Aiden headed straight to the hospital receptionist counter to see the nurse.
"Hello Nurse," Aiden greeted."
"Hi, how may I help you?" The nurse smiled
"I would like to pay for the medical expenses for the patient named William Maxwell." Aiden politely requested.
"Sure," the nurse answered.
It took only a few seconds for the total amount to be confirmed. The nurse took a quick glance at Aiden before telling him the cost of the bill.
"The medical bill for William Maxwell cost 500 thousand dollars." The nurse said but considering the way Aiden was dressed she doubted if he could afford such a huge amount of money.
However, she was proven wrong when Aiden stretched his credit card at her.
"Please deduct the whole amount from this card." Aiden instructed.
The nurse collected the card and swiped the card at the payment machine. She was surprised to see that the transaction was successful. "Who would have thought a shabby looking boy could afford to pay a huge amount of money?"
The nurse printed a payment receipt before handing both the receipt and credit card back to Aiden. "Thank you very much, sir." She said in a more respectful tone.
Aiden smiled and nodded as he collected the receipt and walked away. He was on his way back to the ward when he suddenly received a notification from the system.
[QUEST COMPLETED: Pay William Maxwell's medical expenses]
[You have received 1000 gold coins as a reward]
Another smile appeared on Aiden's face. Without any doubt, he finally accepted the fact that this system was real.
Meanwhile, after Aiden left the room, Sarah and Sofia started another conversation.
"How did it turn out, mom?" Sofia asked curiously.
Sarah was completely aware of what Sofia was talking about and would have been very glad if she hadn't asked that question. Sarah wanted to avoid the topic because she didn't want to think about the humiliation she and Aiden experienced at the Anderson.
However, Sarah also understood that Sofia was very concerned about the current situation. Therefore, Sarah couldn't blame Sofia for asking her that question because she knew she would have also done the same.
Alternatively, Sofia could sense Sarah's uncomfortable reaction, including her pending silence. "It didn't turn out as planned, did it?"
Sarah nodded in response. She wasn't surprised that Sofia figured out the situation quickly.
Sofia was a high-school student and a 16-year-old teenager. Nonetheless, she was very smart and sharp-witted.
"What will we do now, mom? The doctor came in while you and big brother were absent, and he said we were running out of time to pay for dad's surgery." Sofia lamented sorrowfully.
Sarah was also devastated but she needed to put on an encouraging act in front of Sofia.
"It is okay, I promise you that everything is going to be okay and guarantee that we are going to find a solution out of this mess." Sarah consoled.
Suddenly, the door opening sound caught both Sarah and Sofia's attention. As they both looked at the door direction, they saw a man wearing a long white coat walking into the room with a disgruntled look.
Sarah recognized him as the doctor in charge of William's treatment. She nervously stood up from the chair as soon as she saw him.
"Mrs. Maxwell, I am glad to see you are back and hope you've brought good news." The doctor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ummm….is there any problem doctor?" Sarah stuttered.
"If you are asking about your husband's health condition, he is doing alright for now but I hope we don't have to face any problems soon." The doctor hinted.
The feeling of uneasiness swept over Sarah emotionally. She knew exactly what problem the doctor was referring to.
"I understand what you mean, doctor. Just give me a bit more time to resolve that issue." Sarah sincerely pleaded.
The doctor shakes his head in disapproval. " I am very sorry, Mrs. Maxwell but you need to realize that this is a privately owned hospital and not a charity organization. We can't continue treating your husband with free medication."
"I know, but..."
The doctor suddenly interrupted Sarah."There are no excuses for this situation, and we have tried our best to sustain the life of the patient.". However, we are unable to continue the treatment with any deposit. This hospital has a reputable standard and we want to keep it that way by avoiding unnecessary complications, he emphasized.
Although, the doctor felt pity for Sarah but there wasn't much he could do to cover them up. His superiors would be displeased if they discovered what he did which could put at the risk of losing his job.
"Mrs. Sarah, I'd love to help you but there is nothing much I can do at this point. There will be severe repercussions if you don't pay the medical bills soon and I may not guarantee the patients' safety."
"That won't be necessary…" Aiden declared as he opened the door and walked into the room. He had just arrived at the ward room but only heard the doctor's last statement.
The doctor turned around to look at Aiden. "Why do you think so?" He asked with curiosity as he was taken by surprise.
Aiden explained and stretched the receipt toward the doctor, "I just paid for my father's treatment."
"I apologize for any sort of discomfort and we ensure you that we will do our best to ensure the patient has full recovery." The doctor said with a satisfied smile as he confirmed receipt of the payment.
Aiden responded, "We expect you to do so since all medical expenses have been paid."
The doctor chuckled nervously. "I understand, if you'll please excuse me now because I need to check other patients too." He bowed his head slightly and hurriedly left the room.
"Are you guys alright?" Aiden asked both Sarah and Sofia who stared at him with a blank expression. He understood that they were both baffled by what had just happened.
"Aiden." Sarah called.
"Yes, mom." Aiden answered
"Where did you get that huge amount of money to pay the bill?" Sarah asked as she stared at Aiden in shock.
"When I left the room earlier, I called a colleague and he borrowed me the money." Aiden casually replied.
Aiden lied to Sarah because he didn't want to reveal the existence of the system and there was no reasonable way he could explain to both his mother and sister how he got the money.
Although he was caught off guard by Sarah's question, he immediately said the first excuse that popped into his mind.
"I appreciate your friend's generosity but how will you pay back the money? Isn't it too much?" Sarah was concerned that Aiden might be put in a tight spot because of them.
"There is no need to worry about that, mom. I already promised to pay the money back each month from my salary until it's completed." Aiden said.
"No, I can't let you carry that burden on your own." Sarah blurted out as she was taken aback.
"Calm down, I can handle it besides you and dad have other issues to worry about." Aiden cajoled.
"Mom is right, Aiden. It's too much for you to handle alone and I am willing to drop out of school to get a job to support you." Sofia suggested without hesitation.
"I won't agree to that, Sofia. All you have to do is focus on your studies and graduate high school with high grades to get admission to college." Aiden quickly rejected Sofia's idea.
"What's the point in graduating high-school when we can't even afford to pay my college tuition? I would still end up getting a job, so why not start now?"Sofia rolled her eyes as she argued.
Sofia's arguments alighted a very tangible fact and Aiden would have had no choice but to agree with her. However, he was secretly a billionaire and he could afford to pay his sister's college tuition fee.
"You don't need to worry about that and just continue studying hard." Aiden encouraged.
"Okay, but how are we supposed to assist you to pay the debt back?" Sofia pouted her lips.
"I will definitely sort it out and I think I need to go home now because I think I need some rest." Aiden announced.
Aiden took a three-day leave from work when he received news about his father's accident. The leave would expire today and he had to return to work the next day.
Moreover, he wanted some privacy to completely check the system functions and he needed to get some rest because he was also exhausted.
"I almost forgot about that. You should go home and rest because you've done enough." Sarah nodded in understanding.
Aiden smiled, hugged Sarah and Sofia before leaving the room. When he stepped outside the hospital, he received a shocking system notification.
>Ding<
[Emergency Quest Available: Your girlfriend hasn't been loyal to you. Break up with her tonight]
> Reward: 300 gold coins
> Penalty: System will be locked
"What?!"
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