“It won’t,” she insisted.
“We’ll just see about that,” I muttered as I handed her a pill and went into the bathroom to get her a glass of water. While I was in there, I started the shower and pulled out a fresh towel for her. I was already on the phone with her doctor’s office, listening to their automated system, when I came back out to bring her the water. I pressed the button to let them know the call was for an existing patient, and went through the next option to speak to one of the nurses, while I watched her take her meds and finish her drink. Then I tucked the phone under my chin and lifted her off the bed to carry her into the bathroom.
“Make sure you use the bench,” I whispered to her. “I don’t want you to fall while you’re in there and I can’t join you until I get through to the nurse.”
“Is that who you’re on with right now? My doctor’s office?” I nodded. “You can call the physician assistant’s cell if you want. It’s usually faster than going through the office line. I have the number in my phone.”
“Thanks, baby.” I disconnected the call and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Maybe I won’t need to throw my weight around after all.”
“You really won’t. Although I have to admit it was kinda hot watching you get all fired up on my behalf.” Her plump lips tilted up at the edges. “But they’re really great over there, and I’m kind of a favorite in the office.”
It wasn’t hard to see how that would be true, not with the odds Faith had battled to become the amazing woman she was today. “I’m sure you are.”
I helped her strip out of my shirt and boxers and made sure she got into the shower safely before I headed back into the bedroom to grab her phone. Since I knew her password, I punched it in as I strode back to ask her what name she had the PA listed under.
“Lisa,” she called out.
I pulled up the number and made the call, my eyes latched on Faith as she used the handheld shower head to get her hair wet. I had to shake myself out of a haze when the call was picked up after only two rings.
“Hey, Faith. Everything okay? Susan mentioned that you called in a couple of weeks ago, asking about the letter she forwarded to your donor family.”
“Lisa? This is Dillon, Faith’s boyfriend.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I have Faith programmed into my phone, and I figured it was her since you’re calling from her number. Is she alright? Is there a reason you’re calling me instead of her?”
“She’s in the shower right now and can’t talk, but she’s running a fever and has a bunch of other symptoms I’m worried about.”
“This is tricky because of HIPPA rules but if you tell me what’s going on with her, I can at least get a jump start on figuring out what the problem is. Then if needed, you can put me on speaker phone with Faith so I can discuss her condition directly with her. It’s completely up to her if she’s okay with you listening in.”
I didn’t give a fuck about privacy rules. All that mattered to me was that she was willing to listen to what I had to say. “She had a tough week and missed a couple doses of her anti-rejection meds. Now she has a fever. It’s a hundred point five. Her feet are swollen, she’s exhausted, and she’s chilled. She’s also nauseous and has some pain in her side.”
“Shit,” Lisa hissed. “Pull her out of the shower. Now. Get her to the Emergency Room at Southeast Memorial. Immediately. We’ll call ahead and let them know she’s coming.”
It felt like the world slowed as I listened to her instructions. My heart stopped beating and my blood froze in my veins as I was swamped by fear.
“Dillon! Can you hear me?” Lisa yelled through the line.
“What? Yeah.”
“Snap out of it. Faith needs you to remain calm. You can come unglued after you get her to the ER.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. “Okay. Yes. I hear you. I’ll get her there.”
“Good. Get going. Now.”
She disconnected the call, and I stepped forward to pull the shower door open. “Hey, baby. Lisa thinks it’ll be better for them to see you in the Emergency Room.”
The fear and despair in her eyes was almost my undoing. I was trying my hardest to be positive for her, but I was scared shitless that she was really sick. Faith was always so conscientious about what she ate, taking her medications, and sleep that I worried she’d done some serious damage in the last few days. Until the doctor confirmed she would be okay, I didn’t think I was going to be able to think straight. But I had to at least fake it. For her.
“I’m sure I just overstated things when I was explaining your symptoms to her. Or it’s just a precaution because of the fever. Either way, I’m sure it’s going to be fine.” I offered her a reassuring smile. “Let’s get that conditioner out of your hair so we can get you dried off and dressed.”
She didn’t say a word as she handed me the showerhead, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes. I rinsed her hair, running my fingers through it to make sure I got it all out. Once I was done, I shut off the water and grabbed a towel. As I dried her off, it was the first time in our relationship that I touched her naked body without getting hard. It had nothing to do with wanting her any less than I did a week ago and everything to do with being scared to death about her health.
Chapter Ten
Dillon
I drove even faster to the hospital than I had from my parents’ house to ours just an hour earlier. When we got there, I pulled up in front of the Emergency Room doors and jumped out of my car.
“Hey, you can’t park there!” one of the security guards yelled.
“She’s a transplant patient, and her doctor wants her in there as soon as possible.” He reached up reflexively when I tossed my key fob his way as I rounded the vehicle. “Feel free to have it towed if you need to.”
I yanked open the passenger side door and lifted Faith out to set her into the wheelchair the security guard rolled up. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem.” His gaze slid to Faith, and his eyes turned sad. “Lost my wife in a car accident. She was a donor. Saved eight lives. I’d hate to think I put one of them at risk because of something as stupid as parking a car. I’ll take care of it for you and make sure you get the key back later.”
The world really was small and full of strange coincidences.
“Thanks,” I repeated as I hurried through the doors. I rolled Faith up to the front desk, and a nurse rushed around to us when I gave them her information.
“Dr. Stewart’s office called ahead to let us know you were coming in. Let’s get Faith to an exam room so we can draw some blood and run some tests.”
I followed her through a set of doors and down a long hallway to a small room. We got Faith situated on the exam table, and the nurse hooked her up to a machine to take her vitals before someone else came in to draw her blood. Faith fell asleep while we waited, and I sat in a chair next to her and held her hand. About half an hour later, a doctor came in.
“How bad is it, Dr. Stewart?” Faith murmured sleepily after she jerked awake at the sound of the door closing behind him.
“It isn’t great,” he sighed before his attention shifted to me and he held a hand out. “I’m Faith’s doctor, and you are?”
“Dillon Montgomery, her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, eh?” Dr. Stewart’s green eyes filled with humor as he turned to look at Faith. “You didn’t mention a boyfriend at your last appointment, and the nurses didn’t say anything. Have you been keeping secrets from us?”
Faith’s cheeks filled with a splash of light pink color. “It was still a newish thing back then.”
“And now?” His gaze darted between us. “Is it serious? Because if not, you may want to have Dillon step out for a moment while I talk to you.”
“No way. I’m not going anywhere,” I snapped.
“Dillon stays, Dr. Stewart.” Faith squeezed my hand. “And I need to update my HIPPA paperwork so you’re authorized to disclose any and all medical informati
on to him.”
“That’s one heck of an answer to my question. I’ll make sure you get a new form to sign while you’re upstairs.”
“Upstairs?” I echoed.
“Yes, I’m admitting Faith.”
Her grip on me tightened even more, to the point where it felt like she was going to break my hand. But I didn’t complain. I was too focused on the implications of what the doctor had just told us. “Does that mean she’s going to lose the kidney?”
“Not necessarily.” Dr. Stewart shook his head. “Ten to twenty percent of patients will experience at least one episode of rejection. Most are mild and easily treated by making adjustments to their immunosuppression medication dosages. Treatment of rejection usually requires a few days of hospitalization, so this is just the standard of treatment. It doesn’t mean we’re at the worst case scenario point yet.”
“Thank fuck,” I breathed.
“It doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet either.” Dr. Stewart looked at the tablet in his hand and swiped at the screen. “I don’t like the look of your vitals, but we’re still waiting on the lab to get the results of your bloodwork back. After we get you admitted, I’m going to run some more tests to determine if a biopsy is necessary.”
Faith looked as devastated as I felt, with tears streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head. “I really fucked up, didn’t I?”
“The nurse noted on your chart that you missed a couple of doses of your immunosuppression meds within the last few days?” Dr. Stewart asked.
“Yes, I think so. We did a count, and I have more pills than I should remaining.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.” His gaze darted between us again. “Are you under more stress than usual?”
“Faith shared some news with me, and I didn’t handle it well.”
“News?” His gaze dropped to her belly.
“Not that kind of news, Doc,” Faith sputtered. “I’m not pregnant. We’re very careful because I know how important it is to be safe. If the time ever comes that I’m thinking about becoming a parent, you’ll be the second person I talk to about it.”
“And I’ll be the first,” I added.
“Was the news anything that pertained to your health?”
“In a way.” I looked at Faith, and she offered me a weak smile. “We found out that the kidney Faith received was from my brother. He died in a car crash, and my parents made the decision to donate his organs.”
“Ahh.” He nodded. “I can see how that might put strain on a relationship.”
“The upside to it is that since Declan was my identical twin, Faith has access to a spare kidney if she ever needs one.”
“Your twin?”
“Yes.”
Dr. Stewart smiled wide. “That’s one hell of a lucky coincidence. I can see how being in a relationship with someone who’s likely to be a perfect match could come in handy at some point in the future. I’d need to run some tests to confirm, but if your identical twin’s kidney was used for her transplant then there shouldn’t be an issue in that regard.”
I thrust my arm out. “Do the test now. I don’t want to wait, just in case this turns out to be the worst case scenario.”
“There’s no reason for us to think—”
“It doesn’t matter, Dr. Stewart. I want to be prepared should that day ever come. Please.”
“Okay. I’ll make the arrangements for a phlebotomist to stop by Faith’s room to do the draw. They’ll test for your blood type, baseline kidney function, clotting mechanism, along with a number of other things. We’ll also need to do tissue typing to identify your HLA antigens, plus a medical history review and physical examination.”
“That’s a lot,” Faith protested. “We don’t even know if there’s an actual issue with my kidney yet. Maybe we should wait until my test results come back.”
“If you can get poked by needles today, then so can I.” That was all I had to say about the subject because nobody was going to talk me out of it.
I earned myself an approving smile from the doctor before he moved towards the door. “You heard the man, Faith. Let him make a grand gesture.”
He made good on his promise when we made it upstairs and someone came to take my blood less than an hour later. They’d taken more of Faith’s blood too and checked her vitals again. Once the flurry of activity was over, I plopped down onto the chair next to her bed.
“Whew. I don’t know how you do this on a regular basis. That was intense.”
“That was nothing,” she laughed. “By the time they let me out of here, I’ll resemble a pin cushion. I swear the hospital only hires vampires.”
“Vampires who saved your life,” I reminded her.
“Only because of your parents and brother. I never would’ve made it without his kidney.” She rested her hand over her side, and I laid mine over hers.
“Thank goodness the doctor who came to talk to them about organ donation was familiar with your case.” I went on to share with her the story my parents had told me about how they would only agree to donate Declan’s organs if one of his kidneys went to her.
“Wow.” She looked as stunned as I’d been when they explained it all. “And your mom had no idea who I was when we met?”
“She said it was as much of a surprise to her as it was to us. The doctor never used your name or how old you were. He didn’t even say if you were a boy or a girl, so she had no way of knowing it was you.”
She curled up on her side and tucked her arm under the pillow. “That’s crazy.”
“Almost as crazy as them lying to me all this time about how Declan died.” Because yeah…even with everything going on with Faith’s health, that still stung like a motherfucker.
“Shit,” she gasped. “I’m the worst girlfriend ever. I didn’t even ask you why they did it.”
“Apparently, I was too fragile to handle the truth.”
“Dillon.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I sound bitter because I am. I get that I was in an awful place back then.”
“And so were they.”
“Yeah, and so were they. But it’s been five years, Faith. That’s a long damn time for them to keep a secret like this from me. They should’ve told me before now. And if you hadn’t stumbled across the truth the way you had, I’m not sure they ever would’ve said anything. I might never have known the truth about Declan, and that’s hard as fuck to accept.”
“Even you have to admit that you weren’t in the best place most of that time,” she reminded me. “You were gambling and getting into fights right up until we met.”
“It was one fight,” I groaned. “And not even really a fight fight. More like a couple of punches were thrown. That was it.”
“And where exactly have you been all this time if you only talked to your parents today about what happened?”
“Gambling and drinking,” I grumbled.
She stared at me with raised eyebrows. “And your point about being able to handle the truth is...”
“Yeah, I know. In a way, I understand why they made the decision they did. But it’s going to take a little time to move past this with them because they broke my trust.” It hurt a fucking lot each time I thought about how long they’d lied to me.
“Building trust again seems to be a theme today.”
“It does.” I bent over and kissed her cheek. “I guess if you can forgive me and give me a chance to earn back your trust, then that’s the least I can do for them.”
“That makes me happy.” She smiled at me, her eyes gleaming with a soft look. “I love how you and your parents are together, and I’d hate for anything to destroy that. You’re all lucky to have each other.”
“We’re lucky,” I corrected. “You’re mine, which means my family is yours.”
“I guess.”
She didn’t look like she fully believed what I was saying, but that was okay because I had time to convince her. “I’m going to get you to the place where you kn
ow it the same way I do.”
“We’ll see,” she laughed. “But I need you to back up a minute. Did you say you were gambling and drinking?”
“Yeah, it looks like neither of us did well apart from each other.”
“Remember that the next time you’re tempted to walk away from me.”
“There won’t be a next time.” I knew she’d meant it to sound like a joke, but I heard the underlying thread of fear in her tone. I only had myself to blame for it, and it’d take time for me to prove to her that she had nothing to be anxious about when it came to me. “And no more drinking like that. For either of us. We have kidneys to keep healthy.”
Her lips tilted up at the edges again. “Both of us do.”
“Yup, I’ve got to take good care of your backup.” I patted my sides.
She shook her head. “It’s weird, isn’t it? All the coincidences that led up to us meeting.”
“It sure as shit is.”
But even with as lucky as we’d been with those coincidences, I could do without any more of them.
Chapter Eleven
Dillon
“You’ve gotta have faith.”
I didn’t recognize the feminine voice, but Faith seemed to know who the nurse standing in the doorway was. She beamed a smile at her. “What’re you doing down here? The pediatrics unit is three floors up.”
“I heard a rumor that you were admitted, and I thought I’d come down and check on you.”
“Ahh, the hospital rumor mill,” Faith laughed. “I don’t miss being on this end of it, but I wouldn’t mind being brought up to date on all the gossip I’ve missed. Did that hot resident ever hook up with the nurse who was always following him around like a lost puppy dog?”
“Hot resident?” I repeated with a glare aimed Faith’s way.
“He was like a decade older than me, and I haven’t seen him in five years.” Faith poked me in the chest. “So there’s no need for your macho act.”
“No, please. Carry on. I’m loving this.” The nurse moved further into the room, rubbing her hands together and smiling at us. “This is even better than I thought it would be when I heard Faith had a boy with her.”
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