Chapter 153: Innocent souls

Aria did not give any face to Mason and left him gaping at her. She had had enough of him and his antics. That bastard had to be put in his place and she had done just that. His presence had always got on her nerves and right now she was satisfied that he was insulted. 

Aria went to the children's ward and it was as not hyperactive as usual. This was the only ward in the hospital where one could hear noises at any time of the day. The kids, though they were sick, would be talkative and active. The had to be coaxed to sleep or wait until they fell asleep on their own. But that was not the case that day.

As soon as Aria walked in she saw that all the kids were silent, some were even sad. She wondered what happened. The kids usually became sad when someone among them became seriously ill all of a sudden. She wondered if that was the case. Nonetheless, she entered with a smile on her face.

"Hey, kiddos." She waved her hands at the kids, making them surprised at once. The children's ward had two sections, one for kids who were suffering from a serious illness while another section was for kids with normal sickness. Most of the kids preferred the children's ward even if they had the option to choose a ward for themselves.

It had been a long time since she visited the ward. Aria saw some new faces, and from their looks alone she could see that the kids were suffering from a deadly disease, just like the others she was familiar with. The patients who had just the seasonal diseases would never stay in the hospital beyond three days. However, the kids she was familiar with had been admitted there for months. 

"What happened, kiddos? Why are you sad?" She questioned gently patting the boy who was nearest to her. She could sense the gloominess in the air and couldn't help but worry. The kids who were meant to be playing outside, going to schools and live the life of their dreams were stuck in the hospital with diseases that were eating them alive. 

"Ari," The boy who she had patted started speaking. "Andy started to puke blood all of a sudden. Will he be alright? We are scared." The little boy started crying as he spoke. Seeing him cry, the others started to cry.

Aria knew who Andy was. Though she was not his doctor, she had seen his reports. He had a hole in the heart and she being a cardiologist had understood his case to be critical. Though they could operate on him, the chances of him staying alive was less than 0.5 percent. So, the doctors had decided not to operate on him. This way, the chances of him living long was more.

When Andy's parents had heard about his state, they were devastated. Being the one son, they had doted on him since the beginning. Now that he was dying, they were heartbroken. Following the doctor's advice, they had allowed him to stay as he was. Though they wanted their son to live long, they did not want to take risks.

When Aria heard that Andy had vomited blood, she was shocked. She knew that kid's end was near. His heart was weakening at a faster rate and it would not be long before he died. Even as a doctor, she couldn't help but feel sad. However, what would she tell these kids who had come to become good friends after staying here for months? She could neither give them false hopes nor could she tell them the truth and break their hearts.

Aria had noticed that the kids knew they were dying. They had perceived it long back when they had to stay in the hospital for months when some kids had been discharged in a few days. They had an idea that something was wrong with them. So, the children immediately concluded that Andy was critical and he would be gone someday. 

Aria did not know what to say to them. Just looking at the innocent children's face made her heart ache. What wrong did these naive souls do to suffer such agony? This was highly unfair to them.

One of the girls, who she presumed to be new, asked her with her cute voice, "Is Andy going to die? Will he leave us?"

Aria sighed. She squatted in front of the girl and rubbed her hair. "No, sweetie. Andy is not going to die. He will come back as soon as possible."

Another boy came to her and tugged her hand. "Are we all going to die just like him?"

"No baby. Nobody is going to die. How could these cute little monsters die without torturing their Ari? Did you forget your promise? I am still waiting for you guys to give me a headache." Aria's words brought a grin on everybody's face.

"Andy will be safe, right Ari?" The boy asked to confirm once again.

"Yes, he will be safe, because he has a protector beside him."

"Who is the protector?" The girl asked again.

"You guys are his protectors. I know you guys will protect your friend from all possible sickness, won't you?" Aria looked at all the kids in the ward to see them nod their heads. Though she did not intend to lie, she had no choice. These kids would not be able to handle the truth.

"Okay. Now, I want all of you to give me your beautiful smiles. This room should return to its original state. I want my naughty kids back. Where are my kids hiding and who are you in my children's bodies? Where are my devils?" Aria puffed her cheeks as she gave a pout. All of them started laughing. She chatted with them for a while and when she noticed that it was quite late, she put all the kids to their beds.

"Okay. Let's go to sleep. Come on." Aria waited until all the children had gone to sleep before she stepped out of the ward. She went to the on-duty nurse who was sitting right beside the door.

"Nurse, what is Andy's status?"

"Doctor, Andy does not have much time left. He is stable for now, but his condition may worsen at any time." 

Aria sighed. Although she was sad, she was also relieved that Andy was fine for now.