“The perfect donor,” Roxy breathed. “Oh my God, Alicia, is that why she wanted to have lunch with you, to ask for Adam’s, Adam’s ...” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Yes, that’s just about it. She wants me to talk to Adam so he’ll agree to do it and I couldn’t say yes to her. First of all, I couldn’t possibly try to influence Adam in something like that. With all he’s been through lately, how could I possibly try to talk him into doing something like that for someone he hardly knows? I understand her concern for the man, but dang, that’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Alicia wiped her eyes and continued. “She’s either crazy in love with the man or she has no sense of propriety whatsoever. But she did do her homework. I now know more about partial liver transplants than I ever cared to know in this life.”
“Maybe it’s a little bit of both,” Roxy said gently. “Maybe she’s in love and desperate. You know you’d be doing the same thing if Adam’s health was in danger.”
Alicia had to agree with her friend. “Girl, I’d not only ask for the stupid liver, I’d be trying to take it out myself with a melon bailer if I had to. I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing, which I why I feel so bad about the second reason I can’t talk to Adam.”
Roxy braced herself for the worst. “What’s that reason, Alicia?”
“Because I don’t want him to do it,” she whispered.
***
Adam glanced at the caller ID on his cell phone and was mildly intrigued to see it was a call from California. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end wasted no time in getting to the point. “This is Nina Whitney and I’d like to talk to you if you have some time.”
“Sure, Nina. Are you out of town? My caller ID read a California call,” he said with curiosity.
“I’m calling you from my cell phone. Do you mind if I come to your place?”
Adam raised an eyebrow. This woman meant business, apparently. “Sure, when can you stop by?”
“Open your door.”
Adam did so and there Nina stood, slim and resolute, her phone still clamped to her ear.
“Why don’t you come in and have a seat?” he said with his usual dry humor.
Nina didn’t lose a bit of her normal aplomb as she accepted a seat in the cavernous living area. She looked around at the majestic space and commented that it was a very nice place to live.
“I can see why you’re successful, you and Alicia. You made this place into a real home,” she said. She’d said something similar the night before when everyone had gathered there after the ball game, but unlike the night before her mind didn’t seem remotely on the appearance of his loft. She obviously had something to say.
Adam encouraged her to unburden herself. “You seem to have something to tell me. What is it?” he asked in a quiet, concerned voice.
“You’re probably going to think I have no business telling you this, but I don’t have a choice. John is dying,” she said in a flat, dull voice. “He has something called primary sclerosing cholangitis; it’s a disease of the liver. Nobody knows what causes it, other than there are some genetic factors involved. He probably inherited from his biological mother, but that hardly seems to matter now. What matters is he doesn’t have long to live. Once the disease takes hold the patient has only a couple of years to live, three at the most. There is no cure; his only hope is a partial liver transplant from a closely matched donor. I think you’re an intelligent man, Adam, you know where I’m going with this.”
Adam was amazed that he was able to follow what she was saying. After her initial words he’d been so stunned that he couldn’t utter a word, he just listened to her dry, unemotional delivery with an odd sort of admiration. She clearly cared a great deed about John and was willing to approach a near stranger and discuss intimate matters if that’s what it took to help him.
“Are you listening to me, Adam?” she asked with intense irritation. God, what a time for him to be daydreaming.
“Yes, I am. I’m sorry if I looked like I was drifting, but this is a lot to take in. Does John know you’re here?”
“Of course not,” she snapped. “He has no idea I know about his condition. I found out a few months ago by accident.”
“How so?” Adam asked. There was much more to Nina than met the eye, he was beginning to see that.
Nina sighed in resignation. “I’m not really his assistant, you know. I work for his publisher. John is a brilliant man but his writing skills are somewhat lacking. The publishers were so anxious to put out his book they sent me to help him. I’m a ghostwriter, a person who puts other people’s ideas on paper. I’m not terribly imaginative, but I’m quite skilled in writing so it’s a perfect match. John is so smart it’s scary, but he’s not the most organized person I’ve ever met,” she said with the slightest hint of a smile. “In order for us to work together I had to get him organized while his real assistant was on maternity leave and it ended up with me doing a lot of things a ghostwriter normally wouldn’t do. I was answering the phone for him one day and he picked up the extension at the same time, so I overheard something I shouldn’t.” She paused, clearly reliving the moment when she found out his prognosis.
“After that incident, I felt no compunction about nosing around and I found what I needed to know in his files. Now, I don’t know you or any of his new family well enough to ask you this, but I have to take the chance. I’m sure all of this has been upsetting and made you rethink your life and your relationship with your father and question everything you’ve ever been taught, but I want you to stop thinking about that for now and answer me one question. If you could stop him from dying, would you?”
Adam stared at her for a minute and was deeply impressed by what he saw. Her passion and intelligence showed clearly, and so did her anxiety. She was nervous, so nervous that her voice was shaking, but it didn’t stop her from laying her cards out on the table. He had no idea what made him blurt it out like he did, but the words just leaped out of his mouth.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Nina rolled her eyes and gave him a baleful stare. “What is it with you people? Are you all just in love with being in love?” Her voice was full of scorn and she waved her hand impatiendy. “I’ve never seen so many grown people drooling over each other the way you Cochrans do. I’m really not trying to be critical, but you all are way too adorable for me. All that kissing and hugging and lovey-dovey stuff you all do is just too much. It’s like being in a very long episode of The Cosby Show," she blurted, and then blushed from her chest all the way up to her hairline.
“I’m sorry, that was really rude of me. Please accept my apologies because I’m not trying to disrespect your family. Y’all are a bit too charming for me, but that’s my problem. And John’s problem is the most important thing to me right now. I’m not in love with him but I care about him. He’s a good man, a really good man, and he doesn’t deserve to die this young.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Nina. I don’t think I’d be any more diplomatic if I was trying to save my friend’s life, either. This is why you wanted to have lunch with Alicia, isn’t it?”
Nina nodded. “I thought maybe I could get her to come talk to you, but she, um, she ...”
Adam finished her sentence for her. “She said she couldn’t do it because I was already being torn apart by this. Or words to that effect, am I right?”
Nina nodded again. “I was pretty hard on her,” she confessed. “I said some things that were rather harsh. I hope she can forgive me for it.”
Adam waved a hand to indicate it was of no importance. “When you get to know Alicia you’ll understand that she’s one of the most forgiving and understanding people you’ll ever meet. It’s one of the reasons I love her so much.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” Nina burst out. “You Cochrans and this love stuff, I’ve never seen anything like it. You all make the Huxtables look like the Simpsons, but that’s beside the poi
nt. What I want to know is if you’re willing to help John. He didn’t ask for any of this and he doesn’t deserve it,” she said with a touch of desperation in her voice.
Adam looked at her, her long slender fingers twisting in her lap and an errant piece of hair falling from her normally perfect hair. Before he could utter a word she leaned forward and asked him again if he would help John.
“He didn’t ask for this, but for God’s sake, he’s your brother,” she cried.
“You’re right,” Adam said slowly. “He is my brother.”
***
Alicia and Roxy moved boxes and tried to get some semblance of order going in the condo. The conversation they had while doing it helped Alicia; it kept her mind from straying to the huge question that loomed before her, that of how to address the issue with Adam. The doorbell rang and she answered it for Roxy. There stood Bryant Porter dressed in jeans and a beat-up Alpha T-shirt, ready for some hard labor. He was also carrying a big bag from Potbelly, a curiously named deli that boasted the best sandwiches in the world. He’d come bearing extraordinary Italian subs, bottles of soda, and a huge decadent chocolate malt to share for dessert.
“Hal I see you two came to an understanding last night,” Alicia said with a smile.
Roxy tried unsuccessfully to look indifferent, but she didn’t do a very good job. “He’s on probation. He’s trying to convince me that his heart is pure and his intentions are good and I’m going to let him,” she said airily, but the smile in her eyes as she looked at Bryant was a dead giveaway. “Come on in, Bryant, and let me give you the grand tour,” she said, taking the bags from his hands and putting them on the counter that separated the dining room from the kitchen. She took his hand and proceeded to lead him around the spacious condo, pointing out various amenities in every room.
While they were looking around the place Alicia picked up her cell phone and hit the speed-dial for a familiar number. When her mother’s voice came on the line Alicia told her she needed to talk right away.
“Are you busy, Mami? Can I stop over?”
“Of course, baby. I’ll be waiting for you.”
When Roxy and Bryant returned to the living room, Alicia picked up her purse and explained that she was going to her mother’s house. Roxy walked her to the door of the condo and she and Bryant watched her until she got to her car and got in. Bryant looked down at Roxy from his towering height and asked where she’d like to begin.
“Honey, as hard as I’m going to work you tonight, we’d better start with food. Let’s eat,” she said cheerfully.
***
Alicia finally made her way to the loft. She’d stayed away as long as she could, but she had to face the inevitable. She gave the two sharp knocks that were her signal, and then used her key to open the door. She was surprised to find the entire interior lit with scented candles and seductive music playing. “Adam?” she called softly.
“In here, baby. Come on back,” he invited.
With a bemused expression she walked slowly through the loft until she came to the bathroom where Adam was filling the tub with her favorite scented bath gel and the whirlpool jets were making a huge froth for her to bathe in.
“Adam, what are you doing?” she asked inanely.
“I’m making a bath for you because you’ve had a hard day. And because we have something important to talk about and I want you nice and relaxed when we discuss it. Nina came to see me tonight.” He said it as it if were of no consequence, but Alicia knew better.
“I can’t believe she did that! She has some kind of nerve confronting you like that,” Alicia sputtered.
Adam walked over to her and embraced her tightly. “Don’t talk right now, baby. Take off your clothes, get in this nice bath, and I’m going to make you a Bellini so fabulous you’re going to fall in love with me all over again. Trust me, baby.”
And she did, enough to do exactly as he asked.
Chapter Twenty-six
True to his word, Adam made her a wonderful Bellini. The cocktail of fresh peach juice and champagne was just what she needed; she could feel the tension slipping away from her body as she lolled in the tub. She tried to get Adam to join her in the tub, but he demurred.
“This time it’s all about you, my love. How’s your drink?”
“Lovely. It tastes like more, actually,” she said with a tiny hiccup as she passed him her flute.
“Be right back,” he said as he rose from the floor next to the tub to refill her glass.
Alicia almost dozed off while he was gone, but her eyes opened and she smiled sleepily when Adam’s lips touched her forehead.
“Are you ready to emerge from your bath, darling?”
“In a few minutes, Adam. This feels so wonderful.” She sighed deeply before sipping the heavenly concoction and looked at Adam with troubled eyes. “Nina told you, didn’t she?”
Adam nodded. “Yes, chica, she did. She told me all about John’s condition.”
Alicia took another sip of her drink and refused to meet Adam’s eyes for a moment, then she turned the full force of her big, long-lashed eyes on him. “She got a slight bit ticked with me today,” she said dryly.
Adam nodded. “She said she was a little harsh. She apologized.”
“A little harsh? That cow went ziggety-boom on me, Adam. She called me a selfish high-yellow heifer with a stank attitude and said I was useless. I think that’s more than harsh,” Alicia said, pouting. “And I am not high yellow, I’m darker than she is.”
Trying hard not to laugh, Adam said solemnly, “I think she got caught up in the moment. I’m sure you were your usual calm and reasonable self, though, right?”
Alicia had the grace to look slightly abashed. “I so wish I could claim that, but I went right back at her, although I was doing it in Spanish. I know lots of really base things to say in Spanish,” she said with another tiny hiccup. “I should have been more understanding. After all, if you had a terminal condition, who knows what I’d be doing? I’d save your life at any cost, Adam, there’s no way I could sit by and let you die. I’d cut out my own heart and any other body part you happened to need,” she admitted.
Adam leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss. “It’s time to get out of that tub, baby. You’re getting all pruny.” He stood up and held out a huge heated bath sheet for her, which she stepped into with enjoyment, sighing as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
While he patted her dry and applied body butter to every part of her warm, moist skin, she didn’t say anything outside of the occasional purr. Finally she spoke. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you, Adam?”
“If I can. I have to talk to him first and find out if it’s feasible, if I can be a donor. But if I can, I will. I can’t let him die, Alicia, knowing that I could have done something to save him.”
A lone tear trickled down her cheek as she made a graceful movement to sit up and seek the comfort of his arms. “I know, Adam.”
***
The next day, John was hard at work in his new office when he got a phone call.
“John, it’s Adam. I was wondering if you have some dme to talk today.”
John’s face reflected his surprise. Of all his new brothers, Adam seemed the most distant, but he wasn’t about to question the reason for the call.
“Sure, why not? You want to meet in Detroit somewhere?” he asked.
“Actually, I’m here in Ann Arbor, why don’t I stop by your office?”
“Okay, what time?”
“Open your door,” Adam said.
Adam had decided to use Nina’s method of gaining entry. It had worked for her; he saw no reason why it wouldn’t work for him. Besides, he liked the element of surprise. He didn’t want to have to think up a dumb reason for a visit and he also wanted to catch John off-guard. He gave John a half smile as he entered his office, looking around curiously at the decor. Nina had done a wonderful job of organizing and decorating the space for John; it was an efficient but warm an
d pleasant place in which to work. Adam was amazed to see the lacrosse sticks on the wall; he turned to John with a huge smile.
“Don’t tell me you play the Little Brother of War,” Adam said incredulously.
John’s eyes lit up on hearing Adam use the Native American name for the game. “Since I was ten,” he admitted. “You too?”
Adam took the seat John indicated and they spent a while talking about the game and their love of it. Adam felt bad about having to change the subject, but it had to be said. After the lacrosse talk gradually ended, Adam looked at John with the utmost gravity.
“John, Nina came to see me yesterday. Without going into a lot of details about how she found out, let me just say she knows about your condition, which means I know about it now. And I think I can help you with it. What do I have to do to be tested as a donor?”
John’s too-thin face paled at Adam’s words. “How the hell did she find out?” he murmured to himself. He went into a stunned silence for a moment, finally reacting to Adam’s words.
“I appreciate the gesture, Adam, but I can’t accept. I don’t know you well enough to expect you to do something like that, it’s too much to ask,” he began.
Adam cut him off before he could continue in this vein. “Look, John, obviously we don’t know each other, but what better way to start a relationship than by sharing internal organs?” He gave a short laugh at the utter incongruity of the statement. “Besides, you saved my sister’s life a long time ago. This is the least I can do for someone who saved the most important person in my life. I’d never have made it to adulthood without Benita. She was more than my sister; she was my friend, my mother, my teacher, she was my everything and she still is. My sister means so much to me I can’t even begin to tell you about it. If I can do this for you, I’m going to do it, so let’s get started on whatever we have to do to make this happen. And let’s hurry because I have a woman who wants to get married really bad and I can’t put her off much longer,” he said drolly.
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