...Without any knowledge of American medicine and products, Bella wasn’t able to help herself find any suitable over-the-counter medicines either, before leaving the pharmacy. Nor, did she know where to find any doctors’ offices. But, she remembered that not so far away, at a nearby intersection, she had once noticed a four-story hospital building. Still with some hope, she inched in that direction.

     Almost an hour later, Bella reached the building and made her way inside. She approached a glass-windowed counter with two white women sitting behind. One of them slid the window a bit open. Bella said quietly with a scratchy voice from her dry throat, “Please, I need antibiotics for a severe cold or flu.”

     “Do you have insurance, ma’am?”

     “No, I don’t,” she answered, and the woman started talking rapidly, asking her something. Bella shook her head. “I don’t understand you, ma’am, sorry, I —” A cough interrupted her speech. She covered her mouth, turning away.

     “I said, you need insurance, do you understand?” The woman was getting angrier and tried to close the window. 

     “Wait, please wait,” Bella gasped, and put her hand on the rails, preventing the window being shut. “Please, I only need some antibiotics… I feel so horrible.” Her eyes got watery. “Ma’am please, I’ll pay you…I have almost fifty dollars…I can’t breathe, please.”

     “Without insurance, no doctors will see you here, do you understand?” The woman looked extremely irritated, keeping her hand on the window.

     “Please, just the antibiotic.”
     “No! We can’t help you. You need another hospital.” She rattled off some name and address.

     “I don’t know where that is,” Bella panted. The receptionist repeated the address and began explaining the direction. Bella’s voice seemed to vanish. She was shaking as she looked at that cold, uncaring woman. “I don’t have a car,” she finally said, crying.

     “We can’t help you,” the woman claimed and slammed the window shut. This time she locked it. Bella dropped her face down. Wiping her tears, she started walking away. The window was opened for an instant again, only enough for that woman to stick out her hand and point toward the exit door. “Ma’am, the exit is over there,” she shouted.

     Bella stopped, looked at that hand with the pointing finger, turned back, and stumbled out the door. If I manage to live through this, she thought, I will never ever forget that woman’s hand.

     Crying and coughing, she slowly went out of the hospital and sat down on the stairs, resting her face on her knees…..