Читать книгу The Secrets of the Two-Faced Maiden. Part 2 - - Страница 6

By that time, Natalia had already been seriously ill for two years due to spinal problems, and she could barely walk. She had simply been misdiagnosed and, because she was denied proper treatment, was essentially condemned to disability. Two months after the quarrel with her friend, Natalia was admitted to the hospital to determine her diagnosis and treatment plan, or to apply for disability status, since her health showed no signs of improvement. With support from someone walking beside her, she could walk no more than 20 meters. Then she needed a 15-minute rest before continuing.

While Natalia was in the hospital, Alla – whom she had argued with a month earlier – came to visit her, which greatly surprised Natalia. Alla came supposedly to make peace and brought Natalia only one orange. That morning, Natalia had finally decided to have a bad tooth removed, but the anesthesia affected her very strongly – her entire cheek drooped, and she couldn’t move her lips. The pregnant Alla «hovered» over her for seven hours, begging her to eat the orange, but the numbness would not go away – her cheek hung lifelessly. Later, Natalia’s sister Elena came and brought her some oranges of her own.

Only six hours later did the anesthesia slowly begin to wear off. Alla pleaded so insistently that Natalia finally tried one slice. It tasted very bitter, and Natalia assumed the bitterness was due to the anesthesia – and swallowing was difficult. So she set the orange aside, telling her friend she would eat it later. Seeing that Natalia had eaten a little bit of the orange, Alla quickly said goodbye and left. Elena, noticing Alla’s unusual persistence, threw the orange away – Alla had insisted far too anxiously that Natalia eat it.

Alla was already five months pregnant at the time. And who could have thought that a person in such a condition might bring poisoned fruit to a sick woman? It was also strange that Natalia suddenly decided to have her tooth pulled on that exact day. Later she recalled how she woke up that morning with the thought that she must finally remove the bad tooth. There was a clinic right next to the hospital. She went to the dental surgeon; there was no queue. Natalia made up her mind and had the tooth extracted. Only a year later did Natalia realize that if she had not done that, she would have eaten the entire orange, and she might no longer be alive. There was no doubt that God had protected Natalia from death in this way – although she did taste one slice.

That same evening, Natalia began feeling unwell – an unexplained weakness appeared, which grew worse each day. On the fourth day, an ambulance was called. By that time, Natalia had already been discharged from the hospital and was at home. What followed were three months of a life-and-death struggle. Natalia exhibited a full spectrum of intoxication symptoms. She lost a significant amount of weight, her pulse was almost constantly at 140 beats per minute, and she suffered from convulsive seizures. She was taken to an infectious disease hospital and underwent examinations at the regional hospital in Minsk after a complaint, but the tests revealed no infectious disease. The doctors diagnosed her with a «nervous system disorder,» having performed only a general blood test. Unfortunately, this is the harsh reality of our medical system, even though Natalia had requested testing for toxic substances in her blood. The only thing that helped her was drinking ten liters of water a day during severe attacks and convulsions. She was denied disability status, with doctors claiming she was not eligible. No one referred her for additional examinations. This is a separate story in itself, where the doctors seemed to be hiding their mistakes behind an incorrect diagnosis – or perhaps someone was attempting to conceal poisoning. Natalia had a dream in which she was told to drink valerian root tea while it was hot. She followed this advice. After two months, her severe symptoms subsided, though she still could not walk. Suspicions that Alla’s orange had been poisoned were further supported by her strange behavior. Following this incident, Alla never called or sought to meet Natalia again.

A month after the hospital visit, Natalia’s sister Elena saw Alla at the market. Her behavior shocked Elena. Upon seeing Elena, Alla became extremely frightened, did not greet her, and turned to run away. She ran so quickly with her large pregnant belly that Elena could not catch up. Alla jumped onto a trolleybus and left. Mutual acquaintances of Natalia and her sister, who knew Alla, reported similar behavior. Since then, neither Natalia nor her sister saw Alla again.

A year later, Natalia learned from a mutual acquaintance that Alla had given birth to a girl with a heart defect, who had to undergo a serious operation. Apparently, the sins of the parents still affected the child. The further fate of Alla and her daughter remained unknown to Natalia.