Chapter 37: I won’t tell anyone, if you won’t?

Chapter 37: I won’t tell anyone, if you won’t?The sliding doors whooshed open as Damon approached. He stepped in, trying not to look out of place. He kept his hoodie up, his hands in his pockets, and walked to the main area. The front desk was quiet, just one nurse at the reception, typing away at her terminal. She looked up as he approached, giving him a glance. "The visiting hours are over," she said, voice low and gravelly from too much caffeine or too little sleep. "Ummm... yeah, I figured," Damon said, giving her a sheepish smile and scratching the back of his neck. "I’m not here to visit anyone. I was hoping to speak to someone from the supply department? I’m a grad student doing a research project, and I was wondering if there was any way to... uh... get access to a unit of blood." "Huh?" The nurse raised an eyebrow, her fingers pausing mid-type. "You want what now?" Damon cleared his throat and tried to look as harmless as possible. "Just a unit. For a simulation project. It’s a virtual model—we’re trying to replicate clotting factors in synthetic environments. My supervisor said real samples help with calibration. I figured I’d check if there were a protocol for it." "You are kidding me, right? Of course, there are protocols. There is a whole boatload of them. Which school are you from? You need to speak to your school coordinator. They will contact the hospital and make the arrangements. There are a lot of forms that need to be signed. You cannot simply walk in and ask for blood." The nurse shook her head with a lot of judgment in her eyes. "Can’t I just get one right now? Just this once? I won’t tell anyone, if you won’t?" Damon tried a sexy wink, all the while cringing hard from inside and wondering what the hell he was doing. The nurse almost laughed in his face and returned to her work without bothering to even give a response. "Kids these days." She laughed. Damon sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he turned away from the desk. "Yeah, great job, Damon," he muttered under his breath. "Because that idea was solid." At least no one was there to look at him. He awkwardly took a few steps back, thinking about what to do now, when suddenly he bumped into someone. "What the hell was that, dude?" Mark asked, with a weird ass look on his face. "Were you just trying to pick up the nurse or something?" Damon blinked in surprise. "What? How are you here?" Mark tilted his head, still giving him a questioning gaze. "You were flirting, weren’t you? Since when were you into middle-aged aunties who are not even milfs?" Damon groaned. "It wasn’t like that. I was just—look, it was a bad plan, okay? Drop it." "No. I don’t think I am dropping it anytime soon." Mark shook his head. "Shut up, fucker. What are you doing here anyways? And don’t change the topic." Mark let out a sigh. "I did not want to tell you this. But Kate is not doing too great. She suddenly started vomiting, and now she is not able to keep any food down. I honestly don’t know what is happening, man. They have been running tests for a couple of days now, and they are not telling me anything." "Wait—Kate? What the hell? Since when?" Mark ran a hand through his messy hair, suddenly looking like he hadn’t slept in a while. "It started three days ago. One second she was fine, complaining about spicy ramen, and the next... just nonstop vomiting. We thought it was food poisoning, but now she can’t even hold down water." Damon clenched his jaw. "Why didn’t you say anything earlier?" Mark gave him a weary look. "Because what would you have done, huh? What can I do? Shit, I feel so fucking helpless. I am worried if it is something serious. I asked them what was going on, and they said to call that woman first. As if she is going to care about us. As if she is going to come running when she hears her daughter is sick." Damon froze. He did not understand what was happening because in his last lifetime... then it suddenly clicked. Did Mark never tell him about all of this in his last life? Was he working so hard, doing multiple jobs, because he needed to pay hospital bills? "I called her, you know. She is not even picking up." Mark finished bitterly. "Sent her messages. Left voicemails. Nothing. I don’t even know if she’s in the country anymore. Once again, I have to take care of everything." Damon’s stomach turned. He remembered how Mark had always brushed off help, saying he was fine, saying he didn’t need anything. He couldn’t believe his friend was dealing with something like this, all by himself. "I should have been a better friend," Damon said. "What are you talking about?" Mark shook his head. "What can you do if our dear mother runs off with her boyfriend of the month?" Damon sighed. There were so many things he wanted to tell him. "No. I meant. Don’t worry about the money. Whatever she needs—tests, specialists, treatment—I’ll handle it." Mark stared at him for a long moment. "I’m serious," Damon said, locking eyes with him. "I’ve got some things going on. I’ve been earning through Earth Online. Just know I’ve got it covered." Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "But don’t you need to pay rent? You moved out?" Damon shrugged, his tone light but his eyes deadly serious. "I’ll figure it out. Rent’s just money. Kate’s life? That’s not negotiable." "You don’t have to do that. It’s too much." Mark opened his mouth to argue, but Damon held up a hand. "Don’t. This isn’t charity. It’s me being your friend." There was silence between them for a moment—quiet, heavy, but not uncomfortable. Mark’s shoulders slumped like the weight of the world had just shifted slightly off his back. "Thanks, man," he said, voice lower now. "I mean it." Damon clapped him on the back. "You don’t have to. Just focus on Kate. I’ll deal with the rest."