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“This isn’t about you. This is about Dad. Like it or not, Conrad has as much right to be here as us, so–”
Whatever Tom is about to say is cut off by an alarm on one of the monitors blaring, and we all turn to look at Dad as a team of medical staff come rushing into the room. We huddle unnoticed in the corner as they shout out vitals and other medical jargon. My stomach drops when I hear the words, “internal bleeding”, “major organs”, and “penetrating abdominal trauma”. Before we can even process what is happening, Dad is being rushed out of the room.
A nurse notices us standing in the corner and comes over. “Your Dad is in the best possible hands, boys. We’ll do everything we can.”
“What’s going on?” Tom raises his voice, trying to get someone’s attention.
A nurse ushers us out of the room. “I can’t tell you too much, right now, but if you head back to the family waiting area, the doctors will keep you updated when they can.”
We follow her back down the hall when a Code Brown is called over the hospital speakers. “Just wait here,” she calls over her shoulder as she rushes through the doors. “Someone will be out when they have any information.”
“What the fuck?” Conrad mutters, running his hands through his hair as he slumps into a chair.
Tom takes a seat next to him, but I’m too amped up to sit down. I pace back and forth in front of them, my hands fisted by my side. A few more medical staff rush past,pushing through the doors that the nurse disappeared through only a few moments ago, one of them mentioning “a massive transport accident with fatalities”. That knocks the breath out of me, and I fall into the seat on the other side of Tom.
I don’t even notice my knees are bouncing until Tom puts a hand out to still them. “It will be alright. Dad’s tough.”
All I can offer is a grunt in return.
It feels like we’ve been sitting in this room for hours, when in reality it’s only been ten minutes or so. My chest is tight, and I try to focus on my breathing so I don’t have another panic attack. I refuse to break down in front of Conrad.
Another ten minutes pass, and more medical staff rush through the doors. I can’t take the unknown anymore. “What’s a Code Brown?” I ask Tom through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know,” he shrugs.
Conrad pulls out his phone and types something in. “External emergency. Mass casualties,” he says after a moment.
Well, fuck.
I slump down further into my chair, my fingers tapping out a rhythm on my leg to stop me from concentrating on the worst possible outcome for Dad. What if he never comes back through those doors? What if this is just like Mum all over again?
The surgeon who spoke to us after Dad’s earlier surgerycomes through the doors with another nurse, searching the room. I nudge Tom, and we both scramble to our feet and rush over to them, closely followed by Conrad.
“Boys, we managed to find the internal bleed, and we’ve stopped it for now,” the surgeon says, not beating around the bush with preamble. “But your father has lost a lot of blood. He needs another emergency transfusion, but we’re running low on his blood type. We were hoping one of you would be a match.”
“We’re A negative,” I say. “Tom and I. Whatever you need, you can take it.”
His face drops, and he presses his palm to his forehead. “Your father is AB positive. You’re not compatible.”
My legs give way, but Tom catches me and helps me over to the closest chair. “Is he going to die?” I choke out.
“I don’t know.”
I drop my head into my hands, swallowing the lump in my throat. This cannot be happening right now. I can’t lose him.
“I’m AB positive.”
My head snaps up to look at Conrad. His face is pale, and he looks like he’s going to pass out.
“I’m AB positive,” he repeats to the doctor. “I’m a regular donor. Can I help?”
The relief on the surgeon’s face flares a spark of hope within me. “Are you happy to go with Nurse Richards to get the process started?”
Conrad glances over at me and Tom before straighteninghis spine and looking back at the surgeon. “Yes.”
The surgeon gives a terse nod, and Nurse Richards hurries Conrad away to sign the paperwork while I stare slack jawed at Tom.Did that really happen? Is Conrad really going to be the one to save Dad’s life after everything? How can he be the one who save his life?We’rehis real sons.
“Someone will come find you when we know anything else.”
