that if she so much as called or wrote again, they would destroy - that was the word used - her and her family. It was not an idle threat. Whether you know it or not, Mr. Carlton's reputation in the business world is one of extreme ruthlessness. Our mother backed off, though it hurt her grievously. For some not-so-mysterious reason, the Santa Barbara paper stopped coming. News of Robin Carlton's life came to a halt."
"Last November, while I was at school and my stepdad was at work, Mr. Carlton paid a personal visit to our mother. He told her of your accident and your need for a compatible kidney. He offered a million dollars for one of her - or my - kidneys, given that the tissue types were consistent. He told her the specifics of the typing, which, by the way, I reaffirmed this afternoon by going through your medical records. Our mother threw him out of the house."
"When I came home, Mum was bent over the kitchen table, crying over faded newspaper clippings of a pretty, brown-haired American girl. And so I first learned of you."
"Understand, our mother did not throw Mr. Carlton out of the house because she no longer cared about you. It was his attitude. Hedemanded a kidney. He wanted it right then and there. He acted like his money gave him the right. This offended our mother deeply, for, as must be clear to you by now, she had been tormented with regret since the day she had let you go. Never again would she sell her flesh.
However, she was more than willing to give it away, if her own kidneys would do."
"Yet when we went to the hospital and had the necessary tests, it became clear from the information Mr.
Carlton had left that I was the one, the only one, who could give a kidney."
Michael paused, apparently trying to remember back to how he felt at the time. Lena grew impatient and started to speak. Robin silenced her with an elbow in the ribs. Finally, Michael continued. "I didn't know you. To me, you were a complete stranger. And maybe it sounds selfish, but I wasn't too keen on the idea of a surgeon cutting into my lower back and removing a part that I imagined I might one day need.
So what did I do? I did nothing. I postponed my decision. Mum understood. Together, we waited."
"Mr. Carlton did not give up on us completely. When your first transplant failed, he sent us a photocopy of a letter from a team of doctors at the Stanford Medical Centre that stated that a blood relative willing to donate a kidney would be necessary before they would attempt a second transplant. He raised his offer to two million dollars."
"I had been wondering what you were like. I had a picture of you as a twelve-year-old from the newspaper, but it was of poor quality and I was really more curious about your personality. It got to where I was carrying on imaginary conversations with you in my head. When I saw the doctor's letter, I decided I had to meet you. He had after all, been in our mother's house, and my picture had been on the wall. Then I would take if from there."
"I cashed in some bonds - which, by the way, had been bought by our mother with the money that had bought you - and came to California. Getting enrolled in your school under false I.D. was no problem.
What did worry me was that Mr. Carlton would see me, and recognise me. You may have noticed, I never came over when either of your parents was at home. I was taking no chances. What did surprise me was that your nurse seemed to recognise me, or at least, was affected enough by my appearance to get funny ideas. Maybe because she met me with no preconceptions, she noticed my resemblance to you. It's possible that Mr. Carlton told her that you had a brother. She was awfully wary of me. Perhaps she was worried that I had come to steal you away. Later, we must ask her."
"Why did I feel I had to keep my identity a secret? For my very reason in coming, to get to know you, know you as you really were. Imagine if I had introduced myself as the one who could save you. Had you been a monster, you would still