"But the hospital has rules. As deputy chief, he has to lead by example—he can't cut the line."
"You're family—you should be thinking of him. You need to avoid any appearance of impropriety…"
I was so anxious my words came out jumbled.
"Fine, fine, fine! Dad! I'll wait in line! But we still need money for the surgery!"
"Please—I'm begging you—transfer me $100,000 so I can pay the fee. Otherwise Mom will die!"
The only response was a cold, indifferent voice:
"Sara, our family is not a piggy bank for your parents to drain."
I shouted, "It's not my mom! It's my mother-in-law—Dominic's real mom, your wife!"
"If you don't believe me, come to the hospital and see for yourself! Please!"
Mr. Harding Sr. snorted coldly. "At this hour, Paige is definitely out doing her square dancing."
"Don't think you can scam my money to subsidize your family!"
My heart plunged into an ice pit.
I sank onto the freezing floor, hugging my knees, crying helplessly.
At that moment, a nurse approached the doctor, her expression grim.
"Deputy Chief Harding called. He said if this patient can't pay, move her to a hallway bed."
"Or have them transfer to another hospital."
"She absolutely cannot receive special treatment just because she's family—can't take up medical resources…"
Dr. Chavez's face went livid. "How is this special treatment? The patient is critical—she doesn't meet the conditions for transfer."
"If she's moved to a hallway bed, she will die!"
Hearing that, I nearly broke down.
I scrambled up, stumbling forward, grabbed Dr. Chavez's arm, and begged desperately—
"Please, give me a little more time. I will pay the money and wait in line for Dominic to come back and do the surgery!"
Collapsed on the floor, my mind went blank.
The thought that my mother-in-law's life hung by a thread—that her own son, just to avoid any appearance of impropriety, would rather operate on a dog than save her—
made my heart feel like it was being carved with a knife.
No. He wasn't avoiding impropriety.
He just thought it was my mom.
In their eyes, my mom wasn't worthy.
But that was a human life! I had to find a way to save her!
I called my mom to borrow money.
My dad died young. My mom raised me alone, ruining her health from the strain. Now she survived on a meager pension, occasionally doing odd jobs to help with expenses.
The moment she heard my mother-in-law needed money, she didn't hesitate—just transferred everything immediately.
Seeing the amount—$31,800, down to the last dollar—my chest ached.
That money was probably everything she'd saved over years.
Then, swallowing my pride, I borrowed from coworkers, classmates, friends—anyone I could—barely scraping together $100,000.
After paying the first installment, I rushed the receipt to the doctor.
"Dr. Chavez, I've paid. Please arrange the surgery as soon as possible."
"No need to cut the line—just follow the process and queue up!"
Dr. Chavez quickly called a nurse to verify the queue and prepare the OR.
She came back with a grim expression.
"Dr. Harding still refuses to come back. He said… even for family, he has to strictly follow rules and regulations, avoid any appearance of impropriety—everything goes through proper channels."
Dr. Chavez's voice dropped. "Then how many surgeries are still ahead in line?"
The nurse hesitated, glancing at me.
"Dr. Harding… doesn't have any surgeries scheduled today."
Dr. Chavez's jaw tightened. "Didn't you tell him he has no surgeries arranged?"
The nurse's eyes reddened with frustration. "I did, but Dr. Harding said this patient's family bribed us and deliberately lied to him…"
