"All my stuff... everything I own... donate it to charity. Use my body for research... give it to a med school."
In the emergency room, Lawton Carter lay on the bed, struggling to get words out as he stared at the people around him.
His lawyer quickly jotted everything down, then leaned in and quietly asked, "Is there... anyone you'd like to see, sir?"
Someone he wanted to see?
Of course there was.
Two familiar faces popped up in Lawton’s mind.
No one ever knew he had a wife and a daughter once. But...
He’d let them down. Badly.
He was just twenty when his family pushed him into marrying a woman.
But marriage didn’t change him—Lawton had no clue what responsibility meant.
He kept partying, drinking with his buddies, going out all the time. Never once did he step up as a husband or father. Never once did he think of the family waiting at home.
If only...
If he could just see those two again before he passed, that would mean everything.
Memories came flooding back like scenes from a movie, each one stabbing at his conscience.
He couldn’t believe how heartless he’d been.
He wanted to slap himself, hard.
Lawton Carter, you’re not even worthy of being buried next to them.
You're a damn disgrace.
But it was all too late. Those two beloved faces in his mind started to blur…
The EKG let out a flat beep.
The doctor sighed. "We’ve lost him. Time of death confirmed."
Everyone around gasped.
The once-feared Lawton Carter... was gone.
…
A blinding light flashed across his eyes. Lawton winced, feeling like his retinas were burning—then came a flood of noise in his ears—
"Lawton, come on! Drink up! Tonight’s for us brothers—let’s go all out!"
"You're the man, Lawton! Always treating us when you’ve got cash. Tonight, we don’t stop till someone passes out!"
"Lawton, here's to you, bottoms up!"
Lawton opened his eyes with some effort—and then just froze.
Hold on... what was going on?
The room, the broken table, the cracked walls, the heavy smell of booze everywhere... it was all too familiar.
"Lawton, what’s up? Don’t tell me you’re missing your wife or something?” The guy next to him gave him a sleazy grin.
"No way," someone else scoffed. "Come on, Lawton never cared about that woman. Don’t bring her up and kill the mood. Let’s drink!"
They clinked their glasses and chugged down the liquor, while Lawton sat there, stunned.
Wasn't he... dead?
Just then, a guy burst in, panting. "Lawton! Olivia took a bad fall—Elena took her to the village clinic! You better get over there!"
Olivia fell?
Lawton’s heart dropped.
Wasn’t this exactly what happened thirty years ago?
He jumped to his feet, so fast it made everyone around him flinch.
A wild thought shot through his mind.
No way...
Had he come back?
He scrambled to ask, panic in his voice, "What year is it? What day is today?!"
One guy laughed, "Lawton, man, you’re wasted! It’s August 3rd, 1988. You really don’t remember?"
August 3rd?
The color drained from Lawton’s face.
Of course—this was the day everything went to hell.
In his past life, he’d blown the last bit of money they had on a booze night with his buddies.
Meanwhile, little Olivia suffered a head injury. Elena rushed her to the clinic, but Dr. Michael Collins refused to treat her because they couldn’t pay.
Left with no choice, Elena had to carry their bleeding child all the way to the town three miles away.When Lawton Carter got there, it was already too late. His daughter, Olivia, had lost too much blood and died in Elena’s arms.
And right in front of his eyes, Elena couldn’t take it. She jumped off the building.
It wasn’t until he was holding her cold body that the doctor finally told Lawton—Elena had been pregnant. The baby… didn’t even get a chance to be born.
That thought stabbed through him, sharp and cold.
Sure, he hadn’t killed them with his own hands. But he’d taken the money that could’ve saved them. Left them to die without help. That guilt? It crushed him.
No. Not again. Not this time.
If fate decided to give him one more shot, he was damn sure he’d make it right.
With that, Lawton turned and ran.
Behind him, one of his buddies shouted, “Hey! Lawton! Where you going? We’re not done drinking!”
Lawton didn’t even glance back. He bolted toward the village clinic as fast as he could.
He stumbled who knows how many times on the way, but kept pushing forward.
Should’ve never touched a drop tonight, damn it!
He pinched his own thigh hard, trying to stay sharp.
Just past the alley, the clinic came into view. And before he even made it through the door, he could already hear Michael Collins’s mocking voice.
“Girl, you married a bum like Lawton Carter—what did you expect? Misery’s your destiny. Take your kid and get outta my clinic. Don’t bring your bad luck in here.”
Lawton froze. Hands clenched, jaw tight.
And inside, Elena was on her knees, begging.
“Dr. Collins, please. I beg you, help Olivia. She’s bleeding so much. If you don’t help now, she’ll die. I’m willing to do anything. Work for you, repay you tenfold—just save her.”
Michael looked disgusted, like the sight of her made him sick.
“I’m not a damn charity. Why should I help some kid that ain’t mine?”
Elena’s forehead was bleeding from how hard she’d knocked it on the ground, but she didn’t care.
“I’ll find a job. I’ll pay you back right away—I swear, just help her...”
Michael snorted.
Then stepped toward her, something off in his eyes.
Looking over her simple clothes—she wasn’t dressed fancy, but there was grace in the way she carried herself. That only made his thoughts dirtier.
“So if I save the kid... does that mean you’ll do whatever I want?” he said.
Elena looked up, and that’s when she saw that glint in his eyes.
She trembled, quickly changed her words, “Her father... he’ll pay you back. Lawton will.”
Michael burst out laughing. “Lawton Carter? That waste of space? The man only knows how to drink and party. He earn money? Might as well wait for pigs to fly!”
The hurtful truth in his words left Elena silent.
Around here, Lawton was known for exactly that.
Michael reached toward Elena’s face with a greedy grin. “Face like this... smooth as silk, huh?”
Elena jerked back instantly, eyes filled with fear.
Clear rejection.
Michael’s hand met nothing but air. His mood soured instantly.
“No money? Then get out! I’m not running a free hospital here. Take her to the town’s clinic if you want handouts!”
Elena bit her lip hard, nowhere else left to turn.
She hugged Olivia tightly. The little girl, pale and barely conscious, looked more fragile than ever.
Her heart broke with every breath.
“Olivia, hold on, baby. Mama’s gonna take you to the town hospital... you’ll be okay…”
She knew time was running out, and the trip might be too far. But what else was there to do?
She stood, clutching Olivia close.
And just then, the crowd parted, and someone sprinted through.
It was Lawton.