Chapter One

Maggie Branson clutched her mother’s hand, trying to stay calm. She knew her Mom was nervous and freaked out enough, and the last thing the woman needed was to know how anxious her daughter was.

Doctor Carrie Langston came into her office now, and Maggie and Rita sat up straight. Carrie sat at her desk and opened the file she was holding.

“Rita,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

Maggie felt her mother’s shoulders slump.

“Really?” Rita said quietly. “No choice anymore?”

“I’m afraid not.” Carrie’s light blue eyes were kind. “Your diabetes has damaged your right kidney to the point where transplant is the only viable option at this point. Dialysis has worked well for almost two years, but it’s not meant to be a permanent solution, as you know. Its whole purpose is to keep you alive and healthy long enough to find a donor kidney.”

“And is there one?” Maggie asked. “A donor?”

“Yes.” Carrie smiled. “We found a match on the national register. Your Mom’s name is at the top of the list, so she gets the privilege of first-refusal.”

The two women sighed in relief.

“Now.” Carrie looked serious. “We need to talk about the last part of this.”

“The money,” Rita said.

“Yes. Your insurance has covered your dialysis, but it won’t cover the transplant.”

They nodded. They’d known this for a long while, but they had avoided looking at the problem directly because dialysis had still been working. Now, though, they had no choice but to face facts. And the fact was that if they wanted that kidney, they had to come up with somewhere in the neighborhood of almost one hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

“How much time do we have?” Maggie asked. “When do we have to give an answer?”

“Now.”

She started. “Now? Right now?”

“Yes.” Carrie looked at their shocked faces. “The person is still on life support, but the plan is to remove them from it the day after tomorrow. The organs will be harvested quickly, and must be sent on right away. I know it’s fast, and I’m sorry… but if you want that kidney, Rita, I must accept on your behalf today. Within an hour.”

“Oh, God.” Maggie heard the despair in her mother’s voice. “But – but I don’t have anything close to what we need. We’ve been saving and fundraising, but we still need more than half of it.”

“You can work out a payment plan after, Rita. Get the surgery and worry about that all later.”

“No.” Rita shook her dark head. “I can’t do that… I can’t live the rest of my life with that kind of massive debt hanging over my head. And if something happens to me, it lands on Maggie to pay and I won’t have that.”

Maggie was silent.

“Maggie?” Carrie said. “What do you think?”

“I think I can get the money,” she said slowly.

Rita and Carrie stared at her.

“You – what?” Rita demanded. “From where?”

“Never mind, Mom. That’s for me to worry about.”

“No, it isn’t!” Rita said. “Where the hell can you get that kind of money on short notice? And if you can get it, why didn’t you say something before?”

“It’s a commission, Mom. One that’s been offered to me over and over again, and I keep turning it down. But I can take it. It’ll cover quite a bit of the costs. Maybe all of them.”

“Why did you turn it down?” Rita said. “What’s wrong with the job?”

“Nothing’s wrong with the job. It’s the client.”

“Who’s the client?” her mother demanded. “Is he some criminal or something?”

“No.” Maggie sighed. “No, nothing like that.”

Carrie leaned forward. “So… you’re saying you can finance this, Maggie?”

“Yes.” She pushed her long brown hair back from her face. “Yes, I can and I will. Get that kidney here, Carrie. Mom will take it, and the hospital can bill me. I’ll handle everything.”

“Maggie,” Rita began. “I don’t think…”

“Mom.” Maggie’s voice was firm. “I’ll take care of it, OK? You need to focus on your health now. Let me worry about the cost.”

Rita bit her lip. “I don’t know… I don’t think…”

“Mom.” Her voice was softer now. “Really, it’s OK. It’s nothing illegal or unethical or anything that will land me in jail, I swear. It’s just that I don’t like this guy very much, and I won’t enjoy working with him. But he’s very rich, and it’s a huge commission, and he’s been begging me.” She smiled. “It’ll be OK. Just take the kidney, so you can be healthy. Alright?”

The two women stared at each other for a minute.

“OK,” Rita said finally. “OK, honey. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, Mom.” Maggie hugged her mother. “Listen, I’d better get out of here and accept that job… can you handle all the paperwork and get yourself home?”

“Of course.”

Maggie stood up and shook Carrie’s hand. “Thanks,” she said. “We’ll stay in touch, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Rita and Carrie watched Maggie leave the office, then they looked at each other.

“That was – surprising,” Carrie said.

Rita nodded. “Yeah. And I don’t like it.”

“Honestly?” Carrie said. “Me neither. You have any idea what it might be?”

“None.” Rita stared at the closed door, worry still hard and tight in her chest. “Not a clue.”