Page 7 of His By Contract

The nurse’s expression remained neutral, professional. “The doctor will be with you shortly. Please, have a seat in the waiting area.”

Georgia’s legs gave out as she sank into a plastic chair. The clock on the wall ticked, each second stretching into infinity. Other families huddled in corners, their whispers and stifled sobs filling the heavy air. Were they receiving good news or bad? Would she be crying or sighing with relief in a few minutes?

She clenched her hands in her lap, knuckles aching from the pressure. A nurse walked past without stopping. A cartsqueaked somewhere down the hall. Footsteps approached, then retreated, but none slowed in her direction. Every passing second felt like sand slipping through her fingers.

Her breath came in uneven pulls. How long had it been? Time twisted strangely in hospitals. Minutes stretching to hours, hours collapsing into heartbeats.

Just when she thought she would shatter under the weight of uncertainty, a door opened down the hall. A doctor emerged, white coat pristine, expression unreadable. Georgia’s heart hammered against her ribs.

“Ms. Phillips?”

The words barely registered. Georgia stood on unsteady legs, pulse roaring in her ears as she followed him into the room.Please let her be alive. Please.

The doctor’s words faded into white noise as Georgia stared at her mother’s unconscious form. Evelyn’s chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, her skin pale against the stark hospital sheets. The machines beeped in steady rhythm, monitoring every precious heartbeat. She’d never looked so small, so fragile.

“Ms. Phillips?” The doctor’s voice cut through her haze. “Did you hear what I said?”

Georgia tore her gaze from her mother’s face. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Without immediate treatment, your mother’s condition will deteriorate rapidly. The cancer has spread.” He adjusted his glasses, glancing at his clipboard. “The hospital requires payment before we can proceed with the next round of treatment.”

The room spun. Georgia gripped the metal railing of her mother’s bed. “How much?” The question tasted bitter on her tongue.

“The outstanding balance needs to be cleared first. Then we’re looking at another fifty thousand for the new treatment protocol.”

Her mother’s hand lay limp in hers, cold and unfamiliar. This wasn’t the woman who’d worked multiple jobs to put food on their table. Who’d taught Georgia to thread a needle, to stand tall when the world tried to break her. How could someone so fierce be reduced to this?

“When do you need the payment?” Georgia’s voice sounded distant, hollow.

“By tomorrow morning, or we’ll have to discharge her.”

Tomorrow. The word echoed in her skull like a death sentence. She thought of her empty bank account, the overdue rent notice, the clients who’d abandoned her. The walls seemed to close in around her.

“Please,” Georgia whispered. “She needs more time.”

“I’m sorry.”

The doctor’s footsteps retreated, leaving Georgia alone with the steady beep of monitors and her mother’s labored breathing.

She pressed her forehead against their joined hands. Every breath felt like drowning. Her mother had given everything to keep her safe, to give her a chance at life. Now, when Evelyn needed her most, Georgia was powerless to help. The irony cut deeper than any knife.

A tear splashed onto their intertwined fingers. Her mother’s words from years ago haunted her: “Sometimes love means making impossible choices.”

Georgia pulled her phone from her pocket, staring at the number Adrian had included on the front page of the contract. Her thumb hovered over the screen, trembling. The hospital machines continued their steady rhythm, marking each precious second of her mother’s life. His offer still rang in her ears, so simple, so impossible.

She’d called everyone. Maxed out her credit cards. Begged the hospital administration. Nothing worked. No one would help. And now there was only one door left.

The woman who’d sacrificed everything, who’d gone hungry so Georgia could eat, who’d worked until her fingers bled, now lay helpless, dependent on Georgia to save her life. Wasn’t it Georgia’s turn to sacrifice now?

The phone felt heavy in her hand. One call could change everything. One year of her life traded for her mother’s survival. A price that seemed simultaneously too high and not high enough.

Georgia’s throat closed as she pressed the call button. It rang once. Twice. Each ring sent her heart racing faster.

“I knew you’d call.” Adrian’s voice carried no triumph, just quiet certainty. Of course he knew. Men like him always did.

“I’ll do it.” The words tasted like ash in her mouth. “Whatever you want. Just help her.”

“I’ll have my driver pick you up in twenty minutes. We’ll handle the paperwork tonight.”

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