the only match
798 Words
Chapter 2: The Only Match
Nobody spoke.
For several seconds, Elena simply stared at the doctors.
The room felt strangely smaller than before.
"...we finally found her."
The words echoed in her mind.
Found her?
Found who?
"What are you talking about?" Elena asked.
No one answered immediately.
The doctors exchanged uneasy glances.
The older physician cleared his throat.
"Miss Carter, we'd like you to come with us."
Elena folded her arms.
"I think I'd like an explanation first."
The physician hesitated.
Understandably.
The situation sounded insane.
Finally, he gestured toward a nearby conference room.
"Please."
Against her better judgment, Elena followed.
The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere became even heavier.
Three specialists entered.
A geneticist.
A cardiologist.
The hospital director.
Nobody looked comfortable.
Elena sat across from them.
"Start talking."
The hospital director exhaled slowly.
"Do you know why Adrian Kane is here tonight?"
"No."
"He's dying."
The bluntness of the answer surprised her.
She looked away for a moment.
Part of her wanted to feel satisfaction.
Seven years of anger should have made her happy.
Instead she felt...
Nothing.
Or maybe confusion.
The director continued.
"For years Mr. Kane has suffered from a rare genetic condition."
Elena frowned.
"What condition?"
"We don't have a public name for it."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning only a handful of cases have ever been documented."
The room fell silent again.
The geneticist opened a folder.
Inside were pages filled with medical reports.
Charts.
Lab results.
DNA analyses.
"For seven years," he said, "we've searched for a compatible genetic donor."
Elena blinked.
"And?"
The doctor looked directly at her.
"We found one."
Something cold settled in her stomach.
"No."
The geneticist nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"No."
Elena stood abruptly.
"You're saying that person is me?"
Nobody corrected her.
Which was answer enough.
She laughed once.
A short, disbelieving laugh.
"This is ridiculous."
"We understand how it sounds."
"No, you don't."
She pointed toward Adrian's room.
"That man has billions of dollars."
"Yes."
"He owns one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world."
"Correct."
"He can literally hire any doctor on Earth."
The director nodded.
"He already has."
Elena stared at them.
Then the reality began to sink in.
They weren't joking.
Nobody in that room was joking.
The geneticist slid a report across the table.
"Your DNA markers match."
She looked down.
The numbers meant little to her.
But the confidence in their voices was impossible to ignore.
Her heart started beating faster.
"This has to be a mistake."
"We ran the test three times."
The answer came immediately.
Three times.
The same number she'd heard outside.
The same reason everyone had looked shocked.
The room suddenly felt too warm.
Too crowded.
Too real.
She remembered her father's death.
The years of unanswered questions.
The bitterness she'd carried.
And now somehow fate had decided she was the only person who might be able to save Adrian Kane.
Of all people.
"No."
The word slipped out quietly.
The doctors exchanged looks.
"No?" the director repeated.
Elena pushed the report away.
"I won't do it."
The silence that followed was immediate.
The cardiologist leaned forward.
"You don't understand."
"No."
Elena met his eyes.
"You don't understand."
The years of pain she'd buried began rising to the surface.
"My father died because of Kane Biotech."
The room froze.
Nobody interrupted her.
"My family lost everything."
Her voice trembled despite her efforts.
"My mother spent years trying to recover."
She swallowed.
"And now you're asking me to save the man responsible?"
The doctors remained silent.
Finally, the director spoke.
"Adrian Kane was not the CEO seven years ago."
Elena looked away.
"He's still part of that company."
"He was nineteen."
The answer caught her off guard.
The director continued.
"He inherited the company later."
For a brief moment, doubt appeared.
Only briefly.
Then the anger returned.
"I don't care."
The geneticist lowered his voice.
"If you refuse, Adrian will likely die."
The words landed heavily.
Elena hated that they affected her.
She hated that part of her still cared.
Because no matter what she believed about Adrian Kane...
She wasn't a murderer.
The room fell quiet again.
Then suddenly—
The conference room door burst open.
A nurse rushed inside.
Her face had gone pale.
"Doctor!"
Everyone turned.
"What happened?"
The nurse struggled to catch her breath.
"His condition is getting worse."
The specialists were already standing.
"How bad?"
The nurse looked toward Elena.
Then back at the doctors.
Her voice dropped.
"He's asking for her."
The room went silent.
Elena frowned.
"What?"
The nurse swallowed.
"He just regained consciousness."
A chill ran through Elena.
The nurse looked directly at her.
"And the first thing Adrian Kane said was..."
She paused.
As if she couldn't believe it herself.
Then she whispered:
'Find Elena Carter.'
- Writer
