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.”
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. Stovall, 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. Scarlett, 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.”
