Chapter 180 Unwilling to Donate Kidney
Paige figured she and Luna would be a perfect match, no problem. The odds were in their favor since they were blood-related.
But as she looked at the doctor, hoping for good news, he just shook his head. "I'm sorry. We rushed the analysis, and even we were surprised by the results. Your compatibility with Ms. Parker didn't work out."
Hearing "didn't work out" hit Paige like a ton of bricks. "How is that possible? She's my mom; we should've matched easily. How could it fail?"
Deep down, Paige knew that even with high odds, there was always a chance it wouldn't work out.
The fact that she and Luna didn't match was a shock, but Paige had to accept it. They could still look for other kidney donors, though.
Next to Paige, Amelia asked, "What about mine?"
The doctor shook his head again. "Your compatibility didn't work out either."
Paige didn't have high hopes for Amelia's test; the odds were already low.
Paige said, "I shouldn't have let her go. I should've forced Xena to take the test, no matter what."
With Paige's test failing, Xena was their best shot, but she had just bolted from the room. If Xena's test was a match, Paige would've focused on that kidney.
Meanwhile, Xena was genuinely freaked out. After running out of the hospital, it took her a while to process what happened, and she rushed home to find Margaret.
Seeing Xena's panicked face, Margaret quickly asked, "What's wrong? Did Paige give you a hard time at the hospital? I should've gone with you. She wouldn't have dared to bully you then."
Xena replied, "Grandma, it was terrifying. Mom's condition changed. The test results show she has acute kidney failure."
Margaret frowned. "Acute kidney failure? So she needs a transplant?"
Usually, the first option for a transplant was a family member.
Margaret immediately got why Xena was so scared. She asked, "Do they want you to get tested for your mom's kidney?"
Xena nodded. "Yeah, Paige kicked me out of the hospital, but after the test results, she called me back. I thought she wanted me to spend time with Mom. But when I got back, I didn't even see her. They just told me to take a matching test. Grandma, I know I can live with one kidney, but I'm still so young. Won't losing a kidney mess up my future?"
Margaret comforted Xena right away. "Don't worry. This kind of thing is voluntary. Even if she's your mom, they can't force you to donate a kidney if you don't want to.
You're right; you can live with one kidney, but your quality of life will definitely take a hit.
Plus, you're the heir to the Sackler family. Your health is super important. The company will need you in the future. Losing a kidney might let you survive, but your quality of life will significantly decrease."
Margaret never liked Luna, especially since Luna had an affair and had Paige, bringing shame to the Sackler family.
She wouldn't feel bad if Luna died, so there was no way she'd let Xena sacrifice a kidney to save her.
After thinking it over, Margaret naturally sided with Xena. "Let's just leave it at that. You don't need to visit her for a while. Let people say what they want. Wasn't it Paige who tried to take her away in the first place? Now that Paige has her and she's seriously ill, let Paige deal with it."
With Margaret backing her up, Xena stopped stressing about it.
Xena and Margaret decided that no matter how much Paige begged, Xena's kidney was off-limits. They wouldn't even take the matching test; not knowing the result gave them more reason to refuse.
For Paige, Xena was now the only hope left. She had applied for a kidney from the donor registry for Luna, but she knew that process was usually super slow.
Luna's acute kidney failure couldn't afford any delays. Paige couldn't just sit around and wait. In the past couple of days, Luna would fall into a deep sleep after eating just a little.
Paige had planned to take her home to recover after the tests, but given the situation, they had to stay in the hospital for treatment.
Paige couldn't put all her hopes on Xena, nor could she rely solely on the donor registry. She left Julian in charge of all the hospital stuff and trusted the medical staff to take care of Luna, then she went out.
Amelia had been by Paige's side these past few days, almost taking Pearl's place. But Pearl was also busy helping Paige with various tasks.
The Smith family had some medical connections, and they were all being used to help Paige find a suitable kidney for Luna.
Paige even considered the black market. She was willing to spend whatever it took to save Luna.
It was Amelia's first time in Paige's car, and Paige's sudden acceleration almost made her nauseous. "I didn't know you drove like this."
Paige replied, "Time's ticking. I have to go to the black market myself. My mom can't wait. I need to find a match ASAP, or I’m really worried I won’t be able to save her."
Amelia got it. "Try talking to Xena again. After all, that's her mom. How can she just do nothing?"
In recent days, Amelia had heard some stuff about the Sackler family and roughly understood Paige's situation. She also knew that Xena might be Luna's last hope.
Paige sighed. "If there are other ways, I'll try them. But if Xena is the only option, I’ll do whatever it takes to get her on that operating table."
Since Xena wasn’t willing to donate a kidney, Paige was still trying to find other options in the limited time. She was willing to try anything to save Luna.
Paige drove to the black market location. She had already set up a meeting, so someone would be there to meet her.
The car stopped at a large, abandoned factory on the outskirts.
Paige looked around, and Amelia got out of the car and followed her. She wasn’t as brave as Paige and it was her first time at the black market.
Walking slightly behind Paige, Amelia tried to stay somewhat hidden.
Paige noticed and asked, "Why don't you wait in the car?"
Amelia had already come this far, and letting Paige go alone while she hid in the car felt wrong. So, despite her fear, she mustered up her courage. "No, I'm not scared."
Paige chuckled. "Alright, then stay behind me."
Paige walked straight into the black market, where a bald middle-aged man was already waiting.
"Looking for a kidney?" the man asked.
Paige nodded. "Yeah, I have a referral."
The man walked ahead. "Follow me."
Paige followed him into a small office. Inside, there were a few men, and the air was thick with smoke.
When Paige entered, the men saw she was a woman and had another woman with her, so they weren’t as guarded. "Looking for a kidney, right? First, pay a $500,000 compatibility fee, then bring your compatibility data. Once we find a match, we'll let you know."
Paige replied, "No problem. But can you guarantee that after I pay, you can definitely provide a compatible kidney?"
