Fortune

“Sir, the procedure will commence shortly,” the physician informed Jay before exiting the room. A wave of confusion washed over him. “Which procedure?” he mused internally. The door creaked open and his mother walked in accompanied by his cousin, Kyle.

His mother pushed aside the blankets. She said, “Your sister will be so thankful…” Her eyes moistened as she stifled a sob. “Mom?” Jay inquired. He sensed a gap in his understanding but couldn’t pinpoint the reason. The last memory he retained was of his sister attending a routine check-up.

“Sir, please sign this document to authorize the surgery,” a physician approached him, disrupting his train of thought. “Surgery…Me?” Jay exclaimed, wondering why he had ended up in a hospital. His mother shook her head in somber, “Jay, what is troubling you?” She paused, clutching his hands. “Your sister… needs your help… You agreed… Jay recoiled his hands. He still attempted to piece together the events leading to this moment. Yet, the details eluded him like grains of sand slipping through his fingers.

“Aunt, I can donate the kidney instead of Jay,” Kyle interjected, pulling Jay back to the moment. “K..kidney?” he stammered, as a shiver ran down him. “What’s the context?” His inquiry was interrupted as his mother conversed with the physician. “My niece, Kyle, will be the donor. Doctor,” she stated.

“Mom, what has happened to my sister? Why do I have a suture on my head?” he pressed. “Jay, you slipped before the commencement of the surgery; they needed to handle your laceration first. Then…” she broke down into silent tears.

They waited outside the operating room, an air of anxiety enveloping them. The light outside the surgical suite flickered before extinguishing. “The surgery was successful,” a physician announced. Tears of relief streamed down Jay’s mother’s face, and she enveloped Kyle in a profound hug.

Just as she was about to leave the hospital, a nurse approached them, handing over a letter. “Madam, this report has just arrived,” she stated. Jay’s mother opened the correspondence and began to read. The report indicated, “Jay is not eligible to donate his kidney, as he has been diagnosed with cancer.”