"$100,000?!" She asked, wide eyed.
"Yes…" The nurse responded. She was shocked by Smith's reaction.
"Is there a problem?"
"No!" She yelled "… I mean no." Her face was flushed at how uncomposed she was.
She had hoped to continue seeing Kent at school but when he didn't show up for a whole week, she worried he had fallen into the wrong hands.
"Kent, where are you?" Worry filled her mind.
-
Kent ignored Thomas, "your colleagues demean you." He spat at the old man in hopes that his words would hurt him enough.
Thomas shrugged, "everyone demeans everyone."
"Not you." Kent said and Thomas sighed, "President Ronald is visiting today."
"What about it? I'll be in the toilets scrubbing away anyways." Kent said absentmindedly. He actively blocked his mind from thinking about the possibility of crossing paths with the man.
"I got word that the president is out of the country so the head of his operations will be coming in today." Thomas said. Kent was quiet.
"You ran away." Thomas added.
"I did what I had to to survive." Kent drew a breath,
"I was a failure, they were going to use me as an organ farm. What choice did I have?" He hated how he sounded. Miserable.
Thomas searched his eyes. He knew what Kent had been through; everyone did.
"Plus, they think I'm dead. I left a body, I've told you these things Thomas. Your paranoia is making me paranoid." Kent admitted. He hated the thought of going back to the lab. Being caught.
Thomas sighed, "maybe you're right." He ignored the tugging feeling in his chest.
"I don't want to go back either. I bet they've forgotten I even exist. It's been dog years." Kent assured Thomas and himself and he had no idea why. Maybe he was more fond of the old man than he was willing to admit.
"Don't think of doing anything stupid like running away." A familiar voice rang in his head.
"Get out of here. Your presence will be missed at breakfast." That was the last thing Thomas said and Kent flashed him an awkward smile, "thanks, old man!"
He was out of his cell and hurried down the corridor. It was the same path and the same stench that followed him for the past eleven years.
Kent was very glad that he stayed behind to get some extra rest. He rarely admitted it but he was thankful for Thomas. He literally breathed down his neck but Kent did think he meant well. He was nothing like his father.
The receiving bay was quiet thankfully and Kent slipped easily into the cafeteria.
"There you are." Mason, his buddy, slid his hand over his neck.
"Here." He placed a hard bun in Kent's hand, "the soup is cold." Mason added. His usual grin was tugging at the corners of his mouth, "you need someone to talk to, man," he said with a knowing look. Kent shook his head.
"Think you can hold on to it a little longer? I have the bathroom and toilets today." Kent switched topics. Mason always tried to pry, Kent ackowledged that his interests probably meant that Mason cared for him but it wasn't something he would ever risk. He was done with people dying for him.
"Yike! Wouldn't want to waste your breakfast now."
"Are you checking out that nose, dude? It looks badly bruised."
"It feels fine." Kent shrugged. He couldn't be bothered to check in with the physician. He had enough debt to pay and was already a kidney short. He sold his first kidney to afford his mother's treatment and his sister's education.
With America's plummeting population, organs were a top commodity. It didn't take Kent much to find a buyer. That was how he ended up at the laboratory. That was before anyone knew anything.
13 years ago
Kent's eyes felt like stones in their sockets as he struggled to open them. He heard stories of general anesthesia and it felt ten times worse.
Finding a buyer for his kidney only took two minutes in the back alley.
"This is no place for a kid! Go to school!" One drunk man yelled. That was the third person he approached and had the same reaction.
Kent hadn't entirely thought his plan through but he didn't have the time. He knew the back alley was where the illegal activities went on.
"Who are you looking for, kid?" A man in a suit appeared. How long had he been standing there?
Kent met his eyes. He had never seen such black pupils before. He knew this man was not like the other drunks littered around. Kent knew little about clothing and accessories but he could tell the man was not shy with money.
"I'm looking for an organ buyer." He said after clearing his throat. He saw the man's expression shift ever so slightly.
"Who's the seller?"
"Me." He gulped.
"Come."
Was it really that easy? He could easily be walking into a trap or worse, he could get swindled. His thoughts circled in desperate patterns as he weighed the deal. A kidney for money; sounds easy enough.
It was a chance to save his mother, to keep Brie safe. His stomach churned. But there was no time to dwell on it. He had to protect his family, there was no room for hesitation. For the first time in his life, Kent felt like he was doing soimething that mattered. He was relieving his mother's pain rather than causing it. It was a guilt he always carried around.
He shook off his fear. He had no other options.
Kent followed the man into a deserted building. Both men stepped into what looked to be a deserted elevator.
15 year old Kent kept his head held high. He knew that he had walked into dangerous territory; the least he could do was wear a brave face.
"This is Dr Choi. He will be performing the surgery."
"Today?" Kent blurted out.
"Any hesitation?"
"No… I mean we haven't fixed a price."
"$200,000." Kent's eyes flew open and he heard himself yell, "what?!" That was way more than he thought an organ could get him. He had no idea such an amount of money existed. He certainly didn't think all it took was the will to sell his kidney and a trip to the back alley.
His mind went to his mother and sister, "deal."
Without asking anymore questions, Kent was put under.
"Your surgery was successful, Kent." The man in the suit said to him.
"How do you know my name?"
"Here. $200,000." The man placed a suitcase on the bed and Kent opened it immediately.
"This is really happening." He said out loudly. He couldn't believe that he could keep his mother alive now. He had enough money to sponsor his sister's education as well. She didn't have to suffer.
"Thank you! When can I leave?"
"Not until a few days at least. You had a major operation."
"I feel fine though."
"I know you're in a hurry but if you move your current condition, you will rupture your stitches." Dr Choi said with a small thin smile. Kent had seen that before— thin, clinical and nothing more than a mask.
Maybe he was being a bit impatient. Kent decided to stay in the makeshift hospital for another 3 days.
"You can leave now." Choi said, his eyes lingered on Kent's for a moment longer than necessary. "You'll do well, kid. Just make sure to follow the rules." He said to Kent before walking out of the room. Chills went down Kent's spine but even he knew he was already knee deep in whatever the doctor warned him about.
As Kent stared at the suitcase of money, a sinking feeling crept into his chest. His body felt weird, his chest was heavy and he ached all over: physically and emotionally. Did he now have to always give pieces of himself to protect his family?
Soon after his discharge, Kent put down the entire down payment for his mother's treatment. He then visited Brie's middle school and paid off her fees and feeding. He also opened a bank account for her, leaving the details with her guardian.
Kent's hands trembled as he handed the box to Rosalina. He hated how he had to lie to everyone— especially to himself. His body wasn't the same and it wasn't just physical. He was scared and broken and with no choice but to continue to move forward, wherever that was.2
"Why does it seem like you're going far away? You come over and drop over all this money. What did you do, Kent?" Rosalina asked with deep concern. She was Brie's nanny and had stepped up as both their guardians since his mother's accident. Kent told her he didn't need a guardian but he was thankful for her stepping up for Brie. He wanted to shield her as much as possible.
"I'm fine." That was a lie. His incision site had been hurting for hours despite nothing looking wrong on the surface.
"You're breaking a sweat. You should lie down." She said with worry evident in her eyes.
"I'm fine." He said again, "I have a doctor." Rosalina stared at him confused.
Kent smiled,"I'm alright."
"Tell Brie I'll see her when I can." He added.
Kent did think it was weird that he was discharged with no medications. He had some cash left and decided to head back to the building in the back alley.
Walking back felt like torture. His breath hitched with each step, his vision blurring. Something was clearly wrong and the air felt heavier with each step. At the old door, Kent hesitated before turning the knob.
"I'm sorry but all our medications are handled by George himself." He heard the doctor say. Kent was now bent over at a 90 degree angle due to the excruciating pain.
"George? Who's that?" The doctor looked at him like he had grown another head.
"You sold your kidney to a man you didn't know?"
Kent admitted it sounded foolish and careless but at the time all he could think about was the money. He saved his mom but was he going to pay with his own life? His mind flashed to when he still played with his mom, grandmother and Brie.
"Excuse me! Excu-" thud!