In fact, the more considerate she was, the guiltier I felt. The little girl was still wearing rags and tatters. I helped her wash up and we went to a mall. Since it would take at least four hours to fly from K City to A City, there was ample time for me to buy her some new clothes.
Amy was excited since it was her first time shopping in a mall. At the same time, being diffident, she wouldn’t let go of my hand. In no time, I bought her a few sets of clothes. Wearing the new clothes, she asked meekly, “Ms. Stanhope, are we using the money that you are going to give my parents to buy me new clothes? Actually, I don’t need that many clothes. I wish to save the money for my parents.”
My heart ached at her words. She was still thinking about her parents despite them exploiting her for money. “Don’t worry. These clothes are a gift from me. You don’t need to pay for them,” I reassured her.
The little girl was relieved. Holding my hand, she asked, “Then, when am I going to save your daughter?”
I was slightly bewildered at her question. That was when I remembered that Amy, a five-year-old kid, was old enough to understand what was going on. Besides, her parents never avoided her when they talk. She must have known the reason for her coming to A City.
I shook my head and replied, “There’s no hurry. Before that, we can spend some time and have fun in the city.”
Amy nodded firmly, her eyes brightened up.
Gazing at her happy face, I asked, “Amy, are you willing to leave your parents and live with me?”
Amy was slightly confused. Nevertheless, she gave my words some thought. “Ms. Stanhope, if I stay with you, will you give my parents a lot of money?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
Amy lowered her head and fell deep into thought. Finally, she made her decision. “Fine. As long as my mom and dad can get a lot of money, I will stay with you,” she said seriously.
To the kids, no matter how terrible their parents were, they would always regard them as their dearest family. After all, blood was thicker than water.
Soon, we left the mall. Just as we were about to get into the car, I heard someone calling me.
I turned around to find it was Hailey. That was when I recalled she was back in A City as well. The young lady trotted toward me and asked, “Are you here shopping?”
I nodded. Noticing the shopping bags in her hand, I knew she was out shopping as well.
Hailey was dazed when she noticed Amy standing beside me. With a doubtful look on her face, she asked with a hint of certainty, “Did you contact Armond? He gave you the information?”
I was surprised by her shrewdness. “How did you…”
Hailey’s face turned pale. She cast her eyes at Amy and then at me. Then, she gasped out, “I did a heart transplant before. My heart belonged to an innocent kid. I suffered from depression after the heart transplant.”
The young lady was clasping her chest. Her forehead was covered with sweat, while her face contorted in pain. I immediately held her arms and supported her. The latter grabbed my hand while she said through gritted teeth, “Don’t make the same mistake as I did. That will only make more people suffer!”
Not losing any time, I called the ambulance. Afraid that she might not stand until the ambulance arrived, I asked a random guy on the street to help carry her into my car. After that, I drove her to the nearest hospital.
As soon as the doctor at ER took over Hailey, I received a call from Zachary. “Sienna, where are you? Summer’s condition suddenly deteriorated, and we’re sending her to the hospital. I need you to bring that kid to the hospital now. I have contacted the hospital to give her a preoperation check-up.”
Suddenly, Hailey’s words rang out in my mind. Casting my eyes at the helpless Amy, I felt torn by conflicting emotions. I was on the verge of losing my mind.
I was stumped when Zachary kept urging me over the phone. Eventually, I only told him of my location.
After hanging up, Amy and I looked at each other.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her what she would be facing later. “Ms. Stanhope, is that lady sick?” the latter asked.
I nodded. Then, I made her sit on the chair and asked, “Amy, later, the nurse will need to draw your blood. Will you feel scared?”
Amy took a glance at the ER. “Will I feel pain like that lady just now?” she asked hesitantly.
I shook my head. “No.”
Hearing that, the little girl heaved a sigh of relief. “Then, it’s fine. Last time, a man came to draw my blood in my house. It’s not painful at all, so I was not scared.”
I nodded. Amy must be talking about the time when Ronald had some doctors do a check-up and blood test for her and her siblings.
Feeling sorry for the little girl, I wrapped my arms around her. Summer’s condition had become worse. If I still couldn’t make up my mind, I was afraid it might be too late to save her life. Yet, if Amy was to go under the knife, she needed to donate both her bone marrow and her kidney. I had no idea of the risk of the operation Amy might be facing. I would be the one who caused her death if anything happened to her during the operation.
Half an hour later, Zachary and Cameron arrived at the hospital. Meanwhile, Summer, whose vein was cannulated with an IV tube, was wheeled into the ER. The little girl’s arm was full of hematomas from chemotherapy.
Anger boiled within me whenever I saw my daughter suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy. Each time, the urge to kill Jared grew more intense. All humans had dark sides, yet we had the ability to eschew evil, which explained why Jared still survived until now.
Soon after, Zachary ordered the doctor to do a checkup for Amy. My mind was a mess as I held the little girl in my arms. “Dad, why don’t we wait until we ask Summer’s doctor about her condition?”
Knowing I would go soft, Zachary persuaded, “We are just going to do a full-body check-up for this kid. They said her bone marrow is a match for Summer, but we are not sure about it. We’ll discuss it after the doctors perform the check-up. Alright?”
Zachary was right. As reluctant as I was, I had no choice but to nod my agreement.
When the doctor took Amy away, the little girl kept turning his head to look at me. I knew it was her instinct to feel scared. “Amy, don’t be scared. It’s just like taking an injection. It won’t hurt, and you’ll be fine.”
She nodded and followed the doctor quietly.
I waited agonizingly for Amy’s return.
An hour had passed, the little girl still hadn’t come back. Feeling panicked, I decided to look for her, yet Cameron halted me. “The doctor is with that kid. Summer is still in the ER, and you should stay here.”
I nodded. Still, I paced back and forth as I couldn’t cast my worries away. Meanwhile, a nurse showed up. “Miss, the patient, Hailey Webster, has regained consciousness. We’re transferring her to the ward now, and a family member is required to take care of her.”
I told Cameron about Hailey before I went to check on her.
In the ward, the doctor informed me of the things I needed to pay particular attention to during the patient’s preoperative care and aftercare.
Since I had no idea of Hailey’s health condition, I went after the doctor and asked, “Doctor, what happened to her? Why did she suddenly collapse?”
The doctor looked at me doubtfully while he asked, “So, you’re not the patient’s family member?”
I nodded. “I’m her friend. I only found out about her health issue today.”
The doctor nodded before he stated, “The patient underwent a heart transplant surgery a year ago. Transplant rejection is common during this period, and it can occur anytime. If the patient gets emotional, that might trigger episodes of acute rejection. Thus, you need to pay attention to the patient’s emotional changes.”
I remembered Hailey telling me about her having a heart transplant before she collapsed. Shouldn’t she be grateful that she is still alive? Why does it seem like she is aversive to the donor’s heart?
Back in the ward, Hailey still couldn’t move her body under the effect of anesthesia. Nevertheless, she was conscious. She wore an oxygen mask and looked at me as if she had something to say.
Sitting next to her, I spoke up, “I know you have something you wanted to tell me. Perhaps we’ll talk when you feel better.”
Hailey shook her head. The next moment, she said under her breath, “Don’t sacrifice someone to save another’s life. They are innocent, and they will die. Those who survive won’t be happy either.”
I was dazed. “What do you mean?”
In a barely audible voice, she explained, “I have congenital heart disease. Over the years, my heart deteriorated. My father told me I could live for a long time if I get a heart transplant, but it was just too difficult to find a matching heart. After many years of searching, my father finally found one. They told him the girl was sick and that she couldn’t live long. After she died, she could donate her heart to me. So, my father adopted her. For many years, she was the one who kept me company when I felt lonely or sad. Unfortunately, my condition was getting worse. Yet, surprisingly, she became fit and healthy as time passed.”
Hailey let out a bitter smile. “My father soon found out they had lied to him. In fact, she was not sick. Her parents had abandoned her, so they made my father adopt her. At that time, I was in a critical condition and I was dying. Unfortunately, she was the only one who could save me. Having no choice, my father trampled with the vehicle that she would be using that day.”
After a short pause, she continued by saying, “When she died, her face was disfigured, her body was covered with blood. My father told me it was an accident, and I have always persuaded myself to believe in his words. However, that girl is deeply rooted in my memory. I lived every passing day, tortured by the feeling of guilt and agony.”
Tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes as she pleaded, “Don’t make the same mistake again. Don’t sacrifice that kid.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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