Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Dawson: Probably not. I’m running late already. Would you mind seeing if he can stop in tomorrow instead?
Naomi: Sure thing. Have a good day.
The nurse finished hooking me to a bunch of EKG leads and picked her iPad back up. “I just have a few questions to go over with you.”
“Okay.”
She reviewed the answers I’d already given when they’d checked me in this morning—the last time I ate or drank, what medications I was on—and then she asked if I had any questions or concerns about the procedure and the risks that the doctor had explained a little while ago.
“Nope, no questions.”
“Did admissions tell you about our anonymous-update program when you were checked in earlier?”
“No, what’s that?”
“If your recipient agrees, we can provide you with updates on their health status during the first year after the transplant. It’s something we do so our donors can see the difference they’ve made in someone’s life. Would you like to sign up to receive updates?”
“Don’t need to. I know the recipient.”
The nurse lifted her iPad closer. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought I read this was an anonymous-donation case and not a directed one.”
“It is. To the recipient at least. She’s my girlfriend’s sister, but neither of them knows I matched with her.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. And very generous. But do you mind if I ask why you aren’t telling them?”
“I just want to help, not make a big deal about it.” That was the truth, but maybe I also wanted to right some of the wrong I’d done with Bailey. And I wasn’t sure how Naomi would feel about that.
“Well, they’re both lucky ladies.” The nurse smiled and hugged her iPad to her chest. “I guess the last thing is, I’ll need you to remove your bracelet. All jewelry has to come off before going into the operating room.”
I felt my brows pull together. I didn’t wear any jewelry except a watch, and I’d left that at home this morning. Though when I looked down, I saw the friendship bracelet I hadn’t taken off in fifteen years, except for the half-dozen times I’d had to ask Mom to restring it. “You mean this? It’s just string and a few beads.”
She nodded. “The material doesn’t matter, but germs do. It’s a precaution to prevent infection.”
Of all the days to take this thing off, today definitely didn’t feel like the right one. “It’s—it might not look like much, but someone important made this for me, and I never take it off. It’s been on my wrist for fifteen years. Is there any way I can keep it on?”
“Hmm... I once had a patient who couldn’t get his wedding band off. The only way it would’ve come off was cutting it, and the patient was distressed about doing that, so the doctor let him put a glove over his hand. Our gloves cover the wrist. Let me check with your doctor and see if that would be acceptable.”
I let out a deep breath. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
The nurse disappeared and didn’t come back for twenty minutes. When she returned, she had a tall guy with her. “This is Eric from the transport team. He’s going to take you up to the operating room for your procedure.”
I held up my wrist. “What about this?”
“The doctor said it was fine to keep it on.” She walked over to a box on the counter and pulled out one latex glove. “We’re just going to slip this on to make you look like Michael Jackson and keep you safe.”
She helped me put on the glove and patted my hand. “I hope your lucky charm there brings you good luck and you have a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you.” I hope she does too.
***
Two days later, I winced as I settled into my chair. For the most part, the incisions didn’t bother me at all, except when I forgot they were there like I just had and slammed down too hard. Ben strolled into my office while my face was still showing the pain. He’d texted earlier to say he was stopping in after a meeting nearby.
“You alright?”
“Yeah. My, uh, back is just bothering me.”
“Did you do something to it?”
Yeah, I let a doctor stick a big-ass needle in it. I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe at the gym.”
He nodded and plopped himself in the visitor’s chair on the other side of my desk. “I’ve been instructed to ask you if you heard from Naomi yet? Lily doesn’t want to bug her while she’s at the hospital. She’d rather bug me so I can bug you.”
I shook my head. “Haven’t heard from her yet. Frannie’s procedure was at eleven, and it takes a couple of hours.”
Ben checked his watch. “Got it. I’ll tell my wife to hold off sending the SWAT team to search for information until at least one or two.”