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I cleared my throat. “Mom, I have a question… I know your brother, Robert, passed away from kidney failure and I was wondering if it was genetic.”
My mother looked at me with a serious look in her eyes. “No, of course not, Robert was a heavy drinker.”
“I had never heard that about him. He seemed like the perfect, Christian man based on what I knew.”
“He was a Christian, but far from perfect. He just hid it well. Only those closest to him knew that. No, honey, as far as I know, there’s no genetic kidney issues on either side of the family. Only a tendency toward addiction.”
That put my mind at ease, knowing that I didn’t cause Ollie’s ailment. It also meant there was nothing holding me back from donating, if I were a match, which was the most important thing.
Grace spoke softly, “The doctors are pretty sure it’s not passed down from either of us, it’s just something that happens sometimes, while the baby is forming in the womb. He was also premature, which caused a lot of issues in the beginning.”
I clenched my eyes shut, not wanting to cry.
“I should have been there.”
Grace placed her hand on my arm, her skin warm and soft, bringing me back to the present.
“You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”
Silence filled the air, as there wasn’t much anyone could say. Ollie continued to sleep. He looked paler than before, or perhaps that was my imagination. He was just so tiny and looked so fragile.
The sound of footsteps pulled our attention to the door.
Nurses flooded the room and surrounded Ollie. They started unhooking him from machines.
“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Grace asked, not moving from her son’s side, clutching his hand as the nurses worked around her.
“We’re prepping him for surgery,” one of the nurses said.
“Surgery? Does this mean…” I asked.
A doctor came into the room and finished my thought.
“You’re a match, Mr. Denning. We need to prep you for surgery, as well.”
My heart pounded in my chest.
“As long as you’re still interested in donating,” the doctor said, speaking slowly.
I looked over at Ollie. Grace still held onto his hand, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Of course, I am,” I said.
Before the doctor could escort me from the room, Grace rushed over to me and pressed her lips to mine, taking me by surprise.
“Thank you for doing this, Alex.”
“I’ll do anything for our son,” I said, kissing her back before being ushered from the room.
Chapter 16
Grace
“They’re both in recovery, and Alex is awake if you’d like to talk to him. Ollie should wake up soon, but so far, he’s doing well.”
I was already up on my feet the moment the doctor had stepped into the waiting room, and I nodded. “Lead the way.”
The last few days had been a blur, and my head was still spinning. The white walls of the hospital felt so sterile and surreal as he led me through several hallways until we ended up in a private recovery room.
