The Velvet Contract

Jojo’s Health

After spending the day with Jojo, it was already late at night when they arrived back at her apartment. But the moment Jojo stepped out of the car, he staggered slightly, clutching his chest tightly as a painful expression twisted across his face. Then, suddenly, he slumped and passed out.

“Jojo!” Velvet screamed.

She dropped everything she was holding and rushed to his side.

“Jojo!” she cried, tapping his face, but he wasn’t responding.

Their driver, Mr. John, saw what had happened and quickly ran over to them. He checked Jojo’s pulse, then placed his hand close to his nose to see if he was breathing.

“Miss Velvet, we need to take him to the hospital immediately,” he said.

And just like that, they were back on the road.

“Jojo, please wake up. Don’t scare me like this,” Velvet sobbed, gently tapping his face over and over again.

With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone and called her friend, Shelly.

“Hey girl, what’s up?” Shelly answered.

“Shelly, please… I need you,” she cried into the phone.

“What happened? Why are you crying?”

“It’s Jojo,” she sobbed. “He just passed out, and I… I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, calm down. Breathe,” Shelly said firmly. “Where are you?”

“We’re on our way to the hospital.”

“Alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

They got to the hospital, and after the doctor examined Jojo, he was immediately rushed into the emergency room.

Velvet paced back and forth in the hospital lobby, her heart racing as she waited for the doctors to come out.

“Velvet!” Shelly called, hurrying over to her.

“Oh my God, Shelly, I’m so scared.” Velvet broke down in tears as she collapsed into her friend’s arms. “What if it’s something serious?”

“No, no, don’t think like that,” Shelly said softly, holding her tightly as she brushed her hair back. “Everything will be fine. Let’s just wait for the doctor.”

An hour later, the doctor came out, with a nurse wheeling the unconscious Jojo out of the room.

“Are you the boy’s guardian?” the doctor asked, looking at Velvet.

“Yes, I’m his sister,” Velvet answered immediately.

“Please, come with me to my office,” the doctor said before turning and walking away.

Velvet glanced back at Jojo when Shelly gently squeezed her arm.

“It’s okay,” Shelly said. “I’ll stay with Jojo.”

Inside the office, the doctor pulled up an X-ray on the screen.

“Have you noticed him complaining of chest pains?” he asked.

Velvet couldn’t answer. She had been so busy lately that she hadn’t noticed anything unusual about her brother.

The doctor sighed and continued. He explained that Jojo had a serious heart condition and would need a transplant as soon as possible.

Velvet felt the blood drain from her face.

“But that’s not the only problem,” the doctor added gravely. “At the moment, we don’t have a suitable donor available, and he needs the transplant within a week.”

Velvet stepped out of the doctor’s office, completely devastated. She wanted to cry, to scream her lungs out. Feeling weak, she took slow strides toward her brother’s ward and stood there, watching him through the glass wall. So many devices were connected to him.

Why her?

She had done everything she could for both of them. She had worked so hard and sacrificed so much, but now that money was no longer a problem, fate had slapped her right in the face. Her baby brother was dying, and she didn’t even know. Her heart ached. No, it shattered.

Inside the room, Shelly gently adjusted the bedsheet over Jojo. When she looked up and saw Velvet standing outside, she motioned for her to come in.

Velvet quickly wiped her tears and walked into the room.

“How is he?” she asked softly as she sat beside him on the bed.

“He’s still sleeping. What did the doctor say?” Shelly asked.

Tears welled up in Velvet’s eyes once more.

“Shelly… he’s dying.”

“What?” Shelly whispered in shock.

Velvet told her everything the doctor had said, her words giving way as she broke down in tears.

“What should I do?” she cried.

“Hey… hey, it’s okay,” Shelly said gently, pulling her into a hug. “We’ll figure it out together.”

The next morning, Velvet had just stepped out of the bathroom when she saw Jojo’s eyes flutter open, and she quickly rushed to his side.

“Oww, my head feels like it’s about to split open,” he muttered.

“Shhh, don’t say anything,” she said gently, already reaching for the telecom. “I’ll call the doctor.”

Not long after, the doctor came in with a nurse and ran a series of checkups. They asked him a few questions about how he was feeling before they left.

“I’m sorry, big sis,” Jojo said softly, avoiding her gaze. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay. Just promise me you won’t hide anything from me again,” Velvet said in a tender voice.

“Okay, I promise,” he replied.

Soon after, Shelly entered, carrying food and a set of fresh clothes for both of them.

“Hi, Shelly,” Jojo greeted her with a small smile.

“Hi, baby boy. How are you feeling?” she asked warmly.

“Didn’t we all agree that I’m not a baby anymore?” he pouted.

“Well, all that ended when you didn’t tell your sister you were having chest pains,” Shelly teased. “Now here we are, in a hospital.”

“I’m sorry,” Jojo apologized again, but Shelly just chuckled and gently pinched his cheek.

Velvet stepped outside the hospital to get some fresh air. Seeing her brother with all those devices connected to him was just too painful to bear. She felt lost and confused. Where was she supposed to find a donor for her brother?

She had called everyone she knew who could help. She had even asked Shelly to reach out to her parents, despite the fact that they weren’t on speaking terms, but to no avail. Shelly had wealthy parents who could manipulate almost anything, yet even they couldn’t help.

As she walked out of the hospital grounds, her eyes drifted to the patients around her, young and old alike. Some sat in wheelchairs, others struggled with crutches, and some had casts wrapped around their arms and legs.

Oh, how she hated hospitals.

Out of nowhere, a man bumped into her. Before she could react, he slipped a piece of paper into her hand and ran off.

“Hey! What is wrong with you?” she spat angrily, but he didn’t stop.

Weird.

She looked down at the crumpled paper in her palm, frowning, then slowly unfolded it.

“If you want to save your brother’s life, meet me at Fiery Star Restaurant at six p.m. sharp. I’ll be waiting for you…”