by Nicole Heck
“Did she just say…” I almost lost my balance. Danielle grabbed my hand and gripped it tighter.
“Yes, I think she did,” Danielle replied.
“Holy shit.” I gasped. My heart was racing.
Lacey continued.
“If you gave a donation before the event or at the door, you were given a glow stick. If you have one, it’s now time to break it. Can we turn the spotlight off, please? Let’s light up Gabe’s world.”
All at once, green and yellow lights lit up until it appeared to be that the entire arena was lit. Tears were streaming down my cheeks. Danielle handed me a tissue out of her purse. Spinning around to take this all in, I watched the continuous lights appear. This is unreal.
I bent down next to Gabe and noticed that he was now crying.
“Are you okay, buddy?”
“This is all for me? Everyone here did this for me? All for me?”
“Yes, buddy, it is.” I held his hand and watched him look around at the lit up arena. To see how much support we had in the Siena community was unimaginable, especially since they don’t even know us. Then I thought, how did I not hear about any of this?
“Zoe. This is the best day of my life.” Gabe’s words nearly broke my heart.
I looked up on the court where Christian was motioning for me to bring Gabe out. The team lined up on either side, making a tunnel for him to go through, and I watched him signal to the desk.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we have all been waiting for. Let me introduce to you the newest Siena Saint, number 3, Gabe Gingras!”
The crowd went wild. The lights spiraled around the arena and all of the glow sticks were dancing around in the air. I swear the arena was rocking from people’s feet that were stomping the ground forcefully. Endless cheering and clapping surrounded us. The pep band played “When the Saints Go Marching In” loudly. I pushed Gabe through the tunnel, and each teammate high fived him and followed us out to center court where we met Christian.
He grabbed my hand when I approached him. I looked around as the lights came on and everyone stood up. His parents, standing at the edge of the court, waved to me and smiled. His mom was crying, and his dad held her closely. Lacey stood beside him, and I didn’t know what else to do but hug her. It was evident I was wrong about her and about Christian’s intentions with her.
“Thank you,” I whispered to her.
We were about to head off of the court, but through the dark I could make out that a man was slowly approaching us. I thought the surprises were all over. From the looks of it, Christian did too.
The Director of Athletics met us out on the court and grabbed the microphone.
“When Christian and Lacey came to me with this idea, I wanted to be a part of it. I knew about Gabe’s condition because his sister Zoe works for our department. I, however, wasn’t aware of how severe it was until a few weeks ago. I’m here to present Gabe with two things. One, Gabe, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Gabe shyly said. I don’t think he knew how to react since he was so overwhelmed.
“Tonight you are a Saint for the day. But, if you accept, I want to offer you a permanent spot on the team. How would you like to be a Saint for life?”
I held Christian's hand tighter.
“I didn’t know about this part,” he whispered in my ear and kissed my cheek.
“I love you,” I responded and looked down at Gabe. He looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. He turned to me.
“Don’t get mad at me or try and stop me. Please.”
“What—”
Before I could ask, Gabe rose from the wheelchair. Christian instinctively stood beside him to offer to help him up, but he didn’t want it. He pushed his hand out of the way and stood up with both feet on the ground. He shook the Director’s hand.
“Where do I sign the contract?” He said right into the microphone.
The crowd laughed and all applauded as he handed Gabe a certificate, which stated that he was a Saint for life.
“Second, Zoe, our department did a little fundraising on our own, and we want to thank our major sponsors for coming together to support this cause. We are going to be able to match what they’ve raised.”
Oh my God. For the last ten minutes, all I wanted to do was pinch myself. I thought if I did I would wake up, find that this was all a dream. This was too good to be true. This couldn’t be real. But it was. I don’t know how it happened, and I never expected that the community, my friends, and the school would put time and effort in to help save my little brothers life.
Right then, God answered so many of my prayers. I’d never felt more loved. I had all I could ever need. With all this money, Gabe was going to be able to get his full treatment and anything else necessary to help him recover. Gabe would have a much greater chance of surviving this. He could beat his battle.
The game was about to start, and we had to exit the court. Christian showed us to our seats that were right behind the team bench. I turned to Christian.
“Now it’s your night. Kick ass.”
He smiled at me, pulled me in tight, and gave me a quick kiss. In those three seconds, I knew that I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life.
{36}
Christian
“Son, I am so very proud of you. You have grown up into such an amazing man, and to see what you did tonight—”
My dad choked up on his words. I have never seen him like this before. The only time I’ve seen him cry was at James’ funeral.
I walked my parents out to their car as they were leaving the hospital to head to the hotel. After meeting Zoe and Gabe, they decided they were going to stick around for a few days and booked a hotel room.
My mom grabbed me and hugged me tight. “Your brother would have been so proud. You are such a caring person, and you just helped to save a child’s life.”
“I’m hoping I will actually be able to save his life.”
“What do you mean?” My dad asked.
“They think I might be a match for bone marrow. I’ve been undergoing tests for weeks now to see if I would be a good donor.”
My parents stared at me.
“Zoe doesn’t know. I didn’t want to say anything until I know for sure. I don’t want to get her hopes up.”
My mom latched onto my dad’s hand. It was evident that tonight was an emotional rollercoaster for them as well.
“I really like her. Zoe, I mean. She is so strong for what she has gone through, and she’s so in love with you. She looks at you like the way I looked at your father.”
The tears were streaming down my mom’s face. I couldn’t keep myself composed either.
“I love her. So much. So, so much, Mom. I don’t want to see her go through any more pain. I don’t want her to lose Gabe.”
“I know, honey. I know.”
“You’re doing amazing things for them. You’re doing the right thing,” My dad whispered in agreement.
“We’re going to stick around for a while. I want to help too.” My mom wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“But we want to—or at least I will, for as long as you or Zoe need. Even if it’s just to cook a dinner once in a while or keep her company.”
“You just want to get to know Zoe, don’t you?” I threw in some humor to lighten the mood.
“Well of course! But you know what I mean.”
“I do. Thank you, Mom. I’m sure she is going to appreciate it.” I leaned in to give her a hug goodbye.
Waving goodbye to my parents as they drove off into the darkness, I walked back into the hospital to get Zoe.
“Almost ready to go?” I popped into Gabe’s room.
“Yeah. Gabe, you have had quite the day today! You need to get some rest now. Christian is going to take me home, but—”
“I’m going to stay here with you tonight, so I’ll be back!”
“Best birthday e
ver,” Gabe shouted again with excitement.
“We know.” Zoe and I both laughed. He’d been repeating that statement all day. She gave him a kiss on the forehead, and we headed toward the exit. Her hand in mine, life couldn’t get much better than this.
“I really missed you,” she said.
I quickly turned my head to get a glimpse of the happiness that I could hear in her voice.
“I missed that smile.”
“So Lacey really helped? That was why you were meeting with her? I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I just never thought—”
“I know. I’m sorry I lied. I just didn’t know what to tell you if I told you I was meeting her in the first place. I wanted to keep this night a surprise. So that’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“I understand now. Really. I just wish we could make up for the lost time.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I reassured her.
Pulling into her driveway, I put the car in park. Silence filled the air. I came clean about lying to her, but not entirely.
“You sure you don’t want to come in?” she asked.
“It’s tempting, but I’m sure. I want to get back to the hospital and catch Gabe before he falls asleep. He’s definitely had a long day.”
“You are my hero. You know that?” Zoe smiled. She was so beautiful when she smiled. I placed my hand on her cheek.
Definitely don’t tell her tonight. I thought to myself.
“You are beautiful. You know that?” I couldn’t stop smiling either.
“I can’t believe we’ve gone this long without talking.”
“Honestly, it’s probably better we didn’t talk throughout all this planning. I don’t know if I could have pulled it off, even though every day I didn’t talk to you or see you it killed me on the inside.”
“Oh I’m sure you were just fine.”
“I’m never going to leave you. I made a promise to you, and I am making that to you again right now.”
“I know. I’m never going to leave you either.”
“I love you, Zoe Elizabeth Gingras.”
“I love you, Christian Ryan Michaels.” I loved the way she gazed into my eyes while those words rolled off of her tongue.
Life was perfect. A little too perfect. I felt as if things couldn’t be this right in the world for long.
{37}
Gabe
One Week Later
“So where are you going?”
“Out with Emily,” Zoe yelled through the closed bathroom door.
“So why are you getting yourself all pretty then?” She was taking an awfully long time in the bathroom. I think she has brought her whole drawer of make-up to my hospital room by now.
“Can’t I look nice for a night?” She opened the door and popped her head out. Her hair was on top of her head in a messy bun.
“You always look nice,” I wheezed. It was a little hard for me to breathe.
“You okay?” Zoe looked concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thirsty.”
“Good! I don’t want to have to worry!” She shut the door again.
I stared at the closed door. I didn’t want her to worry either. She always worried.
Looking over at my cup of water, it looked much farther away than it was. I tried to sit up but my back felt like it weighed a lot.
“I just can’t wait for tonight. It’s going to be so much fun. It’s been so long since I’ve gone out or even had a girls’ night with Emily.” Her voice was loud even though the door was shut.
It made me really happy to see how happy Zoe is. She seemed really excited for tonight. I was thinking that it probably would make her sad if I told her I wasn’t feeling good.
So I just won’t tell her.
“Are you going to be okay here by yourself until Christian gets here? You’re lucky he’s coming to see you the night before the big game! Don’t forget to wish him luck. I really hope they win.”
I reached for my cup of water, but it wasn’t easy.
“Yeah, I will be, and I won’t forget. Zoe, they’ll win the championship. They always do with Christian.”
My hand was around the cup, but it was hard to grab it. The feeling in my hands was starting to go, and it felt as if none of the muscles in my arms were working. It was scaring me.
I stared at the door. I couldn’t tell Zoe. I couldn’t. She’s been so happy. I couldn’t ruin this night for her. I’ll be fine.
God please let me be fine. I don’t want Zoe to worry.
Finally wrapping my fingers around the cup, I brought it in closer to me. Tilting my head down, I moved the cup closer to my lips. The cup was shaking, and before I could get a sip, it just fell out of my hand. Water spilled all over my shirt.
I hurriedly moved my blanket up to my chin. I didn’t want Zoe to see the mess I’ve made. She would probably wonder what was wrong.
The wet shirt made my skin cold. I buried myself as far under the blanket as I could to stay warm now too.
“What do you think?”
Zoe walked out of the bathroom.
“Wow. You look really pretty!” I tried to fight back my tears. I was scared. Something was really wrong, but I couldn’t ruin her night.
“Are you sure it’s okay I leave for the night?”
“Yes. I’m tired anyways. I’m just going to sleep.”
“Okay. But you know I hate leaving you.”
“I know. I love you, Zoe.”
“Aw, Gabe, I love you too!”
She grabbed her purse, and I watched as she walked out the door.
“God, please help me. Please let me be okay,” I prayed and rubbed my thumb and index finger around the necklace that Chris got me.
{38}
Zoe
I bragged to Emily about how well things were going with Christian now as we sat up at the bar. I haven’t really seen much of her since the game because of all the excitement.
“So what were his parents like?”
“They are really nice! They’re still here actually!”
“What, really? Why?” She was shocked.
“His mom has been so helpful! They wanted to stay around to help, I guess.” I took a huge sip of my margarita.
“Yes! That’s good! I’ve always found that meeting the parents is very nerve wracking.”
“Well, it also helped I was in an entire other world when I met them, considering—”
“Yes, true! I still cannot believe how that all went down! He told me about it two days before, and I had to bite my lip every time I talked to you!”
“What! I can’t believe you were able to keep a secret like that!” Emily couldn’t ever keep a secret.
“I know! Me too! I’m proud of myself.”
“Was it wrong of me to leave Gabe tonight?”
“No, don’t start with that. You know he’ll be fine.” Emily reassured me.
“I just feel so guilty when I leave him.” I sighed.
“Ladies, what can I get you?” the bartender interrupted while staring at our almost empty glasses.
“Two double shots of Fireball and two Bacardi’s with pineapple.”
“Woah! Look who’s back in the game!” Emily laughed.
“Hey, I can drink every once in a while!”
“I know. I just haven’t seen this side of you in a long time.”
The bartender laid the shots down in front of us.
“To happiness!” I held up the shot glass.
“To happiness!” Emily touched hers against mine, and then we both threw it back.
“Ugh.” I swallowed deeply and drank a sip of my drink. “Maybe we should have done single shots.”
“I’m just so happy you are happy.”
“Me too.” I started to think about everything.
“I just can’t get over last week. Sometimes I still cry happy tears thinking about it. How lucky am I to find a guy like him? He’s so good to Gabe and me for everything that is going on in our life. Ugh,
here I go.”
“Oh my God, stop crying. We’re out at a bar,” Emily joked.
“I’m sorry! I can’t help it!”
“I’m just kidding. I know. I don’t know how I would have acted if I were you. It’s really amazing everything that he did. Seriously though, the amount of money that has been raised too!”
“I know! Plus it just keeps coming. I went to the bank with Christian the other day, and we opened up a separate account just for donations. But Emily, now I don’t have anything to worry about! I’m still so overwhelmed. It’s still so hard to believe.”
“The power of kindness is truly amazing.”
My phone started going off, interrupting our conversation. As I answered and listened to what was being said on the other end, I don’t know if I was in more shock, or if the alcohol was starting to get to me, but I had to run to the garbage to throw up.
“Emily, we need to leave. We need to leave, like, right now.”
“Do you seriously have that low of a tolerance?”
“It’s Gabe.”
I stared at Emily with great despair, but she pushed me out the door and quickly was able to flag down a cab.
I watched the other cars drive by and the scenery of the trees through the window. I thought the day my father died would be the only day I would feel like this, but just like that, within seconds, my entire world had shut down again.
{39}
Christian
I had an entire night planned out for us. I was going to take him to the basketball court, out in back of the hospital to shoot a few baskets with his friend Johnny, and then we were going to spend the rest of the night watching some of the greatest sports movies. I had no idea that tonight was going to end up how it did.
I sat outside of the room speechless. I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t think; I couldn’t even bear to call Zoe myself and tell her the news.