chapter 1 BEGGING FOR MY DAUGHTER

Ch-1

Artis Hardy felt a sharp, searing pain on his cheek as his wife slapped him hard. Scarlet, his loving wife, screamed at him in fury. 

"You beggar! I don't know I had mercy on you and married a scum like you! 

A man who can't even pay for his daughter's hospital is good for nothing, just like a worm of a gutter. 

You have ruined my life, but I won't allow you to ruin my daughter's life too! 

It's better for me to just divorce you and free ourselves from this misery!"

At this moment, their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Eva, was lying on the hospital bed, suffering from a rare illness that ravaged her tiny body. 

They had spent all their savings and gone into debt, investing in her medical care while doctors tried and failed to find a cure for her. 

Scarlet was a sales director of a small cosmetics company, and her income depended on how much she sold. So some months she managed to make enough money, while some months she didn’t. It was a stressful job. 

Artis was an assistant manager at a local grocery store, and he only earned around thirty thousand dollars a year. He couldn’t contribute much to their daughter’s medical bills, either. 

Scarlet was overwhelmed with worry and frustration, and in her mind, Artis was responsible for their situation going downhill so drastically.

When they were initially married, he had promised her a carefree life where she would be loved and pampered, but the reality was the complete opposite! 

She couldn't help but conclude that he was useless and incompetent, as he could do nothing to improve the conditions of her and her daughter. 

Artis felt guilty and ashamed as he walked away without saying another word so that he wouldn’t have to face his wife and his sick child. She had slapped him so ruthlessly, but what could he say? 

All the things she had said were true, after all. 

He wished he could do something to help his daughter… Even if he worked overnight to collect all the money, he wouldn't be able to pay bills and debts.

He had failed- not only as a husband, but also as a father.

For any parent, it's unbearable to see their daughter suffering in front of their eyes. He was at the edge of losing hope in God. 

He walked into the lobby, took out his phone, and called his friend Liam Wendell, who had always helped him out in times of need. 

“Hey, dude. I have arranged a few dollars from my overnight duty. It’s not much but I hope it will help you to save our little Jossie,” Liam said before Artis could even ask.

Artis felt a surge of gratitude as his friend offered to lend him more money. Liam was his best friend, but he also had a modest income. 

Artis often asked him for small loans to get by until the next payday, but this was the fourth time this month and he still owed him more than ten thousand dollars from before. 

And still, he had offered to send him more money even without mentioning the past debt. Artis was moved by Liam’s generosity and thoughtfulness. 

"Thank you, thank you so much Seb- I can't thank you enough if I tried. I promise I'll try my best and return the money as soon as I can."

After a few more minutes of talking, he hung up the phone, excited to share the good news with Scarlet. 

On his way back to the room, he passed by the nurse’s station and heard them talking about him. 

"Ohh did you hear about the patient in ward number five!"

"No, what happened?"

"Her father is such a loser! I wonder how a lady like her mother had married him."

"Probably out of pity or something."

"Yeah, she was also saying the same!"

"Anyways, tell me, what happened in detail?"

"Ah, nothing much! His wife slapped him tightly on his face because a loser like him can't even pay the bills."

The more Artis listened, the more he hated it. Ultimately, he decided to ignore it and move on. He didn’t care what they thought of him, nor did he care if they thought he was a loser or a failure!

He only cared about his daughter. He wanted her to get better… he wanted her to live.

When he told Scarlet that Liam was going to lend him more money, she snapped at him as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Only three thousand?"

"Of course, what could I have expected from a beggar like you!" She grunted and looked at him.

"But let me tell you Artis Hardy, this is not someplace where everything can be done just by showing your pitiful face."

She was fed up with Artis not being able to pay the bills every time, and then having to suffer the guilt and embarrassment caused her to hesitate before making eye contact with any of the staff.

"This is a hospital, and they need full payment in advance, or they won't treat our daughter!" She sneered.

"I don't know why, in the whole world, I had to marry a hopeless man like you." A lone tear escaped from her eyes.

Artis felt a pang of guilt in his heart because she was right. They had no insurance and the hospital wouldn’t start the new treatment unless they paid in advance.

"I… what can I do? You know I'm trying my best to get her the treatment, but we have already tried everything else. We have even borrowed money from everyone we know, but…"

Artis didn't have the strength to complete the rest of the sentence, but it didn't need to be said that there was never enough money to solve their problems.

It felt like the hospital expenses were like the gaping mouth of a giant monster that was ready to swallow every bit of money he managed to gather while holding his precious daughter hostage.

Artis saw the tears and the resolve in his wife’s eyes as she glared at him, and said;

"Yes, what can a beggar like you do? Just be a punching bag whom I can never rely on.’” Her words were bitter enough to pierce his heart.

“What have you ever done apart from disappointing me? You have never even stood up for yourself. But let me clarify one thing this time!

If you can't manage to get Eva on this list for treatment, consider our marriage being over- and forget that you'll ever get to see her face again!"

Scarlet had threatened Artis with divorce many times, but this time she was serious.

She couldn’t stand being with a man who couldn’t provide for their child. She didn’t care if it meant her daughter would grow up without a father, it was better than having such a useless father anyway!

Artis clenched his fist in anger, but he didn’t say anything further, he knew he deserved her wrath.

Three thousand was only enough for a few more days, and he still had to pay $25,000 for the treatment.

He felt helpless and hopeless. Liam was the only friend who still supported him and he had already given him more than he could afford to. Artis couldn’t keep asking for more.

A staff member from the billing department handed him the list of fees and explained the payment options available. She was polite, but Artis could sense a hint of contempt in her voice.

Scarlet saw this interaction while glaring at her husband, feeling miserable. She used to be beautiful and happy- but now, she was burdened with money problems every day, and it had taken a toll on her appearance as well as her behaviour.

She also felt ashamed every time she walked by the payment desk. She hated this life, where she had to bear most of the burden for their daughter’s illness- and this resulted in bitterness and resentment towards her husband.

Artis looked into her watery eyes and felt a surge of panic. He decided he had to pay the hospital fee in full, no matter what. He turned around and left without a word.

Scarlet watched him go and felt a twinge of regret, but she quickly hardened her heart. She couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again, or her daughter would suffer.

Artis walked out of the hospital and smiled bitterly. He had once dreamed of supporting his family and his love, but life had slapped him hard in the face.

He lifted his head and took two deep breaths as if he had made up his mind. He took out his phone and scrolled down to a certain contact.

After hesitating for a while, he tapped the call button and said, “Lend me some money.”

“Sure, no problem. Just sign the papers, and I’ll send you everything you need.”