AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dr. Meyers has obviously figured out where I’m headed with this. Maybe he knew as soon as he answered the call.
“We don’t know if someone is a match until we’ve done testing. But certain factors, like blood type, are hereditary. It’s true that a family member has a better chance of being a match than a stranger off the street.”
I stare down at the floor, tracing the grain pattern in the wood with my eyes. Uncertainty gnaws away in my gut. I was hoping he’d tell me I was wrong. That her rude companion was wrong, and there’s no need for a transplant. That they already have one lined up for my mom. That there’s no chance I could be of any help.
He isn’t saying any of those things.
“How do I get tested?” I ask.
“Holden, that’s a big decision. You should talk with your mother and—”
“We don’ttalk,” I snap. “She left when I was five. I have no relationship with her. But…I don’t want her to die. So if I could keep that from happening, I want to at least know.”
“It’s not a simple process, Holden. We would run blood tests, take a chest X-ray, do an electrocardiogram, and also do an ultrasound of your abdomen. And if all those tests suggested that you could be a viable donor, we would have to do a CT scan to make sure that your liver is big enough to donate a piece.”
“I want to know if I can donate,” I tell him.
“In those circumstances, the transplant recipient’s insurance typically covers the costs of the donor, beginning with evaluation. It hasn’t come up as a possibility in your mother’s case, so I need to check and see if—”
“The money isn’t an issue. I can pay for the testing if I need to.”
Thanks to my dad, I’m set financially. Thanks to the days, months, and years he spent driving thousands of miles to provide for us. I wonder how he’d feel about me spending it to help the woman who abandoned us.
The doctor sighs, caving to my determination. “All right. I’ll transfer you back to the front desk. They’ll get you set up with an appointment. I understand the situation with your mother is…complicated but I wouldstronglyadvise speaking with her before going through with the testing.”
“Okay.” I won’t, and the doctor’s sigh suggests he realizes that.
I have to wait on hold for another ten minutes before I reach the front desk.
“We had a cancellation this afternoon, if you’re available at three thirty,” the woman tells me. “Otherwise, our next appointment is in two weeks.”
I eye the clock. If I speed, I can probably make it. And I would really rather get this over with.
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
* * *
I’m sitting on the bleachers, staring into space, when Cassia calls me. I stare at her smiling face on the screen, debating on whether to answer. When I left Richmond, I didn’t consider what I would say to her about this trip. I told Henry I was going to the gym and Robby wasn’t home.
I could drive back to campus now instead of spending the night here. It’s after dinner. I left the hospital and stopped for a pizza before coming here.
The drive back to campus would be dark and long, but I’d make it before midnight.
Motivating myself to move is more the problem. Now that I’ve gotten tested, it’s a waiting game to get the results. Dr. Meyers expected it to take two weeks because Walker-Moore’s lab is backed up and they’re sending it somewhere else. I’m eager to know the answer and also want to put it off as long as possible. If I am a match, it’ll be a harder decision than choosing to get tested in the first place.
And this is always the place where I’ve come to think. I’d rather worry here than in my bedroom off-campus.
My phone’s screen goes dark, then lights up again.
I answer this time, concerned something is wrong.
Relieved when her tone is cheerful. “Hey! Nova and I are getting ice cream. Do you want me to bring you anything? Or come? I haven’t seen you since you got here.”
Guilt twists in my gut. “I’m okay, thanks. I just ate a whole pizza.”
“Is everything okay?” The cheerfulness has faded, replaced by concern.
“Yeah. Everything is fine.” I pick at the Band-Aid stuck to my arm. The crease of my elbow stings in the spot where they took two vials of blood earlier. “I’m just…not on campus. I’m back home.”
