Flash SF: The Philanthropist’s Dilema

“At this stage, Mr. Haro, we have exhausted all options,” the doctor was explaining softly. “It’s time to settle your affairs.”

Haro nodded slightly from his prone position, where numerous tubes and wires bound him to the bed, which he now knew he would never rise from again.

He waited for the electrodes to stimulate his diaphragm, inflating his lungs, and spoke through the exhale. “All is settled,” he paused for the inhale. “There is only this matter…” The word faded off as his breath failed him.

The doctor leaned in slightly, “I have several recipients lined up. Your eyes will restore one person’s vision. Your kidneys will save two lives, and your liver will be divided up to save the lives of numerous people. Additional recipients will have their quality of life improved with your other organs.”

“Mr. Haro,” the man in a business suit sitting across the bed, interrupted, and the doctor flashed an angry look. “Your condition may be incurable now, but medical science is potentially only a few years from a cure. I can almost guarantee you would be in stasis for less than a decade. Then you could continue your charitable work, saving millions of lives rather than just the handful your organs will save.”

“Mr. Haro,” the doctor countered, “If you are resuscitated ten years from now, you won’t have the assets to continue your work. Everything you own now will be redistributed according to your will following your death.”

“Only because the courts do not recognize the potential for life. You might be clinically dead, but not permanently dead,” the finely dressed man leaned in and gently squeezed Mr. Haro’s hand. “With the wealth of your estate, we could easily prevent the redistribution of your assets for ten years, and when you are resurrected, we will set an historic legal precedent.”

“What if…” it was the doctor’s turn to lean in now. “What if you do set a precedent? What if everyone stops donating their organs in hope of being resuscitated? You have the opportunity to live on in others.”

“Our company isn’t offering to extend your life metaphorically… as spare parts in other people.”

“I was talking about your ideals.”

A long, cold silence filled the room. “Doctor please…” Mr Haro paused as his lungs inflated again, and he gestured at the salesman. “Remove this demon… from my shoulder…”