Chapter 121 - Organ Donor (1/2)

Abigail Pullman had been in the middle of studying for midterms when she got the phone call that changed her life forever. Normally she wouldn't have answered but she saw the area code and figured it must be important.

She had changed her number to a local one after living in Atlanta, Georgia to attend Emory University for a couple of years. It had pained her to leave her only sister behind but Katie had encouraged her to go.

The odds of getting a half-tuition scholarship to a top thirty school were incredibly low. Katie told her to go get a great education, get a well-paying job, and buy them some prime real estate.

Abby was fairly sure she was joking but it was nice to dream. Georgia did have some great real estate for a fraction of the cost it would have been in Arizona. But Katie was a homebody; she would never want to leave their hometown of Scottsdale.

She had chosen to go to school at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, which was less than forty minutes from their apartment. Abby knew why; she didn't want to leave her behind. Their parents passed away when they were eighteen and fifteen respectively.

With a solid life insurance policy left behind and the ability to sell the house, Katie had been able to keep custody of her little sister. But it had been harder for her than she was willing to let on.

All of those health problems she hadn't fully been able to hide had hit her freshman year as she was still dealing with grief from losing her parents and struggling to deal with a moody teenage girl. One of the main reasons Abby went away for school was that she wanted to get a good job and help pay her sister back for everything she did for them.

Katie barely managed to finish school and got a crappy part-time job because of her health issues. Abby had been across the country for most of her chronic illness progression but it was still terrible watching the person she loved most slowly waste away.

Her sister had always been so vibrant and full of life with a ridiculous sense of humor. She should be running around outside somewhere beckoning for Abby to follow her lead like when they were younger, not cooped up inside a tiny apartment because of pain.

She answered the phone apprehensively, hoping that it was something as simple as Katie losing her phone and calling to let her know she wouldn't be contactable for a while.

”Hello, am I speaking to the next of kin of Katrina Pullman?” a sympathetic female voice asked.

Abby's heart stopped beating. No. No way. Katie had gotten a phone call exactly like this when their parents died. This couldn't be happening!

”Yes,” she said faintly. ”What happened?”

”I'm terribly sorry to tell you this but a woman we believe to be Katrina was in a terrible car accident and is currently in critical condition. She was driving her car and had her ID and credit cards in her purse. Are you able to come fill out some paperwork on her behalf?”

Critical condition. She was still alive! Abby's heart restarted. It was going to be okay. Katie would be fine.

”I'm in Atlanta at the moment but I'll be on the next flight,” she promised.