Burning Pain

“Why do you always act like you’re better than the rest of us?” Alice snapped, arms folded tight across her chest as she stepped forward, locking eyes with Samantha. “What ‘cause of Dr. Matthews?”

Samantha let out a tired breath, her patience already worn thin. “Can you quit obsessing over who I talk to? And what’s with the Maxwell fixation? I was doing my job. You were too busy running your mouth to notice.”

Alice’s face flushed. “Me? Gossiping? Oh, you’ve gotta be—” she started, voice rising. But before things could blow up, a familiar voice cut through the tension—for the third time today.

“Alice, again?” Maxwell said, stepping in from behind.

Alice froze. Her mouth stayed open, but nothing came out. She’d thought he was long gone from the hospital. She spun around, attempting to spin an excuse, but Maxwell cut her off.

“You’re not gonna learn until I handle it myself,” he said, voice firm but calm. Then his expression softened as he looked at Samantha, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. “You good?”

She nodded, lips pressed into a tight line. “Yeah.” She muttered, though frustration stirred beneath the surface. Maxwell meant well, but his constant need to step in only made things worse with Alice. She’d tried telling him that before; but he never listened.

“Go change. I’ll take you home.” He said, more like a command than a suggestion.

Samantha gave a small smile. “Okay.” She turned to leave as he dropped his hand from her shoulder.

Just then, the sharp wail of sirens pierced the air. An ambulance screeched to a halt outside the hospital entrance. Paramedics jumped out, pushing a stretcher with a blood-soaked patient barely conscious. Dr. Benedict jogged beside them, rattling off vitals.

Maxwell and Samantha took off running, concern etched across their faces. “What’s the situation?” Maxwell called out, slipping into command mode as they rushed the patient through the sliding doors.

“Critical—multiple lacerations, BP’s dropping fast.” Benedict called out, keeping pace with the gurney.

“Get him to the emergency room now!” Maxwell barked, his voice sharp with urgency. He and Samantha snapped into action, moving in sync as they helped guide the stretcher inside. 

The team followed their lead, everyone locked in, focused on one thing. Keeping the patient alive.

Blood soaked through the gauze covering the man’s face. An oxygen mask clung to him, barely helping. His body was a mess of bruises, cuts, and deadweight.

“Let’s move! Stay with me!” Maxwell pushed, eyes fixed on the man as they barreled through the doors into the ER. No one spoke—just the sound of rushing feet, clipped commands, and the steady beeping of a monitor fighting to hold the line.

***

“How’s his condition?” Samantha asked as Maxwell stepped out of the director’s office, hands tucked in his lab coat pockets.

Maxwell looked down, brow tight, and let out a heavy sigh. “He’s lost a lot of blood. He needs a transfusion—AB negative,” he said, voice tinged with frustration. “It’s rare, and we’re out. The director’s working on it, so all we can do now is wait and hope.”

He turned, motioning for her to come along. But when he glanced back, she was still standing there, frozen. He walked back to her, concern creasing his face. “What’re you thinking?”

She hesitated, then shook her head slowly. “I—”

“I know what you're about to say,” he interrupted, his tone sharp. “And no. You’re not selling your blood…” He looked away, jaw tight. “I shouldn’t have even brought it up. Should’ve known this would be your first move.”

“Please…” She said softly, her voice trembling with desperation. Her hands came together, fingers nervously rubbing her palms. “I haven’t donated in a while. Just let me do this. You know I’m still drowning in Dad’s loan…”

She swallowed hard. “The loan shark’s gonna start calling again, and I don’t know what else to do. This is an emergency, and the pay would really help. If I could just get that money…”

Maxwell exhaled slowly, his shoulders sinking. He knew her situation—probably better than anyone. The unpaid medical bills for her mom. Her dad’s leftover debt hung over her like a storm. Taking care of her older sister’s kids. Helping her younger sister through college.

He’d stepped in where he could. Covering her mom’s health insurance had been one way to ease the pressure. But he couldn’t carry all. His own finances were already stretched thin.

“The offer’s twenty-five hundred. I’ll send you the cash, so forget about donating,” he said, glancing at her sideways. “Sound good?”

Samantha nodded, though something still sat heavy in her chest—depending on Maxwell always left her feeling… off. She managed a small smile. “Fantastic.”

Maxwell pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, then turned it toward her. “Three grand on its way,” he said quietly. His voice was soft, but final.

As he turned to leave, he already knew what was coming—another thank you. She always did it, even though he’d told her a hundred times since college to stop.

“Go change. I’m still driving you home.” He added over his shoulder.

Her face brightened a little. She could tell he was trying to get out of there fast—probably to keep the moment from getting too emotional. “Thanks,” she whispered, keeping her voice low so it wouldn’t echo in the quiet hospital hallway.

He didn’t look back. She watched him disappear into the elevator, then turned and walked toward the locker room, her footsteps soft against the linoleum.

Moments later~

Maxwell stepped into the reception, scanning the area. Samantha was supposed to be waiting, but the space was empty. His eyes flicked around, unsettled, before he approached the nurse at the front desk.

“Where’s Samantha?” He asked.

“Haematology Department,” the nurse replied casually. Maxwell’s eyes widened. His jaw tightened, breath catching like he was about to argue—but before he could speak, the nurse added, “she’s donating blood.”

He didn’t wait for more. He spun around, already heading toward the department—until he saw her.

Samantha walked out, one hand pressed lightly against the crook of her arm. With a familiar, practised smile on her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Not even close.

Maxwell froze, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and disappointment.

Samantha swallowed and took a hesitant step toward him, gaze low. She already knew he wouldn’t yell. That wasn’t his style. He’d just look after her, worry more than he’d ever say out loud.

“Actually—” she began, but he wasn’t looking at her anymore.

He turned back to the nurse. “Give me her stuff.”

The nurse nodded, reaching beneath the desk and handing over Samantha’s bag. “Here you go, sir.”

“Thanks.” He muttered, slinging it over his shoulder. Then he walked toward her, arms slightly out, ready to steady her.

“I’m fine. I can walk myself. Don’t worry.”

He shot her a sidelong glance, then wrapped his arm around her waist without a word, guiding her toward the car park. 

***

“Rest,” Maxwell said softly, voice calm as he repeated it for the third time since bringing her home. He’d already made her food and made sure she took her meds. “No work today. No work tomorrow either. Got it?”

Samantha nodded. “Yeah.”

Maxwell’s eyes softened, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Good...” He reached out, ruffling her hair gently before heading to the door. Hand on the handle, he paused. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

Then he walked out, leaving her to finally breathe out. With the money he gave her plus the blood donation cash, she could catch a break—at least for today. Unless, of course something else came up. 

She stood up, and just then her phone buzzed sharply, slicing through the quiet. She glanced at the screen—her older sister’s name flashing. She groaned low. “What now?” Not exactly excited to answer, but she knew ignoring wasn’t an option.

With a sigh, she picked up.

“We need money for Layla’s school fees, or she’s getting kicked out tomorrow,” Georgina said, no greeting, no small talk—just straight to it like always.

Samantha frowned. “Layla’s school fees? But I sent you that last week.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Georgina snapped. “But I used it for something else. My sister-in-law needed cash for her business, so I lent it to her. Just send more money, or Layla’s out.”

“But—” Samantha started, but Georgina cut her off.

“You don’t wanna send it? You’re done taking care of us? You forget this is your responsibility now. I dropped out of school so you could go. You’d be nowhere without me...”

Her words came fast and sharp, leaving Samantha no chance to answer. “Now that you’re doing good, you’re gonna turn your back on us? You want Layla to get kicked out so we keep crawling back to you?”

“I deserve every dime you've got. You owe me, and you better pay up!”

Samantha sighed, the weight of it all pressing down hard. Everything Georgina said was true, but it was getting ridiculous—she wasn’t just supporting her sisters and mom anymore, she was covering her elder sister’s whole family too. School fees, groceries, and now her sister-in-law’s business—all on her.

Those constant reminders about sacrifices felt like chains, making her believe it was all on her shoulders and her fault. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay the money.” She whispered, barely loud enough to hear.

“Better,” Georgina snapped, cold and sharp. “And don’t forget, the kids’ school ceremony’s next week. I’ll send you the list—what they need and the cost. Make sure you send the cash early so they don’t get left out.”

“Okay.” Samantha said quietly. 

Georgina let out a sharp hiss before slamming the phone down.

Samantha lowered the phone from her ear, but it slipped from her fingers, landing softly on the couch beside her. Her eyes stayed locked on it, empty and tired. Then it beeped again. She reached for it and saw a message from the loan shark.

“Clock’s ticking, and I don’t enjoy waiting. You said you’d pay by now. If I don’t see that money soon, I’ll have no choice but to come remind you in person—and trust me, you won’t like that kind of visit.”

She let out a long breath, eyes closing for a moment as the tension slipped out. When she opened them, she tapped her bank app, but the balance was a harsh slap of reality—nowhere near enough to tackle her mounting problems.

Asking Maxwell for help? Not happening. And real job options? Yeah, right? Just when the walls started closing in, her phone beeped again. A new message popped up, and a quiet smile tugged at her lips—a tiny hope flickering to life.

“We need someone skilled and discreet to check on our boss. It’s urgent, and we’re ready to pay you well—for your time and your silence. Word is, you handle things quietly. This is one of those times.”

She stood, determination written all over her face, and quickly typed back, “I can do it.” As she headed into the room to gear up, Maxwell’s warning buzzed in her mind, but she shoved it aside for now.