**Eleven**
**Jc's POV**
When I got home, it was very dark and deafeningly quiet. I pressed the light switch next to the door, and the light came on inside. It was refreshing because usually, when I come home in the middle of the night or early in the morning, Aunty Lyca always gives me a lecture. But now it seems like she's not home or she's out for a walk.
I went straight to the stairs and up to my room. When I got upstairs, I also turned on the light in the hallway and walked quietly. The surroundings were so quiet that I was deafened by the echoing sound of my footsteps. But at least I got a day off from my endless arguments with my Aunty.
I carefully opened the door to my room. The light was on, and my sister Cesha was sleeping.
I smiled and sat next to her, flipping her hair away from her forehead. I was suddenly startled when I felt that her forehead was very hot.
"Cesha?" I softly called her, obviously worried while holding both of her cheeks.
"Brother..." she answered sluggishly and weakly, still obviously sleepy.
"What happened to you, and why are you so hot?" I asked thoughtfully as I removed her thick blanket and took off her very thick jacket.
She didn't answer. She just watched me lazily while I was busy taking off her jacket, nodding her head from sleepiness.
When I took off her jacket, her whole body suddenly trembled, and then blood came out of her nose.
"Cesha!" I was suddenly nervous. I gently shook her body, but her eyes closed on their own, and her body completely lost strength.
My arm was shaking as I placed her head on my shoulder and picked her up. I ran down the stairs and straight to the door.
The road was very quiet when I got outside. Not a single car was passing by. It was already midnight, so no one was traveling. Even though it was a bit far, I ran to the hospital. I didn't have enough patience to wait for a jeep because my sister's condition might get worse. Even though she was unconscious, I could feel her whole body shaking. So I sped up.
Eventually, the road became clear. I turned back and saw a white Hilux approaching. With its speed, it was obvious that it was in a hurry. I didn't miss that opportunity and made a strategy to speed up my arrival at the hospital. I stood in the middle of the road. No matter how fast it was going, it would still stop when something blocked the road.
By the mercy of God, the speed of the Hilux slowly slowed down until it finally stopped in front of me. A tall woman got out of the driver's seat, wearing reading glasses and a white long jacket. Just by looking at me, she seemed like she was going to kill me.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" she shouted angrily at me.
"I'm sorry, but I really need someone to ride with. My sister is burning with a fever," I begged to explain.
The tiger-like expression on the woman's angry face calmed down as she approached me. She stood to my right, where Cesha's head was. Without a word, she placed her palm on Cesha's forehead, and her eyebrows furrowed again. She gently stroked my sister's arm while observing her face.
Then she glanced at the watch she was wearing and walked back to her Hilux. "Come with me. Your sister needs to be taken to the hospital immediately."
"What do you think is wrong with her?" I wondered as I followed her.
She opened the passenger's seat first, then went to the driver's seat and got in. "Your sister has symptoms of dengue fever, and I think it's serious. She needs immediate treatment."
As I listened to what she was saying while riding in the passenger's seat, I suddenly felt weak and sat down, then closed the door. It was as if my body suddenly gave way and could no longer move. I was stunned as I watched my sister's flushed face.
"Don't worry. I will take care of your sister when we get there," she added when I couldn't speak. Then she started the engine, and off we went.
"Are you a doctor?" I asked.
"Yes, and my schedule is graveyard," she answered while keeping her eyes on the road. "It's a good thing I took this route. I can't drive fast on the main road."
I just smiled, even if it was a fake smile in response to what she said, and looked out the window while hugging my sister tightly. I wasn't in the mood to talk. I worried too much about Cesha's condition. Why didn't Tita take Cesha to the hospital? They spent the whole day together at home?
After a while, the Hilux slowed down until it finally stopped at the emergency entrance. Before the doctor turned off the engine of her Hilux, she immediately got out and rushed inside. Seeing her enter, I got out and followed her inside.
"Stretcher! I have a patient with me!" the doctor shouted as she looked around.
Immediately, someone came with three nurses and a stretcher. I automatically placed Cesha on it, and a nurse immediately put dextrose on her. They then took Cesha to the ER.
I was left outside the ER alone, standing against the wall next to the door, hunched over while staring at the floor. My eyes hurt so much from holding back the tears that were forming at the corners of my eyes. That is why no words came out of my mouth. Maybe because even a single word would make my tears start to fall. I was nervous, as if my chest would explode at any moment. It was the first time that Cesha had been sick this badly.
With so many negative possibilities running through my mind, I was able to walk in front of the ER. I was really restless. I didn't even want to think about those things, and I might even be confined.
After a while, the doctor came out of the ER, and I immediately turned to her. We met each other's eyes, and as the doctor looked at me, I could tell that Cesha's condition was probably not good.
My legs suddenly stiffened as she walked toward me. My heart beat faster with every step she took. I just swallowed because I really felt like I was going to tremble at what she was going to say.
"Your sister has dengue fever, stage 2. According to my examination of her condition, her platelet count is dropping rapidly...."
I felt like I was suffocating from what I heard. The doctor was telling me other details, but I didn't seem to hear anything.
I blinked when she touched my shoulder, and I heard her say again, "At the ER entrance, turn left, and at the end of it, there is a small chapel. Ask Him for help. He can cure your sister." After that, she turned around and entered the ER again.
I understood what she was referring to because I often pray to Him for Crista. I never thought I would be praying for my sister's life today.
I didn't really intend to go, but I realized that my feet took me there, and I was standing right in its open door, staring at the altar. He seemed to be the only one I could run to now.
My knees spontaneously bent as I bowed. The tears I was holding back started to fall as I opened my mouth and began to say a prayer.
"Lord... I often pray for the life of Crista with you, but this time I pray for the life of Cesha, my sister. She is the only family I have and the only reason why I live and work hard. I am begging you, please cure her illness. I love my sister very much, and I don't know what will happen to me if I lose her."