They Asked for My Kidney, I Gave Them Hell

to a stranger. It was an anonymous

irefighter, a hero who died saving a family from a wild

Andrew' s child, the onl

h her parents flanking her like bodyguards. I didn' t know them, but I recognized the look i

" the father aske

ly going to my still-flat sto

arp eyes, stepped forward. "Help us? You already d

The hospital promised anonymity, but

o well. "The kidney you gave me... it' s failing," she said, her vo

racing. How did they fin

' t waste time on pleasantries

question. It

hat would mean a lifetime on dialysis. It woul

tammered, shaking my h

y? Molly' s life is at stake, and y

said, my voice gaining strength.

are whose child it is. You have a spare k

my resolve hardening. "After the baby is born,

"Reconsider? By then it will be too late!

r campaign. They found out where I worked as a veterinary technician and tol

he parking lot after my shift. A cloth was pressed o

e air was thick with the smell of antiseptic and fear. I was

aces cold and determined. Molly was

streaming down my face. "Plea

s about survival. If the roles were reversed, we' d expect Molly

d. The anesthetic surged into my

cold emptiness where my child u

en, I

my window. My hand flew to my stomach. It was still the

before Molly' s kidney was diagnosed as fail

weight, crushing me. But beneath it, some

r vengeance. I would protect my child, and I would make the C

easy to find. My finger hovered over the call button, my heart pounding. Thi

breath and m