2. 5 years later

                                                              5 Years Later

                                                              D A I S Y

I never wanted children.

More so, when I wasn't sure I would be able to provide them a proper childhood, one I never got to enjoy.

Yet, here I was, picking up my two kids from school.

Emma and Ezra Kingston.

I didn't want to give them his surname. But I didn't have many options. I didn't know my origins and had always cursed my parents for not leaving me with at least a surname.

They could have left me with a birth certificate. That's the least they could have done.

Or maybe they were scared I would somehow find them if they left any clues.

Regardless, I didn't want my kids to grow up like I had, with no clue of where I came from.

"Mommy!" A sudden force crashed against me.

I looked down to find Emma tightly hugging my waist like the slightest distraction would make me disappear.

"Emma!" I yelled back with the same excitement as her, she gave me a wide smile in return.

Just then I felt someone pulling the corner of my sleeves.

"I missed you," Ezra mumbled in a low voice, looking down at the ground, his hands tightly clutching the corner of my sleeve.

Bending down I picked him up, he immediately put both his hands around me and buried his head in my shoulders.

"What happened?" I asked in alarm when I felt my shoulder getting wet from Ezra's tears.

"Zoey pushed him during recess," Emma responded, holding my hand as we crossed the road. "And called him names."

"Are you hurt?" I inquired, putting him down to inspect for any signs of injuries.

Ezra shook his head, raising his arms to be picked up again.

Wiping the tears on his face, I complied.

Ezra was shy and anti-social, he didn't interact with anyone other than me and his twin sister. He didn't talk much, even with me, and would mostly just nod or shake his head in response.

Emma, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She would always be smiling and shouting, making me almost deaf over the years. She would become best friends with literally anyone she met in the streets.

"I'll buy you ice cream. Okay, sweetheart?" I told him softly. He nodded in response, his hold on me getting tighter to the point it became suffocating.

"We aren't going home?" Emma looked up at me in question.

"No, honey." I shook my head. "Remember, I told you last night that we have to move to NY today."

Sadness took over her features at my reminder. I frowned when I noticed there was a slight layer of water on the edge of her eyes, too.

"We have to move every few months." She mumbled. "It's my fault, isn't it?"

"It's not your fault, honey," I told her. "Besides, NY is very fun. More fun than here."

"Really?" She looked up at me expectantly, even Ezra in my arms perked up to hear my response.

"Yes, really," I assured.

"I want to walk," Ezra whispered in my ear. I knew he was just saying that so I could carry Emma the rest of the way.

Regardless, I put him down and picked Emma up. The train station wasn't that far anyway.

"Is our new home big?" Emma asked, she was playing with my hair, trying to braid it but failing miserably.

"It's decent." I shrugged. I hadn't really had a chance to survey the house myself. Dr.Louis, Emma's doctor, helped me rent an apartment close to the hospital he worked in. I trusted him enough to choose a decent enough place for the three of us to live.

"How long are we going to stay there?" She continued to voice out her curiosities.

"I don't know, honey." I sighed at the thought of having to move again. But I didn't have many options. "Maybe, this time it will be permanent."

Emma was diagnosed with a rare heart disease at the age of only 3. Unfortunately, there wasn't any known cure till now. I have been taking her to different doctors all over the state, but they all had the same thing to say.

She won't live till next year.

But I refused to give up. I will find a way, even if I have to sell my soul to the devil to do that.

"What flavor do you want?" I turned to Ezra when we stopped before the ice cream vendor.

"Chocolate," he mumbled quietly.

"What about you, Emma?" I frowned when no response came, she loved ice cream.

"Emma?" I repeated, only to be met with silence again. I didn't probe further and instead bought a chocolate flavor for her as well.

I knew she was sad to leave all her friends behind. The decision was abrupt, so she didn't have the chance to bid them goodbye either. It was the same every time. But I couldn't afford to make delay, for even a day could cost her life.

I wanted to console her, say something to make her feel better. But even after raising them for five years, I didn't get the hang of parenting. I didn't know which words would make them feel reassured and not trigger their emotions further.

They say motherhood isn't something to be learned but something that you just know, that comes from within. But I had yet to hit that point when I just knew in my heart what words could magically make all their sorrows disappear.

It made me wonder just how much I was failing as a mother, and if they would someday grow to hate me for my ignorant ways.

... ... ...

I ran my fingers through Emma's messy hair, quietly anticipating what Dr.Louis wanted to discuss with me.

After reaching New York, I had brought Emma and Ezra straight to the hospital even though allowing them to rest might have been the better choice.

It was already dark outside, the exhaustion from the long journey had caught up to the little ones. Ezra had dozed off nearly an hour ago while waiting for Emma to be done with the multiple tests Dr.Louis wanted her to take.

Now, an hour later, Emma was somewhat in the same state, struggling to stay awake even though I encouraged her to just close her eyes and sleep for a while.

"I'm not going to lie to you." Louis started, a frown marring his face as he carefully looked at the X-rays. "It has gotten worse. The infection has spread, and the medications will no longer be able to stop the decay."

I felt bile rise at the thought of the last thread keeping her alive tearing apart as well.

"What-what do I do then?" I asked, my voice desperate. "There has to be another way. There has to be."

"There is," Louis nodded. The hope that had reignited in my chest was momentary when I realized he didn't look happy. At all.

I waited patiently, watching him carefully think how he was going to break it to me.

"Just say it." I helped. "You don't have to sugar coat it."

Louis nodded, thankful.

"The only other option left is a heart transplant." He paused, giving me the time to take in the new information.

"I thought her body was too frail to go through a surgery." The doctors I had visited over the years had already informed me that Emma's body wouldn't be able to withhold a heart surgery and that the high risk of immediate death wasn't worth it.

"True." Louis agreed. "But it's possible if skilled surgeons did the surgery. The chances would still be low but there's a chance it will be successful."

I thought it over, it was the only option left and if it enabled Emma to lead a normal and long life, then then I was willing to give it a shot.

"Then do it," I told him. "Do whatever it takes to make her better."

"I thought you'd say so." He solemnly nodded. "But I still want you to take some time before making a choice. The chances of the surgery failing are very high. If you choose not to go through it, she will still be able to live for a year."

"I'm absolutely sure about it," I affirmed. If the medications had indeed become ineffective then it meant it would no longer keep Emma's pain at bay. And there was no way I was going to let her go through that.

"I understand. Sign these papers and we can discuss the rest of the details later." He passed me a file.

"When's the surgery?" I asked while reading the documents before signing my name at the end.

"It's trickier than that." He informed. "First, we would have to find a donor for the transplant. It might take days or even months to find the perfect match."

"But I would advise a small heart surgery as a temporary measure. The details are written in the papers." He gestured to a particular section in the papers in my hands. "It's best if you do it within this week. Without the medications, the pain will get unbearable for her and it's best we do it as quick as we can."

After Dr.Louis finished discussing the cost and procedure, in short, I thanked him before approaching the couch Ezra was sleeping on.

"Sweetheart, wake up." I gently shook him awake. I didn't want to wake him but it was impossible for me to carry them both at the same time. And Emma hadn't been able to sleep properly for the entirety of last week because of the pain, so I couldn't bring myself to wake her.

"It's over, Mommy?" Ezra asked, rubbing his eyes to remove the remnants of sleep.

"Yes. We need to go home now." At my words, he obediently got down from the couch and grabbed my free hand.

After reaching the apartment, I had rented, I didn't have any time to explore it or even unpack our bags. Putting Ezra back to sleep, I scrolled through the contacts on my phone.

I needed money.

And I needed it fast.

I already owed so many people debts that I no longer knew who to turn to. The bank wouldn't give me a loan, I had already taken enough medical loans over the years for Emma's treatment.

I didn't really have many friends, and the select few I had weren't in a position to financially aid me.

I could always try robbing a bank.

But I highly doubt I would be able to pull it off alone cause once again, I didn't have money to buy goons for support.

Which left me with only one option.

Elijah Kingston.