I learned to live with the constant threat that I might die sooner than I'd like.
When I was younger my kidney failed and I needed a transplant.
My mother offered hers. My stepdad offered his. Everyone wanted to help out.
But none of them were a 100% match.
My stepbrother was though.
Rocky and I never got along and it was crazy to think that back then my parents forced him to give up his kidney to me. I still don't know how they were able to convince him.
After the transplant was a success, I felt like I was forever in his debt. Nothing I did was ever good enough.
Rocky treated me like his servant for years. I had to wash his clothes, make his lunches, and clean his room. Looking back, the chores themselves weren't that bad.
But Rocky was.
He treated me like I was subhuman. He held the fact that he gave up a vital organ over my head for years. The only relief came when Rocky decided he was going to go to school out of state.
Even though I was going to college near my mom's house, I still lived in an apartment with a roommate.
I hadn't seen Rocky for three years and I hated the fact that it was the happiest time of my life.
The problem with having a kidney that isn't yours is the constant monitoring. I have to go in for monthly blood tests to make sure my old kidney and the foreign one are functioning perfectly.
I hated getting stuck with needles and every trip to the doctor was hell for me.
My mom always took the time out of her busy schedule to drive me and give me moral support. It was always good to have someone drive me home because I was prone to passing out from the loss of blood.
This time was going to be a lot different.
My mom called me the morning of and gave me the bad news.
“Erica, I've got a huge meeting this morning and I can't drive you to the hospital.”
“Don't worry, Mom. I'll be okay. It's no big deal. I can easily drive myself to the hospital.”
My roommate, Heather was sitting on our secondhand couch eating a bowl of cereal. She was doing her best not to listen to the private conversation and focus on the reality show on the television.
“I have someone else who can take you to the hospital,” my mom said.
“Seriously, Mom, I can do it myself.”
“Rocky is going to take you.”
I gulped and it felt like there was a rock in my throat. “Rocky is back home?”
“He's back home for the semester taking a break from college.”
I never wanted to see him again. And I especially didn't want him to take me to the hospital and see me when I was at my most vulnerable.
“It's not necessary, Mom. I can have Heather take me.”
Heather perked up on the couch and waved her hands at me in a big “no” motion. I mouthed the word please to her but she shook her head.
“There's no need because I already sent Rocky. He should be there any minute.”
“But Mom!” Everything was crashing around me.
“Good luck, honey,” she replied before clicking the phone off.
I dropped the phone on the floor and Heather jumped off the couch. “There's no way I can take you to the hospital today, Erica. I have a psychology exam in an hour.”
“It doesn't matter. My stepbrother, Rocky is on his way.”
Heather's eyes went wide. “You mean you're totally hot stepbrother is coming over here?”
I put my hands on my hips. “How the hell do you even know what he looks like?”
“I've seen pictures on Facebook.”
“Of course you have.” Heather spent most of her day on social media.
“I better change and put on my makeup,” she replied, running into the bathroom.
I tried to stop her to tell her that I needed to use it first but she had already closed the door. I would have to finish getting ready in my room.
I didn't care how I looked for Rocky. A pair of black jeans and a pink shirt were good enough for me. Heather could go all out if she wanted but she was going to be sorely disappointed when she found out Rocky's true nature.
He may be good looking but he's cold-blooded.
The doorbell rang and my heart lurched into my throat. I didn't want to open the door. I hoped he would just go away.
But the doorbell chimed again.
Here goes nothing.
Chapter Two
I walked past the bathroom door and Heather was still in there blow-drying her hair. She hadn't heard the door. It would be better anyways if she didn't meet Rocky.
I took a deep breath before turning the knob. Rocky stood there in a red flannel shirt and blue jeans. Dark stubble hugged his jawline and his hair was combed to the side. He was a lot different than I remembered. He was always handsome but now he looked like he stepped straight out of a magazine cover.
“It's good to see you, Erica,” he said in a deep voice. There was something instantly different about him. He held himself in a different way.
“It's been a long time, Rocky. Shall we get this over with?”
I could hear the bathroom door open and I quickly shut the door behind us before Heather could see us.
We walked down a flight of stairs in silence and Rocky brought me to his white Audi A4. I couldn't believe it was his car at first. Where did he get the money to afford it? As far as I knew he didn't even have a job at college.
When I last saw him, he drove an old beat-up Kia. What the hell was going on?
I sat down in the posh leather seats and Rocky sat down in the driver's seat. “How have you been, Erica?”
“Been good. Do you need me to tell you where the hospital is?”
“No I still remember,” he replied, tapping his temple.
Back in the day, Rocky had to go to the hospital nearly as often as I did to make sure he was a good match.
He started the car and brought us on to the main road. “What are you doing back home?” I asked.
“Taking a semester off to work on a new app.”
“App?” I was genuinely curious about what he was talking about.
“Last year I came out with an mobile game that was pretty successful but it ate up so much time that my grades suffered.”
That explained the car, I thought to myself.
Rocky continued, “I want to take some time off and work on an app to organize your life.”
“Like a daily planner?”
“Not quite,” he replied. “That would be one part of it. Another part would be analyzing your finances. Another would be keeping track of exercise goals.”
“So kind of like a pocket life coach.”
Rocky smiled. “Exactly.”
I couldn't believe we were having an actual conversation. And it didn't have anything to do with the transplant or how I could serve him better.
Rocky gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I've been meaning to call you but I haven't had the time.”
“What for?” I asked.
He took in a sharp breath. “I needed to apologize to you.”
My head was spinning. Was this really happening? None of this made any sense. I hadn't seen Rocky in years. Where was all this coming from?
I tried to play dumb. “Apologize for what?”
Rocky took a right turn at the light. “You know for what but I guess you want me to spell it out for you. I'm sorry for how terrible I was to you for all those years. You didn't deserve it one bit and I hope you can forgive me.”
I found myself playing devil's advocate. “Rocky you gave me your kidney. I think you deserved a lot more than just getting chores done.”
“Making you do chores wasn't the worst of it. It was calling you names. Pretty much being a shithead to you when it wasn't warranted. I can see now that I made a big mistake.”
I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to hear those words from Rocky for so many years and now it was all coming out so soon after seeing him again.
“Not by choice. At least back then. It was our parents who threatened to make my life a living hell if I didn't go through with it. What was I supposed to do? I guess in the end I made your life a living hell.”
“You were pretty mean to me.” All I could be was honest.
“If the situation had come up now, I would have given you my kidney without hesitation.”
Something seriously changed about Rocky. He wasn't the same person anymore. He had a heart now.
I wanted to tell him thank you but I was interrupted.
“We're here,” he said.
I looked straight ahead and realized that we were already at the hospital. “That was fast.”
Chapter Three
We walked through the stark white corridors together. Rocky led the way because he told me he wanted to try and remember.
I always hated the smell of hospitals. It was hard to put my finger on exactly what they smelled like. It was a almost a cross between funky mushrooms and dish soap. It could always be worse though. It could smell like shit and piss.
We stood at an intersection and Rocky was trying to figure out which way it was. It was kind of cute to see him using his brain.
“I think it's this way,” he said, pointing down the wrong hallway. He started off in that direction and I stayed put. He immediately caught on. “Nope, it's down the other way.”
I let out a small laugh and followed behind him. We came to room 203 which was where they did the blood draws.
Rocky opened the door for me and I realized we were actually spending time with one another. This had never happened before.
And I liked it.
The old Rocky was gone and the new Rocky was someone Heather would fall head-over-heels for. I was glad she didn't tag along with us.
I gave my name to the receptionist and we sat down in the waiting room in chairs next to one another.
Rocky picked up a tabloid magazine and flipped through it. “I could never read these things,” he said, pointing to an outrageous headline.
I was able to forget about getting my blood taken in the car while I talked with Rocky but now it was the only thing on my mind. My palms went clammy and I was very lightheaded.
Rocky realized that something was wrong. “I forgot that you hated getting your blood drawn. I just assumed that after all these years, you had gotten used to it.”
I shook my head. “Nope. It's so horrible every single time.”
“Do you want me to hold your hand?” he asked me.
It almost seemed like I was talking to a different person. This couldn't possibly be my stepbrother. Maybe Rocky had been brainwashed or something. It was possible and that would explain why he wasn't around for three years.
I blushed. “You don't have to do that.”
A nurse came from behind a door. “Erica?” she announced.
I stood up and Rocky followed us in. I sat down in what they called the Captain's Chair. It was a nod to Star Trek but it always terrified me. It was a normal looking chair with a table next to it to put your arm on.
Rocky sat down next to me and grabbed my hand. I was instantly embarrassed that he knew how nervous I was by how sweaty my hand was.
“You don't have to be here,” I repeated to him.
Rocky grinned. “I want to be.”
I couldn't help but smile back.
The nurse set out the needle and took my arm. She wrapped a rubber band around my bicep and stretched out my arm. I closed my eyes and gripped Rocky's hand hard. It was never the pain from prick of the needle that I hated. It was the feeling of the needle going into my vein.
When the needle pierced me, I let out a yelp.
“I know it hurts,” the nurse said. “It's almost over.”
I squirmed in the chair. Rocky leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Remember that time I got you to eat that snail?”
My eyes shot open. “What?” Why was he talking to me right now?
“This was before the transplant. I told you I would only do it if you ate a snail.”
I remembered the texture of the snail more than the taste. It was slimy and I barfed it up immediately. I swore I would never try Escargot.
“I hated you for that for such a long time,” I said.
“You have to admit it was funny though.”
A chuckle escaped my mouth. “Yeah looking back on it. But at the time it was the worst thing ever.”
“And we're all done here,” the nurse said.
I looked down and the needle was gone and a bandage was already on my arm. I realized that I had Rocky's hand in a death grip. I let go and he shook his hand out.
“It might take a little while for me to get feeling back,” he said. “That wasn't so bad, was it?”
“No actually it wasn't. Thank you for distracting me.”
“It was nothing. I always love bringing up that snail story.”
I went to stand up and began to feel real woozy. The room spun around and I fell back into the Captain's Chair. It was hard to stay conscious. I felt like falling asleep right there.
Everything went to black.
Chapter Four
I woke up on the floor with Rocky hovering over me. He had a look of concern on his face. “Are you all right?” he asked.
I tried to get up and the room started to spin. I held my head and Rocky helped me back down. “What happened?”
“You fainted,” he replied. “Nothing serious. You were only out for a second. Just enough time for your body to slide out of the chair.”
“I feel so lightheaded.”
“Let me get you something.” Rocky left me on the floor and returned with a juice box. He poked the straw in and put it in my mouth. “The nurse said this will help.”
I sucked on the grape-flavored juice and could feel my strength returning. I lay on the floor of the hospital until I squeezed every last drop of juice out of it.
“Feeling better?” Rocky asked.
“Much better. Thank you for that. Juice really helped. I don't remember the last time I actually fainted during one of these.”
Deep down I thought that it might be because Rocky had been holding my hand. Was something happening between us?
I dismissed the thought immediately. Rocky was my stepbrother. There was no way I could have feelings for him.
“Let me help you up.” Rocky reached out for my hand. I grabbed his and felt a spark shoot through me. He lifted me up off the ground with ease. “Ready to get back to your apartment?”
“That would be nice,” I replied.
We drove back to my place and talked about everything that had happened the past three years. Turns out that not much happened to me and everything happened to Rocky.
He was already successful and not even out of college yet. There was no competing with that.
Rocky parked his Audi at my apartment. I didn't want the day to end. “Would you like to come in for something to drink. We have all sorts of alcohol. I kind of owe you for everything you did today.”
His brown eyes stared right through me and to my soul. It felt like he was sizing me up. “A drink sounds really good. Plus I need to keep an eye on you in case you faint again.”
I shoved him in the shoulder before stepping out of the car. I was back to a hundred percent now. No lingering effects from passing out.
I suddenly remembered Heather. She would be a real buzz kill if she was still home. I could imagine her trying to steal Rocky's attention away from me. I wanted him all to myself.
“Just a heads up that my roommate might be home.”
“The more the merrier,” Rocky replied.
I took out my keys and unlocked the door. The fact that it was locked was a good sign. “Anyone home?” I called out.
No response.
“Heather is probably at class. Do you want to sit down and I'll fix you a drink?
What do you want?”
I had a flashback to when Rocky ordered me to get him a glass of milk all the time. It was funny how things came full circle.
Rocky sat down on the couch. “I'll take whatever you have.”
Fake Bride Page 42