Contracted

Chapter 1 Regan Intl. Hospital: Los Angeles, California. In one of the most renowned hospitals in the city, seated in the waiting room with her head facing the cleaned floors of the hospital was Emma. Her friend was huddled around her, trying her best to console her. No one else noticed what was going through Emma's mind. Everyone was busy with their own affairs. Yet Emma sat there shedding silent tears as her friend rubbed her back soothingly. Her world had crumbled right before her eyes and she was completely helpless. Who could she turn to?Her eyes had swollen and it was becoming hard to keep the tiled lines of the hospital floor in a focused symmetry. "It's going to be okay, Emma,” Emily murmured, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I am here for you." Why was life hitting her so hard? Today was supposed to be the day her life would change. She was finally going to join the modeling agency of her dreams, but instead, this day had turned out to be the worst. This was not supposed to happen. Her mother never laid any complaints about her health. Where did such a terrible illness come from?Was she being punished? She thought to herself. She had suffered so much and now that things were starting to look bright, this happens... "Miss Emma Davies!" A man called, pulling her out of her thoughts. Dressed in a white and blue uniform with a stethoscope around his neck, he approached her. He was the doctor in charge of her mother. Immediately her swollen eyes fell on him, Emma jumped off the chair as her heart fluttered in anticipation of some kind of good news, "Y-Yes, sir!" The doctor smiled at her and started coming toward her. But Emma was faster. She closed up the distance between them in seconds "Sir, how is my mother?" She asked before the doctor could speak. "Miss, your mother is fine but we…" the man paused and Emma's hope of good news dwindled. The doctor had seen the look of nervousness on Emma's face and he rephrased his next words carefully for fear of her passing out from anxiety. "Miss Emma," he called again, his tone gentler. He needed to treat this case delicately. "I'm afraid your mother's heart is damaged and she'll need a heart transplant as soon as possible or she might not make it." Emma's eyes widened at the doctor's words. Her friends gasped, gripping her arms tightly. Her mother's heart was damaged and she was just finding out? Didn't things like this take time to get worse? When did her mother ever complain of heart pain? And then Emma realized it. All the times her mother acted like everything was fine was fake. She was hiding it. Her legs were shivering and her red cherry-like lips trembling in fear. Why? Why was this happening to her now? Nevertheless, she tuned out the chaos in her head and asked the doctor, "Doc-doctor, what do we have to do now?" The doctor could see the pain in her eyes, this was one of the hardest parts of his job but it had to be done. "We will need to get a new heart and due to its scarcity, it is quite expensive. It will cost around one hundred dollars. If we act fast we can get one in time." Emma's head went blank, it felt like her whole world was crumbling again. Was this even real? One hundred thousand dollars? "B-but sir, I don't have that amount of money. I only have-" "Miss Emma!" The doctor cut her short. He had done the worst part, informing her of her mother's condition. Now it was up to her what to do next. "We are very sorry but without the money, we can't save your mother," he said sternly and left. Emma could not sit back in her chair, one hundred thousand dollars was way too much for her. Where would she get that kind of money? "S-sir!" She tried to call him back, but he had already left the waiting room. Tears fell uncontrollably down her cheeks. Her friends held her close as she sobbed. Who could help in this dire situation? She asked herself, feeling utterly lost. Then a name popped into her head. 'Aunty Maggie!' Yes, maybe her aunt could help with some money if she explained what was happening. With shaking hands, Emma pulled out her phone and dialed her aunty's number. After minutes of anxious waiting, Aunty Maggie picked up. "Hello Emma, dear?" "Aunty..." Emma choked out between sobs. "M-Mother's dying and she needs money for a heart transplant!" "Oh no, sweetheart! A heart transplant?" Her aunt's voice was laced with concern. "How much does it cost?" "I-It's one hundred thousand dollars," Emma said, her trembling lips struggling to form the words. There was a heavy pause. "One hundred thousand dollars...Emma, that's an outrageous sum of money. You know your uncle and I are barely scraping by as it is." Regret filled Aunty Maggie's words. "I'm so sorry, my dear, but we simply can't help with an amount like that." With those words, a part of Emma's heart shattered. She was utterly devastated, letting out a wail of anguish as the phone slipped from her hand. "Aunty...please!" But her aunt had already ended the call. "No!" Emma sobbed into her friends' embraces. What would she do now? Without the money, her mother would die. The realization made her blood turn to ice. "No, no, no," she mumbled, rising shakily to her feet. She wiped her tears, suddenly filled with grim determination. She needed help and she would find it, somehow. If asking family for money didn't work, maybe a loan would be the answer. She had to try, she was quickly running out of options. She would do anything, anything at all, even sell her own body if she had to. She would not lose her mother without a fight.