His father, though, was relentless. He had sworn upon himself that he will save his son.
From dawn till dusk, he searched every company he could find, different methods he could use to save his son's life, from physical to chemical and even spiritual.
But every company he contacted, they could only promise a few more months for Alex to live and nothing more.
He traveled the entire world, meeting different people and organizations, from international companies to small clinics in the streets, continuously searching for a way.
Dean was a brilliant entrepreneur who had made his company prosper by his own endeavor. When he stopped coming to business meetings, his company started sinking. This continued for five months. Eventually, he got himself ill due to neglecting his own health.
In the end, he was left with poor health and only 10% of his total wealth.
He was in Germany, working on his laptop to at least know how bad had his company fallen after a long time. It appeared like that physically, but he kept thinking about how miserably he failed and thought what he could have done in his mind.
***'Sorry for leaving you early, dear.'
Dean held the hand of his wife, who weakly gripped his in return.
'Don't say that. I know the medicines are working. The doctors say so too. You don't have to worry about anything else. You only need to focus on getting better.'
Fate had robbed the beauty his wife once was. She didn't want to be seen by her husband, but he refused to be separated from her. To Dean, she still was the only gem that sparkled in his eyes.
'They say that this can be genetically transferred, and I'm worried about Alex. Make sure he doesn't get it when he gets older, okay?'
Like a true mother, even at death's doorstep, she worried for her child. She hadn't given up on herself yet either, but that will was barely alive. For now, all she thought about was the future of her son.
'Don't worry, I'll take good care of him. But you know I'm not good with kids, you need to help me too. He is really attached to you, and I know he will give me a tough time. So…get better.'
His wife only giggled, listening to her husband whine.***
--I should have kept him in check when she died. I knew there was a possibility that it could genetically transfer. Even if not that early, I should have kept that in mind and have him get diagnosed when he was 12 or 13.
His eyes again started sending tears to the ground. He violently banged the table.
'Why didn't I take care of the only thing she left behind!? I had to do one job! One Job! He is my son!'
Calming himself, he glanced at the laptop's screen to see a new email. Thinking it was probably from his company, he opened it, but his hands shook when he read the email.
Mr. Dean, news of you searching for a cure for an incurable disease all around the world has become quite famous, and finally, it has piqued our interest. We may have what you have been searching for all this time and perhaps even more but for a price, of course. If you agree to our terms, then we can begin without a problem. Please contact us at the number below if you are interested.
xoxx-xxooxox
The email was a symbol of hope to him.
When in darkness, humans tend to reach out for light no matter how faint it might be. It does not matter if it will save them, as long as there's hope, they will try.
That is the nature of humans.
Without wasting a moment, he dialed the number. As soon as he pressed 'call,' the screen of his laptop went blank.
A video started playing on it.
He couldn't see anything in it until a man opened a door. The light that came from there revealed that it was a room, but Dean couldn't make out his face because it was so dark.
He sat down on something which looked like a chair and faced towards the camera. It looked like a live chat.
'This is a live chat, Mr. Dean.'
The man startled him, and Dean sprang to his feet, nearly dropping his laptop.
'Please be calm, Mr. Dean. I am a representative of the company you have called and am simply here to discuss terms and conditions with you.'
'Ah...Of-of course, but um... you see the thing is that I'm in a little bit of an economic crisis right now and I'm sure the treatment will cost a fortune, so I can only pay you some advance for now, but I will pay yo-'
Dean started expressing his first and foremost thoughts.
'Please bear it in mind that we do not require money. In fact, the treatment itself is free of cost.'
The man interrupted Dean and also surprised him. A treatment that can cure brain cancer stage 4 for free, who wouldn't be surprised.
'I-I see so-'
'However, there is a price, as mentioned in the email.'
'What is it? Do you need a donor?'
'No, nothing like that. You see, our treatment is highly experimental, and there is a 60%/40% chance that it will be successful. If it fails, the patient will die.'