Chapter 5

After three months and nine days of waiting.

One afternoon, the attending physician rushed through the ward door.

"Family of Lily Smith, we've matched a donor kidney in the same city."

"Perfect compatibility. We can schedule the surgery."

The room went silent for a second, then erupted in loud crying.

Mary held Lily and sobbed.

John crouched in the corner, hands covering his face, shoulders shaking.

Lily turned to look at me. "Stella, see? God still loves me."

She wiped her tears.

"Forget about your cornea. You've already adapted to darkness anyway."

"But I'm still young. I can't die."

I sat on the caregiver's chair beside her bed and smiled at her.

"Yeah, you're really lucky."

I picked up a comb and brushed her hair. She closed her eyes and hummed a tune.

The surgery was scheduled for three days later.

During those three days, I was more gentle than I'd ever been.

I bought Lily her favorite brownie, trimmed her nails.

At night I chatted with her until she fell asleep, then collapsed on the caregiver bed myself.

Mary patted my shoulder.

"Stella, once Lily's body recovers, she definitely won't forget you."

I nodded without speaking.

On the day of surgery, nurses came early for pre-op preparation.

At ten o'clock, the transport gurney arrived.

The nurse asked, "Which family member will accompany her to the operating room door?"

The nurse flipped through another page.

"Sorry, we're still short forty-eight thousand dollars on the surgery deposit."

"A family member needs to go to the first-floor manual payment window."

My parents looked at each other, then both looked at me.

"Stella, you watch Lily. We'll go downstairs to pay. We'll be quick."

I nodded. "Don't worry, Mary. I'm here."

My parents hurried off.

Only Lily on the gurney, the nurse, and I remained in the hallway.

The operating room door stood open, light streaming through.

Lily clutched the edge of the sheet and turned to look at me.

"Stella, do you think something might go wrong with the surgery?"

I crouched down and leaned close to her ear. "No, don't be scared."

She let out a long breath.

Just then, the old man from the next bed was wheeled out by his family.

He also had kidney failure and had been admitted six months before Lily.

But he'd never received a donor kidney.

The old man's wife sat beside the gurney, writing something — a will.

The old man spoke in fragments while his wife wrote it down.

"Leave the old house to our grandson... the bankbook is in the second drawer..."

With each sentence, his wife lowered her head to wipe tears.

Lily glanced over and frowned.

"How unlucky. Can't you do this somewhere else instead of in the hallway? It's ruining my mood."

The old man's wife heard her, looked up, but said nothing.

She quietly moved the gurney to the other side.

I looked at that scene too.

Then I stood up and stopped the nurse who was about to wheel Lily into the operating room.

"Wait."

Lily froze and looked up at me.

"Stella? What are you doing?"

"Give me some encouragement. Say something nice so I can go in with peace of mind."

I took off my sunglasses.

I couldn't see anything clearly anymore.

But I could hear Lily lying on the gurney.

Completely defenseless, waiting for me to send her on her final journey.

I smiled. This time, I truly smiled.

I turned toward where I heard the nurse.

"Excuse me, Lily just told me she doesn't want the surgery anymore."

"Give the kidney to the old man in the next bed."