by Naomi Niles
I sat down, dread and fear pulsing through me as I waited to hear what he had to say.
“I've been doing this for many years, but it never gets any easier,” he muttered, half to himself as he sat down opposite me.
“So, what do you want to tell me, Doctor?”
“I know that your father has been on the waiting list for a new kidney for a while. And with this emergency, I was able to bump him up to the top. The problem is, his type is very rare for a match. We have one available—”
My heart leaped with sudden hope as he said this.
“But the donor is in Hawaii. There’s no way we could get them here and prepped in time.”
Like a popped balloon, the hope deflated and was gone.
“It would simply take too long to get the kidney here. Your father... well, I'm sorry to say this, but he just doesn't have enough time. I know this is hard to take, that it's hard to accept... but short of a miracle, he's not going to make it. I suggest you start making preparations, legal and otherwise, with that eventuality in mind.”
I was numb, in shock, and feeling totally helpless and weak. It was if someone had run over me with an eighteen wheeler and had kept on backing over my crushed body again and again.
“There's... there's really nothing you can do?”
He shook his head.
“Like I said, we're trying everything, and we've got him on the best machines. But there's only so much we can do without a donor kidney right here, right now.”
“What's this about a donor kidney right here, right now?” asked a new voice. The doctor and I looked up and saw Chance standing in the doorway.
“Excuse me, who are you?” asked the doctor.
“He's my boyfriend,” I replied.
“To put it bluntly,” the doctor said to Chance, “if Mr. Shea doesn't get a new kidney in him wihin the next twelve to sixteen hours, he won't make it.”
“He can take one of mine,” Chance said immediately, without hesitation. “Prep me up for surgery right now if you have to.”
“Chance, it’s not that simple. Besides, I could never ask you to do that,” I informed him.
“You're not asking me. I'm offering.”
The doctor shook his head.
“Sir, Mr. Shea has a very rare type. The chances of your kidney being compatible are around one in ten thousand, plus, just to run the tests that would determine if you’re a match would take a few weeks. I'm sure your girlfriend appreciates the offer, and you are a noble man for stepping up like this, but it is simply impossible.”
Chance reached into his back jeans pocket and took out his wallet.
“Good thing those kinda tests have already been done on me,” he said.
“What?” asked the doctor.
Chance took out a card and handed it to the doctor.
“I'm a registered organ donor, for all of my major organs. Plus, I had that test run a couple of years back when one of my ranch hand’s brother needed a kidney.”
The doctor's face lit up.
“Well, it certainly can’t hurt to check,” he said. “Let me take this card to get your types checked out on the database. Wait here, I'll be back in a minute.”
He took the card from Chance and hurried out of the room. I immediately jumped up and hugged Chance tightly.
“Chance, I really, really appreciate this... but you don't have to do this. I can't ask you to.”
“After my wife passed, she helped save the life of a young man in Michigan because she was an organ donor. It was a small silver lining to a terrible, dark cloud. I realized that I wanted to do something like that when I eventually left this world,” he said. “But for some things, I don't need to leave this world to make a difference. I'll be just fine with one kidney. And if it can make such a big difference to your world – I'd volunteer for it a thousand times over.”
With tears streaming down my cheeks, I hugged him and held on. What he was volunteering to do for me was amazing. It was beyond amazing; I'd never met anyone in my life like this, who would go so far as to do something like this, even if he probably wouldn’t be a match. The fact was, he was willing.
“Chance, I'm so lucky to have met you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Really, you are,” I said, my voice cracking with emotion.
“And I feel the exact same way about you,” he said. “I sincerely do, Mackenzie.”
We continued to embrace each other tightly for a few moments. After a few minutes, the doctor returned to the room with Chance's donor card – and I could see that there was a look of surprise on his face.
“I can't believe it,” he said, his voice expressing both joy and disbelief, “but you, sir, are a match with Mr. Shea!”
“I'm ready to go into surgery as soon as you need me to, doc,” said Chance. “Get me whatever forms I need, and I'll sign 'em.”
“I'll get a nurse to do that for you now. I'll head up to surgery and start to get things ready. You're a true hero, sir, a true hero!” The doctor started to hurry out of the room then turned to Chance. “Don’t eat anything, by the way,” he said with a smile and then left.
“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, Chance? Are you?”
“I've never been more certain of anything in my life,” he replied. “Now I just need to get hold of Andy to tell him that I'll probably have to stay here the rest of today, and overnight. Maybe even tomorrow. He'll look after Cassie for me.”
“Are you sure? I can help with that too.”
“No, you need to be here for Will and your Mom. Don't worry, Andy is like Cassie's grandpappy. She and him get along great, and there's nobody on earth who I'd trust with my lil' Angel more than Andy – except for you, of course,” he winked at me.
I gave him a hug and a kiss, emotion surging through me. I listened as he called Andy and made arrangements for him to take care of the ranch and Cassie until he returned. Then he called Terry to tell him that he wouldn't be coming into the station and instructed him not to tell Tina anything of what was going on and promised to explain it all to him later. After that, a nurse came in and gave him some forms to sign, which he did. I gave him one more hug, with tears of love and gratitude running down my cheeks before the nurse led him away to be prepped for surgery.
***
“Another steak, Son?” my dad asked Chance as he flipped the meat on the grill.
Chance chuckled and held up a hand to refuse. “No, sir. I think I'm gonna have to say no, as great as it looks. I'm so full I can’t hardly walk right now! You sure do cook up a mean ribeye, though, Daniel.”
“Wait until we go fishing together, Son,” my dad replied with a twinkle in his eye. “Ain't nobody can grill up a freshly caught trout like I can.”
“I can believe that,” Chance said. “And I'm looking forward to it.”
“Hey everyone, get in here!” Mom shouted from inside the house. “The news is talking about the Circle B trial!”
We all hurried inside and stood in front of the TV, our faces lit up with eager anticipation as we watched footage of Duvalle being led out of a courtroom.
“And what has proven to be one of the biggest stories of the year not only in Nashville, but the country, national beef giant Circle B Industries had their first day in court facing charges for attempted murder and conspiracy to commit fraud in an effort to force a local Nashville rancher off his land. The conspiracy was uncovered by Nashville’s own investigative journalist, William Shea. Shea discovered that a former military special ops criminal masquerading as a local radio DJ...”
We continued to listen and watched the footage of Tina being led from the courtroom in handcuffs by the police. I could see Chance's face tightening at the sight of it, so I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“It's all over now,” I whispered into his ear and kissed his neck. “It's all over.”
“Who are those people on the TV?” Cassie asked. “Are they bad people? I saw that one man at our house before. Is he a bad ma
n?”
“He's a very bad man, and she's a very bad woman,” Chance told her as he squatted down and hugged her. “And they wanted to hurt Daddy... but they can't now. They're going to prison for a long, long time. They'll never be able to hurt anyone again.”
“Good,” Cassie said. “I don't like bad people.”
“Nobody does,” I smiled at her. “And we're all happy that they're going to jail.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, catching me off-guard. I took it out and saw that it was Judd from Regent Records calling.
With my heart beating faster in anticipation, I answered the call.
“Hi, Judd,” I said loudly enough that Chance would know who was calling. He watched with anticipation, probably hoping to know by my facial expressions how the call was going.
“I've considered the alterations you and Chance proposed to the record contract,” he said, cutting immediately to the chase. “And while it's kinda unorthodox in terms of how I like to run things, you have so much potential that I'm willing to make a few compromises. So, instead of having you live at the ranch in Austin full time, I'm willing to accept you staying there for ten days every month instead. Is that a deal?”
I was so happy that I thought my heart would burst.
“It's a deal, Judd. It's a deal!”
EPILOGUE
TWO YEARS LATER
Lilly flashed me a smile and then, behind her drum kit, she clicked her sticks together for a count of four, and then we launched into Only For You. As we did, the crowd — all fifty thousand of them — roared out a cheer and started singing along. It was pure magic, and I felt like I was floating on a cloud. This was a dream come true. This was everything I could have ever wished for when it came to my music. This song had been my big hit, and I was reminded by Judd before we walked on stage, that it had been released a year ago today. Since then, my life had been a whirlwind of tours and shows. This one, back in Nashville, was the final one before I took a much-needed break to get back into the studio and write another album.
The crowd sang along with me as I went into the final chorus, and goosebumps rose on my skin with the intense rush. My home crowd, singing along to my song, knowing every word, every syllable, every note by heart. It was wonderful.
The song finally faded out, and the crowd roared with enthusiastic excitement.
“Thank you! I'm Mackenzie Shea, and this is Lilly Wright on the drums! And don’t forget my band, give them a round of appreciation! We love ya’ll! Have a wonderful night, and we'll see ya soon!” I shouted into the microphone after the applause had finally died down a little.
Of course, it only prompted another thunderous bout of applause, and Lilly and I stood up and took a bow before we exited the stage.
Waiting to the side of the stage were Judd and Chance. Judd had a huge smile on his face, and he gave me a big hug.
“That was just fantastic, Mackenzie!” he exclaimed. “You're a natural! You're gonna be a country legend, I just know it. Signing you to Regent Records was one of the biggest wins of my career!”
I laughed and gave him another hug.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with Regent, Judd. It means a lot to me. I don't know where I'd be without your guidance.”
“Well, you can look forward to a lot more of it in the years to come,” he said with a smile. “I have a feeling that Only For You is just the first of many hits that you're gonna have in what I imagine is gonna be a long and prosperous career. All right, anyway, I need to go talk to this new kid I'm hoping to sign.”
“The one who played on the B stage about an hour ago?” I asked.
“That's the one! I see you have as good an eye for talent as I do.”
“He's great. Good luck, Judd; I hope he signs up.”
“I do too.”
After Judd left, Chance pulled me to him and placed a long and passionate kiss on my lips.
“How is my wife feeling after that stellar performance?” he asked.
“Just great!”
“Well, do you think this here fan could get a lil' something special from his favorite singer?” he asked with a flirty glint in his eyes.
“I think that'd be just perfect about now,” I replied. “C'mon, let's go to my personal dressing room.”
“Don’t you mean undressing room?” he teased. I rolled my eyes at his cheesy comment.
Hand in hand, we exited the backstage area and headed through the campground of luxury buses, which were all for the musicians and management, and separated from the campground of the festival goers, until we reached mine. I unlocked it, stepped inside, and then locked the door behind Chance as he stepped in.
“We wouldn't want anyone walking in now, would we?” I asked, the tone of my voice smooth and seductive.
“Not with what I'm about to do to you,” he replied with a grin.
***
Behind the stage in the park, the sun had just dipped below the distant hills. The first few stars of the evening were starting to twinkle in the sky above as James Masters played the last note of his first song. We all applauded loudly and whistled and cheered enthusiastically. It had been an incredible performance. It was great simply watching a show instead of playing one for a change. As much as I loved performing, I did need a break from it once in a while, and a nice outdoor gig with James Masters was just the way to kick back and relax with all my friends and family around us.
“He's a legend, he really is,” my dad said. “As good as he ever was.”
“Like a fine wine, he just gets better with age,” my mother commented.
“I like how he sings! He's a cool grandpa!” exclaimed Cassie, and we all laughed at her childlike innocence.
“What did you think of the band before James?” Lilly asked me. “They're really talented in my opinion.”
“I thought so too,” Jason added. “Great vibe, great chemistry on stage, and excellent energy.”
“They're local boys, ain't they?” Chance asked.
“That's right,” I said. “Born and raised right here in Nashville.”
“They kick some serious ass,” Will agreed. “And if I was a music journalist, you bet they'd be my first choice to write a review on.”
“Why don't you do that anyway?” I asked. “Who says you gotta restrict yourself to investigative journalism?”
“I would, but I've got so much on my plate now. Being sober, I have so much more time available, it seems – but I'm still too busy to do much else besides write! And I've got to cover the latest fracking controversy in Dakota. That could make international headlines, depending on what I uncover.”
“Well, I hope someone writes a good review on this band,” Chance said. “Those boys sure do deserve it. I enjoyed the hell outta their set!”
“Maybe you could ask James to call one of them up on stage for a duet,” I suggested with a wink and a playful elbow. “I heard there's a singer whose career just took off like a rocket after you did that for her.”
We all laughed, and Chance pulled me to him and kissed me.
“And I'd do it again, a thousand times over,” he said. “It got you to talk to me, didn’t it?”
We sat and listened to James playing, and I wrapped my arms around Chance's big, powerful frame while Cassie curled up between us, warming herself against the light chill of the early evening.
“How's Andy doing?” my dad asked Chance as the current song ended.
Andy had recently had a fall off one of the horses on the ranch. I'd been the one who had found him down by the creek when I'd gone on a ride. He'd had to be taken to the hospital, and Chance had just stopped before this show by to visit him after his surgery.
“His leg was broken in three places, but they've put him all back together with steel bolts and plates and stuff. It'll take a while to heal, on account of his age, but the doctor said that he'll be right as rain when he is eventually healed up.”
“He's not gonna be happy about having to re
st for so long. You know how seriously he takes his work, and how much he needs to move around and be active,” I said.
“I know, I know. We'll have to find something for him to do on the ranch that won't strain him too much,” Chance added.
“I'm sure we'll figure out something for him to do. I just wish he could have been here tonight. He would have loved to see James play.”
“I know. I wish he was here too,” Chance added.
James started another song, and we watched, nodding our heads and tapping our feet to the beat. The sky was getting darker now, and it really was turning out to be a gorgeous evening, with a moonless sky that was filled edge to edge with bright, shining stars. Up on the stage, James finished another song, and we all applauded and cheered. He then spoke into the microphone.
“Thank you, Nashville! I always do love playing here.”
“We love you too!” someone shouted from the crowd, prompting a chuckle from James.
“And I love all 'yall too!” he shouted, and a cheer echoed through the crowd. “Right now, I'm gonna play a lil' song of mine called Thunder and Rain.”
Everyone cheered as he announced it.
“But I ain't gonna do the song alone,” he continued. “You see, a few years ago, I did this song with a lovely little lady who sang it so beautifully that I do believe that it was one of the best renditions of the song I ever did do. And now that lovely lady has gone on to become quite the star in her own right too.”
My heart started to beat a little faster – it was pretty obvious who James was talking about: me!
“And what's more, I think that beautiful and talented young lady is here tonight! Where are you, Mackenzie Shea?”
Everyone cheered as James said my name, and I couldn't help but blush.
“Come on up to the stage, Miss Shea!” he said. “If you please, that is. I'd love to do Thunder and Rain with you one more time... and I'm sure everyone else would like to see that too, wouldn't ya’ll?”
Everyone roared out their approval, and I knew I had to do it. Smiling and glowing with pride and excitement, I stood from our picnic blanket. This was going to be great. Chance got up and hugged me.