Not Your Doormat Anymore

The only information I had from Kourtney was her town's name and nothing more specific, so finding her would not be easy.

However, I figured that since she had not completed her recovery when she was discharged, she would still need medication. If she really was living here and needed to refill her prescription, there was only one place she could go.

I headed to the town's health clinic and found an internal medicine doctor. I explained the situation and showed him my medical license along with the surgery records from Kourtney's case.noveldrama

"Dr. Ranford, your request is quite unusual," the doctor said, visibly surprised. "Let me check with our director first, if that's all right with you."

He clearly did not expect a doctor from Dynora to show up in such a small town just to track down a patient. It completely challenged his assumptions.

"She's been under my care from the beginning. She's fought her illness for a long time, and now that she's finally on the path to recovery, I don't want anything to go wrong. I'd really appreciate your help," I said politely.

"Your dedication is admirable, Dr. Ranford. I understand where you're coming from. Please wait here."

Before long, the hospital director arrived. He asked for my credentials again and even verified my identity on his phone. Only then did he believe who I was.

"Alright, I'll check the records. But just to be clear-if she hasn't been here recently, we won't be able to trace her."

"I understand. Thank you for your help."

After about half a day of searching, we finally found her file. It turned out she had been there recently-not for a consultation, but to refill the prescription I had given her. She only bought two boxes of the medication.

"I remember her," the doctor said. "She seems to be struggling financially. Her insurance doesn't work here since she's not a local, so she's paying out of pocket and only buys one box at a time."

Hearing this, I felt an ache in my chest. This was after a successful surgery. What about in the previous life, when the operation had failed? How did she make it through that?

"This is the address and phone number she left with us."

Grateful, I thanked the director and the doctor before heading straight to the village listed on her file. It was even more rundown than I had imagined. I could not begin to picture what life must be like for her here.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for Kourtney Gomez. Do you know where she lives?" I asked around.

After asking several villagers, I finally found someone who recognized her and offered to lead me there. Along the way, they kept asking what my relationship with her was.

I did not want to give too much away, so I said vaguely, "I'm a friend. I've been trying to reach her for a while, but she hasn't answered. I got worried, so I came to check on her."

The villager sighed. "That poor lady has had a tough life." That was not the first time I had heard someone say that.

"She's had a heart condition since she was little. Her parents worked themselves to the bone to pay for her treatment. Just when her health started turning around, they died in an accident.

"Now, the compensation money has been taken by her uncle's family, and she hasn't seen a cent of it. They're even trying to marry her off to a mentally challenged man just to get some money out of it."

I frowned in disbelief. "How could they treat her like that?"

"They're a nasty bunch," the villager said. "I'll take you around the back so they don't see you. Just talk to her quickly and leave. If her uncle's family catches wind of this, they'll find a way to squeeze money out of you."

"But isn't she legally an adult now?"

I had seen her medical records

before she had just graduated from

college and had found a compatible

heart donor. The surgery was a success, and she was finally supposed to live a normal, healthy

life. sŵnovel

It should have been a fresh start. Instead, it had turned into this nightmare.