Chapter 2

The surgery dragged on forever; so long that I thought I'd never wake up again.

When I finally opened my eyes, the pain in my stomach wasn't just pain anymore; it was a relentless agony, like I was being ripped apart from the inside.

I tried to move my fingers, but they were all hooked up to tubes.

The room was so quiet, only the beeping of the machines filled the silence.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Aunt Grace rushed in.

When she saw I was awake, her eyes filled with tears. "Lily! My Lily, are you okay?"

I tried to speak, but my voice was so hoarse it was barely a whisper. "It hurts..."

Aunt Grace quickly pressed the call button, and the nurse hurried in to give me more painkillers.

"Excuse me, how is she doing?" Aunt Grace asked.

The nurse glanced at me, looked like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. "The wound is pretty big. It'll take a while for her to get better."

"How can a kid this small survive something like this?" Aunt Grace's voice was shaky.

"Her parents signed off on it," the nurse said, then walked out.

Aunt Grace sat down by my bed and held my hand. "Lily, come with me, okay? I'll take you home."

I wanted to nod, but I couldn't even move.

Just then, Mom and Dad walked in, with Mom holding Emily in her arms.

"What are you doing here?" Mom's face darkened the moment she saw Aunt Grace.

Aunt Grace stood up. "I'm here to see Lily! How can you treat her like this and still sleep at night?"

"What's wrong with that? That's what big sisters are supposed to do; help their little sisters!" Dad shot back, his voice booming.

"Supposed to? She's just seven years old! You've already made her go through three surgeries!" Aunt Grace fired back.

"And? Nothing matters more than Emily's life!" Mom snapped, hugging Emily tighter and glaring at Aunt Grace.

Aunt Grace was shaking with anger. "You'll get what's coming to you!"

"Why would we regret it? It's a blessing for Lily to be able to save her sister!" Mom shot back.

"Get out!" Dad pointed at the door. "You're not welcome here. Don't ever come back!"

Aunt Grace was kicked out, but before she left, she turned back to look at me, tears streaming down her face.

I wanted to cry too, but I didn't even have the strength left to shed a tear.

Mom set Emily down on the chair next to my bed. Emily looked so much better now; her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes sparkled with life.

"Lily," Emily called out, her voice soft and sweet.

I looked at her and remembered how she used to be; so thin, just skin and bones when she was sick.

Now she was all better, but I was the one stuck here, lying in this hospital bed.

"Lily, look! Emily's so much better now. The doctor said the transplant worked perfectly," Mom was practically beaming.

Dad grinned. "It's all because of you. When you get out, I'll buy you the biggest doll in the store!"

I didn't care about dolls. I just wanted the hurting to stop.

But they were already out the door, taking Emily for more tests.

And once again, I was left all alone in the hospital room.

I could hear Mom laughing in the hallway, talking to the doctor. "That's wonderful! Emily's test results are all normal now!"

The doctor's voice was too low for me to catch what he was saying.

Then Mom suddenly screamed, "What? How could this happen?"

Dad's voice came next. "Doctor, what do we do now?"

The doctor said something, and then there was a long, heavy silence from Mom and Dad.

I closed my eyes, the wound on my stomach burning like fire.