My five-year-old daughter, Alice Martinez, had been diagnosed with renal failure. Despite this, my husband James Martinez, a respected doctor, was fixated on Olivia Garcia’s daughter, Sophia. Just when we found a suitable kidney match for Alice, James allocated the life-saving slot to Olivia’s child.
On the day my daughter left me, the rain fell in torrents, her fragile form nestled in my arms.
“Mom, I want to see Dad again,” Alice whispered, her voice barely audible above the storm.
“Alice, when you’re discharged, I’ll take you to the park, okay?” I said softly, touching her swollen hand as her eyes sparkled with hope.
“Really? Will Dad come with us?” Her anticipation was palpable.
My heart ached. It had been five days since I last saw James, and even on the day of Alice’s kidney transplant surgery, he was conspicuously absent. Despite being the top hematologist in Longreach, his skills could not help my daughter, as his heart was preoccupied with Olivia—a recently divorced woman with a sick child.
The moment Olivia appeared, James's priorities shifted. While he should have been focused on consultations and surgeries, he instead spent most of his time with Olivia and her daughter. My dissatisfaction and Alice’s longing for her father were dismissed by James as irrational.
“Olivia is going through a tough time after her divorce, and now her child is sick. Can’t you be more understanding?” James had said.
“Why do you always compare the children? Yes, Alice is my child, but Sophia is also battling renal failure, even without a father. If there was something between Olivia and me, would I have married you? Would you have had Alice?”
James's impatience was etched vividly in my memory.
Alice gently shook my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. “Mom, I know Dad is busy. He’ll come see me when I’m better, right?”
I hugged her small frame, nodding in reassurance, though an unshakable anxiety lingered within me. It was already 1 PM, half an hour past the scheduled surgery time. After comforting Alice, I headed towards the nurses’ station.
As soon as they saw me, the nurses exchanged uneasy glances, avoiding my gaze.
“Alice’s mom,” one of them said.
“Wasn’t Alice scheduled for surgery today? Why hasn’t anyone notified us yet?” I asked, my anxiety rising.
The nurse looked at me in surprise. “Alice’s surgery was canceled. Didn’t you know?”
The nurse’s words struck me like a blow. “Canceled? But we found a suitable kidney. Why the sudden change?” I questioned, struggling to grasp the situation.
“Dr. Martinez canceled it. The kidney matched a girl in Room 5, so…”
The nurse’s sympathetic gaze offered no further explanation. Stunned, I managed to gather my thoughts. “Where is James?” I demanded.
“He’s in surgery.”
Ignoring her warning, I stormed towards the operating room. “I pulled strings and searched through all organ donation registries to secure this opportunity. Why did James give it to Olivia?”
“Alice’s mom, it’s too late. The surgery has been ongoing for four hours.”
The nurse’s desperate pleas went unheard as I continued towards the closed doors of the operating room. The red light above the door seemed to glare at me.
Olivia sat with her head bowed outside the operating room. When she saw me, she hastily stood, her expression a mix of surprise and nervousness.
“James, come out here!” I shouted, banging on the door. “James, how dare you… how dare you give Alice’s surgery spot to someone else?”
I pounded on the door with frantic desperation. Olivia’s startled gaze met mine as I grabbed her arm and slapped her across the face. Her disbelief was evident as she covered her bruised cheek.
“Why are you so intent on taking everything from others? Isn’t stealing my husband enough for you? Now you want to snatch the life-saving spot for my daughter?”