STIGMA

"Contact the blood bank! Tell them we need every unit of AB-negative blood they have, right now!" Emergency room doors flew open as a pale, shaken doctor rushed into the corridor. "The patient is bleeding out. We have to start the transfusion immediately!"

Nurses hurried in different directions the moment they heard him.

"Doctor!" Bethany Palmer dragged herself toward him, barely able to move her injured legs through the pain. "My daughter is in there. Is she going to survive?"

"Your daughter has lost a dangerous amount of blood, and we could lose her at any moment." Then he noticed the terrible gash in Bethany's leg and saw that it went all the way to the bone. "You need treatment too. Where's your husband?"

Bethany's phone had grown warm in her tight grip after dozens of calls that had gone unanswered. Despair settled over her again as she replied, "He won't pick up."

The terrible accident had happened only an hour ago while Bethany and her daughter, Charlotte Stewart, were heading home from kindergarten.

Their driver had died instantly in the front seat, while Bethany and her daughter suffered severe injuries in the back.

Her husband, Brian Stewart, was the one person she desperately needed, yet he could not be reached during the worst crisis of their lives.

"Take a breath. We still have a good chance of saving her." The doctor spoke more gently after seeing how frightened she was. "AB-negative blood is rare, but the blood bank received a large shipment a few days ago, so we have more than enough. We've also called several of the best medical specialists in Slenale to help with the operation. Once your daughter receives the blood and those doctors get here, she should pull through."

Bethany finally managed to breathe a little easier.

She caught hold of the doctor's hand, and her voice shook as she pleaded, "Thank you. Please do whatever it takes to save her. My husband will make sure everyone who helps her is generously rewarded. He is Stewart Group's..."

"We've got a serious problem!" A nurse came hurrying back, struggling to catch her breath. "The blood bank says Brian Stewart took their entire supply of AB-negative blood. His secretary has anemia and started feeling dizzy, so he ordered them to send all of it to her."

The news struck Bethany so hard that she could barely think.

She had called Brian more than thirty times since the accident, and he had ignored every single call.

Somehow, he had still found the time to take all the blood that could save their daughter and give it to a secretary who was merely dizzy from anemia.

"Call Mr. Stewart again," the doctor ordered. "Tell him a child's life is at risk and we need that blood returned immediately."

The nurse shook her head and replied, "I already spoke to him. He said his secretary's life mattered just as much."

"Keep calling until he listens." Under his breath, the doctor muttered a curse before asking, "What about the specialists? How soon can they get here?"

The nurse went quiet before admitting, "They aren't coming. Mr. Stewart's people stopped them and redirected them to his secretary."

The hallway blurred around Bethany as darkness crept into the edges of her vision.

She braced herself against the wall and fought to remain standing. Her hands trembled while she found the number for Brian's secretary, Lexie White, and called her.

Lexie answered in her usual gentle voice. "Bethany? What's the matter?"

Brian's voice carried clearly through the phone from somewhere near her. "Lexie is still feeling faint. If we give the blood back now and her condition gets worse, what are we supposed to do?"

Bethany's grip tightened around the phone as she fought to control her anger. "Let me speak to Brian. Right now."

Lexie's voice took on a wounded edge as if she was startled. "Brian, I kept telling you to answer Bethany's calls, but you refused. Now she's taking her anger out on me."

Brian came on the line a moment later, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "What the hell is wrong with you, Bethany? Lexie isn't well, and I'm responsible for her as her boss. Are you really so jealous that I can't even take care of her for a few hours?"

Bethany bit her lip so hard that it hurt, and her voice broke as she answered, "Charlotte and I were in a car accident. She's bleeding badly, and we're at the hospital right now. She needs AB-negative blood and a team of critical care specialists immediately. Send back the blood and the doctors. If she doesn't receive that transfusion soon, she will die!"

The line went silent for several seconds. When Brian finally responded, every word carried disbelief and disgust. "You've gone too far this time, Bethany. You're actually lying about Charlotte being close to death because you want me to leave Lexie? What kind of mother uses her own daughter that way just because she's jealous?"

He ended the call before she could say another word.

Her next call would not go through at all.

Bethany could feel herself running out of hope, but she refused to give up. She searched for the numbers of Brian's assistants and closest friends, then called each of them and begged them to make him listen.

Instead of helping her, they answered with nothing but scorn.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stewart, but Mr. Stewart specifically told us not to pass along any of your messages."

"Mr. Stewart said you need to stop using your daughter to feed your jealousy. He wants you to calm down and think about what you've done."

"Bethany, Lexie isn't trying to take your place. Why would you drag your child into this just to pressure Brian?"

Each passing minute made the situation feel even more hopeless.

Bethany kept her eyes fixed on the emergency room doors as she sat there with no tears left. Her daughter was only six years old. The little girl had barely begun to live, yet a delay in treatment after the accident might now take her life.

"Every specialist in Slenale answers to Mr. Stewart, and he controls the blood supply as well." The doctor looked down at Bethany after she sank to the floor, and sympathy showed in his face. "Your only chance now is to ask Leacrest for help. It's the nearest city, but regular transport would take five hours to bring the blood here. Your daughter doesn't have that much time."

Leacrest?

Bethany stood up as soon as she heard the city's name. "Wait. There may still be someone who can help us."

Her hands shook as she opened her blocked contacts, found the number she needed, and pressed the call button. "You told me once that you would give me anything I asked for if I agreed to marry you. Is that promise still good?"

"It is," the man answered in a calm, deep voice.

Bethany shut her eyes and forced herself to speak. "My daughter was badly hurt in a car accident, and she might not survive. The hospital needs AB-negative blood and several critical care specialists..."

"Does the hospital have a helipad on the roof?" the man interrupted before she could finish, his voice firm and certain. "I'll have the blood and the medical team there within an hour."