Chapter 1

It was Christmas Eve, and I was temporarily called in to cover for a colleague at the blood draw station.

Suddenly, a little girl cut into the line, her accompanying middle-aged father, masked, quietly urged, "Excuse us, my daughter's in a hurry."

Seeing no one behind objected, I proceeded to verify their information.

"Is this the bone marrow matching sample for Zoe Davies?"

The girl obediently extended her arm, but the man suddenly reached out, blocking the needle. "Wait, we're not doing it today."

I cursed him in my head, but when I looked up, they were already walking away, leaving the consent form on the counter.

The guardian's signature, "David Miller," stared back at me.

That was my dad's name, and I recognized his handwriting.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers stiff with cold. "Dad, are you working at the office today?"

A hospital-specific PA announcement echoed from the other end of the line. He paused for three seconds. "...Yes, I'm at the office."

I remained silent. After hanging up, I accessed the hospital system backend and typed in Zoe Davies' name.

"Patient: Zoe Davies. Matching recipient: David Miller. Relationship: Father-Daughter."