Chapter 2

Erika cried until her body suddenly swayed.

Startled, David lunged forward to catch her. "Erika!"

Erika kept her eyes closed, her fingers still clutching his sleeve. David's voice trembled with sheer panic. "Erika, stay awake! Look at me! Do you hear me?"

He scooped her up and ran toward the car as fast as he could, placing her gently in the back seat. Bending over to check her breathing, he trembled noticeably.

The car sped off; he had forgotten all about me.

I stood by the curb, slowly placing my hearing aid back into my ear. Then I hailed a cab and rode to the hospital on my own.

By the time I arrived outside the emergency room, David was standing outside the doors of the emergency room.

His dress shirt was badly rumpled, and traces of Erika's nosebleed were smeared across his hands. A nurse urged him to go wash up, but he acted as if he couldn't hear her, his eyes glued to those doors.

When the doctor finally stepped out, David rushed over. "How is she?"

"The patient's liver function is failing," the doctor said grave-faced. "Any further delay is extremely dangerous."

David swallowed hard. "Have you still not found a donor match? I don't care how much it costs."

The doctor sighed. "It's not a matter of money."

David's voice was raspy and broken. "Then take mine. I just want her to live."

As I watched from a few steps away, a memory suddenly surfaced from the time my hearing loss began worsening.

Back then, I had been so terrified I couldn't sleep at night. David had stayed up sitting with me until dawn, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.

He had simply stroked my hair and whispered, "Don't be afraid."

He had always been so steady that I had believed he would never break down.

After the doctor went back inside, David leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. His forehead rested on his hands as quiet sobs broke from his chest.

I walked over slowly and squatted in front of him. "She's going to be okay. She'll get a liver match in time."

His head jerked up, his bloodshot eyes staring right through me. "How can you just stand there and say that so carelessly?"

I froze.

He pushed himself up against the wall so abruptly that his shoulder slammed hard into mine. Already unsteady on my feet, I lost my balance and collapsed onto the ice-cold floor.

A sharp pang in my lower abdomen made my vision flicker dark, but David didn't even notice.

He just looked down at me, his voice cracked with raw anger. "Years ago, Erika almost died outside that room trying to save you. Now that she is sick, you have the nerve to stand here and casually say she's fine? When did you become so selfish?"

Sitting on the cold tiles, I couldn't utter a word for the longest time.

A nurse hurried over to help me up. "Are you alright?"

I nodded lightly. "Just low blood sugar."

The nurse noticed my pale face. "With how pale you are, you ought to get checked out."

Before I could answer, Erika's faint voice drifted out of the room. "David..."

David spun around instantly.

The moment Erika opened her eyes, her first question was, "Have they found a donor yet?"

David sat by her bedside, holding her hand tightly. "I'm already getting tested for a match."

Erika's eyes welled up right away. "Don't do it."

"If it saves your life, I'd give up anything," David insisted.

"No, I don't want you to give up part of your liver for me," Erika sobbed, clutching David's clothes. "And I don't want Hazel to suffer watching you go through that."

At the mention of my name, David finally turned to give me a look. It was a heavy, complex gaze, almost accusing me of being heartlessly calm.

Erika reached under her pillow and pulled out a small notebook. The cover was worn and faded, with a sticky note stuck to the front.

It read: [My Bucket List.]

She flipped to the first page, murmuring, "Got the photos done today."

She took a pen to draw a check mark next to the item: [Take a beautiful picture.]

Then she turned to the next page. "I want to visit a chapel to say a prayer. When we were little, an old woman outside the orphanage told me that if your heart is sincere enough, a prayer can grant you extra time on earth."

She gave a fragile smile. "I'd like to try it."

David remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding in agreement. I stood in the doorway, resting one hand against the wall for support.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was an alert from the hospital.

[Ms. Hazel Pratt, please check into the hospital before eight tomorrow morning. Your pre-procedure preparation for pregnancy termination has been confirmed.]

I stared at those few lines of text, my fingers slowly clasping. Noticing my silence, Erika asked softly, "Hazel, do you not want to go?"

I looked up. "Not really. I just have something to take care of tomorrow morning."

The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit. "Hazel, am I becoming a burden to you?"

A sharp pang pierced my heart. "No, of course not."

"I only have a few wishes left," she whispered. "If you don't want to come, it's okay."

David glared at me, his voice dripping with frustration. "She just wants you to go with her to say a prayer. Is that so hard?"

I locked my phone screen and forced a smile. "Not at all. I'll go with you."