They Promised Every Birthday, They Kept None Chapter 06

They Promised Every Birthday, They Kept None Chapter 06

Ethan stood frozen in the doorway.

The three dolls stared back.

Crude stitching and faded fabric, but their faces had been made with care.

The Ethan doll even had a tiny patch of dark cloth sewn onto its chest, like the suit jackets he used to

wear.

Liam walked over and touched one.

It toppled sideways, revealing a crumpled hospital bill underneath.

He picked it up.

One glance, and his face went gray.

Item after item.

Chemo.

Dialysis.

ER visits.

Painkillers.

Derek pulled open the coffee table drawer.

It was crammed with empty prescription bottles.

Underneath was a stack of frayed towels.

He unfolded one.

Dark brown stains had dried into the fabric-blood that wouldn’t wash out.

The silence was suffocating.

Ethan swallowed hard.

He remembered the night Mia coughed up blood in the penthouse.

He had thought it was an act.

Liam was still clutching the hospital bill.

“How could she… she always said she was fine…”

The words sounded hollow even to him.

When had Mia ever said she was fine?

They had just assumed she was.

They rushed to the hospital and found Mia’s primary physician.

The doctor looked at them with barely suppressed fury.

“You’re her family?”

“Yes…”

“You’re showing up now?”

All three of them went pale.

“Her condition was critical months ago. We recommended immediate surgery or at least inpatient

care. She was too weak to keep managing with painkillers. But she kept refusing.”

Ethan gripped the edge of the desk.

“Why wasn’t I notified?”

The doctor laughed bitterly.

“We called. Multiple times. Every time, a young woman answered-said she was the patient’s sister and would relay the messages. She told us not to call again.”

The fluorescent lights in the hallway seemed to burn.

Mia didn’t have a sister.

Except Ashley.

Liam spun around to face her, his voice cracking.

“You took those calls?”

Ashley’s face went white.

Tears spilled instantly.

“I-I didn’t mean to. I was scared.”

“The doctor said she was getting worse, that she didn’t have much time. I panicked.”

“I thought you’d force me to donate. I’m only nineteen-I’m scared of surgery. I’m scared of losing part of myself. I didn’t want to end up broken…”

Normally, that would have worked.

Ethan would have stepped in front of her.

Liam would have blamed Mia.

Derek would have comforted her.

Not this time.

Ethan pulled his sleeve out of her grip.

“So you lied to us? Do you understand what you took away? Those calls weren’t just messages. They

were Mia’s only chance.”

Ashley turned to Derek, desperate.

“Derek, please. I was just scared. I didn’t mean for this to happen.,.”

Derek looked at her.

And for the first time, there was nothing in his eyes but cold distance.

“Don’t call me that.”

Ashley went rigid.

Ethan turned and walked out.

Liam followed, his voice rough.

“Where are you going?”

“To find Mia.”

The doctor’s voice trailed after them.

“She came in a few days ago for more painkillers. I told her she needed to be admitted. She said no. She said there was one place she still had to go.”

Derek’s steps faltered.

A memory from years ago, buried deep, surfaced.

Lake Serenity.

Mia had said that when she got better, it was the one place she wanted to see.