Chapter 97
Jonathan’s POV
Living Room – Raymond’s Townhouse – The next day
Morning had passed and now it was afternoon.
Daniel hadn’t said a word since yesterday.
We were eating while he was still reading the file.
“Daniel,” Vance finally spoke up. “The facts aren’t changing. It’s best you accept the facts that p>
“I am shocked to know Adrian is my son, but not entirely as we were married p>
He trailed off a bit.
“But this way?” he was evidently in shock.
“Donation?” He shook his head. “I never did, then how p>
We all went silent as that was the fear we all had.
Daniel questioned the cause.
More than the fact p>
How could Adrian be his?
His main concern would be how was it possible when he never consented to anything as such?
“Jonathan,” the doctor said. “Could you please hand me the medical files of Daniel and two other boys p>
I did as he said.
The doctor laid out identical papers from the files.
“This is the banner the doctor put on his window,” the doctor said.
“It says the doctor is conducting free health drives and under these drives is organizing free blood donation camps p>
He paused, probably for us to grasp every detail.
“Ever since World War two, blood has been in demand. It was back in 1914 that scientists found blood can be stored and transfused safely. After that the American Red Cross established the first nationwide civilian blood donation program back in 1948. Since then, blood donation camps have been organized now and then p>
“Later on World Health Organization announced June fourteenth as the world blood donation day to raise awareness p>
“As you can see,” the doctor said to Daniel. “The first donation was on June fourteenth, then after you attended the church meetings, you began donating monthly p>
“The father and the doctor encouraged young men to be part of a big cause p>
He paused.
“But only men, never women p>
“In the guise of donating safe blood he got you boys to consent to general health evaluations that included cancer screenings p>
“Yes,” Daniel said remembering. “We did ask him what’s the need, considering we all are healthy. He p>
“We?” The doctor was confused.
“Yes,” Daniel said. “He always had us meet together and we used to donate together as well p>
“He had around ten beds, and two OTs p>
“Daniel?” I asked. “You came here with Imelda p>
He nodded.
“She told me you left the next morning itself, then p>
He exhaled.
“All lies,” he said. “I stayed here for five months with her p>
We all looked at him with wide shocked eyes.
“After I saw the police take her stuff back, we managed to reach Livelane p>
“I got us a room at the motel under Mr and Mrs. Staf’s name p>
“After three days I got a job at a local store, and soon rented an apartment p>
“We began our small life p>
“Then I found out she still had connections with her father and even took money from him p>
“When I told her to stop, we began to fight p>
He trailed off a bit.
“Finally, one morning she was gone p>
“I waited for a week before I left forever p>
“It was during this time I began donating, and Imelda was really happy with it p>
“She would always prepare four-five dishes when I would come back p>
“During the donation time,” the doctor asked. “What do you recall doing p>
“We used to first fill forms for blood donation, general examination and a cancer screening p>
“I don’t know why, but he had me do twice cancer screening p>
“And then p>
“Wait!” the doctor said, shocking us all.
“Man,” Vance said jolting up. “What’s the matter? Can’t you be easy p>
“You said two months p>
“Yes, I had cancer screening done once in two months p>
“He said it was for safety,” Daniel said. “It was something…some white cells were less or something like that, sorry it’s been too long p>
“You never felt it odd?” the doctor said.
“If you’re saying about the screening?” he said.
“It wasn’t unusual for a doctor to be concerned about the donor’s health,
“So being suspicious?” he said. “No p>
Then the doctor pointed to a point in the papers.
“Here,” he said, pointing to a line.
“Every legitimate fertility procedure requires consent from both parties p>
“Both need to authorize p>
“The woman has to consent the donor she approves p>
“The donor has to consent relinquish of his rights to the baby, and if married, he has to get consent of his spouse p>
“In your case, you never gave any such consent and you were married to Imelda, she never gave her consent p>
“You never signed for anything as such, so p>
The doctor trailed off a bit.
“So this was illegal, and use was illegal as well p>
“I still don’t get it,” he said. “How p>
“Daniel,” the doctor said. “The doctor manipulated you all saying it was a required procedure p>
“The reason none of you ever questioned him,” he continued.
“You all thought he was a doctor and what you’re doing is for humanity p>
“As for the process and how he did it without you boys knowing it p>
He paused for a long moment.
“According to these reports,” he said pointing out. “All of you were told your blood test showed a major anomaly. Some were told you had an elevated prostate marker while some were told you had a severe testicular hormone imbalance p>
“Yes, mine was the imbalance,” Daniel said.
“Yes,” the doctor continued. “And the treatment was a non-invasive diagnostic procedure called a prostate massage in which they collect fluid from the urethra to test it for any cancer cells p>
“The reality here was p>
He trailed off a bit.
“To naturally force the body to release seminal fluid, which he later froze for a visible sperm test and the ones, like yours, that came positive, were used p>
“And when you woke up from the pain, he told you it was cause of the test p>
“And like any patient,” he said. “You believe every word he says p>
We all saw how Daniel’s face lost its color and that broke us inside.
“And Lori?” Daniel asked in a low voice.
“She was fired in the last month that I was here,” Daniel said.
“Yes,” I said.
“The fact is,” I continued.
“She began to notice the obvious patterns p>
“She wrote it in her notes p>
“A hundred boys for blood donations p>
“Ten for cancerous screening, same procedures p>
“Same consent missing p>
“Same missing documents p>
“Lori began her investigation during the second month of these donations p>
“Soon she found out she was uncovering not just a doctor, but a system p>
“And someone was deliberately organizing all of this p>
“Over time,” he continued.
“Some of the records have been destroyed p>
“But we still have hundreds of blood donations in the storage containers down in the basement p>
And some sperm samples up here in that box p>
“None of the other nine boys knew about the sperm donation p>
“And p>
The doctor trailed off a bit.
“At first I didn’t understand why the other nine files are labeled ’one’, while Daniel’s is labeled ’two p>
“Your’s is labeled two cause he had you do two screenings and that means p>
He paused as if he couldn’t get the right words to come out.
“Are you saying Daniel’s sperm was used twice?” Veronica said, shocked.
“So he has…two kids?” she said, shocked.
Daniel banged his hands on the desk in anger.
He wasn’t angry at knowing Adrian and some other kid was his.
He wasn’t angry at any of us.
But at the doctor who stole his chance to choose.
His right to know he was donating sperm,
His right to decide if he wanted to or not.
“Who was funding all this p>
Daniel finally spoke.
“According to Lori’s records, she had gotten close to finding out who the people were behind all this,” Vance said.
“She recorded names, payments, transfers p>
“Meeting notes p>
“And she was quite close to finding the head of all this p>
“This might be the reason she was framed in the first place p>
“The clinic neither the doctor were wealthy p>
“Someone was funding and also paid the doctor for privacy p>
“Someone paid for the donor matching as well p>
And in all this p>
One name kept appearing again and again.
“Hey,” Raymond said as he brought a ledger over.
“This one is incomplete,” he said. “The last entry is two days before she was arrested p>
“These are financial organizing, and financial records p>
“There are several payments made by influential people p>
“And all are verified by the same person p>
“Jonathan,” Vance said. “You compare the notes Lori wrote, I’ll compare the ledgers p>
We began as Daniel watched us silently.
Finally, we both came to the same conclusion.
The clinic didn’t operate on its own, it wasn’t a charity organization.
Someone powerful was protecting all along.
Someone with money was backing it.
Someone was benefiting from it.
“This,” the doctor said, pointing to a signature.
“It’s the same here p>
“Here p>
“Here p>
“Same…Charles Freeway p>
Silence fell in the room.
Raymond stood up slowly.
“Everything makes sense now p>
“Mom being fired, her arrest p>
“The destroyed records p>
“The pressure I was under p>
“The fear casted around the basement p>
In all this conversation, my gaze remained on his name.
His name came up repeatedly in Lori’s hidden notes, her records p>
That’s when I realized finding Adrian’s father wasn’t the end of all this.
Daniel was only the trail to something far bigger and probably more corrupt than we imagined.