Across town, Monica stood silently by her bed, knitting needles in hand. The gold medal she'd just won? She tossed it into the trash.
Daniels barged in, beaming.
"Monica! I'm so happy for you! Mom and Dad are going to be over the moon."
"Dannie… pick any outfit design you want—make it complicated. I'll knit it for you, free of charge."
Daniels blinked. "Wait, you're knitting? But… Mom said—"
"Mom said nothing that matters," Monica interrupted sharply. "As long as Nate believes in my passion, I don't need anyone else's opinion. So—are you in, or out?"
Daniels hesitated. "But what if Mom—?"
"You see the door?" she asked, calmly pointing. "Use it."
He sighed and left.
"Mommy's boy," Monica murmured, shutting her door and returning to her yarn.
—
Back at home, Evan handed an envelope to Vicky.
"This is my prize money. Add it to Mom's surgery fund."
Vicky shook her head. "No, Evan. This is yours. You earned it."
"But it could help Mom—"
"I know. And I'm proud of you. But you can't keep giving yourself away like this."
"Why don't you ever let us help?" Emily asked softly.
"Help me? Sweetheart, you help more than you know. But you need to think of yourselves too. Mom would be devastated if she knew you were sacrificing your dreams for her."
"Would she stop recovering if we made her sad?" Emily asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, and we can't let that happen. So go—take the laptop and study."
Emily nodded and disappeared into her room.
"Sis," Evan began, voice tight, "You never take care of yourself. You sold your iPhone, you plan events without rest, sell refreshments under the sun, cook at Sarge non-stop…and still, you won't take this small money from me."
Vicky pulled a crumpled flier from the bin.
"I'm not the only one doing that," she said. "You were going to throw away your shot at the Methalon Quiz Competition?"
"I need 500 dollars for the entry fee. I don't have that kind of money…"
"But you do. It's in your hands. You want to help Mom, I get it. But not like this—not by robbing yourself of your future."
Evan hesitated. "But Vicky… we only have two months left. If we don't make it, we'll have to pay another 10k just to keep her alive…"
Vicky placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. God will find a way."
"Are you sure I should take it?"
"Yes. First and second place get a 100k full scholarship. I believe in you."
Evan hugged her tightly. "Thank you, sister."
As he left, Vicky looked out the window, a quiet fire in her eyes.
"I won't gamble my brother's dreams. I'll work harder… twenty thousand in two months. I don't know how yet, but I will."