THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The next moment, Zachary's eyes narrowed when he noticed that the incoming call was from a number beginning with the country code +41. It was from Switzerland and quite possibly from one of the people taking care of his grandma in Zurich.

"Could my grandma's last test results already be out? Or could there be a problem?"

Various thoughts flashed through Zachary's mind as he pressed the accept button. He inhaled deeply and positioned the phone against his ear.

"Hello, Zachary," a familiar voice, speaking fluent Swahili, sounded from the other end of the line. "This is Marie, your Aunt. I'm calling from the hospital in Zurich."

"Yes, Aunt Marie," Zachary said. "Could grandma's test results already be out?"

"Not yet," Marie replied, sighing audibly. "There's another problem with grandma. She collapsed suddenly at around noon. Let me give the phone to Dr. Sanders. He'll explain everything to you."

A sickening pool of dread immediately formed in the pit of Zachary's belly. He couldn't stop his body from trembling as he placed the phone against his other ear.

"Hello, Zachary," the familiar voice of Dr. Sander's sounded from the phone speaker. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of the bad news..."

"Just go ahead and tell me what's wrong with my grandma," Zachary interrupted, sounding impatient.

"Okay," the doctor said. "Your grandma collapsed suddenly at around noon today. We immediately put her through a scan and noticed that her surgical wound had started experiencing some problems. Around the area in her brain where we removed the tumor, there has been increased neural cell death and some neural inflammation that has affected your grandma's recovery."

"The inflammation itself has led to the accumulation of fluid in the nearby tissues, bringing about a condition we term as brain tissue edema," the doctor continued. "The swelling has also led to increased intracranial pressure — the condition that forced your grandma to collapse and sink into a coma. I know this is hard to take in. But please be assured that we're doing everything possible to save your grandma's life. She is already in the theatre, undergoing treatment as I speak now."

"She's even already in the theatre!" Zachary's head was spinning. His heart squeezed in agony, and he asked, "Why wasn't the problem with her surgical wound detected early? I left her in your rehabilitation center to prevent such issues from happening!"

"Some things are out of our hands, Zachary," the doctor said in a placating tone. "Sometimes, the body misbehaves, especially if someone is far along in their old age. Your grandma seemed fine when we conducted a check-up a week ago. But unexpectedly, the surgical wound started misbehaving in the last few days. All we can do is react accordingly and try our best to save her life."

"This is quite shocking to me." Zachary expelled a long breath of air out of his lungs before continuing. "So, she's in the theater now?"

"Yes," the doctor replied from the other end of the line.

"How long will she be there?"

"Three to five hours, depending on the magnitude of the problem."

"Okay, doctor," Zachary said, glancing at the clock. It was already three in the afternoon. "Please do your best to save my grandma. I'll also fly to Zurich right away to be with her before the end of the day."

"Okay, I wish you a safe journey," the doctor replied. "On our end, we'll also pull out all stops to save your grandma's life."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

-----

After ending the call, Zachary started preparing for his trip to Zurich. He first dialed Coach Johansen's number and informed him that he wouldn't be attending training the following day due to an emergency situation with his grandma.

After that, he called Camilla, Emily, and a few other friends and told them about his circumstances. Then, he worked with all the haste he could muster to pack a few clothes, eat some lunch, and take a shower. After finishing everything, he exited his apartment before boarding a taxi to the airport.

His heart raced with anxiety as he watched the buildings flashing by the taxi's window. He felt that the car wasn't moving fast enough. But even then, he didn't pressure the driver to speed up as he was well aware of the strict speeding regulations in Norway. He just hardened his resolve and closed his eyes as a way to ignore the slow passing of time.

"Sir, we're here," the driver said after what seemed like a year of driving.

"Oh!" Zachary immediately opened his eyes. He quickly paid the driver before exiting the taxi and hurrying towards the airport's entrance with his suitcase in tow.

As usual, the airport officials at Værnes were very efficient and good at their work. They helped him book an immediate flight, and thirty minutes later, he was already seated in the business class section of a plane and well on his way to Zurich.

Five and half hours later, at around 10:30 PM, the plane touched down on the runway at Zurich airport. After it came to a halt, Zachary quickly followed the other passengers down the airstair as his heart burned with worry and apprehension.

He went through the procedures at lightning-fast speed and picked up his luggage. He then ignored all the people requesting his autograph and quickly exited the airport before boarding a taxi to the hospital.

The traffic was a bit light on the streets of Zurich that late at night, and the taxi arrived at the hospital's entrance twenty minutes later. Zachary paid the fare before jumping out of the vehicle and jogging toward the waiting room of the neurosurgery operating theatre.

His frequent visits to see his grandma had already allowed him to memorize the entire hospital's layout. So, he didn't even need to ask for directions along the way. He arrived before the waiting room a few minutes later and paused at the door. He then let out a breath to calm himself before pushing the door open and glancing inside the room.

The situation in the room was not quite right, causing Zachary's mood to sink into a whirlpool of desperation and anxiety. Dr. Sanders was exchanging words with Mia, the nurse in charge of his grandma. The two medics stood in a corner, conversing at a low volume as if they didn't wish to disturb the other room occupants. But what was odd was that the only other person in the room was the sobbing Aunt Marie. She had buried her head into her hands on a seat at another end.

The whole atmosphere was gloomy and didn't sit well with Zachary. He felt light-headed as he stepped into the room with his suitcase in tow.

Dr. Sanders immediately noticed him. He ended his conversation with Mia and hurried toward him. "Zachary! You're here. Come sit down before we talk." He tried leading him by the hand towards one of the seats by the door.

Zachary resisted and remained standing in place. His 6'4 foot physique towered over the doctor as he locked eyes with him. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Dr. Sanders! Please tell me straight. Is there anything wrong with my grandma? Did the operation not go well?" He asked, praying that his assumptions were wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Zachary," Dr. Sanders replied, patting his back. "All the surgeons on duty tried their best to save your grandma. But while they were removing the accumulated fluid in her brain, she lost the battle for her life. She passed away at 6:48 PM this evening. I'm really sorry for your loss, Zachary..."

Zachary could no longer hear anything else as he stepped back in a daze and knocked his suitcase over without even realizing it. He felt weak and dizzy as impactful waves of grief assaulted his entire being. It was as if the world was collapsing around him, and he couldn't stop his eyes from moistening.

****    ****

END OF VOLUME THREE

****    ****