THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary was surprised to find a familiar face waiting for him when he stepped out of the airport in Zurich. He immediately recognized that the person was Ryan Bellmore, the short racecar driver he'd met a few months back.

"Welcome to Zurich, Zachary!" The short guy said when Zachary stepped before him.

"Ryan, why are you here?"

"Of course, Emily sent me to fetch you," Ryan replied with a grin. "I know the entire city's layout since I have been here for four months. So, don't worry. I'll be able to get you to your destination."

Zachary beamed, shaking his head. "That isn't my concern. Aren't you supposed to be racing cars somewhere? When did you turn into a common driver?"

Ryan chuckled, brushing a hand through his hair. "I'm here on some other business. Do you remember what I said when we met back in Trondheim? When I'm not racing, I'm also a middleman of sorts. So, I spend a lot of time traveling to various European countries."

"I see," Zachary said, nodding. "Thanks for coming to fetch me. Shall we make a move on it? I wish to go to the hospital as soon as possible."

"Sure," Ryan said. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandma's case, by the way. I'm praying for her to get better quickly."

"Thanks," Zachary replied, slinging his travel bag over his shoulder.

"Emily has already booked you a hotel, and it's on the way to the hospital," Ryan said. "So, I suggest we first drop your things at your hotel. Otherwise, it'll be uncomfortable for you to move around with all that luggage."

"Fine," Zachary said. "Let's do as you say."

"Great. Follow me to the car."

-----

Zachary immediately followed Ryan to his car, parked in one of the airport's parking spaces. He threw his luggage in the boot, and off they went, cruizing through the streets of Zurich.

Since it was midday, traffic was a bit heavy. Ryan could only drive at moderate speed while sometimes taking longer routes to avoid the congestion. As a result, they only made it to the hotel after almost an hour before dropping off the luggage.

"It's already coming to 1:00 PM," Ryan said right after Zachary had just finished checking into the hotel. "Do you wish to have some lunch before continuing to the hospital?"

"I already had some food on the plane," Zachary replied, shaking his head. "So, I'm still okay. Let's head to the hospital. I can even have my meal at the canteen there if the need arises."

"Okay, then," Ryan said, smiling. "The hospital is less than a kilometer away from here. So, let's walk instead of driving and getting stuck in another traffic jam."

"That's fine with me," Zachary replied. "Let's go."

After deciding, they quickly pressed through the human traffic on the sidewalk and made it to the hospital in five minutes. They then called Emily, who fetched them from the gate.

"Good afternoon, Zachary," she said with a smile after approaching them at the hospital entrance. "How was your flight?"

"Okay, I guess," Zachary replied, smiling back. "How're you, and how's everything else?"

"I'm okay," Emily said. "Regarding everything else, can we find a place to sit before discussing?"

"That's fine," Zachary replied, nodding. "But, first things first, I would like to talk to my grandma. Is she awake?"

"Unfortunately, she's asleep," Emily said with a sigh. "And since the surgery is tomorrow early morning, the doctors don't want us to disturb her rest. So, you need to be patient and wait until she wakes."

"Okay, then," Zachary said. "Let's find somewhere to sit and talk for the moment. I'll see her later."

Emily nodded before turning to Ryan. "Thanks for helping out today. We shall discuss the other matter later."

"It's my pleasure helping out," he replied with a smile. "I have to go now, Zachary. But if you need any help here in Zurich, don't forget to call. Emily has my number."

Zachary smiled. "I also have your number, Ryan. Thanks for your help. I'll keep in touch. Let me first handle my grandma's matters."

Ryan nodded before walking away.

As he looked at his receding back, Zachary had some doubts. Switzerland was a country with strict policies against motorsport. Following the 1955 LeMans disaster, the Swiss government had banned all racing events with the exception of events held in a time trial format such as hill climbing. So, it was weird for a race car driver to settle in such a country.

"Did he put a hold on his car racing career?" Zachary asked Emily.

She shook her head in response. "He says that he's only taking a small break to look for money to support his career."

"Oh!" Zachary said, nodding. "Wouldn't it be easier to look for a sponsor or a racing team instead of financing himself?"

"Things aren't that simple," Emily said, sighing. "I've tried to help him find a sponsor, but, so far, all my efforts have been fruitless. That is because of the intense competition in the sport. There are many talented drivers but very few racing teams and sponsors."

Zachary nodded in understanding.

"Let's head inside," Emily abruptly changed the topic. "We'll have lunch at the canteen. Then, you can take a few minutes to visit your grandma. Hopefully, she'll be awake by then. After that, I'll introduce you to the surgeon handling your grandma's case. He will explain the treatment plan they've designed for her. Okay?"

"Sounds like a good plan," Zachary agreed. "Let's enter."

-----

Everything went as planned. After having lunch with Emily and his aunt, they strode through the spotless hospital corridors and headed to his grandma's room for a visit.

Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, she was still in a deep sleep and didn't even hear them when they entered the room. So, they could only stand quietly by her hospital bed for minutes.

All the while, the worry buried deep inside Zachary was threatening to explode. He was really concerned as the old lady was in a more terrible condition than he had initially expected. She was thinner, her eyes sunken, and her face paler than he remembered. She seemed like a person who was on her last legs.

"Don't let appearances fool you," Emily whispered after stepping closer to him. "The doctors have assured us that she's stable. Due to the severe symptoms, the doctors often put her to sleep so that she doesn't have to suffer. That's the cause of her current condition."

Zachary nodded. "Let's go meet the doctors," he said. "I'm eager to hear the treatment plan they designed for my grandma."

"Okay, let's go."

They stepped out of the room quietly and trekked through the hospital corridors. Before long, they arrived at one of the doctor's offices. On a small white panel on the door were the words - "Dr. Brian Sanders - Resident Neurosurgeon" in black ink.

Emily knocked thrice on the door before standing to the side.

"Come in," a deep voice sounded from inside.

Their group then stepped through the doorway and entered the spacious office. On the walls were large charts and posters depicting diagrams of brain illnesses.

However, what caught Zachary's attention was the middle-aged man seated behind an L-shaped office table on the other side of the room. He had an average build, short black hair, and prominent blue eyes hidden behind a pair of large spectacles.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, ladies and gentlemen," the man said. "Please, sit."

"Thanks, doctor," Emily responded, taking a seat first. The rest followed suit after exchanging a few pleasantries with the doctor. What followed was an introduction session that took about two minutes  before they finally touched on the main issue.

"So, Dr. Sanders," Zachary said, leaning back. "Could you go over the treatment plan for my grandma and what is required?"

Dr. Sanders nodded before pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "The treatment is actually pretty straightforward," he said. "We'll conduct a regular craniotomy before removing the abnormal mass of cells within her brain tomorrow at 8:00 AM."

"On your side, you don't have to do anything. Our nurses will be responsible for prepping the patient and ensuring that she gets to the theater."

"After the surgery," the doctor continued, "One of the surgeons will come to the waiting area and inform you about the outcome of the treatment procedure. As for the patient, she'll be moved to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit to recover for roughly two hours. After making sure that her condition is stable, we'll transfer her to the Neuro Intensive Care Unit, where you can see her again."

"A few days after the surgery, we'll conduct more tests to discern whether the treatment procedure managed to remove all the tumor cells. If the results are satisfactory, we'll discharge your grandma in about two weeks' time after the surgery."

"Doctor," Zachary said after a moment of contemplation. "What are the risks associated with this surgery?"

The doctor inhaled deeply before answering. "Of course, any surgical procedure is invasive. So, there's always a risk to the patient's life. It's especially so in the case of your grandma, who's far along in her years. However, don't worry. Our role as surgeons is to do our best to minimize those risks and make sure that the patient recovers."

"Oh!" Zachary inhaled deeply on hearing the response.