I stepped out of the hospital and checked my phone.
A message was waiting.
From Raina.
I had fun too. I'd love to do it again sometime.
For a second everything else went quiet.
Then reality came back in.
I called the office.
"Hey, it's Ethan. I'm going to be late today."
A pause. "Everything okay?"
"No. Family emergency. I'll be in later."
"Take care of what you need to."
The bank felt colder than the hospital.
I sat across from the loan officer while he pulled up my file. His face was the kind of neutral that people learn when their job requires delivering bad news regularly.
"What amount are you applying for?" he asked.
"Fifty thousand."
He nodded and started typing.
I watched his face instead of the screen. Waiting. Measuring.
His expression didn't change and that was already a bad sign.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Crux," he said. "Based on your current income and credit profile you don't qualify for that amount."
My fingers pressed slightly against my knee.
"What's the maximum I qualify for?"
"Significantly lower," he said. "And even then approval isn't guaranteed."
"Alright."
I stood and walked out.
Fifty thousand and I couldn't get close. I ran the numbers in my head on the way to the car. Savings. What I could access immediately. Not enough. Not even half.
I called Marcus from the parking lot.
He picked up fast. "Ethan. What's going on?"
"I need help," I said.
That was enough.
"How bad?"
"My mum's in the hospital. She needs surgery."
Silence. Then, "How much?"
"Anything you can spare."
A breath on the other end. "I just moved everything into stocks," he said. "Locked positions. If I pull out now I take a serious hit."
I closed my eyes briefly.
"How much liquid do you have right now?"
"Almost nothing," he admitted. "I'm sorry. If I could I would. You know that."
"I know."
Work felt wrong when I got there.
Like I wasn't supposed to be sitting at a desk today. I opened a file and stared at it and none of it stuck. My brain kept drifting back to the billing coordinator's office. Eighty thousand. Days.
"Ethan."
I looked up.
Kuro was standing at my desk watching me with the expression of someone who already knew something was wrong before they asked.
"You look like hell," he said.
"Feel worse."
He pulled up a chair without being invited.
"What's going on?"
I hesitated. Then told him. Not everything. Just enough. Hospital. Surgery. Cost.
His expression tightened. "Damn."
"Yeah."
He leaned back thinking. "I can't do anything big. Money's tight right now." He paused. "But I can give you five."
I looked at him.
"Five thousand. That's all I can free up."
It wasn't enough.
"Thank you," I said.
"Don't thank me yet. It's a loan."
"I'll pay you back."
"I know you will." He studied me for a second. "You should talk to Brian."
I shook my head. "I don't want to drag him into this."
"You're not dragging him. You're asking for help."
"I'll figure it out."
He didn't push. But he didn't look convinced either.
By the time the day ended I had the numbers lined up in my head.
Savings. Kuro's five thousand. What I could pull together immediately.
Twenty-five thousand. Still not enough.
I stopped by the hospital on the way home and bought fruit from the stand outside. Something simple. Something that felt normal.
She smiled when I walked in.
"You came back."
"Of course I did."
I set the bag down and pulled up the chair beside her bed. I peeled an apple slowly, keeping my hands steady because it gave me something to focus on.
"I'm sorry," she said.
I looked up.
"For not telling you sooner," she continued. "You've been working so hard. I didn't want to add to it."
"You should have told me."
"I thought it would pass."
"It didn't."
She smiled faintly. "No."
I handed her a slice. She took it.
"Have you heard from Nathan?" I asked.
Her expression softened. "No."
I nodded.
Nathan.
He wasn't just a name. He was late night talks on the roof when the house was too loud to sleep in. The one who always took the blame when things went wrong just to keep the peace. The one who taught me that you get back up not because it stops hurting but because staying down is worse. The only person who ever made carrying things feel less like carrying them alone.
Then he was gone.
One bad fight with our father and it was like a line had been cut clean. Last I heard he was getting married. An old address somewhere. No invitation. Nothing after that.
"I'll reach him," I said.
She didn't argue.
"It's going to be fine," I added.
The words felt thin but I said them anyway. She looked at me like she wanted to believe it.
She fell asleep not long after.
I stayed until her breathing evened out then left quietly.
Outside I called Nathan.
The number didn't connect.
I tried again.
Same result.
I stared at the screen for a moment then typed.
Call me back. It's about Mum.
I slipped the phone into my coat and drove home.
The shower didn't help. Lying in bed didn't help. Twenty-five thousand. A gap I couldn't close on my own. Time I didn't have.
The next morning I stopped by the hospital before heading to work.
She was awake. Still smiling. Still pretending.
I sat with her for twenty minutes and left.
When I got to the studio Brian's assistant met me at the door and said Brian wanted to see me.
I walked in.
Brian was at his desk. A man sat across from him. Sharp suit. Controlled posture. The kind of presence that evaluated rooms before settling into them.
"Ethan," Brian said. "This is Michael Fisk. He represents Mr. Zedd."
I nodded. "Nice to meet you."
Fisk shook my hand. Brief and direct. "I've reviewed your portfolio," he said. "You're exactly what we need for this."
He placed a folder on the desk and opened it.
"We want to begin the promotional visuals for the Abu Dahar event immediately. Minimal. Clean. Strong visual hierarchy. No unnecessary elements."
He slid the references forward.
I studied them. Precise. Intentional. The brief was clear.
"I understand," I said.
"Initial drafts within forty-eight hours. Final delivery shortly after."
"That won't be a problem."
He held my gaze for a moment then nodded once.
Contracts were signed. Hands were shaken. Fisk left.
Brian looked at me. "Something on your mind?"
I exhaled slowly. "My mother is in the hospital. She needs surgery."
His expression shifted. "I'm sorry to hear that Ethan."
"I wanted to ask if it's possible to get my salary upfront."
He thought for a moment. "I can approve a salary advance. But commission payments are handled above me. Head office. It takes time."
"I understand."
"It won't be a large amount," he added.
"I know."
I left his office and stood in the hallway.
Salary advance. Kuro's five thousand. My savings.
The gap was still there no matter how many times I added it up.
Time was running out and I still didn't have a solution.