He frowned and snapped at me. "Spit it out! If you've got something to say, say it!"
I took a deep breath.
"The test results came back."
"Laurel... has been diagnosed with leukemia. The doctor says she needs a bone marrow transplant."
The chopsticks in my parents' hands froze mid-air.
Disbelief flooded both their faces. "That's impossible! How could that be? How could your sister be sick? And with that disease?"
"Is it serious? Does it cost a lot? What even is a bone marrow transplant?"
The smile on my sister's face vanished, replaced instantly by raw fear.
She spent every day either at work or sprawled on the couch watching TV. She never exercised. Her complexion was already paler than most people's.
Now, hearing she had a serious illness, every inch of her body suddenly felt wrong.
Her lips trembled. "Lily, you're making this up. How could I possibly be sick?"
"There's no way. There's absolutely no way!"
"I didn't want to keep it from you," I said, "but it's the truth."
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself."
I handed her my own lab report, crumpled into a ball so the name was impossible to read.
My mother snatched it with shaking hands.
She didn't bother checking the name at the top, already blurred by tearstains. Her eyes went straight to the results.
The moment she saw the word leukemia, her legs buckled and she nearly collapsed.
She burst into sobs. "What did we do to deserve this? How could she get a disease like that out of nowhere?"
My sister's face went whiter than before. She held the report in both hands, fat teardrops splashing one by one onto the paper.
She shook her head frantically. "No, it's not true. It's not me. It can't be!"
Dad pulled Laurel into his arms and murmured softly, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm going to find the best doctor to treat you. Everything's going to be fine."
That night, Dad started pulling every string he had, reaching out to contacts for a reliable specialist. Mom sat hunched over her phone, searching everything she could find about leukemia. Neither of them slept. They spent the entire night making calls and reading articles.
Eventually, Dad managed to track down a doctor through his connections. After reviewing the test results, the doctor said the situation wasn't critical. With proper treatment, there was still a good chance of recovery. But the most urgent priority was finding a bone marrow match.