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“What does your story have to do with the reason you’re holding my sister and me hostage?” Kiana demanded.
The man scowled at Kiana. “I’m getting to that.
“Anyway, the paternity test came back proving I was the father. Because I was married, I couldn’t put my name on the birth certificate or publicly claim Tina as my own. Martina wasn’t happy with that and wanted me to take her in with the child to make certain she was cared for properly.”
Kiana stilled, wanting to hear more about her mother.
“When Martina moved in with Tina, I was beside myself with the joy of being a father. Until I noticed Tina had swelling around her eyes, feet and ankles. More than should be there, even for a chunky baby. And she had a fever we couldn’t get under control.
“I had a doctor come to the house to examine her. He recommended I take her to a specialist. The specialist ran tests on that poor baby.” The man stared across the room as if seeing into the past. “My beautiful baby girl was in kidney failure.”
Kiana’s chest tightened at the anguish in the man’s tone.
He nodded toward Kiana and Meredith. “Where you and your sister were born healthy and perfect, my darling Tina was not as fortunate. Within a few days of her birth, we were told her kidneys weren’t functioning. If she didn’t get a kidney transplant, she’d be on dialysis and potentially die before her first birthday.”
He pushed a hand through his perfectly combed hair, making it stand on end.
“I have money,” he said. “Lots of money, but money alone wouldn’t solve the problem. Tina needed a viable kidney from a donor who matched her as closely to perfect as possible. I was tested as a potential donor but wasn’t as close of a match as Martina.”
“Martina gave Tina a kidney,” Meredith filled in.
The man nodded. “She did.” He smiled. “Tina flourished, eating and drinking like a normal baby, if a little weaker than most. We homeschooled her to keep her from catching the sickness of the day from other school children.”
He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing his saga. “When she was around thirteen years old, she got so sick we rushed her to the hospital. After all the good years, her body was rejecting her only kidney. It was failing fast. She needed a new one. Martina only had one kidney left, but she wanted Tina to have it. She offered to go on dialysis until a donor kidney could be found to save Tina from having to. The doctors refused to take Martina’s kidney and give it to Tina. We were desperate. Martina insisted she wanted to give Tina the kidney. I had the resources, so I brought in everything we’d need here to my home. We set up an operating room, purchased an in-home kidney dialysis machine and flew in the best transplant doctors from other countries.”
Kiana’s gut clenched. “You performed the transplant here?”
He nodded. “We had everything set up perfectly with all the equipment necessary and the right people to make it happen flawlessly.”
Kiana’s stomach roiled. The bright overhead lights, the gurneys, the sterile environment were all making terrible sense now.
“Obviously, the transplant worked. Tina’s alive as of the last time we messaged each other,” Meredith said.
Tina’s father nodded. “Tina came through wonderfully.”
“And our mother?” Kiana asked, already knowing the answer.
“They did the best they could.” He stared at the wall behind Kiana and Meredith. “She suffered a pulmonary embolism. Nothing they could do could save her. She died that day.”
Tears slipped from the corners of Kiana’s eyes. She’d never know the mother she’d just found. Ignoring the massive headache, she turned toward Meredith, her sister. They locked gazes, tears flowing.
Meredith’s lips pressed into a tight line, and she glared at Tina’s father. “In effect, you killed her. How is it you’re not in jail? You murdered our mother.”
“I saved my daughter,” he insisted. “Martina made her choice. She knew the risks.”
“There’s no record of her death,” Kiana said. “We found the birth certificates but no death certificate for Martina Akana.”
Tina’s father shook his head slowly. “I didn’t marry Martina. I still have a wife in New York City whom I never see. Martina lived a good life with no record of her actually living here. We were only lovers once.”
“Oh, my God,” Meredith cried. “What did you do with her body?”
He straightened his shoulders. “I had her cremated and spread her ashes in the ocean, as per her request.”
For a long moment, silence reigned as Kiana and Meredith digested all the man had said.
“Tina mentioned she was unwell,” Meredith said quietly. “Is that why we’re here?” She said it so resolutely.
Tina’s father nodded.
