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“Hey,” I said, shutting the door behind me. “What’s going on? Are there any complications with—”
“No.” He shook his head. “Aria’s gonna be fine. We have a match.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Rick seemed hesitant, which only made me crazier.
“Are you gonna tell me or not? Am I dying of cancer or something?”
“Noah, what I’m about to share with you puts my career in jeopardy. I’m revealing this information because I believe it’s the ethical thing to do, despite its accidental results.”
“Okay...”
He faltered a bit, and said, “I did a series of blood tests to assess the hematological system, clotting mechanism, and baseline kidney function. We screened for abnormal electrolyte balance and for glucose intolerance, which might occur post-transplant…”
“Look, Rick, you’re losing me here. We’re good friends, so can you just get to the point and skip the fancy medical lingo?”
Releasing a sigh, he glanced at Aria’s hospital room and faced me. “Noah… Aria is not your biological daughter.”
I stood there, motionless, while his words repeated in my head. Was I dreaming? Was I hallucinating? I wasn’t doing drugs again, so I couldn’t have been experiencing a psychotic hallucination.
“Noah, listen to me—there’s more.”
“Huh?” I snapped out of it. “Oh. Sure.”
“I know this is a lot to take in, but I have to explain how this happened.”
Staying focused, I pulled myself out of shock.
“The phlebotomist who had drawn your blood accidentally discovered Aria’s paternity. To break it down in simple science, a child inherits genes from each parent that determine their blood type. This makes blood typing convenient in paternity testing. When our phlebotomist noticed inconsistencies between your blood and Aria’s, they took it a step further and compared the blood types between you, Natalie, Aria, and Robert, and… we discovered that Robert is Aria’s biological father. I’m not surewhat you want to do with this knowledge, but you have a right to know.”
What… how?
I stared at him with a blank expression.
“Will you please say something? I’m concerned.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Where are you going?”
“To get some air. I’ll be right back.”
Rick caught up to me and said, “What should I tell the family?”
“The truth.” I stepped into an elevator.
The doors closed shut, cutting off our communication.
??
Standing on the roof of the hospital, I stood over the edge in the open air, staring death in the face. No, I was not suicidal. I had no reason to be. Being an adrenaline junkie, I had long retired from my extreme forms of “fun” after marriage. It felt good to feel that rush again. I was overwhelmed, and I needed adrenaline to override my racing emotions. I had this burst of energy transforming inside of me, and I didn’t know what to do with it. My hand trembled as I took one last puff of my cigarette before I stomped it out.
The sun was rising on the horizon; a new day to start over; a new beginning for me and Aria. Looking out at the city, I gazed up at the sky. Rick hadn’t given me bad news. He had given me a miracle. On second thought, he was only the messenger. Maybe God was the one who had performed the miracle. She wasn’t my biological daughter. I almost wanted to have another paternity test done, just to be sure of that fact—but surely that was my paranoia talking.
All this time, I had carried so much guilt inside, thinking I was never there for my child. Natalie had lied. Either she lied or she didn’t know. I realized I hadn’t been the only person she had slept with throughout our relationship.
Did she know Rob was the father? Did she stay quiet about it because of the money my mother had offered?
