, Mom fainted, she’s unconscious now. Dad’s away on a business trip, and I’ve called an ambulance to take Mom to the hospital. I know it’s a bit far, but can you guys come and help?” Shao Bin sounded panicked, as the sudden collapse and loss of consciousness had caught him off guard. Liu Xin had to care for their newborn and was too afraid to call their father, who was out of town, worrying that it would only cause him anxiety, so she had no choice but to call Shao Han.

“What? What happened? Is it serious?” Shao Han was clueless about the situation.

“Yeah, it’s serious, the ambulance is almost here, I’m heading to the hospital now. If you can, come directly there,” Shao Bin managed to say before rushing off.

“Okay, you go ahead, I’ll be right there,” Shao Han felt a surge of fear. Her mother was still young; how could she suddenly faint?

“Wu Di,” Shao Han went back into the bedroom, reluctant to wake him but having no other choice. She was trembling with nervousness; he was her man, her support, who else would she turn to at a time like this?

“What’s going on?” Wu Di asked lazily, his eyes still closed.

“My mom fainted at home and has been taken to the hospital,” Shao Han said, her voice quivering. The news hit Wu Di like a bucket of cold water, jolting him awake.

“What happened?”

“Shao Bin called, said Mom fainted and the ambulance took her to the hospital. It seems serious, he wants us to come right away,” Shao Han looked at Wu Di, seeking comfort in his eyes, hoping he would reassure her that her mother would be okay.

“Then we should leave immediately, and make sure to bring some money,” Wu Di instructed specifically.

“Okay,” Shao Han responded, following his lead like a soldier.

The two hurriedly got dressed, grabbed their wallets, and headed back to the Shao Family home. Wu Di was driving fast, and although Shao Han was usually quick to scold him for speeding up to 100 miles per hour, today she did not. She had no mind to check the speedometer, feeling tense and fearful.

“There won’t be any problems,” Wu Di said, noticing how tense Shao Han was. She was gripping one hand with the other tightly, something she always did when nervous. He frowned and reached for her hands, trying to offer some comfort. Shao Han let go of her tightly clasped hands and turned to look at him.

“I’m scared,” Shao Han admitted, biting her lower lip. “They wouldn’t call an ambulance if it weren’t serious, right? And my brother wouldn’t call me at this hour if it weren’t serious, right? Does this mean it’s really serious?” As she spoke, tears began to fall.

“It’s not necessarily the case. Don’t think like that. Be strong. When something happens at home, the whole family needs to be strong to help the patient, okay?” Wu Di tried to reassure Shao Han.

Shao Han nodded vigorously, trying hard to calm herself down. She was grown up now, an adult. Her parents were getting older, and it was time for her as their child to take responsibility, to not rely on them for everything anymore. At that moment, Shao Han truly felt she had grown up.

Wu Di drove quickly, taking advantage of the sparse traffic on the highway in the early hours. They soon arrived. Shao Han called Shao Bin to find out which ward their mother was in.

Upon reaching the ward, which was a three-person room due to the urgency, they saw their mother lying motionless with a pale face and closed eyes. Shao Han nearly cried but knew this was not the time for tears. She quickly asked Shao Bin, “What happened? How did it come to this?”

“In the middle of the night, Liu Xin and I were sleeping when we heard the phone ring. It was mother’s call. I didn’t know what was happening, but recently, she’s been taking the little baby into her room every night. Dad is on a business trip, and she wanted Liu Xin and me to have a good night’s sleep, not to be disturbed, so we could function at work the next day. Maybe because of her age, she’s a light sleeper, and any small movement from the baby would wake her. After several days of poor rest, she just fainted today. I’m not sure what else could be the reason,” Shao Bin explained with a sense of guilt.

“The family of the patient, please come to the doctor’s office.” The nurse came to fetch them; it might have been that Mrs. Shao’s test results were out and the doctor had something to discuss.

“Oh.” Shao Bin responded and followed, while Shao Han was about to follow when Wu Di stopped her: “You stay with mom, I’ll go.”

“But…” Shao Han wanted to know about her mother’s condition.

“Listen, I’ll pay close attention, and in case mom wakes up and needs someone by her side, it’s more convenient for you as her daughter,” Wu Di said gently.

“Alright, make sure you listen carefully and then tell me,” Shao Han pleaded with her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Wu Di reassured her, patting her shoulder as he caught up with Shao Bin to the doctor’s office.

Shao Han watched them leave, then slowly sat down by her mother’s bedside, looking at her mother’s pale, colorless face, so gaunt and frail, touching her hand with a heart full of ache. It had always been their mother who had been there for them, and now it was finally their turn to reciprocate.

After a while, Shao Bin and Wu Di returned, and Shao Han looked at them eagerly, searching for information about their mother. Wu Di called Shao Han out of the ward.

“Wu Di, what did the doctor say about mom?”

“It might be a minor stroke, but we need to wait until she wakes up to see.”

“Stroke?” Shao Han immediately thought of those stroke victims she had seen on TV.

“Will she be unable to move?” Shao Han was anxious.

“That’s why we need to wait until mom wakes up to see,” Wu Di looked worriedly at Shao Han. Seeing her distressed expression, he stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms. Shao Han rested her head against his chest while Wu Di gently stroked her back, murmuring, “Don’t worry too much, everything will be alright, it will be.”

“Mom is still so young, I can’t bear for anything to happen to her,” Shao Han said, holding back her tears in Wu Di’s embrace.

“Yes, nothing will happen,” Wu Di comforted her.

They didn’t notice when the day had dawned. Had it been any other early morning, they would have felt exhausted, but today they felt no fatigue, only the hope that their mother would soon awaken.

Finally, Mrs. Shao’s eyes gently fluttered.

“Mom,” Shao Han immediately noticed, leaning in to softly call out to her.

“Mm,” Mother said weakly.

“I’ll go get the doctor,” Wu Di hurried out.

“Mom.” Shao Bin also came over to look at Mrs. Shao.

“Don’t tell your father just yet; it’s not good for him to worry while he’s out of town,” Mother instructed in a faint voice.

“Mm, don’t worry, we haven’t said a word,” Shao Bin replied.

“Who will take care of the children?” Mother was concerned about the kids.

“Mom, don’t worry. Liu Xin, her mother, and the domestic helper are all here.”

“Mm.” Mother was reassured, closed her eyes, and said no more, though she remained conscious. It was likely due to her extreme weakness.

The doctor, summoned by Wu Di, arrived and called out Mrs. Shao’s name, seemingly to test her consciousness. After she responded, the doctor took her hand to assess her sense of direction and tested the sensitivity of her foot’s nerve endings. He also used a specialized tool to check her hearing, noticing a slight issue with one ear.

Watching the doctors run their tests, Shao Han stood by, unsure of how to intervene or what questions to ask. She observed Wu Di asking clear questions and briefly interacting with the doctor. She felt grateful for his presence, realizing how important he was in that moment.

Back in the office, the doctor discussed Mrs. Shao’s condition in detail with Wu Di and Shao Bin. The likely cause was a stroke-induced compression of a blood vessel near the ear, disrupting normal blood flow and resulting in hearing loss in one ear-a condition difficult to immediately resolve and likely requiring long-term care. Other symptoms appeared to be due to poor rest at night and excessive stress, so the current focus was on proper rest and relaxation. This was not considered overly serious.

Hearing this, both Shao Bin and Shao Han felt somewhat relieved.