Semua Bab Dead Mom, Fresh Invoice: Bab 1 - Bab 10

My stomach dropped. I headed straight to the hospital.I checked the bill as soon as they handed it over.Every medication and treatment had been ordered today.My mom died here three days ago after they failed to save her. So who were all these expensive drugs and tests for?Something was off.I asked for copies of every record, saying I needed them for insurance.If I hadn't checked, I never would've known.My mom had spent two weeks in the hospital after a heart attack.And somehow, the total came to $180,000.She'd been charged for more than ten coronary angiograms.And over thirty heart stents?There were even five CT scans in one day.My jaw tightened. I went straight to her attending physician."Dr. Reed, my mom died after you couldn't save her. Where did all these charges come from?"Dr. Reed froze. "Sometimes after a patient is discharged, the hospital finds an unpaid balance and contacts the family."We've never overcharged our patients. You can rest assured."

"Wait, how is she still getting billed when she's already dead?""My God. Forget overcharging. What if this hospital killed her?"The second the call connected, George's face darkened. He rushed over and grabbed my phone.I stared at him. "George, you weren't even her attending physician. Why are you freaking out?"Or were you involved?"A vein throbbed at his temple, and his eyes darted away.I reached for my phone. We struggled over it until George slammed it onto the floor."Enough!"The screen shattered.I raised an eyebrow. "Feeling guilty?"His eyes widened. "Guilty about what? I'm just sick of your disgusting behavior!"He pulled out his phone and shoved screenshots of a chat in my face."I tried talking some sense into you, but you wouldn't listen. There's nothing else I can do."As a doctor, I have principles."My heart started pounding when I saw the supposed chat history.On the screen—[Me: George, I spent all that money, and my mom still died. What a waste.

"My mom was hospitalized because doctors saw warning signs of a heart attack. She hadn't even had one yet."The mortality rate for cases like hers is extremely low. So why did I spend $180,000 just for her to get worse?"Even then, Dr. Harding played innocent.She looked helpless. "Mr. Carter, didn't you just accept our offer? Are you making this up because you think you can bully us into paying you more?"My chest heaved.Somehow, I found the strength to grab her by the collar and yank her up."You didn't just overcharge us. You gave her the wrong medication!"My mom died because of what you gave her!"Everyone's eyes widened.Dr. Harding waved her hands frantically. "You can't just accuse us like that! Hospitals save lives. Why would we ever do something like that?"I took a breath, pulled out the records from my mom's final day, and slapped them against her face."Digitalis can be dangerous for heart attack patients. Your hospital gave her digitalis that morning, and half

George knew better than anyone how much money I had. Once he realized I was running low, he must've backed off because he was afraid I'd ask him for help.But even after draining me dry, he still hadn't spared my mom.The memory of his fake grief sent chills down my spine.I hated myself for not realizing sooner that our friendship had changed. I'd trusted him completely, and it had cost my mom her life.Just then, I heard someone punching in the code to my front door.I turned, dazed, and for one stupid second, I thought it was my mom.My eyes stung.But it was George.I shot to my feet. "You've got some nerve showing up here."He didn't even look at me. Smirking, he walked into the room where my mom's casket lay and set flowers beside her framed photo."Mrs. Carter, wherever you are, watch over your son."Find some way to make him understand that being this stubborn won't do him any good."I walked over, snatched the flowers, and tossed them in the trash."Daniel, look a

I lowered my voice and turned the camera toward the reporters behind me, letting my anger show."I'm the victim, but those bastards framed me and dragged my name through the mud! What the hell is wrong with this world?"And those idiots online don't have a brain between them. My mom loved me. She was my only family. How could I ever hurt her?"Today, I'm confronting them in front of all of you!"The reporters stared at me, confused, as I kicked the office door in.All my bottled-up anger exploded.The locked door flew open.Inside, they were both half-dressed. Dr. Harding was sprawled across her desk with barely anything on.George's bare ass was pointed straight at the reporters' cameras.Two screams broke the silence, followed by a storm of camera shutters."Get out! Get out! Who let you in? Get the hell out!"George yanked up his pants while Dr. Harding covered herself and scrambled for her clothes.The livestream viewers instantly forgot why they'd tuned in.[OMG, I ca