Cameron looked at me with her eyes widened in intense fear. “My dear, you can’t be seriously considering it! These organs, they are all harvested with illegal means!”
“Mom, that’s not what I meant. I’m just trying to figure out where Dad could be heading that’s all. Whatever leads he has right now, we have to discuss this matter together before deciding what to do.”
She nodded, but her body did not stop trembling.
When Cameron was calmer and more collected, she started to analyze the situation, “Your father had washed his hands off this business many years ago. But starting a few days ago, he’s been secretly contacting a few of his old buddies regarding this matter. I overheard from his conversations that the black market, as well as the operations, are only carried out in A City. So, your dad must be on his way to the airport to fly over there and meet with the dealer.”
Upon hearing which, I made another phone call to Ashton for him to intercept Zachary at the airport. I turned to Cameron and asked, “Who else knows about this?”
She shook her head. “Just the two of us. I didn’t want him to take the risk. If found out, our whole family will be done for.”
Sensing that my silence might mean otherwise, Cameron tried to probe, “Scarlett, tell me, if your father found both compatible bone marrow and kidney for Summer, would you have agreed to it?”
Her question was loaded with massive moral conundrums; my head was filled with many questions to which I didn’t have immediate answers. I lowered my head to look at my phone, at a loss for words.
Cameron grew more anxious as she grabbed onto my arm and said grievously, “My dear, listen to me, you can’t do this. Summer is such an adorable kid and we all love her dearly. But you can’t gamble your future with this matter. It would have been okay if this only involves me and your father, since we’ve had our share of lives at this age. But things are different for you and Ashton. You’re finally expecting another child and you still have a long way to go. As for Summer, we may just have to accept that this is her destiny. Please promise me you won’t make a rash decision on this.”
Cameron’s concerns were valid, and anyone with a sound logic should arrive at the same conclusion. However, I had long regarded Summer as my own daughter, so the only logical sense as a mother was to save my daughter by whatever means necessary.
I looked at her and sighed. “Mom, Summer is my daughter. There’s no way I’ll give up on her. If the dealer manages to find a donor from a clean source, why can’t we give Summer a chance to live?”
Cameron’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you out of your mind? There’s no way that kind of things will be clean!”
I knew there was no way that I could sway her mind right now, but I couldn’t help but imagine a scenario where someone passed on from an accident and we could offer a sum of money to her family. It would not have brought her life back, but in a way, parts of her spirit got to live on. The concept of organ donation at death might sound cruel to some people, but if the alternative for the body was to be cremated, leaving nothing but ashes behind, why not let them save another life?
“Mom, let’s not talk about this right now. Can you please keep Summer company while I try to locate Dad and talk to him?” It’s too early to dismiss any remote chance Summer may have.
Cameron did not sound fully convinced. “My dear, whatever you do, please be mindful of the potential consequences they may have on both our families. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I do.”
I left the hospital and tried to reach Ashton by phone, but it was engaged. I then attempted to call Zachary’s number, also to no avail. I was feeling rather helpless when my phone rang.
Seeing Armond’s name on my caller ID only made me feel more frustrated. My tone was more than agitated when I answered his call, “What do you want?”
Instead of being offended, an audible laugh rang from the other end of the line as the man spoke, “Sensing from your impatient tone, I suppose you ran into some trouble. Why don’t you come and have a chat with me? I may be able to cheer you up.”
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll hang up now.” My patience was running thin for this pervert.
He sighed and said, “Hold on a second, I was told that Zachary is on his way to A City. I’m wondering whether that’s because Jared’s bone marrow is not compatible with Summer’s. If that’s the case, then I suppose he’s heading toward A City to search for…”
The man had now successfully riled me up. “Armond Murphy, what kind of a sicko are you? And what do you want from me?”
“I just told you, I may have some information that’s useful to you so that your daughter will stop suffering from chemotherapy.” His tone suddenly took on a serious note, “There’s no need to dismiss me just yet. I know exactly what you’re looking for and I may even have means to secure some for you. So, what do you say about meeting up?”
I paused for a brief moment to ponder on his words. Maybe what he said wasn’t all bullsh*t.
“Fine. I can meet you up.”
