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Mystery Planet
Chapter 13 - Hospital Mayhem

Chapter 13 - Hospital Mayhem

‘Hi there, do you know where Milo Quinto is? I’m his brother.’ Harry asked the receptionist.

‘Just let me check for you… Okay, he was just admitted a few minutes ago and he is currently in ward nine. So it's just around the corner.’ The receptionist stated.

‘Okay thank you.’ Harry replied as he rushed off to see Milo.

As Harry walked into ward nine, he could see Milo laying on the bed pale and lifeless. There were scratches and bruises all over his arms and legs. There was a large bandage on his right knee. Okish and a nurse were standing in the room as well.

‘Oh Milo, can you hear me?’ Harry asked.

Milo didn’t respond.

‘Are you Harry?’ The nurse asked.

‘Yes, I’m Harry, Milo’s brother.’ Harry replied.

‘He’s breathing but it might take some time for him to wake up.’ The nurse replied.

‘Hi Harry, I’m Okish Milo’s coworker. We met on his first day at FAC and I think he might have injured his right knee.’ Okish explained.

‘Oh hey, thank you for getting him help as soon as possible. So how bad is the injury?’ Harry questioned.

‘We don’t know yet. We need to take him in for an X-ray to find out. Is that alright?’ The nurse asked.

‘Yes, of course. Do what you need to help my brother please.’ Harry replied.

‘Sure, we will.’ The nurse replied.

As they took Milo for an X-ray, Harry and Okish waited patiently in the ward.

‘So what happened at FAC?’ Harry asked.

‘Well I’m still puzzled on what caused it but half of FAC’s building completely collapsed and I think something fell on Milo and injured his knee. We called the ambulance for him because he was unconscious on the floor and took him here as soon as we could.’ Okish explained.

‘Thanks a lot. Was that collapse due to heavy wind or something? I didn’t feel anything where I was at that time.’ Harry asked.

‘Uh, I was in the office so I didn’t experience what happened but it must be some sort of extreme wind or storm that struck FAC at that time.’ Okish replied.

Meanwhile a reporter on the television had just made a news report on FAC and the accident that occurred.

‘Good afternoon Botilanic citizens, unfortunately we have some devastating news. A distribution company named FAC, had drastically collapsed after a small tornado had struck that area at eleven forty-six A.M. This has resulted in many injuries to many of FAC’s employees, especially one worker there who had been taken to hospital for further investigation. We will keep you all updated. It is such an unfortunate event and I hope FAC and its workers can all heal from this natural disaster.’ The reporter stated.

‘Woah, I guess this explains everything!’ Harry blurted.

‘Yeah, I hope Milo can heal quickly from his injury.’ Okish added.

‘Let’s just hope the doctors can do the best they can for Milo. I think he had a gut feeling that something bad might occur earlier this morning. I should’ve stopped him from going to work instead I encouraged him into this. If I knew this was gonna happen, I would have never let him go today. It’s all my fault.’ Harry explained.

‘Hey, please don’t take the blame on yourself. No one could have predicted this would happen. We just need to stay positive for the future.’ Okish replied.

‘I guess so.’ Harry nodded slowly.

The nurse and a doctor returned back with Milo after thirty minutes.

‘Hi, you must be Harry. I’m Dr. Xopeth. We do have Milo’s results back and I would like to inform you that after we did the X-ray, we also decided to do a full body CT scan just to rule out any other injuries. The good news is that Milo does not have any bleeding or anything serious in his brain and other parts of his body. However, he has fractured his right knee to a severe degree.’ Dr. Xopeth stated.

‘Okay, so what treatment does Milo need and how long would it take to heal?’ Harry asked.

‘Well, first we will need to place a cast around his right knee and he will also need pain relievers to help ease the pain. It really depends on how fast Milo can recover, however it usually lasts between six to eight weeks to fully recover from a severe knee fracture.’ Dr. Xopeth explained.

‘Six to eight weeks?? That’s a long time! So how come Milo hasn’t woken up yet?’ Harry questioned.

‘We believe Milo might have a small concussion after his knee got injured and that could have caused him to bump his head to the ground. We will give him some fluids first and he should be able to wake up later today.’ Dr. Xopeth replied.

‘Alright thank you very much. If he needs anything, we will let you know.’ Harry responded.

‘No worries, I will come back to check on Milo later this afternoon.’ Dr. Xopeth replied as he walked out the ward.

‘Milo’s injury sounds pretty bad, do you have any idea how much the hospital bill would be?’ Harry asked.

‘From my experience, it’s fully covered if you have insurance. However, there’s a flat fee of $200 Boti plus any additional tests they conduct if you don’t have that.’ Okish stated.

‘Oh my, we don’t have any insurance and I don't even think Milo has $200 Boti left in his bank account. I currently have not received my first paycheck yet. I have no idea how we can afford this.’ Harry blurted.

‘I think you should discuss this with the staff and medical team here to see if they can make any adjustments to this.’ Okish suggested.

‘Right, I see. By the way, does FAC cover this? They do have sick leave right?’ Harry asked.

‘Uh, actually I don't think FAC compensates for worker injuries nor sick leave as well.’ Okish replied.

‘What?? That is outrageous! I mean Milo’s injury occurred at FAC and it could not be prevented in any way! How come FAC doesn’t cover for this accident?’ Harry asked in shock.

‘I honestly don’t know, it’s just the company policy.’ Okish replied.

Harry felt his whole world falling apart. He couldn’t believe what he’s hearing. Milo had been severely injured, FAC does not compensate for its workers, and Harry had no clue how he can pay for all of this. He knew the best thing to do is to contact Yoki to see if he could help them.

‘Hello?’ Yoki asked as he picked up the phone.

‘Hi Yoki, it’s Harry… I really need to talk to you. Are you free as of now?’ Harry asked whilst panicking.

‘Hey Harry, I do have a meeting in a couple of minutes but yes what happened?’ Yoki asked.

‘Okay so Milo was in an accident today and injured his knee pretty badly. We are now at the hospital and since FAC doesn’t cover anything for workers and we don’t have any insurance, we really can’t afford the medical bills. So I was wondering if you know a way to help us through this?’ Harry inquired.

‘Woah just calm down for a second Harry. I’m so sorry that this happened to Milo and I really need to get to my meeting soon and will get to the hospital as soon as possible after that. We will discuss it from there. Is that alright?’ Yoki asked.

‘Uh yes, thanks. I’ll see you there after your meeting then.’ Harry replied.

‘Who was that if you don’t mind?’ Okish asked.

‘Oh that was Yoki, he was initially a translator for us but has helped us beyond that from the first time we landed on this planet up until now. I’m so thankful that he is still around to help us.’ Harry responded.

‘I see, that sounds awesome. I’m sure he can figure out a way for you and Milo.’ Okish replied.

‘I hope so. Well do you need to get back to FAC? I don’t wanna waste your time as well.’ Harry asked.

‘I don’t even think there’s a FAC to go back to. I mean half of it is completely damaged and plus I really am not in the mood to go back there. I’d rather stay here with you guys.’ Okish stated.

‘Well in that case, thanks a lot.’ Harry replied.

Just a few minutes later Okish received an incoming call from Mr. Emiz.

‘Hello Mr. Emiz, how is it back at FAC?’ Okish asked.

‘Okish, where have you been?! My whole company is ruined now and everyone is injured!’ Mr. Emiz shouted in anger.

‘Uh I’m still at the hospital with Milo. He got injured pretty severely this morning.’ Okish replied.

‘Well can you come back to FAC now?’ Mr. Emiz asked.

‘Is there a specific reason that I need to come back for?’ Okish questioned.

‘Don’t you think about talking back to me!! Do you see what you have done?! If you just kept an eye out for your co-workers, this wouldn’t have happened!’ Mr. Emiz shouted.

‘Mr. Emiz, I understand that you are mad at this situation but you have no right to accuse me of this! This was an accident caused by a natural disaster. I’m not coming back if you continue treating me like this.’ Okish replied.

‘Well I don’t care! Either you come back right now or you’re fired!’ Mr. Emiz stated.

‘Fine then! Fire me! I’m not and never will be coming back to FAC again after this!’ Okish shouted as he hung up the phone.

‘Great! You will regret this!!’ Mr. Emiz added.

‘Woah what was that about?’ Harry asked.

‘I just got fired and I can't believe Mr. Emiz will put the blame on me saying that this accident could have been prevented if I did a better job!’ Okish replied in anger.

‘That… that is so wrong! He has no right to do this to you nor any of his employees. I’ve always heard good comments from Milo about him, I can’t believe that’s his attitude towards this accident.’ Harry stated.

‘Me neither! I guess we’re starting to see his true colours coming out. Anyway, I hated working there as well. It was just too tiring and I always went home exhausted to death!’ Okish explained.

‘Now that you have mentioned it, Milo had come home everyday really tired as well! I initially just thought he wasn't used to doing this kind of work but now after that episode on the phone, I think he might be exploiting all the workers at FAC.’ Harry replied.

‘Yeah I hadn’t realised this after working there for over a year now, but with his attitude towards me, I’d rather be homeless than work for him!’ Okish stated.

‘I honestly didn't think today would end like this. I’m very sorry for your loss as well.’ Harry commented.

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‘No need to apologise! It’s not your fault and I can find another job somewhere else soon. Don’t worry.’ Okish replied.

‘I just hope Milo can wake up soon.’ Harry sighed.

‘Don't lose hope, I’m sure he will. We just need to be patient.’ Okish reassured.

‘Thanks.’ Harry replied.

After a few hours, Milo’s eyes had slowly begun to open and he was trying to talk.

‘Harry? Is… that you?’ Milo mumbled.

‘Milo, yes it is. You finally woke up!’ Harry replied as he smiled at Milo.

‘Where am I? Ughhh, that hurts so bad!’ Milo asked.

‘You’ve been in an accident today at FAC and you're now in the hospital. Don’t worry, the doctors will take good care of you and I’ll get you some pain relievers.’ Harry explained.

‘Thanks Harry. I can’t remember a thing…’ Milo replied.

‘Okay, I’ll be back very shortly.’ Harry commented as he left the room.

‘Okish? How come you are here?’ Milo asked as he looked towards the right corner.

‘Milo buddy, I came here with you in the ambulance. Try not to move your right knee, it’s injured pretty badly.’ Okish replied.

‘Okay, what ambulance?’ Milo questioned in a confused manner.

‘I think you don’t remember since you were unconscious on the way here and you just had woken up. Just take it easy and we’ll explain all the details when you are a little better, okay.’ Okish replied.

‘Sure… thanks.’ Milo replied back.

‘Okay Milo, I see you have woken up! Here are some pain relievers to help ease the severe pain you are feeling with your knee.’ Dr. Xopeth commented as he walked into the room with Harry.

‘Alright thank you.’ Milo replied.

‘Well since I’m here, we will also put a cast around your knee to help it heal faster on its own.’ Dr. Xopeth explained.

‘Sure, please go ahead. I can barely move it.’ Milo replied.

‘Okay, try to minimise any movement from now on.’ Dr. Xopeth suggested as he and the nurse helped wrap a cast around Milo’s right knee.

‘Sure will do, thanks.’ Milo replied.

‘So Dr. Xopeth, after the cast, will Milo be discharged or does he need to be hospitalised?’ Harry asked.

‘Um, we’ll just need to observe him for a little while longer, but I’m sure he can be discharged soon.’ Dr. Xopeth replied.

‘Right, thank you.’ Harry replied.

Just as Dr. Xopeth had left the room, Yoki had arrived at the ward.

‘Hey Harry, how’s Milo?’ Yoki asked as he walked in.

‘Yoki you’ve arrived! Milo’s doing well, he just had his cast put on his knee.’ Harry replied.

‘Well that’s good to hear, and who is that?’ Yoki asked.

‘Oh, I completely forgot to introduce you to Okish, he’s Milo’s coworker and brought him here and Okish this is Yoki.’ Harry commented.

‘Nice to meet you Yoki, Harry has told me some good things about you.’ Okish stated.

‘You too.’ Yoki replied.

‘Um Harry, I think I’ll leave you guys to discuss and I better head home now. If you ever need me, just give me a call and I will come to help.’ Okish stated.

‘Sure, it’s quite late as well. Thank you so much for today, I really appreciate how you have handled this situation!’ Harry replied.

‘Bye Okish and thanks!’ Yoki stated.

‘Bye guys.’ Okish replied as he left the room.

Harry felt a sense of relief as he was just about to find a way to tell Okish if he could head home since he wanted to discuss with Yoki in private.

‘So Yoki, do you have a plan to help us with the medical bills?’ Harry asked.

‘Uh I currently still don't know yet. I’ll have to discuss it with the medical team to see.’ Yoki replied.

‘Right I see, should I come with you as well?’ Harry questioned.

‘Sure, if you want to.’ Yoki replied.

As they left the room, Yoki approached the receptionist at the nearest desk.

‘Hi, is there a team where we can discuss a special circumstance regarding medical billing for the patient in ward nine?’ Yoki asked.

‘Uh sure, just let me check on the details for the patient please… Okay, it looks like Milo is in the trauma category, I’ll take you guys to see the staff in the trauma team.’ The receptionist stated.

‘Alright, thanks.’ Yoki replied.

As they followed the receptionist through the hallway, they finally met an individual from the trauma team.

‘Hi Cozish, these guys have some questions regarding medical billing for Milo, a patient in ward nine. I thought you might be the one for them to ask their questions to.’ The receptionist stated.

‘Okay, so how can I help you guys?’ Cozish asked.

‘Well, we wanted to ask how much Milo's medical bills would come down to as of now?’ Yoki asked.

‘Alright, I’ll just double check for you… It looks like the total cost is currently $539.45 Boti.’ Cozish replied.

‘Okay, Harry here is in a very complicated situation. His brother, Milo had just experienced a severe accident earlier today and is now in ward nine for treatment. However, they are newcomers to our planet and Milo had just gotten a job but they don’t think it’s enough to pay for the medical bills required. We were wondering is there any way you could waive the cost or reduce it for them?’ Yoki asked.

‘Okay that does sound quite complicated. I can't give you an answer right now but I will discuss your circumstances with the trauma team and I’ll get back to you very soon.’ Cozish replied.

‘Sure, thank you very much.’ Harry replied.

‘Thanks a lot, hope you can help Harry out.’ Yoki added.

‘Well, $539.45 Boti is insanely high! Even if I pull everything out of Milo’s account, it still won’t be enough.’ Harry stated.

‘Yeah, I know. But I’m sure they will help you guys out and plus we tried our best to explain the situation to their team. So let’s just hope for the best.’ Yoki replied as they headed back to ward nine.

‘Where have you guys been?’ Milo asked as he saw Yoki and Harry walk into the room.

‘Uh, we just went to ask about your medical bills.’ Harry replied.

‘Cool, so how much is it?’ Milo asked.

‘Um it's quite high.’ Harry replied.

‘How much exactly?’ Milo questioned.

‘Well it’s $539.45 Boti to be exact, but we went to negotiate with the team to see if they could lower it for us.’ Harry explained.

‘That is insane! How can I pay for all of that?!’ Milo blurted.

‘I know, but we’re trying our best to lower the bill. We just need to wait patiently for them to get back to us.’ Harry replied.

‘Well I hope we can get a lower cost, otherwise we will be in so much debt!’ Milo added.

‘Yeah, just focus on yourself first and we will handle the rest.’ Harry replied.

After two hours, Dr. Xopeth and Cozish both came back to ward nine to check on Milo.

‘Milo, how are you feeling?’ Dr. Xopeth asked.

‘Still very painful but better than before.’ Milo replied.

‘Okay I will prescribe you some stronger pain relievers and give you a wheelchair to take home. You will also need to come back for routine checkups every two weeks, but feel free to come back earlier if you experience any issues.’ Dr. Xopeth stated.

‘Thanks, I will.’ Milo replied.

‘So Cozish, have you discussed our situation with the trauma team yet?’ Harry asked.

‘Yes, I have and after we saw the news today, we are really sorry for your unfortunate accident and have decided to waive the bill altogether. We hope you have a steady recovery and wish you both the best.’ Cozish stated.

‘Thank you so much Cozish and your team! You don’t understand how much we appreciate this!’ Harry replied.

‘Thank you really, I was more worried about this than my knee to be honest!’ Milo added.

‘You’re welcome, we always want to do what's best for our patients.’ Cozish commented.

‘Well here is the script for some pain relievers and I think you guys can be discharged now. Please head home for more rest!’ Dr. Xopeth stated.

‘Alright thank you!’ Milo replied.

‘Thank you Dr. Xopeth for taking care of Milo and we look forward to seeing you again!’ Harry replied as he pushed Milo out the door using the wheelchair.

‘No worries Harry and Milo, please take care.’ Dr. Xopeth responded.

‘So where should we go now?’ Harry asked.

‘I think Dr. Xopeth would want you to go to the pharmacy to get the prescribed pain relievers for Milo.’ Yoki replied.

‘Thanks Yoki, so where is that if you know?’ Harry asked.

‘It should be at level two as I remember. I’ll take you guys there.’ Yoki replied.

‘Cool, I’ll follow your lead then thanks.’ Harry commented.

As they took the lift up to level two, Harry could see the pharmacy just to the left. He entered and approached the pharmacist.

‘Hi, how can I help you?’ The pharmacist asked.

‘I have some prescriptions for pain relievers.’ Harry stated as he passed the script over. ‘Sure, please wait a second and I’ll go get those for you.’ The pharmacist stated.

‘Thanks.’ Harry replied.

‘Alright so that comes down to $15.78 Boti please.’ The pharmacist stated.

‘Sure, here you go.’ Milo replied as he passed over his card.

‘Thank you, here you go and have a great day.’ The pharmacist stated.

‘You too.’ Harry replied as they left the pharmacy.

‘So I guess we should head home now right?’ Milo asked.

‘Yeah unless there’s somewhere else you would like to go.’ Harry replied.

‘Not much to do when sitting in a wheelchair.’ Milo sighed.

‘Hey, don’t lose hope, I’m sure you'll get better soon!’ Harry replied.

‘I wish.’ Milo added.

As they headed back to Apartment C, Milo had never felt more miserable in his life. It felt like everything was taken away from him in a blink of an eye.

‘Okay well if you guys don’t need me anymore, I better head back as well.’ Yoki commented as they arrived at the front of Apartment C.

‘Yeah, sure you can. It’s been a long day and you need to get some rest too. I’ll take care of Milo.’ Harry replied.

‘Thanks, please let me know if anything happens or whenever you need me.’ Yoki replied.

‘I will, thanks.’ Harry responded as he walked into the lift.

‘Harry, what time is it now?’ Milo asked.

‘It’s currently ten thirty-seven P.M.’ Harry replied.

‘That’s pretty late already, you still have work tomorrow right?’ Milo questioned.

‘Yeah, would you be okay on your own? I can buy you breakfast and lunch for the day before I head back after work.’ Harry asked.

‘Yeah I think I should be fine. I’m so sorry for what happened. I had a gut feeling that something’s off but I just brushed it off.’ Milo replied.

‘No Milo, I’m the one that should be truly sorry. This could have been prevented if I’d taken your symptoms more seriously and you can be mad at me for as long as you need.’ Harry stated.

‘I’m not mad at you Harry and I don't want to blame anyone for this accident. It is what it is and we’ll just need to deal with this. By the way, do you know if FAC will still pay my salary since I can’t work at the moment?’ Milo asked.

‘Milo you won’t believe this but they don’t offer any sick leave for their workers.’ Harry explained.

‘Where did you hear that from?’ Milo asked.

‘I asked Okish back at the hospital when you were still unconscious. He also had a fight with Mr. Emiz over the phone which got him fired.’ Harry replied.

‘Really, wow what was the fight about?’ Milo questioned.

‘Well apparently Mr. Emiz was very mad at the accident and the damage it has caused, so he took it out on Okish and blamed him for everything that had happened today. Can you believe that?’ Harry explained.

‘Wow, is that true? Mr. Emiz wouldn’t do something like this. He has always been so polite to me.’ Milo blurted.

‘He did, and I had witnessed it. Maybe it’s the start of his true colours coming to light.’ Harry replied.

‘So do you think I should work at FAC after my knee gets better?’ Milo asked.

‘You’re kidding right?’ Harry questioned back.

‘No, that was a genuine question.’ Milo asked.

‘After all of this? Of course not. You are absolutely not working for that boss ever again! Even Okish said that he’d rather be homeless than work for him. Why would you even want to ask that?’ Harry explained.

‘I don’t know, I just thought he was having a bad day. But I guess I’ll be seeking work elsewhere.’ Milo replied.

‘Well you just take a good long rest first and we will think about work after your knee completely has healed.’ Harry suggested.

‘Yeah, I hope that this doesn’t burden you since we will need to live off of your paycheck from now on.’ Milo replied.

‘I’m not gonna receive my paycheck until the end of this week. I have no idea how we can afford food, rent, and other costs for this week.’ Harry explained.

‘I haven’t thought about this either. I reckon you should give Yoki a call and discuss our current issue with him.’ Milo suggested.

‘I guess you’re right. I don't know what we will do without Yoki now. I’ll give him a call right now.’ Harry chuckled.

‘Good luck.’ Milo replied.

‘Hi Yoki, I’m very sorry to bother you again, but we are experiencing another major issue. Since Milo’s company is not willing to pay for sick leave and I will not receive my first paycheck until Friday, we have absolutely no idea on how to pay for our bills and necessities.’ Harry explained.

‘Harry, that’s a tough one. I’ll need to discuss with my manager and see if we can waive all the costs for you guys for this week. Please hold on.’ Yoki replied

‘Thank you so much, I will.’ Harry replied as was put on hold for the next couple of minutes.

‘Alright, I have explained your situation to my manager and we have decided that considering these unfortunate circumstances, we can waive all fees for you both for the rest of this week. However, this will only be allowed once. Does that sound clear?’ Yoki replied.

‘Yes, we can’t thank you enough Yoki. You always help save the day!’ Harry exclaimed.

‘No worries, I’m always glad to help. Have a good night then if you don’t have any more questions for me.’ Yoki stated.

‘Nope that’s all, and enjoy your night as well.’ Harry replied as he ended the call.

‘Well Milo, Yoki helped save the week for us. He was able to help us waive all the costs we need to pay for the rest of the week!’ Harry exclaimed.

‘Wow, that is awesome! We can’t thank Yoki enough Harry after everything he has done for us to get through all our difficulties. We need to pay him back one day.’ Milo suggested.

‘Yeah we must. Well, you better get some rest first and I’ll need to get to bed as well.’ Harry replied.

‘Sure, I’m honestly not that tired since I’ve been asleep pretty much the whole day. But you must get some rest since you will have a busy day tomorrow.’ Milo responded.

‘Well good night Milo!’ Harry commented.

‘Night Harry.’ Milo replied.

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