Not Your Doormat Anymore

"Aunt Margaret, I don't want to go with him. He's going to experiment on me!" Kourtney cried. "I'd rather marry the man you said just give him the money to pay off the debt! If he's not happy about it, he'll call the police. Please help me!"

As Margaret hesitated, Kourtney reached toward her. Margaret quickly dodged. "This woman has nothing to do with our family. Get lost-take her with you! If she racked up the medical debt, that's on her. Why should I pay for it? Take her away -I'm not spending a single cent on her!"

With Margaret no longer in our way, we returned to the car without issue. Seeing the smile slowly return to Kourtney's face, I could not help but smile, too.

"I never would've guessed you had that kind of talent," I teased.

Kourtney blushed, her cheeks glowing. "I was just afraid she wouldn't let me go..." She snuck a glance at me, her voice getting quieter. "I'm not usually like that, Dr. Ranford. You know that."

I laughed. "I know."

I had always known how kind Kourtney was, but I had to admit, her performance today was impressive. Without it, we might not have gotten out so easily.

"Um, Dr. Ranford... Do I really owe you that much money?" Kourtney asked, working up the courage to look at me. She had never paid attention to the medical bills those had always been handled by her parents.

Seeing her pitiful expression, I couldn't resist messing with her a little. "Of course."

"670 thousand dollars is too much..." Her face twisted with worry. "I'll work hard to pay you back. I swear, I won't skip out on it."

Her features scrunched up in determination. Then, she raised a hand solemnly, as if swearing an oath. Knowing her personality, she probably would work herself to the bone trying to repay a nonexistent debt.

So, I waved it off. "You don't owe me anything. I made that up to scare them off."

"What? You lied to them?" Kourtney blinked in disbelief, eyes wide and round. She slapped a hand over her mouth. "Then just now, when I..."

"I was just teasing you."

She puffed out her cheeks, clearly flustered but even cuter than before.

Trying not to laugh, I explained, "I wasn't really afraid of her, but still... we're in a rural village. If she'd called over a bunch of guys to block the road, we might not have been able to leave. I had to say something to make her want you gone."

"Dr. Ranford, that was amazing!" Kourtney said, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

I nodded. "So now, will you finally follow my medical advice?"

Her smile faltered. "I don't have that kind of money..." she said softly.

She had left with me quite suddenly, so she had nothing but her ID and phone. Her phone only had a few hundred dollars her parents had left her enough for some food but not much else.

Then, she remembered something and looked pained. "I just bought new medicine, and I didn't even bring it. It was over 70 dollars a box..."

I sighed. "Forget the money. I'll buy the meds. You just need to follow the

instructions and take them properly."noveldrama

"But—But I can't just use your money like that!"

After thinking it over, she said

earnestly "Can I put in writing that I'll

pay you back? I'll look for a job as soon as we get to Dynora. I swear I'll pay you back with my first paycheck!"

"And what if you don't?" I teased.

"I will! I promise!" She was about to swear again when I stopped her.

"Alright, alright," I said, chuckling. "You just graduated this year, right? You're a fresh grad, aren't you?"