Chapter 8
I woke up amid a blinding white glow, disoriented, and realized I was lying on a hospital bed.
“You’re awake?” came a gentle voice. It was my mother.
“Mom… what happened?” I struggled to ask.
“You fainted in the Dean’s Office,” she said softly. “The doctor said it was because you were overwhelmed by stress.”
N
I tried to sit up, only to realize there was an IV line in my arm. What scared me even more was how weak I felt all over, just like after donating bone marrow in my previous life.
“My bone marrow!” I screamed in panic. “They stole my bone marrow!”
My mother was surprised. “Quinn! What nonsense are you talking about? No one touched your bone marrow.”
I didn’t believe it. I threw off the blanket and examined my body, but found no surgical marks whatsoever. I let out a sigh of relief, yet something still felt off.
Just then, the door swung open and Mason walked in.
“Get the hell out of here!” I shrieked. “You liar!”
Mason looked hurt. “Quinn, I get that you’re stressed, but you don’t have to take it out on me.”
My mother gently grabbed my arm. “Quinn, calm down. Mason’s been looking after you all along.”
“What?” My eyes flew open.
“After you fainted, Mason was the first to rush to your aid and stayed by your side the whole time.”
I stared at Mason in disbelief and shouted, “What the hell do you want? Still trying to force me into another bone marrow donation?”
Mason sighed and turned to my mother. “Mrs. Browning, could I talk to Quinn alone for a moment?”
My mother nodded and left the room.
Mason sat on the edge of the bed, his voice low and heavy. “Quinn, Hannah passed away yesterday.”
I froze. “What?”
“She couldn’t hold on,” Mason choked out. “The matching donor overseas… couldn’t make it back due to the pandemic.”
I was at a loss for words. Part of me grieved for Hannah’s passing, yet another part couldn’t help feeling secretly relieved that I hadn’t been tricked into another bone marrow donation.
Mason’s eyes flashed coldly as he suddenly said, “You must be pretty happy now, huh?”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked warily.
“Congratulations, you got what you wanted. You refused to donate, Hannah’s dead, and now you can just go on with your perfect little
life.”
I stared at Mason in shock. “Are you seriously blaming me right now? You didn’t donate either!”
“Because we’re not a match!” Mason roared. “I got tested. Our HLA types are completely incompatible.”
“So what?” I shot back. “There are billions of people in this world. Why does it have to be me?”
Mason fell silent for a moment, then suddenly blurted out, “Because you loved me.”
I was stunned. “What?”
“I know you love me,” Mason murmured. “So I took it for granted that you’d do anything for me–even save the one I truly love.”
The
words
hit me like a thunderbolt. My eyes widened. “You… and Hannah?”
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1:52 AM
Chapter 8
“Yes, I love her,” Mason finally confessed, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ve loved Hannah for years. But she never wanted to hurt you, so she kept pushing me away.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “So you two really…”
“We never betrayed you,” Mason said earnestly. “At least not before you refused the bone marrow donation. Hannah always considered you her closest friend.”
I suddenly laughed out loud, the sound laced with irony. “So I wasn’t deceived? You really never betrayed me? All my memories from my previous life were just delusions?”
“Previous life?” Mason frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
15
I shook my head, unwilling to explain. Maybe it was all just in my head. Maybe this whole thing about traveling back in time never even existed. Maybe I was just being too paranoid, wrongly suspecting those who genuinely cared about me.
Just then, the door swung open and a doctor I’d never seen before stepped in.
“Quinn Browning?” The doctor, Matthew Pearson, checked the chart. “Feeling better?”
nodded weakly.
“Good.” Matthew smiled. “All your test results came back normal. It was just stress–induced fainting. Get plenty of rest and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”
He then turned to Mason. “You’re the patient’s boyfriend, right? Could you step outside for a moment? I need to perform a quick exam.”
Mason nodded and left. The moment Matthew closed the door, his expression turned grave. “Quinn Browning, listen carefully. We don’t have much time.”
I eyed him warily. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Pearson, this hospital’s orthopedic surgeon,” he said in an urgent whisper. “Hannah Cooley isn’t dead. She’s alive, and her condition is stabilizing.”
“What?”
“Mason’s been lying to you. I stumbled upon their scheme and did some digging. That Jacob guy isn’t a reporter. He’s Mason’s old classmate. They set this whole thing up just to guilt–trip you into donating your bone marrow.”
My head spun as everything suddenly clicked into place. “So… my previous life memories were real? I’m not actually crazy?” Matthew gave me a strange look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about with this ‘previous life‘ stuff, but you’re definitely not crazy. They’re spreading rumors about your mental state just so no one will believe anything you say.”
“But why… why are they suddenly saying Hannah’s dead now?”
He explained, “Because they’ve changed tactics. Guilt–tripping didn’t work, so now they want you to completely let your guard down.
“Once you’re convinced Hannah’s really gone and the pressure to donate is off, they’ll suddenly tell you she can actually be saved with just a simple stem cell donation from you.”
Everything was playing out exactly like my previous life. I was being lured in, step by step, just like before.
“What should I do?” I asked.
“Get out of here!” Matthew said gravely. “Leave right away. Go as far away as possible. They won’t give up that easily.”
“But I-”
“We’re out of time.” Matthew cast a nervous glance at the door. “They could be back any second. Your clothes are in the cabinet, and the IV’s finished. It can be removed now.”
Matthew swiftly pulled out my IV and rushed out. Left sitting on the bed, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me.
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