Chapter 4

Linda shuddered from head to toe.

I turned to Frank. "Frank, the surgery costs twenty to forty thousand. You guys cover it."

Frank opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Emily was the first to react.

"David, even if you're upset..." Emily started.

"I'm not mad," I cut her off. "I'm really out of money."

I tapped my pocket. "There's only one thousand one hundred dollars left on this card. My credit card limit is 6,700 dollars, and I've already used it for the deposit.

I make four thousand dollars a month, and my next paycheck isn't coming for another twenty days."

I spread my hands helplessly.

"So tell me, how am I supposed to come up with the money?" I asked.

At the end of the hallway, an elderly man in a wheelchair rolled by, glanced at us, and the wheels squeaked as he disappeared down the corridor.

Linda took a moment to steady herself, then suddenly switched her tone.

Her voice turned pleading. "Dave, that's Julia we're talking about you two were married."

"Us? Married?" I repeated.

Even saying that word out loud felt absurd to me.

"Married." I laughed.

I put my phone away.

"Mrs. Stone, I'm getting the divorce settled later. As for the surgery costs..." I said.

I turned to the doctor still standing there. "Doc, I'm not the only family here. They can sign and pay too, right?"

The doctor nodded. "Any immediate family member can do it,"

I took a step back.

"Then it's on them," I said.

With that, I turned and walked away.

Linda was screaming behind me, completely losing it. "David, stop right there. You're not even human, you bastard. If you walk away now, don't even think about living in peace for the rest of your life."

I didn't look back.

My footsteps echoed down the empty hallway.

I had only walked about ten steps.

My phone rang. The number was unfamiliar.

I answered.

A man's voice came through the line. "Hey, I'm looking for Julia. Her phone's not working, so you must be her husband, right? She said she'd pay this month..."

It was Michael.

Even after blowing through over 570,000 dollars, he still wasn't satisfied. And now, he was still coming back for more this month.

I stood there in the hallway.

Suddenly, I couldn't help but laugh. Laughed so hard I was shaking.

It wasn't out of anger. Honestly, it was hilarious.

It was too funny.

"Go on," I said, my voice steady. "How much do you want?"

There was a pause on the other end.

"Hey, man, Julia promised me 3,300 dollars this month. My factory in Bayview City is strapped for cash and really needs it to get by..." He replied.

"3,300 dollars." I cut him off.

"Yeah, 3,300 dollars, that's all I need, man. Trust me, I'll pay you back next month.."

"Michael," I said his name out loud.

He went quiet on the other end.

"You've bled me dry for over five million seven hundred thousand dollars," I said. "Now Julia's lying in the hospital, fighting for her life, and we can't even afford her surgery. Don't you think it's about time you coughed up the money?"

There was dead silence on the other end.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Then, a beep.

He hung up.

I put my phone down.

I turned and looked down the hallway. Linda was collapsed in a chair, Frank was on the phone, and Emily was squatting on the floor, her hands covering her face.

I took a deep breath and walked toward the exit of the emergency hall.

Outside, dawn was breaking.