Chapter 3
Zara's POV
I almost dropped my coffee mug. "Marcus, I can't. Dr. Morrison specifically said I'm not supposed to drive for at least three more months. My incision hasn't healed and the system still isn't stable."
"I don't care what your doctor said." His voice turned to ice. "You owe Iris a normal childhood after what you did to her. Driving us to a theme park is the absolute least you can do."
"I physically can't do it. The device isn't working well enough for me to—"
"Enough with the excuses!" He slammed his hand on the table and Iris jumped. "You're always making excuses, always playing the victim. I'm so sick of hearing it."
Jade put her hand on his arm. "Marcus, maybe I should drive instead? Sister really is still very weak. I can see she's in pain—"
"No." Marcus cut her off immediately. "Zara needs to learn responsibility. She needs to face what she did to this family. This is part of her making amends."
"It's a five-hour drive each way," I said quietly. "I don't think my body can handle—"
"Then you'd better figure it out." Marcus stood up from the table. "We're leaving in one hour. Be ready."
He walked out of the kitchen. Jade gave me this sympathetic look that made my skin crawl. "Sister, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. Look, I'll sit up front with you and if you need help, just tell me. Okay?"
Iris whispered to her stuffed rabbit, "Mommy has to drive because she was bad. Aunt Jade wanted to help but Daddy said no."
I gripped my coffee cup hard enough that my knuckles turned white.
Three hours into the drive I couldn't feel my hands anymore from gripping the steering wheel so tight.
The summer sun beat down through the windshield and made everything shimmer. My back felt like someone had shoved hot coals against my spine and my stomach was being ripped apart from the inside. Every single bump in the highway sent pain shooting through my incision site.
"Mommy, I'm hungry," Iris said from the back seat. "Can we stop and get snacks?"
"We'll stop for lunch at the theme park, sweetie," Jade answered for me. "We're getting close now."
We weren't close. We had two more hours to go at minimum. I shifted in my seat trying to take pressure off my abdomen and the movement made me gasp out loud.
The artificial liver system beeped once. Quiet but unmistakable.
My vision started blurring at the edges. I blinked hard trying to clear it and focus on the road ahead. The device beeped again, louder this time.
"Marcus, I need to pull over." My voice came out hoarse and cracked. "Just for ten minutes. The system is giving me warnings—"
"No."
"Please. I just need to rest for a few minutes—"
"I said no, Zara." He didn't even look up from his phone. "You're not getting any sympathy from me."
"I'm not asking for sympathy. The device is actually malfunctioning and I need to—"
"You were too distracted to drive safely when you almost killed our daughter. Now you can stay focused and keep driving. You owe her that much."
Jade turned around in the passenger seat. "Marcus, she really doesn't look good. Her face is completely pale. Maybe we should just let her rest for five minutes—"
"She's fine." His tone made it clear the conversation was over. "Keep driving, Zara."
Another hour crawled by. The beeping got louder and more frequent. My hands were shaking on the wheel now. I could taste blood pooling in the back of my throat.
"Marcus, please!" I tried one more time. "This isn't me being tired. The system is actually failing!"
"Shut up and drive!"
Iris's small voice came from the back. "Aunt Jade, is Mommy pretending to be sick again?"
"Shh, baby. Let's just let Mommy concentrate on driving."
They thought I was lying. Even with blood in my mouth and my hands shaking and warning lights flashing, they thought this was all an act for attention.
Blood kept filling my mouth and I kept swallowing it so they wouldn't see and accuse me of being dramatic.
My vision went dark around the edges. I squeezed the steering wheel harder and tried to stay conscious just a little longer.
When I finally saw the sign for the theme park parking lot I could have cried with relief. I turned into the entrance and aimed for the first open spot I could find. But my hands slipped on the wheel. The car lurched hard to the right and scraped against the concrete barrier with a horrible grinding sound of metal on stone.
"Jesus Christ, Zara! Can't you even park right?" Marcus yelled from the back seat.
I opened my mouth to answer him but blood poured out instead. It splashed all over the steering wheel and down the front of my shirt, dark and thick.
The system started screaming.
CRITICAL FAILURE. SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
Red lights flashed across the entire device strapped to my waist. I collapsed forward and my head hit the steering wheel. The horn blared in one long continuous note.
"Oh my God, someone help!" A woman's voice from outside the car. "That woman is bleeding! Someone call 911!"
Marcus opened his door and got out. I heard his shoes on the pavement.
"Sir? Sir, your wife needs help!" A man's voice, urgent and worried.
"She's fine. She does this kind of thing for attention." Marcus sounded completely calm. "Come on, Jade. Iris. Let's go."
"But Daddy, Mommy is bleeding..." Iris's small frightened voice.
"Iris, sweetie, let's go see the princess castle!" Jade's voice was bright and excited. "We've been waiting so long for this special day!"
Their footsteps walked away from the car. Someone pulled my door open.
"Ma'am? Ma'am, can you hear me? The ambulance is coming. Just hold on, okay? Help is on the way."
Through the blood and my blurred vision I could see them walking toward the theme park entrance. Marcus holding Iris's hand. Jade carrying the diaper bag on her shoulder. The three of them looking like a perfect happy family heading off for a fun day together.
I wasn't part of their family anymore. The realization cut deeper than any physical pain. I was nothing to them now.
