I fell into silence. No wonder she became emotional when she saw Amy.
Just then, Cameron called. “My dear, where are you? The kid has done with the check-up. She is now crying and asking for you.” For some reason, she sounded cheerful over the phone.
I uttered a response and ended the call. Gazing at Hailey, I uttered, “This is not a major surgery, and it won’t risk the kid’s life. I only wanted to save my daughter. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t let the kid go through this.”
Hailey was choking up while crying helplessly. I pressed the call button and let the nurses take care of her before leaving the ward.
Outside the ER, Amy was done with her check-up. With her eyes reddened, she pointed at her pelvic area. “Ms. Stanhope, it hurts!”
The doctor didn’t perform a bone marrow biopsy. Instead, he only collected blood samples to test the compatibility of Amy’s bone marrow with Summer’s. Hugging the little girl, I comforted her, “That must hurt a lot. I’ll buy you snacks later.”
Cameron shifted her gaze back and forth between us. “Summer has been transferred to the ward. You should go and check on her now.”
I nodded and then followed her to the ward. The doctor was communicating with Zachary while Summer was lying on the bed, still under the effect of anesthesia.
As the doctor left the ward, I quickly went after him. “Doctor, I want to know more information about the bone marrow and kidney transplant surgery. Will that have any negative effects on the donor?”
The doctor nodded. “Well, the extraction of bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cells won’t cause major harm to the human body though it could be painful. As for kidney donation, that will definitely cause some side effects to the donor. It is just like our fingers. If you lose one of them, it won’t lead to death, but it will definitely cause a loss of functional hand movements.”
My face turned pale at his words. “If a kid donates her kidney, will that have any impact on her health?”
The doctor nodded. “Of course. Well, it won’t cause death, but debility is inevitable.”
I didn’t ask further questions since the doctor had cleared my doubts.
In the ward, Amy was sitting by the bed, looking curiously at Summer. Upon seeing me, Cameron asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zachary knew about my worries. He took a glance at Amy as he said to me, “I have considered all the possible risks of the surgery. The possibility of death is little to none. Sienna, you know how hard it is to find a matching donor. We will take good care of that kid after the surgery.”
I knew Zachary was right.
I was glad that we wouldn’t have to risk Amy’s life. Still, I couldn’t help feeling guilty for harming an innocent kid to save my own daughter.
Since Summer had just finished her chemotherapy while Amy’s test result was not out yet, we could only wait in the hospital. Meanwhile, I had Boris bring Amy with him so that the latter need not stay in the hospital.
When I went to check on Hailey, the effect of anesthesia had worn off. Her face still looked pale, yet she was visibly relieved after I told her of both Summer and Amy’s conditions. “It’s great that you don’t need to risk the kid’s life. However, even if the transplant is successful, cancer recurrence might occur during the five-year postoperative observation period. If that happens, your daughter will need to receive a second transplant surgery. So, what are you going to do with that kid?”
I mulled over her words for some time. Soon after, I spoke up, “Her parents are treating her like their money tree. If I send her back to her parents, I’m afraid they will force her to marry a random guy for a dowry when she grows up. Actually, my parents wished to adopt her. She can go to school with Summer and live at the Moore Residence. She can decide her own future and live the life she wants.”
My words brought a smile onto Hailey’s face. “If she gets adopted by the Moore family, she will definitely have a brighter future than growing up in that village. That way, you can repay her by providing her a better life. Well, I bet she couldn’t ask for more.”
Well, that is the best way we could think of. I sighed. Yet, we still needed to wait until Amy’s test results came out. After the surgery, I would bring Amy back to the village and let her cut ties with her terrible parents. After that, she could start her new life in the Moore family.
Hailey brought her hand to her chest. In a sorrowful tone, she murmured, “If only I could also choose at that time.”
I felt sorry for the young lady. She must have suffered a lot after knowing that her survival cost the life of another girl.
After a while, I asked, “Do you know anything about Armond?” That day in the cowshed, Ann told me that some of the children never returned to the village after they were taken away.
I was not sure if it was what I think it was.
Upon the mention of Armond, Hailey’s clenched the blanket, her face darkened. After a long silence, she finally said, “That man is Satan! He has blood on his hands just for money. I suppose many people have died at his hands.”
I furrowed my brows. “You have never met him before. How are you so sure that he has something to do with the organ trade?”
She looked up at me and uttered, “I have never met him, but I knew that guy. My father was imprisoned because of him. Initially, my father only wanted to find me a matching heart. That man brought the girl of my age to my father. He told my father that her illness was incurable and that I could get a heart transplant after she died. As time passed, my health deteriorated, only then did he tell my father the truth. He asked for three million for bringing the girl to my father. After the girl died, he blackmailed my father and demanded a tenfold increase in the price as hush money. Having no choice, my father embezzled the company’s money. In the end, he was charged and imprisoned. It’s all because of him! That man is evil! You need to be wary of him.”
I was stunned by her revelation. “Did that girl really died?”
Hailey clenched her fists, her eyes reddened. “Yes. My dad told me he had buried her, but…”
The young lady burst into tears.
Seeing that, I stopped asking further questions and decided to leave her alone. Those children that never return to the village… Did they die just like that girl?
Hailey’s words made me realize that Armond must be hiding something. As soon as I left the ward, I made a call to Brandon.
His gruff voice was heard over the phone, “Hello, what’s the matter?”
“The kid’s test result is out. If the kid is to donate her organ, I need her identity card and her parents to sign the consent form. How are you going to solve this?” Hailey told me that the hospital wouldn’t perform surgery without the necessary documentation. I wondered how Brandon was going to deal with this.
After a while, the man said, “You don’t need to worry about that. As long as you agree with the surgery and pay us the money, we will take care of it.”
Since we hadn’t discussed the price yet, I asked, “How are you going to charge me?”
“Well, you will have to bear the costs of the operating room, the doctors, the medication, and also the money for the kid’s parents. Why don’t we meet up and discuss this? This is a serious matter, and I bet you wouldn’t want to discuss it over the phone.”
“Alright. You decide the time and the place.” I shuddered at the thought that the organ trade was rather systematic and well-coordinated. It seemed like the kids in that village were not the only victims.
When I was back in the ward, Summer had woken up. She hadn’t met a girl of her age for a long time, so she was chatty with Amy.
Meanwhile, Cameron was reading a project proposal. Although she had handed over most of her work in the company to Nick, the latter, being inexperienced, still needed her guidance.
Since Zachary was nowhere to be seen, I asked, “Mom, where is Dad?”
Keeping her eyes on the proposal, she answered, “He’s gone to meet his friend. Oh, he asked me to ask you from where did you find the kid? She’s healthy and fit. It doesn’t seem like she’s from the orphanage.”
I frowned. “Orphanage?”
Cameron nodded. “Your father has contacted an orphanage before. Now, he wanted to donate to the orphanage where the kid lived as a token of gratitude. But, it seems like that little girl came from a village and not an orphanage. Boris told me it took you guys more than seven hours to travel to that village where you found her. Who gave you the address of the village?”
I suddenly understood the reason Anthony became mad at me yesterday. The man knew from Zachary that the latter had contacted an orphanage. Hence, he knew I was lying to him, for Amy was obviously not from an orphanage.
I started to feel the throbbing in my temples. If Anthony knew I was the one who turned to Armond for help, it would be a disaster.
I gave Cameron a seemingly convincing answer. “I got it from a friend of mine.” I was relieved that Cameron was absorbed reading the proposal that she didn’t ask further.
I didn’t return to the villa that night after my fight with Anthony. That wasn’t the main reason for my absence, though. Summer and Hailey were both in the hospital, and Hailey didn’t have any family. I couldn’t ask my Mom to stay with her at the hospital, so I went there instead.
The hospital was shrouded in a gloomy aura; I ended up sleeping fitfully that night. Cameron and Zachary dropped by early the next morning with some breakfast.
Hailey was recovering well, as was Summer. After greeting Cameron, I left for my appointment with Brandon.
We met at a heritage eatery that was neither big nor grand. When I arrived, I spied Brandon sitting in the corner of the eatery. Seated, his posture made him seem shorter and fatter.
He looks just like a wobbly man toy.
He waved and hollered when he saw me. Then, he caught the attention of the eatery owner and ordered a few oily dishes. I sat down in front of him, not in a rush to speak.
He didn’t appear to be in a rush either. He’d ordered more than ten dishes for the two of us, and he ate most of the food. He didn’t question my lack of appetite. I guess he’s probably used to it. He devoured his food so quickly I half-suspected that he barely chewed at all. He only spoke to me after we finished the meal.
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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