Chapter 13 — Pride And Scholarship

One week after applying for special case review, Hoai An has still not received any official response from the school board. The long wait made her more and more worried, especially when the deadline for applying the new regulations was approaching.

Right at the most stressful moment, a phone call from the hospital rang out in the middle of an afternoon class, making Hoai An weak. She quickly excused herself from the classroom, her hands trembling as she answered the phone.

"Sorry, we're calling to inform you, your mother just showed signs of complications during dialysis," the nurse's voice rang out over the phone, "the condition is quite serious, you need to go to the hospital immediately."

Hoai An felt like the whole world collapsed in that moment. She rushed out of school, without having time to notify anyone, took a taxi straight to the hospital with her heart pounding out of fear.

At the hospital, the doctor explained that her mother's kidney failure had worsened and needed to increase the frequency of dialysis, and there was a risk of having to consider a kidney transplant in the near future if she wanted to improve her long-term quality of life. The cost of each enhanced treatment, along with additional tests, is a huge amount for her family's limited finances.

“The cost of intensive treatment this month will be about fifteen million VND,” the doctor said, his voice gentle but realistic, “the family needs to prepare to ensure the treatment process is not interrupted.”

That number was like a shock to Hoai An. With a small income from tutoring and sales assistants, she absolutely cannot manage such a large amount of money in a short time, especially now that the school's new regulations are threatening to limit her overtime hours.

That night, sitting beside her mother's hospital bed, looking at the pale, thin face of the woman who had sacrificed her life for her, Hoai An felt an unprecedented despair invade her soul. She held her mother's hand tightly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to flow so as not to make her mother worry more.

“I'm sorry I can't take care of you enough,” she whispered, even though she knew her mother was in a coma and couldn't hear, “I'll find a way, I promise I won't let you suffer.”

She took her phone and texted Minh Khoi, recounting the entire situation. The tone in the text message could not hide her panic. Just a few minutes later, he called back immediately.

"Are you okay? Do you need any help?" Minh Khoi's voice sounded full of worry over the phone.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Hoai An replied, her voice choked with tears, "the treatment costs are too high, and now I'm also at risk of losing my scholarship because I can't work enough overtime to earn money. I feel like I'm being pushed into a corner."

"Calm down," Minh Khoi said, his voice trying to reassure even though he couldn't hide his worry, "I'll go to the hospital right now. We'll find a solution together, you don't have to face this alone."

Half an hour later, Minh Khoi was at the hospital, carrying a bag of fruit and some cash he had hastily withdrawn from his personal account. “This is the money I saved,” he said, giving Hoai An an envelope, “it's not much, but hopefully it can help you cover some of the immediate expenses.”

Hoai An Looking at the envelope, I was touched but also hesitant. “I can't accept this money,” she said, trying to push back, “this is your savings, I don't want to bother you so much.”

"You're not bothering me," Minh Khoi affirmed, his voice resolute, "I'm just helping a friend who's in trouble. Just accept it, consider it as if I lent you a loan, and when you have the means, you can return it."

The sincerity in those words made Hoai An unable to refuse anymore, even though there was still some guilt in his heart. She received the envelope and thanked Minh Khoi with a gentle hug full of gratitude. Tears once again could not be contained and flowed out, this time tears mixed between sadness and warmth at the sincere feelings of this special friend.

That night, the two sat next to each other by Ms. Hanh's hospital bed, discussing possible solutions — from contacting the hospital's poor patient support fund, to finding other sources of scholarships that could support medical expenses, to even Hoai An considering suspending some optional extracurricular activities to have more time to resolve this urgent financial issue.

"I heard that the hospital has a fund to support poor patients," Minh Khoi said, taking out his phone to look up information, "I'll ask the hospital's social work department tomorrow to see what the registration conditions are."

“Thank you,” Hoai An replied, her voice still tired but much less panicked than at first, “I don't know how to manage without your help right now.”

"Don't say that," Minh Khoi shook his head, "you've always been able to take care of everything yourself, it's just that this time I have extra support. You're the strongest person I've ever known, Hoai An."

Those words of encouragement made Hoai An feel warm in the middle of a long, anxious night. She looked at her mother lying silently in the hospital bed, with IV tubes crisscrossed around her frail body, making her even more determined to find every way to overcome this double crisis - both financially and at the risk of losing a valuable scholarship.

Near midnight, when Ms. Hanh's condition was temporarily stabilized, the doctor on duty advised Hoai An to go home and rest so she would have the strength to continue taking care of her mother tomorrow. Minh Khoi offered to take her home. Even though it was late, he patiently waited until Hoai An had arranged everything before leaving the hospital with her. The yellow streetlights illuminated the quiet street, like a rare bit of warmth in this dark and turbulent night.

On the way home, Hoai An called Thao Nhi to give the news, her voice still shaking after an eventful day. “My mother just had complications and had to be hospitalized urgently,” she said. “With the whole school tightening the overtime regulations, I don't know how to manage the medical expenses.”

"Oh my god," Thao Nhi exclaimed, her voice filled with worry, "do you need any help from me? Even though I don't have a lot of money, I can ask for support funds for you, or find ways to donate among my friends."

“Thank you,” Hoai An replied, tears welling up again, “I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have friends like you and Minh Khoi by my side right now.”

"We are friends," Thao Nhi said, her voice steady, "difficult times are when we need each other the most. Just keep calm, no matter what." There will be a solution, I believe in that.”

Hanging up the phone, Hoai An looked out the car window, the rows of street lights passing by in the dark night, her heart was filled with a complex mixture of anxiety and the feeling of love and support from the people around her, giving her the strength she needed to continue to face the mounting challenges that lay ahead.

Upon arriving home, Minh Khoi sent Hoai An to the door, telling her to get enough rest before leaving. “Tomorrow I will stop by the hospital to visit my uncle before school,” he said, “don't hesitate to call me anytime you need me, even in the middle of the night.”

“Thank you for everything,” Hoai An said, her voice choked up, “I don't know how to repay your kindness.”

“You don't need to repay anything,” Minh Khoi replied, smiling gently, “As long as you're healthy and steadfast through this difficult period, that's enough for me.”

Hoai An looked at him, an indescribable warm feeling rising in his heart at that unselfish sincerity. She nodded and said goodbye to Minh Khoi before entering the small, quiet house, where usually her mother was always waiting to welcome her, but now there was only heartbreaking silence.

She sat down at her familiar desk, looked around the small room, her eyes stopped at her mother's old sewing machine covered in dust because it had not been used for a long time due to poor health. Tears welled up in Hoai An's eyes again, but this time, amid those tears, she also felt a strong determination gradually forming - no matter how many difficulties she faced, she would never let her mother suffer, and would not easily give up the scholarship she had worked so hard to win through her own efforts, no matter how difficult the road ahead was.