-Hazel-
I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing across the pillow beside Ma's head. For a moment, I didn't recognize where I was. The mattress was too soft, the silence too heavy. Then it hit me.
I'd done it. I'd signed the contract. The word "surrogate" settled into my chest like a stone. The phone vibrated again. I reached for it with a half-numb hand, blinking at the screen.
Mabel.
Of course. She must've seen the missed calls I ignored yesterday. I hesitated, swallowing the knot in my throat I stepped outside before I answered. "Hey."
"Hazel, if you don't start talking in the next three seconds, I swear I'll break into wherever you're hiding and shake the truth out of you. Where have you been? How's your mom? I've called you, like, twenty times!"
I laughed softly, though it was weak. "Sorry. It's been… a lot."
"A lot? Hazel, you disappeared for an entire day, and now you sound like a ghost. What the hell happened? Is your mom fine now?"
I sat up, running a hand through my hair. Yes, she's fine but my mouth felt dry. "Mabel… I did something."
There was silence on the line. The kind where I knew she was sitting up straight, already bracing herself.
"What kind of something?"
I pulled my knees to my chest, curling into myself on the bed. "I signed a contract.
"What kind of contract?"
I exhaled shakily. "A surrogacy contract."
Hold up— "…You mean like… a baby kind of surrogacy?"
"Yes."
"Wait. Wait. Like… carry a stranger's child for nine months, get paid a fortune, and pretend it's normal?"
I winced. "Basically."
"Are you insane?!"
There it was. The explosion I was waiting for.
"Girl, what the actual hell? Who even—how did this—wait? Start from the beginning. Now."
So I did. I told her about the hospital bill, the huge deposit needed, how my mom's condition worsened, and how I walked into that high-rise clinic because of the info I got and walked out with my signature on something that felt far more dangerous than it looked.
When I was finished, the line was quiet again.
"Wow," Mabel finally whispered. "… I don't know whether to slap you or hug you."
"I'll take either," I muttered, voice cracking.
Her tone softened. "You did this… for your mom?"
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "The treatments she needs… they're too expensive. She's getting worse every day, and I couldn't watch her suffer anymore. I couldn't."
There was a pause before Mabel exhaled. "You're so damn stubborn."
"I know."
"And self-sacrificial. Which is stupid, by the way."
"I know baby girl."
"And you didn't tell me because…?"
"I didn't want to talk myself out of it. You would've talked me out of it, Mabel. And part of me wanted that. But I couldn't afford to want that."
She was quiet again, then sighed. "So… this contract. Are you okay with it?"
I hesitated. "I don't know. It doesn't feel real yet."
"What about the family ?"
"Its just a guy no family was mentioned ."
" A guy you've met? She asks."
"Never met him. It's… all very clinical. The contract said no personal contact. I'm not supposed to know anything about him. They even had someone else speak on his behalf."
Mabel made a sound of disbelief. "And that's not suspicious to you?"
"Everything about this is suspicious. But they've got the money. And yesterday, they already made the first payment to the hospital."
"They did?"
"Yeah. I checked. It's real. They're not playing around."
Mabel's voice dropped to a near-whisper. "Girl this is a lot."
"But I'm here. Okay? Every step of the way. Whether you end up carrying an alien baby or a billionaire's lovechild—I'm not letting you go through it alone."
That got a small laugh out of me. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."
"You always have me. Always."
We stayed on the phone for a few more minutes—talking nonsense, swapping sarcasm like a lifeline—and for a moment, I forgot what I'd signed up for.
Until the call came.
My phone buzzed again, and I pulled it away to glance at the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER.
"Hold on, I've got another call," I told Mabel.
"Don't hang up unless it's the universe calling," she grumbled.
I tapped to switch lines. "Hello?"
"Miss Hazel. This is Ellie from the clinic."
My chest tightened. "Hi."
"I'm calling to confirm that the embryo transfer procedure is scheduled for tomorrow morning at eight. Transportation will be arranged. Please do not eat until instructed otherwise."
"…Tomorrow?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"No—no, I just… didn't expect it to happen so soon."
"We moved the day quickly for privacy reasons. You'll be fine. Please rest well today."
Before I could process anything else, she hung up.
I sat frozen, the words echoing in my head,Tomorrow.
Everything I'd agreed to—everything I wasn't emotionally ready for—was going to happen tomorrow.
Suddenly, the air in the room felt too thin. I clicked back to Mabel. "It's happening."
"What is?"
"The procedure. Tomorrow."
"Holy crap."
"Yeah."
Mabel was silent for a beat. "What do you need me to do?"
I didn't know. I didn't even know what I needed.
"I think I just need to breathe," I whispered.
"Then breathe, babe. And eat something. I'll call you tonight, okay?"
"Okay."
I hung up, placed the phone beside me, and stared at the wall for what felt like hours. I tried to pretend this was just another morning. But it wasn't and for a long time to come nothing would ever be normal again.
I went back inside and found Ma curled up in bed, thinner than she'd been yesterday . Her eyes lit up the second she saw me.
"Hey, baby," she smiled weakly.
"Hi, Ma."
I sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing the blanket over her legs. She took my hand in hers, fingers cold but firm.
"Where'd you disappear to yesterday?"
I tried to smile. "I had to figure something out."
"Oh?"
"I… I found a way to cover your hospital bills."
Her brows pinched in confusion. "Hazel—how?"
I took a breath, heart heavy. "I signed a contract. For a lot of money. Enough to keep you in treatment and cover all the debt."
She stiffened. "What kind of contract?"
I looked down. "A surrogacy agreement."
Her silence hurt more than her words ever could.
"I know it sounds crazy," I whispered, voice shaking. "But I was out of options. And I couldn't watch you suffer another while I sat helpless."
She reached out, cupping my cheek with trembling fingers. "You did that… for me?"
Tears pooled in my eyes. "Of course I did. You're my whole world."
"Oh, baby…" Her voice cracked as her tears welled. "You shouldn't have had to do that."
"I wanted to," I said. "I was scared. And desperate. But this… this is the only thing I could give. The only thing I had to offer."
Her arms wrapped around me, frail but warm. And I crumbled.
I cried into her shoulder, letting out every ounce of pressure I'd buried since signing the contract. She cried too, holding me like I was still her little girl.
"I'll be okay," I whispered into her hair. "We both will."
She nodded, sniffling. "You're the bravest soul I know, Hazel."
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that bravery didn't just mean surviving but somehow thriving, even in the madness.
But as I held my mother and stared at the closed door of the life I'd left behind, I knew I was stepping into something bigger than either of us could imagine.
And tomorrow… that door would swing open.