Strong antiseptic smell lingered in the tense atmosphere as frantic footsteps pe

rmeated through the hallway. Many worried faces swarmed around me, almost drowni
ng me. Many trembly hands gripped the metallic bars of the surgical bed I lay on
. Many nervous voices echoed through the hallway. "Everything is going to be alr
ight, Peree.. Everything is going to be alright.." The voices went fainter and f
ainter and fainter as my ears reverberated with my harsh breathing and the rapid
palpitations of my heart. Then, a veil of tenebrosity stole my vision.

Next moment, I felt myself buried under soft and warm layers. "She is coming a
round! Peree is waking up!" I squeezed open my eyes. The first person I saw was
Mum. Her eyes was swollen, and the dark bags under them drooped wearily. Then, I
saw Dad. I saw my brother, his hair all sloppy and sickly, beside him. I starte
d feebly, "Hey.." As I tried to sit up, a stinging pain throbbed around my upper
waist, almost as if there had been some invisible knife stabbing me mercilessly
. "Argh.." Noticing my distress, Mum hurriedly rushed to my side to help me up,
softly murmuring, "Peree, you just had a liver transplant surgery.. You shouldn'
t be moving about too much."
"Oh, before I forget, the liver donor wanted to give you these." Mum quickly h
anded me a fresh sunflower and a little yellow post-it note.
It wrote: Get well soon! Keep the smile, leave the tension, feel the joy, forg
et the worry, hold the peace, leave the pain, and always be happy! With Love, T.
Y.
Those words. I had seen those words. My surroundings became wobbly and abstrac
t as memories from years ago cascaded through my mind.
"Good morning, miss. Can I find Ms Lucy Low Lin Lin? She is my friend." I poli
tely asked the frowning nurse behind the counter. The nurse flatly replied, almo
st toneless, "Okay. Please wait for a moment." She began fumbling hastily throu
gh the sheets of papers.
Out of nowhere, I heard laughter. I subconsciously turned behind. There stood a
young boy with a little blue rabbit plush. Bouncing around friskily like an into
xicated bunny, his bell-like laughter shimmered through the hallway. Suddenly, t
he little rabbit plush landed near my feet. I bent down, picked it up, and hande
d the plush back to the little boy. "Here you go. What's your name?" The little
boy slowly peered up at me, his big sparkling eyes surveying me curiously. Gradu
ally, his eyes curled into two crescents. A warm smile spread across his face, r
evealing a missing front tooth. "Thank you, miss. My name is Thomas Yan!" The li
ttle boy chirped sweetly, before skipping away.
"He's such a cherub, isn't he? A pity he may not live long. Ms Lucy Low Lin Li
n is in room 201." I stood back up, taken aback by those agonising words,"Oh, wh
y?" The nurse breathed heavily, then with melancholic eyes, she told me, "He nee
ds a liver transplant, and so far, there is not a single compatible liver donor.
" As those words seeped into my head, I felt my heart sinking deep into the pits
of my stomach. "If only.. there is something I could do.." I thought. Suddenly,
my eyes lit.

"Can I test if I'm a suitable donor for Thomas Yan?"

"Okay, please fill this application form and wait for further instructions."
Four days later, I finally received an email. I was a compatible donor.
"Remember to remain calm. Okay, Ms Pan?" The doctor calmly told me as I was be
ing wheeled into the surgical theater. Darkness slowly clouded my eyes as my wor
ld muted. The next moment, it was just white. I heard some gruff voices and a so
ft beeping sound. When I opened my eyes, I was already in the general ward. A sm
iling white-uniformed lady walked into the room. Weakly, I enquired, "so, how wa
s the boy?" Still smiling, the nurse, while helping me to adjust the bed, reassu
red me, "Oh, Thomas? He's recovering well! Don't worry!" My lips arched upwards.
I softly asked, "Can I pass him a note?" The nurse nodded.
I wrote: Get well soon! Keep the smile, leave the tension, feel the joy, forge
t the worry, hold the peace, leave the pain, and always be happy! With love, P.P
.
Slowly, everything around me fast forwarded into a blur.
"Is everything okay? Don't cry, Peree." I heard Mum's anxious voice. I gently
swapped the side of my finger below my left eye. Emotions crammed in my throat a
s I smiled, mustering a few words,"it's nothing, just some dust in my eyes."
Life is sometimes like a boomerang.
Love, and be loved.
Care, and be cared for.
Give, and receive.