Her Loss
Despite the Rohans’ declaration that they would decide to let go of the case if the culprit fulfilled their demand, the Kayooma law still bound Maze anyway.
Arson wasn’t just a crime against the victim, it was a crime against the state too.
Reyona and Maxwell demanded that for the next three years, Maze would donate a pint of blood every eight weeks.
That would be about 7 pints of blood that he would donate in a year.
Altogether, in the three-year duration, he should have donated about 20 pints of blood.
Then, apart from that, as long as he lived, he would be on hand for any blood donation that the Rohans would ask of him.
With compensation, of course.
There was also a clause that he should pass this knowledge down to his generation.
For as long as they live, any of his generation with the Rh Null blood type can go to any branch of Saintwell Hospital anywhere in the world to donate blood.
No questions asked, and they would be generously rewarded too.
Though Maze had scoffed at that as he told them that he had no intention of having a family, the clause had been added.
“Just in case,” Reyona had said, wondering how he could easily forget the existence of the children he had fathered.
The judge found the request a bit odd but then when the prosecuting lawyer explained the reason to him, he granted the demand.
Maze didn’t bother to get lawyers, so a public defender was appointed for him.
The lawyer didn’t have to do much anyway, because Maze turned cooperative after the meeting with Reyona.
He pleaded guilty and the court considered that too.
Kayooma’s law was very heavy on the punishment of life-threatening offenders like arsonists.
His appointed lawyer explained the gravity of what his punishment could be for him.
Of course, now that the victim had decided to let go of the case, it might be better.
Still, anything from five years imprisonment to a lifetime imprisonment was probable.
Maze cooperated as he was advised to.
Especially now that he was already on the bad side of the judge because of his initial uncooperative attitude.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
To everyone’s surprise, after stamping the document which held Reyona and Maze’s signatures, the judge gave his verdict.
First, Maze must adhere to the conditions of the agreement.
If he so much as missed any of the appointments in all three years, he would be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
“Well, there would hardly be a chance for you to miss your appointment,” he added, then paused as everyone waited with bated breath for the main sentence.
“I hereby sentence you to three years imprisonment,” he said with the thump of his gavel.
Maze had been expecting so much more that a sigh of relief escaped his mouth.
Then he cursed the day that he first met that bitch called Susan.
All she had ever brought him was demands and trouble.
And this was the worst one yet.
Still, he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to face the full wrath of the law though.
He could still go to New York after three years.
After all, they had not confiscated the money that Rohan gave him.
The judge rounded up the case by saying any attempt to interrupt the donation by not taking care of his health or indulging in any habit that could affect his blood could still earn him a lifelong jail term.
The prison would take care of his nutrition for that duration too.
Though he was an offender of the state, he would be doing a service for the state in a way after all.
By providing what could save the future of the state too – the kids and anyone who benefitted from the donation.
Reyona and Maxwell were just happy that they could secure a future for the kids in a way and others that might ever need such.
An agreement was reached with Saintwell Hospital, with Andrea being the pioneer of the project, of course.
They were to handle the blood donations and secure them at Saintwell Blood Bank.
Andrea was in charge of the project, and she was to pass the knowledge of the project on to anyone who would succeed her, no matter how long it was.
The blood could be given out to others to ensure its durability and efficacy.
But it should only be given out as a loan until it can be replenished.
Under no circumstances should a Rohan need the transfusion and no Saintwell hospital would be able to provide it.
With the connections that Saintwell has with different medical institutions and organisations, Andrea and the board believed that it should be a viable arrangement.
Then Maxwell also donated twenty million dollars to the ongoing research that Saintwell was working on.
A machine that could preserve blood for a longer duration and higher functioning refrigerated centrifuges to enhance separation.
The couple were a bit more relaxed after the verdict had been given and Maze was shipped to Kayooma Federal Prison.
Maxwell had already told Steve he wanted nothing to do with hearing about Susan’s case.
But then, his friend still told him about it anyway.
And he in turn told Reyona.
The name retrieval case was the first thing that was dealt with.
By the time they started hearing about her myriads of offences, she had reverted to her mother’s birth name.
Susan Novotny was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
She had agreed to use the prosthetic arm, but that wouldn’t stop her immediate transfer to jail.
She would start her term while the stump healed, and then she would get a temporary prosthetic arm until she was used to it.
Finally, she will be fitted with a permanent one.
After Steve stopped talking, Maxwell said “I don’t care.”
“Right.” Steve said sarcastically, “How could I have forgotten that?”
Then he chuckled “Admit it, Max. Under all that hard shell of yours, you are an incurable softie. One just needs to see you with that wife of yours to know that.” Then he sighed “It is her loss that she lost the right to call you family, Max. You did what you could. Your dad would understand.”