3
The porcelain shards were deep, and it hurt.
Dad saw the blood on the floor and a flicker
of reluctance crossed his brow.
“Stop playing the victim, what do you want?”
He picked up the test report, using it to hide
his expression.
I didn’t answer.
The blood reminded me that my life was on a
countdown.
Before coming home, I’d done some research.
Acute myeloid leukemia affects the bone
marrow’s blood–producing function.
Without treatment, I only had two to three
months to live.
Dad didn’t press further.
His brow furrowed deeper, and he silently
closed the report.
Seeing us silent, Mom yelled:
“Carolyn, it’s Lily’s coming–of–age ceremony,
can’t you be quiet and stop spoiling things?”
Lily tugged at her mom’s sleeve, comforting
her gently.
P
“Mom, don’t scold my sister. You forgot, I had
some problems in my checkup too.”
“You and she aren’t the same, you’re
malnourished and moderately anemic!”
Mom snatched the report, furiously yelling:
“I want to see what kind of disease she has!”
Malnourished?
The word echoed in my ears.
I couldn’t imagine Lily, who was constantly
fed delicacies, being malnourished.
Mom and Dad always favored Lily, and I’ve
always been an eyesore to them.
Now that I have a terminal illness, they must
be thrilled.
Mom’s eyes turned red. She wiped her eyes
and stuttered,
“Carolyn, you’ve always been healthy, how did
you get sick so suddenly? What did the
doctor say?”
Her change of attitude was shocking.
I took a few deep breaths and mentioned the
common treatments.
“Medication and chemotherapy, but a bone
marrow transplant would be more effective if
a match is found.”
Hearing “bone marrow transplant“, Mom
looked at Lily in terror and turned her anger
towards me.
“Carolyn, Lily’s afraid of needles, do you want
to take her bone marrow?!”
I was stunned for a moment, then waved my
hands repeatedly.
“Mom, that’s not what I mean, bone marrow
transplant is just one option, the risk is low,
and any family member can do it.”
At the word “risk“, her eyes hardened, and
she shielded Lily like a mother hen.
“Carolyn, forget about it, I won’t let you touch
Lily!”
色
Dad, on the other hand, remained calm.
He sighed, helplessly interjecting: “How much
does it cost?”
I said, “A conservative estimate is two
hundred thousand dollars.”
For eighteen years, I rarely asked them for
anything, including money.
But I desperately wanted to live.
I knew our financial situation.
Two hundred thousand wasn’t that much for
them.
Sure enough, Dad walked towards the safe
and opened it.
But the next second, Mom screamed,
“James Miller, you dare give her the money?!”
