Chapter 4 It's Criminal

Hurried footsteps echoed outside the ward. The first thing Josephine saw when she came in was the chaotic scene before her.

She smashed a medicine bottle against my head and quickly staunched Henry's bleeding.

For the first time, she lost control of her rage and screamed at me, "What is wrong with you? He's your brother-in-law!"

The machines connected to Delilah suddenly blared. Only then did Josephine realize her mother was in critical condition on the bed. "Mom!"

Delilah was rushed into the emergency room. Twenty minutes later, she was gone. The cause was cardiac arrest triggered by extreme emotional distress.

"We did our best, Dr. Gillard. We're sorry."

Josephine staggered and fell into a bench. Her head jerked toward me, and the slap she gave me landed with a sharp crack. My ears rang violently, and for a moment, everything went black. When my senses slowly returned, I noticed a small stream of blood was trickling out of my ear.

"You killed my mother!" she screamed raspily.

"What did you say to her? Why was she overstimulated? The kidney transplant was a success! She could have lived a few more years. She hadn't even seen her grandchild yet!"

A heartbroken Henry wiped Josephine's tears away. "Amnesia isn't a reason for you to kill Delilah. If you don't like me, then come at me. Why take it out on her?"

I clutched my right ear, but the blood kept trickling through the cracks between my fingers. "I didn't say anything."

Josephine gave me no chance to explain. When she looked at me again, her eyes were filled with hatred. "You're a murderer."

That hit me harder than I thought it would.

Before Delilah's body could even be wheeled to the morgue, a nurse came in looking panicked. She shouted, "Dr. Gillard, Leslie's condition has worsened! His fever is still high, and we can't bring it down!"

Henry and Josephine went white. Henry held Josephine's hand tightly, panic written all over his face. "What now? We haven't found a suitable donor. Why is this happening now?"

"Gabriel will be the donor." Josephine grabbed my wrist right away.

I stared at her in disbelief and stepped back. "You made me give a kidney to your mom! She's been kind to me all this time, so at least there's justification! Now you want me to save your child too? Why?"

My questions did not make her hesitate. Instead, her eyes only turned redder. "Because you killed my mother. You're the reason I lost her, and now you want me to lose my child too? You owe me!"

Her voice went quieter and quieter, as if she was trying to convince herself. "Really? Then this'll make us even. I don't want to see you ever again after the surgery!"

She had a group of doctors drag me into the operating room, and they tied me to the table in case I tried to run.

"He just had a kidney transplant not too long ago. A full-body blood transfusion carries too much risk."

All she did was glance at my vitals and said mercilessly, "I'm his family. I'll handle everything."

The doors closed after she was gone. The doctors injected anesthesia, and I saw the thick needle stab into my arm.

As my consciousness blurred, I felt my blood getting drawn out endlessly. My body grew colder with every passing moment.

The years I had spent with Josephine replayed in my mind one last time. Every memory rose like a bubble. Then each one shattered into dust.

If this was her wish, then she could have it. From now on, that relationship would stay behind us forever. We were even.