Bailey Medical Center was one of the larger hospitals within all of Bedlam. While it may not have been as technologically advanced nor as industry-acclaimed as some of the more affluent hospitals within the city, none of that really mattered. As a private institution, Bailey was an expert at catering to its clientele. In this case, that clientele was mostly comprised of upper-middle and lower-middle-class families.

Even without all those fancy titles and prestigious awards, the hospital did well enough for themselves to the point where they did not have any outstanding money problems. In the midst of today’s turbulent economy, such an achievement was far more difficult to accomplish than first meets the eye.

The hospital was located roughly ten miles away from Queensville.

Despite the fact that it was already well into the night, Harlock did not slumber. The eternal city paid no mind to the transient passings of time. Bailey was no different. Regardless of whether it was day or night, the hospital was alive and kicking all the same.

Out-dated fluorescent fixtures illuminated the hospital interior in a splatter of blinding white.

Nurses dressed in pale-green scrubs hurried along crowded corridors filled with white-gowned patients and semi-confused visitors. Occasionally, a doctor making his rounds would pass by. They’d bark a few orders and talk to a couple members of the staff, before moving on to the next location.

As one of the most populous hospitals in all of Harlock, the chaos that currently engulfed the first-floor medical bay was only par for the course.

Edsel’s entire body felt numb.

He mindlessly walked through the hallway, completely ignorant of the mess around him. He kept his eyes fixated on Addison’s slim back as he wordlessly followed after her. All the while, their conversation from earlier continually replayed in the back of his mind like a broken cassette player.

Three years ago, Edsel Emeroy disappeared from the face of the planet.

At first, his disappearance did not cause any major waves within the city. After all, Edsel was just an ordinary high schooler with neither background nor fame. What’s more, plenty of people disappear every year. Why would one more matter?

The only ones that noticed his disappearance were his friends and family. For them, Edsel’s absence immediately set off red flags.

Normally, Edsel was not the type of guy who liked to venture outside. He was a homebody, an introvert with a tendency to bury himself into a good book or an engaging videogame in favor of going to a party or playing around in an amusement park. For someone like him, an extended disappearance was highly unusual.

Edsel only ever left the house whenever Addison or his sister got involved. Those girls were well accustomed to ignoring his feelings. Every other week or so, they would forcibly drag him outside. Sometimes, the trio would explore different parts of the city. Other times, they’d sit around at a local park and play a few games that always left him feeling sweaty and exhausted.

In truth, their surprise visits were probably the only thing that kept Edsel’s life away from the jaws of endless monotony.

So, it came as quite the surprise for a lot of people when neither of these two knew where he was or where he had gone.

Edsel’s family was understandably quite panicked. At only seventeen-years-old, there were still a lot of things that Edsel did not know. A bit naïve and a bit weak-willed, the him of that time certainly gave more than a few reasons for concern.

The possibility of death and/or kidnapping were also brought up, neither of which was a reality that the family could easily accept.

By the twelfth hour, the Emeroy family had called the police. Unfortunately, they were less than helpful.

A missing person’s report was not all that uncommon, especially within a big city like Harlock. Unless you were crazy rich or someone with crazy rich parents, then chances are, your file would not be prioritized. In fact, they might even delay it in favor of more pressing matters.

To make things even worse, the police were only required to act after a twenty-four-hour grace period. Who knows what could happen in twenty-four hours?

Still, Edsel’s parents could not simply just give up like this. They kept pestering the police station and eventually, after thirty-two hours had passed, a search team was deployed. Fliers were hung, people were called, and entire neighborhoods were notified. It became somewhat of an event, but unfortunately, it did not attract a whole lot of attention.

As expected, the search turned up nothing.

Edsel was still gone. Nobody had even seen him leave his room. It was as if he had suddenly just vanished into thin air.

By the time the seventy-second hour came, the search party was called off. That’s when the accusations started. The Emeroy couple was accused of premeditated murder. They had killed their own son and made a big spectacle of the whole mess in order to throw off the scent. Aside from the fact that Edsel was last sighted inside his room, there was literally no other evidence to back up this claim.

Still, short of an alien abduction, it was the only plausible explanation available. As a result, for a few tense weeks, the Emeroy family came under heavy scrutiny.

Fortunately, today’s world was fast-paced and ever-changing. Edsel’s disappearance eventually faded into obscurity and the pressure that his family faced also gradually vanished. Approximately two and a half months since then, the police eventually ruled the incident to be nothing more than a case of a runaway teenager.

Of course, nobody who actually knew Edsel believed such a bullshit explanation.

This haphazard conclusion was only there in order to improve the police department’s standing. After all, an unsolved case reflected poorly on their department. Many other missing persons reports were dealt with in a similar fashion. Naturally, it left the related parties dissatisfied, but by this point, they could do nothing about it.

Left with no other choice, Edsel’s family continued the search on their own. Addison and her family also pitched in to help. They kept their hopes up that one-day Edsel would return. That hope slowly diminished as the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months.

Eventually, in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

By this point, they had long accepted the fact that he was gone, maybe even forever.

They all tried to move on with their lives, but… it was a difficult process.

Edsel’s family entered a state of prolonged grief. His sister stopped going to school, while daily arguments became the new standard for his parents. Shouting, throwing things, sleeping on couches, alcohol, it was a cycle of never-ending suffering that stemmed from one terrible incident.

It all eventually came to a head when the possibility of a divorce was finally thrown into the mix.

Things would have probably continued in this trajectory if it were not for a little bit of timely intervention.

On the two-and-a-half-year anniversary of Edsel’s disappearance, a family friend stepped in and suggested that the Emeroys take a vacation in order to cool things down and rekindle their familial bond. With their backs up against the wall, Edsel’s parents consented.

Thus, the family of three went out for a vacation for the first time in a long, long time. They left the city and went to a ski resort located in the upper northern region of the country. As a sign of good faith, they even tried to invite Addison’s family along too, but unfortunately, due to financial difficulties, they were unable to go.

After that… Addison did not know what happened after that. The rest she had read about from second-hand sources.

An avalanche. It buried the entire ski resort. A natural disaster that wiped out the lives of more than a hundred people. It was a tragedy that made national headlines.

Edsel’s parents, they died on that trip.

It wasn’t a case where they could not find the bodies. In fact, their bodies were the first ones that the rescuers unearthed from the disaster.

They were found at the foot of the mountain, swept away by the flood-like snow. Their limbs broken, their faces deathly pale and their lips entirely blue. The coroner reported the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the skull, probably as a result of a stray rock or something similar.

It was gruesome, but Edsel did not even have the time to grieve over their deaths. After all, there was still his sister.

Unlike her parents, she did not die. They found her a full week after the disaster. She was still alive, but…

“Ed?”

Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Edsel was forcibly yanked back to reality. He looked up. At some point, they had stopped walking. Addison stared at him with her brows creased and a frown on her lips.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“…”

Edsel did not answer. Instead, he shifted his gaze over towards the door directly in front of him. There was nothing really special about the door, but right beside it was a plaque.

Emeroy, it read.

It was the patient’s name.

“Is this it?” He asked out loud, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” she nodded her head, “but before we can enter, we first need to inform a nurse and make sure that—”

Before she could finish, Edsel had already pushed the door open.

“Ah, wait…” Her words did not even reach his ears. The moment he entered, his eyes immediately locked onto the hospital bed located directly in the middle of the room.

There, he saw her.

A girl. A young girl barely over the age of eighteen. A withered girl with arms like sticks and skin like pale snow.

Her eyes were closed shut. A wide assortment of tubes and wires connected her to a series of machines. An IV drip, an EKG monitor… some of them he recognized, while others were completely foreign to him. She sported a peaceful expression that teetered between the borders of calm and death.

Shirley Emeroy. Edsel’s little sister and as of today, his one and only remaining family member.

The rescuers found her seven days after the avalanche struck. She had been buried underneath twenty feet of hardened snow. Somehow, she had managed to dig herself a little ice cave. Shirley subsisted off melted snow and literal twigs for six days before she passed out.

It was a miracle that she survived, but the condition she was left in was nothing short of a tragedy.

Severely dehydrated, numerous broken bones, a pierced lung, hypothermia… a myriad of medical disorders plagued her body. When she got to the hospital, the doctors tried their best to save her, but…

Both of her legs had to be amputated, along with five of her fingers. Her diaphragm was irreversibly injured, so in order to simulate breathing, they had to hook up a giant metal machine to her lungs. Speaking of lungs, she also had one of hers removed due to an infection from her previous puncture wound.

Worst of all was the brain damage. Like her parents, she too had suffered from a traumatic blow to the head. Instead of killing her though, it merely put her into a coma.

Experts were unsure as to when she first received the injury, but most of them concluded that it happened sometime after the initial avalanche. Malicious intent was unlikely. The only logical conclusion was stray debris that fell down from the mountain.

There was evidence that Shirley had once tried to dig herself out of the ice hole. Presumably, the moment she popped her head from out underneath the snow, a rock or a chunk of wood or something came rolling down the hill and…

She lost her strength and came tumbling back down into the hole, where rescuers would find her a day later.

Shirley Emeroy was truly born underneath an unlucky star.

When others saw her condition, they could only shake their heads. The fact that she had survived was already amazing enough, but was it worth it? For her to continue living in that state… wasn’t death a far easier alternative?

Edsel walked over to her bedside. Unconsciously, his breathing quickened. Sweat gathered on his palms, while his throat slightly quivered.

Seeing her up close only further cemented the tragedy of Shirley’s situation. Her skin was so white, so unimaginably pale that he could practically see the blue veins underneath.

His face contorted.

This… was this really her? Where was the lively girl that liked eating mango-flavored popsicles during hot summer afternoons? Where was the studious freshman that stayed up all night studying for something as simple as a multiple-choice quiz? Where was the annoyingly cute little sister that constantly pestered him about going outside and living life like how it was meant to be lived?

To compare the person from his memories to the fragile girl laying on this hospital bed… Edsel wanted to shake his head. He could not believe it. He did not want to believe it. Were they really the same person?

He wanted to reach out and grab her hand, but… he could not bring himself to do so. On her right hand, the pinky finger and the pointer finger were missing.

“She…Shirley…” Edsel’s voice cracked. He could not bring himself to even say anything. He simply stared down at her with hollow eyes.

Just then, someone entered the room. Edsel did not bother looking up.

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“Sir, you can’t be in here.” It was a plump nurse with short-cropped hair. After receiving no response, her bottom lip slightly twitched. She turned to the door. “Miss Addison, you know you can’t just bring guests in here. It’s our policy. No visitors after eight. I know you are good friends with the patient, but we can’t make exceptions. It’s for the safety of the patient. I thought you understood this.”

She ruthlessly reprimanded her. “Unless it’s family, then I’m afraid—”

“Um, that’s the thing,” Addison suddenly chimed in. “He is family.”

“Yours?” The nurse tilted her head in confusion.

“No, not mine.” Addison shook her head in response.

After a moment’s pause, the nurse widened her eyes. “Ah, the brother, is it?”

This lady was one of the nurses assigned to Shirley’s room. Naturally, she knew a fair bit of information regarding the patient’s extenuating circumstances. For example, she knew about how the older brother had suddenly disappeared roughly three years ago.

Addison nodded her head, quickly confirming the nurse’s theory.

The nurse hesitated. “Still, he needs proper identification before he can…”

“I, I don’t think he has any.” She responded with an awkward expression. Who knows what sort of shady shit Edsel had been up to during his disappearance? When they first met, he certainly did not have anything within his pockets… no, that was actually a secondary concern. The fact that he had arrived wearing another man’s clothes was far more pressing.

“I can’t make an exception here. It’s for the patient’s safety. We can’t let him…” Her words trailed off. Her eyes had unknowingly landed on the young man’s frail visage. He stood beside the bed and wordlessly stared at the patient. For a moment, his back looked lonely, almost as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

After a long pause, she eventually turned back towards Addison. With a bitter expression on her face, she nodded her head. “Fine, I’ll let him stay.”

Addison breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you…”

“Don’t think this is over yet, though.” The nurse instantly retorted. “I still need to tell the doctor!”

In the face of this plump lady’s persistence, Addison could only nod in agreement. The nurse quickly left, while Addison walked over towards the bed.

She glanced up and noticed his expression. Edsel’s face was almost completely devoid of emotion. His eyes were chilly, while his lips were pressed into a thin frown. He gently stroked Shirley’s cheek. His touch was so light that it barely even grazed her skin. It was almost as if he was afraid of breaking her.

“How long?” He suddenly asked. After a moment’s pause, he reiterated himself. “How long has she been in a coma?”

“Six months,” she answered.

“…” Edsel did not immediately respond. He mulled over her answer. Six months was a long time, especially for a coma patient. In fact, the chances of waking up gradually diminished the longer the coma. Six months was definitely not a short number.

“And the hospital? How is it?” Edsel had lived in a cruel world for more than ten years. He did not naively believe that the hospital would kindly take in a person as badly damaged as his sister. At least, not for free.

Addison hesitated for a short second, “my parents helped Shirley apply for governmental aid but the money that they gave isn’t a lot. A large majority of the hospital fee is handled by the life insurance payout.”

“Life insurance?” He frowned.

“Um, the money that came from the death of your parents.”

Edsel sucked in a cold breath.

To think that they had something like that prepared in advance…

After his parents died, everything they owned went directly to Shirley. To this day, it’s what kept her alive.

“…”

Edsel did not say anything. After all, how could he? Even in death, they were still watching over her, protecting her. They were doing a far better job of it than some shitty bastard who disappeared for more than three years only to return with nothing to his name except a stolen T-shirt and a handgun.

He secretly clenched his fists.

Addison stared at him. She carefully watched his apparent ice-like demeanor. For a moment, she felt as if a flicker of emotion had flashed across his face.

More than ten minutes of silence passed. Addison’s brow furrowed. She constantly looked over at him. She wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat. After what felt like an eternity, she eventually stated, “Edsel, there’s something I need to tell you…”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Your sister… her, her medical bills are expensive.” Once again, Addison hesitated to bring up this topic. Edsel had just recently reunited with his comatose sister. The last thing he needed was another extra complication. Still, this was an extremely important subject that needed to be handled with the utmost care.

She bit down on her bottom lip and continued. “The life insurance won’t last forever. They, the hospital recommended that we transfer Shirley to a government associated hospital, but…” she fiercely shook her head. “Those places are no good! It may be cheaper, but the conditions are abysmal. The survival rate for coma patients is less than fifty percent! I, my parents are trying to help out, lower the price and stuff, but—”

Before she could finish, the door suddenly flew open. Someone else walked into the room. Edsel merely spared the newcomer a parting glance.

It was a middle-aged man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His hair had been slicked back; the gel practically glistened underneath the fluorescent lights. He wore a white lab coat, indicating his position within the hospital.

“Doctor Penna!” Addison called out in surprise. “I knew that the nurse was going to call you, but this is way too fast!”

“Miss Temple, it’s nice to see you again.” He nodded his head and flashed a white smile. The man then turned over towards the bed. For a moment, his eyes locked onto Edsel.

“This is?” An imperceptible frown sneaked its way onto his lips.

“Edsel. Shirley’s brother.” Addison introduced.

“Ah, a relative is it? Good, good. It was about time you visited. This poor girl’s been here all alone for so long, you can’t help but feel sorry for her.”

Edsel narrowed his eyes. His flippant words somewhat irked him.

“Doc!” Addison raised her voice, but the doctor simply doubled down on his stance.

“I’ve said nothing wrong. He’s been nowhere to be seen, all the while his sister is stuck in such a terrible condition. It’s obvious that he’s been avoiding the visit!” the Doctor spoke with a righteous tone. He briefly turned to Addison. “I don’t know what sort of magic you used to compel him to finally visit, but it was about time. Pushing something like this to a family friend is a terrible and utterly selfish thing to do.”

“No, that’s really not it.” She tried to defend him. “It couldn’t be helped. Edsel’s been—”

“Addy,” Edsel suddenly interrupted. He shook his head. “That’s enough. Don’t worry about it.”

The young hero finally turned around. He stared at the doctor. The doctor had a hint of righteousness in his expression, but there was something else mixed in too. Underneath the superficial layer, there was something there that Edsel was grossly familiar with.

Arrogance.

He had met quite a few people like that on Regalia. Arrogance was a natural trait that appeared on most people with ability. Edsel did not hate the arrogant, what he worried about was whether or not they could back up their words.

After a few seconds of silence, Edsel suddenly asked, “Are you the doctor responsible for my sister?”

For some reason, the doctor felt a bit disgruntled underneath the young man’s penetrating gaze. He let out a cough before he solemnly nodded his head.

“That’s right, I am Arnold Penna. As you have guessed, I am the one responsible for your sister’s life and death. To be frank, I probably know more about your sister that you have throughout your entire life.”

“…”

Edsel did not comment on his statement. Instead, he simply asked, “what’s her condition?”

“A coma.” He flatly responded. “Her condition is quite close to brain death. If she so much as wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one morning, then….” Doctor Penna shook his head. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up of her ever recovering.”

He suddenly glanced over at the clipboard in his hands. “More importantly, there are also problems with her body’s current condition. Both of her legs were amputated, along with two fingers on her right hand and three on her left. When they flew her in six months ago, large chunks of her body were suffering from severe hypothermia. Some organs shut down and a significant portion of skin and muscle have necrotized.”

He paused for a moment. “Frankly speaking, keeping her alive is torture, not only for us but for the girl in question.”

“…”

Edsel did not say anything. His gaze turned glossy, almost as if he was in deep thought.

Seeing this, Doctor Penna nodded his head. Edsel’s reaction was normal. Faced with the hopelessness of the situation, it was only natural for someone’s mind to shrink back. It was almost instinctual really, how the human brain runs away from the things that it cannot handle.

He cleared his throat and coldly stated. “If you want my personal recommendation, then I suggest euthanasia. It’s not legal in this country, but it won’t cost much for you to fly overseas and perform it there.”

“Doc, what are you saying?!” Addison’s complexion paled. To actually suggest something like euthanasia... he was essentially prescribing death!

Addison was no stranger to the good doctor.

She often visited Shirley at the hospital and as a result, she had gotten to know quite a few members of the staff. One such person was Doctor Arnold Penna.

The good doctor was a middle-aged old man with a very vocal personality. He had a wife and two kids. On the weekends, he liked to go golfing at a country club south of Bedlam. For all intents and purposes, he lived a very fulfilling life. Still, that did not stop him from overworking.

At his core, Doctor Penna was a good man. He was a pragmatist with a weakness for families.

For quite a while now, Addison had known about the doctor’s dissatisfaction with Shirley. It was not that he hated her or anything, just that, in his mind, he saw no hope in her situation. The people that clung to that nonexistent hope were only dooming themselves to a life of suffering.

Normally, he could sympathize with a family’s irrational desire to prolong the inevitable. Even if such actions led to their own ruination, he could understand it.

Addison was different. Her identity was nothing more than that of a family friend. She was young and talented with a bright future ahead of her. To see her throw everything away like that, just for some nonexistent hope… he couldn’t do it. As a man with a daughter, he could not bare to see such a young talent snipped at the bud.

Shirley was like a parasite and unfortunately, Addison was the host. As a doctor, it was his job to get rid of that parasite. Even if he couldn’t do that, he had to at least try to convince the person who could.

“Don’t think too badly of me, Miss Temple,” he stated, “I know about how you and your parents are slaving away for this girl. Like I’ve told you numerous times before, it’s not worth it. She will never wake up. Her body will continue to rot away, necrotizing from the inside out. Eventually, she will die. The only difference here is whether or not you’ll ruin your life too.”

He paused for a moment. Doctor Penna deliberately glanced at Edsel. “Of course, there’s always the option of transferring her to a government-associated hospital. To be frank, that place is no different from assisted death, especially for someone with as severe a condition as Miss Shirley over here.”

“…”

Edsel did not respond, but the chill in his gaze did get colder. Beside him, Addison bit down on her bottom lip.

Doctor Penna watched the silent duo for a few seconds before he continued. This time, the stare in his eyes hardened. “Mr. Brother, now we may have only known each other for a few minutes, but I don’t like you. I don’t know what sort of extenuating circumstances you were involved in, but to leave your sister in such a state for so long without even so much as a visit… it’s uncouth of me to let my personal feelings take hold, but I really don’t like you.”

He breathed out a sigh. “I don’t like you, but I’m saying all of this for your own benefit. You went ‘missing’, did you not? Now that you’re back, you might not know, but when your parents died, they left behind a sizable sum of money. All of that money has been nearly used up by now. I don’t need to tell you how, right? Stopping everything now will not get you any of that money back, but it will save you from a lifetime of debt.

“Do something with your life young man. Don’t cling to false hope.”

“…”

Edsel had remained silent for so long. He had held back his tongue as this quack doctor said his piece. Even as he advocated for the death of his own sister, Edsel kept his mouth shut. He could do it before, but now? No more. He couldn’t take it anymore. He was unwilling. The good doctor’s last line finally got to him.

False hope? What right did he have to say such a thing?!

“You’re a doctor, aren’t you?” He biting asked, the venom dripping from his words. “Instead of spouting so much bullshit, shouldn’t you be working on how to save her instead?!”

The doctor merely shook his head. He was unfazed by Edsel’s outburst. “Doctors are not gods. There are some patients that simply can’t be saved. Your sister is one of them and… I have given up on her. As a doctor, it is only my duty to help advise the patient’s family as best as I can. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s a professional courtesy.

Edsel dipped into another silence. It was clear from this doctor’s words, but there really was no hope in changing his mind. In his eyes, Shirley was already dead. She was probably dead the moment she arrived through those doors.

After what felt like forever, Edsel’s whisper-like words reverberated through the room. “How long can she last?”

“Hmm… if I were to give an estimate, irreversible necrotic decay will occur in at least a year, maybe a year and a half if she’s lucky.” He paused for a moment. “Naturally, this is under the assumption that we continue to prolong her life. If all these machines were to stop right now, then she’ll be dead by the time morning comes.”

Edsel squeezed his fists. Any later… if he had arrived any later, then his sister might have already passed away.

“And how much is it to keep her alive?” he asked.

“Your parents’ life insurance money can’t keep up anymore. Keeping her alive like this is expensive. I would advise against it.”

Edsel glared at him. “How much?” he repeated.

Doctor Penna hesitated. For a moment, he glanced over at Addison. A complicated expression flashed the good doctor’s face. Realizing something, Addison’s brow furrowed. She hurriedly shook her head, but by then, it was already too late.

“Considering the severity of your sister’s condition, you’ll need at least six thousand dollars a day to keep her alive.” Doctor Penna breathed out a heavy sigh. “I’ll be honest with you here. You are this girl’s only living relative, so you have the right to know, but… your parents’ money ran out a month ago.”

“A month ago?” Edsel’s heart shuddered.

The situation was a lot worse than he originally expected. At the same time, he couldn’t help but question a few things.

If Shirley ran out of money, then why was she still here? Why hadn’t they kicked her out yet? Even if they didn’t kick her out, why didn’t they transfer her to another facility? Why was she still here, eating away at the hospital’s oh so precious resources? None of it made any sense.

Seeing the perplexity on Edsel’s face, Doctor Penna lightly nodded his head. The boy’s thoughts were scribbled all over his face.

“You can thank Miss Addison for that,” he stated. “She and her family are the ones shouldering this burden.”

Edsel widened his eyes. His chest tightened, while an indescribable feeling of guilt welled up within his heart. He subconsciously glanced over at her.

Addison did not dare meet his eyes.

“Don’t you see?” Doctor Penna’s oil-like words snaked its way into his ears. “You’re not only inconveniencing yourself, but you’re also dragging others down with you. Can you even begin to imagine the out-of-pocket cost that it takes to keep your sister alive for over a month? What about six months? A year?” his voice got louder as he spoke. “Even though it’s their money, the only one that can make this decision is you and you alone, young man. End your sister’s life.”

The good doctor’s words reverberated through his skull like a thousand jackhammers, but right now, his gaze was completely focused on the girl who kept her gaze locked to the floor. Addison and her family… they had known each other for a long, long time.

Their parents had been friends since before Edsel was born. The fathers were college roommates while the mothers were childhood best friends. Both families were intertwined by a history that spanned generations. Naturally, they were close, practically family even.

For them to go so far for Shirley… truth be told, it was not unexpected, but still… it was far too heavy of a burden for them to bear.

“I’m sorry…” Edsel’s voice leaked out from his parted lips.

Addison immediately looked up. She stared red-eyed into Edsel’s own hazy gaze. “Ed, don’t say that! It’s not your fault. You know how my parents are. They, no… we made that decision ourselves. Shirley, Shirley’s family. You, you’re our family too… doing this sort of thing is normal, you don’t need to—”

“No,” Edsel interrupted. He shook his head. With a conflicted smile, he stated, “To you, I won’t say sorry. It wouldn’t be right. The only thing that I can say is thank you. Thank you for being there while I wasn’t. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for keeping my sister alive for so long.”

Edsel words echoed solemnly throughout the room.

“…”

Addison furrowed her brow. She did not understand. His words warmed her heart. It lifted a weight that she did not even know was there. Still, she did not understand. If Edsel’s original intention was to thank her, then why did he apologize?

Without pause, Edsel turned to the doctor. “The sorry was for you, ‘doc’.”

In response, Doctor Penna frowned.

“I won’t stop it.” Edsel’s resolutely stated. “Keep her alive. Keep my sister alive for as long as possible.”

“… Are you sure about this, young man?”

He nodded his head.

More than a minute of silence passed. The sound of the EKG monitor filled the room, its hollow beeps matching in tune to the sound of his beating heart. Eventually, Doctor Penna breathed out a sigh. “So be it then. Six thousand dollars a day. With your sister’s aid money, that comes down to a mere four thousand. The price is certainly less than the original, but still expensive nonetheless.”

With a slight hitch in his lips, the Doctor stated, “You really are just as selfish as I thought you were.”

“…”

Edsel did not respond. The Doctor did not expect him to. He jotted something down on his clipboard before he turned around and swiftly left the room.

After a few seconds of empty quiet, Addison suddenly spoke. “You don’t have to worry about all this, Edsel. We can go talk to my parents about it later. I know that a lot has probably happened to you, so don’t try to force anything. Take it slowly, okay?”

He glanced up at her. Addison’s weary smile seared itself into the back of his mind.

“Just leave everything to me, got it?” Her words were like deafening thunder.

“…”

Again, a sharp pain jabbed his heart.

Four thousand dollars a day. That equated to more than a hundred thousand a month! Addison’s parents were not extravagantly rich. In order to supply that much money, they probably took out a loan or sold their house.

In order to save his sister, how much had they suffered?

Edsel gritted his teeth. He owed Addy and her parents an unspeakable debt, one that transcended money. Someday, he would do right by them, but that was an issue for another time. For now, he needed to do something about his sister’s situation.

He could tell from the doctor’s eyes. That man had completely given up on her. The words that he had spoken today… those were half formality and half sincerity. The Doctor had signed a death certificate for his sister’s life. Now, all he needed was Edsel’s own signature to finalize it.

If it was anyone else, they too would have probably fallen into despair. Fortunately, Edsel was not just some anybody.

Even if every single doctor on the surface of this world had already given up, so what? What did it matter to him?

If others can’t do it, then he would simply do it himself. If a miracle was what it took, then a miracle was what he’d create.

After all, when it comes to saving a life, who could do it better than a legendary hero?