The Money for My Grandson’s Surgery Disappeared

Over the holiday weekend, I brought in a specialist surgeon from out of town to operate on my grandson, Ben Xander. I personally paid the $20,000 surgical fee. But that night, my son Ryan called me in a panic. “Dad! Ben’s surgery is tomorrow! Why haven’t you paid the hospital yet?!” I didn’t have time to figure out what had gone wrong. I’d checked everything myself. I immediately transferred the money to the hospital again. But the next day, the hospital still claimed they hadn’t received the payment and said they were going to cancel Ben’s surgery. Panicking, I rushed to the hospital cashier. But after checking the system, the billing clerk on duty told me there was no record of any payment on Ben’s account. The surgeon I’d brought in immediately went cold. “If you don’t want the surgery, then cancel it now. Don’t waste my time.” Terrified that any further delay would put Ben in danger, I withdrew $20,000 in cash that very night and personally took it to the hospital cashier. But the next day, Ben still died without ever getting the surgery. Ryan held Ben’s body in his arms and sobbed. “Dad, did you really hate him that much?” That night, Ryan set the house on fire and burned us both alive. Even as I died, I couldn’t understand why the hospital had never received a single payment I’d made. My daughter-in-law, Lina York, died in the line of duty when Ben was one. After that, I helped Ryan raise him. They were both my whole world. How could I possibly have hated Ben? When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Ben was admitted to the hospital. Chapter 1 “Grandpa, is the surgery going to hurt?” The feel of Ben Xander’s small hand on my leg snapped me out of my daze. I looked down at his pale face and pulled him into my arms, sobbing. He was still so young. How could he have died in a hospital bed? As I held him, my mind went back to the question that had haunted me even after death. Where had the money I paid the hospital gone? I’d personally checked the card before handing it over. I knew the money had been there. The thought made my heart jump. I immediately grabbed Ryan and took him to an ATM. The balance was right there. Twenty thousand dollars. Only then did I breathe a little easier. Ryan and I went straight to the hospital cashier’s desk and handed the card to the billing clerk on duty. “Once we pay this, the surgery can go ahead tomorrow, right?” I watched with my own eyes as he ran the card and processed the payment. Only when he told me it had gone through did I finally relax. “Thank God. Ben’s going to be okay.” Ryan wrapped his arms tightly around me. “Dad, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Ben had a rare condition, and the only surgeon qualified to perform the procedure had to fly in from Burgola. She was as kind as she was talented. She hadn’t asked for anything extra, only told me to make sure the surgical fee was paid as soon as possible. But in my last life, no matter how hard I tried, the hospital could never find any record of my payments. Ben’s surgery kept getting delayed until it was too late. This time, I wouldn’t let the same thing happen again. I told Ryan to go home and get some rest while I stayed overnight with Ben. The next morning, I’d barely opened my eyes when Ryan called. He sounded frantic. “Dad, the hospital says your payment never went through! They just called and told me we need to pay immediately. “If we don’t, they’re canceling Ben’s surgery!” For a second, my mind went completely blank. I thought I’d misheard him. How could this be happening again? Before I could even hang up, a doctor hurried into the room. “You need to get down to the hospital cashier’s desk right now. If you don’t pay, we won’t be able to do the surgery in time.” There was no time to think. I ran straight to the cashier’s desk. But when the billing clerk pulled up Ben’s account, there was no record of any payment. Impossible. Ryan and I had checked the card ourselves yesterday. The money had been there. I demanded a printout and went through every line, one by one. Ben’s information was correct. But there was still no record of the payment. I lost my temper. “Something’s wrong with your hospital! “There was twenty thousand dollars on that card when I gave it to you yesterday! Give me my money back! That money is supposed to save my grandson’s life!” Everyone waiting nearby turned to stare. Within seconds, a crowd had gathered around us. The billing clerk’s face flushed red. “Sir, you can’t make accusations like that. Every transaction in our system is tracked. There’s no way anyone here could take a cent of your money.” He turned the screen toward me. “Look for yourself. Since your grandson was admitted, there hasn’t been a single payment made on his account. We’ve already made an exception by letting him stay this long without payment. “There are other patients waiting for beds. Please stop causing a scene.” The other families assumed I was harassing the billing clerk and started crowding around me, telling me to leave. I was too old to argue with that many people. Before long, they’d pushed me all the way to the entrance. I stood there helplessly, staring back at the cashier’s desk. My mind was completely blank. After a while, the billing clerk sighed and came out to get me. He took me into an office and pulled up the hospital’s main billing system. “Sir, look. The system clearly shows that no payment was ever made.” I shook my head desperately. “I came here yesterday afternoon. Check the security footage. I know I was here. “My son was with me. We even checked the balance at an ATM before we came.” He reluctantly contacted his supervisor and got approval to review the footage. The security video confirmed that Ryan and I had indeed gone to the cashier’s desk. But the camera angle wasn’t clear enough to prove that the card I handed over was the same one we’d checked at the ATM. I still refused to give up. I demanded that they keep looking. Finally, the billing clerk lost his patience. “Sir, if you really believe something happened to your money, then call the police.” That was exactly what I intended to do. The police might catch something everyone else had missed. But before I could even get through to them, Ryan called again. His voice was hollow. “Dad, you ruined everything. “The surgeon booked a flight back to Burgola. She leaves in two hours. “Ben’s surgery is off.” Chapter 2 I tore through the hospital and caught up with the visiting surgeon by the elevators. She had her suitcase with her, and she didn’t look happy. “Sir, it’s not that I don’t want to save your grandson. The hospital says you haven’t paid. I can’t exactly perform the surgery for free.” I grabbed the handle of her suitcase and refused to let go, tears streaming down my face. “Doctor, please. Give us one more chance. I’ll pay right now. This time I’ll transfer the money directly so there’s a record of it.” She hesitated, then glanced at her watch. “My flight leaves in an hour and a half. If you can get everything sorted out before then, I’ll cancel it and stay.” I thanked her over and over, then turned and ran for the hospital cashier’s desk. On the way, I called Ryan. “Ryan, send me your bank information. I’ll transfer the money straight to you, and you can pay the hospital yourself.” His voice shook. “Dad, I thought there was no money on your card.” “There is! Something’s wrong with the hospital’s system. I’m transferring it to you now. As soon as you get it, go pay the hospital. I’m heading there too.” I hung up, opened my banking app, and transferred everything I had left. I had a little over sixteen thousand dollars in my account. I borrowed another four thousand from relatives and sent the full twenty thousand to Ryan. I took screenshots and saved the transaction confirmation. This time, I had proof. By the time I reached the cashier’s desk, I was gasping for breath. I slapped a hand against the counter. “My son’s coming to pay right now. Please don’t cancel the surgery!” The billing clerk looked up. It was the same man from yesterday. He sighed helplessly. “Sir, there’s still no payment showing on your grandson’s account. Our system…” “I know, I know. We’re not using my card this time. My son is going to pay with his own.” Just then, Ryan called. “Dad, how much did you send?” “Twenty thousand. Did you get it?” I heard him checking his phone. Then he let out a breath of relief. “Yeah. I got it. “I’m coming to pay right now.” Even the billing clerk seemed relieved. “Good. Have him come over as soon as possible.” Ten minutes later, Ryan arrived. I hurried him to the counter. He handed over his card. The billing clerk ran it. A second later, he frowned. “The card was declined. Do you have another one?” Ryan froze. Then his face twisted with anger as he turned on me. “Dad, how long are you going to keep this up? You’re the one who said you transferred the money, and now you’re lying to me too?” I stared at him. “But you just said you received it.” Ryan’s anger only grew. “That money came from Lina’s old unit! It was death benefits meant for the family of one of their fallen service members. It had nothing to do with you!” With that, he shoved past me and hurried back toward Ben’s room. Panic surged through me. I grabbed the billing clerk by the arm. “There has to be something wrong! “You just watched me transfer the money to my son. How can his card be declined when I just sent him twenty thousand dollars?” His expression hardened as he stood. “Sir, if you keep causing trouble, I’m calling the police.” “Good! Call them! Let them see what kind of hospital loses money that’s supposed to save a child’s life!” The police arrived quickly. First, they tried to calm me down. Then they checked the hospital’s payment records. With my permission, they also contacted the bank to verify my recent transactions. It didn’t take long for them to reach a conclusion. “Sir, you must be mistaken. There are no recent transfers from your account.” I stared at them. That was impossible. One of the officers continued, “The hospital isn’t pressing charges over the disturbance, but you need to stop causing problems here. Right now, you should focus on getting the money together for your grandson’s surgery.” My legs gave out beneath me. How could that be? Where had my money gone? Ryan came rushing over when he heard what had happened. The second he saw me, his expression darkened. “Dad! Can you please stop making things worse? “Ben is sick. I already can’t eat or sleep, and now I have to deal with this too? “If I hadn’t donated all my savings, I wouldn’t even need you to help pay for the surgery! If you keep acting like this, I don’t even want you as my dad anymore!” In a panic, I grabbed his hand. “Ryan, I’m not making this up! “I really transferred that money! When have I ever lied to you?” For a split second, he hesitated. Then the anger returned. “Who am I supposed to believe, you or the system? “Forget it. Ever since Mom died, you’ve been acting stranger and stranger. I’ll figure this out myself. I don’t need your help anymore.” Ryan was the son I’d treasured more than anything my entire life. Hearing him say he didn’t need me anymore shattered something inside me. I grabbed him and pulled him toward the exit. “Cash. “We’ll withdraw cash and pay with that. There’s no way anything can go wrong this time!” Chapter 3 I dragged Ryan into the bank. He looked thoroughly fed up with me, but he still followed me to the teller window. I slid my ID and bank card across the counter. “I want to withdraw twenty thousand dollars. All of it in cash.” This was the account where I kept my retirement savings. It was the last money I had. The teller checked the account, then looked up at me. “Sir, your balance is $20,074. You want to withdraw twenty thousand?” I nodded, my fingers digging into the edge of the counter. The teller counted out the cash, bundled it, and placed the thick stacks on the counter. “Sir, please count it.” I didn’t. I pushed the money straight toward Ryan. “You count it.” He froze for a second, then carefully counted through the bills. “Twenty thousand. It’s all here.” I stuffed the cash into a canvas bag, clutched it tightly against my chest, and pulled him back toward the hospital. The same billing clerk was still at the hospital cashier’s desk. I set the bag on the counter and pulled out the bundles of cash one by one. “Twenty thousand in cash. You see it, right? Take the payment and give me a receipt. My grandson’s surgery can’t be delayed again.” He looked at me, then at the pile of money. He ran the bills through a cash-counting machine. Everything checked out. He nodded, entered the payment into the computer, then handed me a receipt. “All set. The payment went through. I’ll notify the surgical team that it’s been received. Just wait for them to contact you.” My hands shook as I stared at that thin slip of paper. Then I turned and threw my arms around Ryan. “Ryan, look! It went through! Ben’s going to be okay!” Ryan started crying too and hugged me tightly. That night, I stayed beside Ben’s bed and didn’t leave once. He slept soundly, his tiny hand wrapped around one of my fingers. Watching him sleep, I suddenly saw Ryan as a little boy again. He’d once been this small too. Whenever he had a fever, he wouldn’t let me go anywhere. He’d just hold on to my hand the entire time. If Ben made it through this surgery, he’d grow up just like Ryan had. The thought filled me with hope. I didn’t sleep at all that night. I kept watching the time on my phone, waiting for sunrise and for a nurse to come tell us when Ben would be taken into surgery. Just as dawn began to break, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Thinking it was a nurse, I jumped to my feet. But when the door opened, it was Ryan. His face was deathly pale. His eyes were red and swollen, and he was gripping his phone so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. He looked completely hollowed out. “Dad.” My chest tightened. “What time is the surgery?” Ryan didn’t answer. He simply handed me his phone. There was a message from the hospital on the screen. “Your scheduled procedure has not yet been paid for. Please contact the billing office as soon as possible to avoid a delay in treatment.” I stared at it. “That’s impossible! I paid twenty thousand dollars in cash yesterday! They gave me a receipt!” Furious, Ryan yanked Ben’s hospital card out of his bag and threw it at me. “I checked Ben’s hospital account myself this morning. The twenty thousand dollars isn’t there! “This is all because of you! You insisted on having the money credited to this account! If you knew there was something wrong with it, why didn’t you say so? Why did you have to risk delaying Ben’s surgery?” My phone buzzed. It was a message from the surgeon. “Sir, I’m sorry, but I can’t wait any longer. The surgery has been canceled. I hope your grandson makes a full recovery.” From the far end of the hallway came the faint sound of suitcase wheels rolling across the floor. The sound grew quieter and quieter. Ryan sank into a crouch and covered his face. Then he started sobbing. “Dad, if this delay costs Ben his life, I’ll never forgive you. “I hate you!” Chapter 4 I stood frozen in place, cold all over. Ryan’s words cut deep, but I didn’t have time to fall apart. There was only one thing I could do. I immediately called the visiting surgeon. “Doctor, please give us one more chance. I’ll sell the house. Once it sells, I’ll have the money. I swear I’ll pay the surgical fee.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “Sir, do you know how many times I’ve changed my flight because of you? “Four. “I have other patients who need me too. You keep putting this off over and over again. Do you really want your grandson treated or not?” I knew exactly what she was implying. I begged her desperately. “Doctor, I swear I mean it this time. I’ll sell the house right away. The second I get the money, I’ll pay. “Just give me one more day. Please. That’s all I’m asking.” She sighed. “All right. One last day.” I didn’t even have time to grieve. I told Ryan to give me one final day, then rushed to the police station. But after going through everything, the police couldn’t find anything wrong. By the time I left the station, it was already dark. I thought of all the relatives I’d borrowed money from before and started calling them one by one. “Look, we’ve all heard what’s been going on. Just focus on taking care of that child instead of stirring up all this trouble. “Ryan already told me everything. There was no money on your card, but you kept insisting the hospital stole it. Then you even went to the police. Are you starting to lose it in your old age? “I’m telling you this for your own good. Treat your family better. Otherwise, when you get old, you might not have anyone left to take care of you.” Every single one of them turned me down. I crouched there and cried for a long time. When I finally stood up, I swayed and nearly collapsed. It was well past midnight by the time I made it back to my small subsidized apartment. I lived there alone. Ryan and Ben lived in the little house I’d bought for them. I’d spent my entire life saving up for the down payment and had put the house in Ryan’s name. By morning, I finally thought of another solution. I washed my face and went back to the hospital. Ryan was sitting beside Ben’s bed, staring blankly ahead. His eyes were completely lifeless, as if everything inside him had been hollowed out. But I barely noticed. I was too excited about the solution I’d come up with. “Ryan, I figured it out.” He looked up at me, but there was no light in his eyes. I kept talking. “We can take out a loan against your house. Once I find out what happened to my money, I’ll pay it back.” Ryan stared at me. “There’s no need.” I hadn’t expected him to say that. “What are you talking about? If we keep trying, we can still save Ben! “Come on. We don’t have time to waste. I already talked to the surgeon. She agreed to wait one more day.” Ryan remained sitting beside the bed without moving. Seeing him like that made my frustration boil over. I pulled out the deed and tossed it onto his lap. “Stop sitting there like that. Come on!” Ryan mechanically opened it and glanced down. One look was all it took. He tore the document in half and threw it back at me. “Dad, how many years have you been lying to me?” I froze. “What are you talking about?” “The house!” He held up the torn document. “The name on this deed isn’t mine. It isn’t yours either! “Dad, you told me you spent your entire life saving to buy that house for me! But this deed is fake! “How much else have you been hiding from me?” His voice grew louder and louder, drawing nurses and other patients over to watch. “You told me to take out a loan against the house. Were you deliberately trying to humiliate me? “Did you never actually want Ben to get treatment?” “No, Ryan. I swear, I didn’t know.” “Enough!” Ryan covered his face, his whole body shaking as he sobbed. “None of it matters anymore! “It’s too late!” Before I could react, he yanked the blanket off Ben. “He’s dead! “He couldn’t wait for your money! “Dad, just go. I never want to see you again. “Nothing that comes out of your mouth is ever true. If it weren’t for you, Ben wouldn’t have died!” My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the floor. How? I’d been given another chance. So why had Ben still died? What had gone wrong? Ryan completely broke down. He suddenly rushed to the window and threw it open. “Ben’s gone. I don’t want to live anymore!” At that moment, something suddenly clicked. I remembered. “Stop! “I know where the money went!”