Story code: ST-001364
Part 2: The Verification Code
Clara stared at Nurse Davies, her throat clearing audibly. ‘Oh, the code. Right. My phone is… actually, it’s dead. Let me just check something with my sister.’
Before Nurse Davies could respond, Clara grabbed my elbow, pulling me away from the counter and toward the row of plastic chairs near the vending machines. Her grip was tight, her nails digging slightly into my skin.
‘Elena, you need to log into the portal and give me the code,’ she whispered fiercely, her eyes darting back to Uncle Richard, who was watching us from the family seating area. ‘Right now.’
‘No,’ I said quietly. ‘You took my bracelet. You told Uncle Richard you were the donor. If you want the credit, you figure it out.’
‘Don’t be a selfish brat,’ Clara hissed, her voice trembling with suppressed anger. ‘Do you know what Uncle Richard just promised me? He said he would cover my entire mortgage and put me in the primary trust. We can split it, Elena. I’ll give you a cut. But if you blow this for me now, I will tell the whole family that you tried to sabotage Marcus’s transplant because you were jealous.’
I looked at her, seeing only the desperate greed in her eyes. I had spent months talking to doctors, undergoing physicals, and preparing myself mentally for major surgery. Clara hadn’t even known Marcus’s blood type until this morning.
‘I’m not helping you lie to the hospital, Clara,’ I said. ‘And I’m definitely not helping you lie to Uncle Richard.’
‘He will hate you,’ she warned, leaning in closer. ‘You know how he is. If Marcus doesn’t get this kidney today because of a verification delay, Richard will blame you for the rest of your life. Just open your app, give me the eight-digit match code, and let me go up there.’
Over by the counter, Nurse Davies cleared her throat, looking at her watch. ‘We have less than ten minutes before we lose our operating room slot. If we don’t verify the donor code now, we have to reschedule the transplant.’
Uncle Richard stood up, his heavy footsteps echoing on the linoleum floor. He walked over to us, his brow furrowed in irritation. ‘Clara, what is taking so long? Why haven’t you given the nurse the code?’
Clara turned to him, her expression instantly shifting into a mask of distressed innocence. ‘Uncle Richard, I’m trying, but Elena is… she’s refusing to help me log into the hospital system. She’s trying to ruin this for Marcus.’
Uncle Richard glared at me, his voice booming in the quiet waiting room. ‘Elena, what is the meaning of this? Your sister is trying to save Marcus’s life. Stop this petty jealousy and give her what she needs to proceed.’
I looked at my uncle, then at my sister, who was wearing my stolen donor bracelet with a smug, pleading look. They expected me to cave under the pressure, but they didn’t realize the system was locked to my biometric login.