“The doctors would like to see you, Ms. Nash,” the nurse said.
“Now?” Loretta asked.
The nurse nodded. “I’ll take you to them and come back to check on Nicole.”
“Mommy will be right back.” Loretta gently placed Nicole’s hand under the blanket.
“Would you like Dodger to stay with you?” the nurse asked.
Again, Nicole shook her head no.
“We’d better go. We’ll see you when you’re feeling better,” David pulled on Dodger’s leash and led him away.
“Thank you for trying.” Loretta called after them. She turned to the nurse. “Why do they want to meet with me?” Her voice sounded shrill, even to her own ears.
“Try not to worry, Ms. Nash. You’ve got the best team of doctors in the state. If my child were sick, these are the doctors I would choose.” The nurse led her to a room at the end of a long hallway. She opened the door and motioned Loretta to step inside. Nicole’s doctor and two others she didn’t recognize were seated at a round conference table. Nicole’s doctor rose.
“Come in, Ms. Nash,” he said and extended his arm toward the chair next to him. Loretta clutched her purse to her body and tripped on the leg of a chair as she moved it aside to sit down. She turned to him, her fear palpable.
“I don’t want you to be alarmed,” he said kindly. “Nothing has drastically changed with Nicole’s condition.” Loretta released the breath she had been holding. “I’ve been concerned that she hasn’t responded to the medicines we’ve prescribed and her kidneys aren’t working well enough to allow her to go untreated. At this point, she’ll need to be on weekly dialysis.” He looked to his colleagues seated with him at the table and they nodded their agreement.
“I asked the other doctors in the department to review Nicole’s records and give me their recommendations. We all came to the same conclusion.” He faced Loretta. “We think you should place Nicole on the transplant list.”
Loretta gasped and flattened herself against the back of her chair. “Transplant,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Surely it’s not that bad? Can’t we keep trying medication and dialysis?”
“Yes, of course we can,” the doctor replied. “But transplants are frequently a better option for children. They allow the child to live a more normal life. Weekly dialysis is a big disruption in a child’s schedule. And the outcome for a transplant patient—particularly a child—is better the earlier it’s done.”
Loretta gulped air. “Aren’t transplants risky? Don’t most people die within a few years?”
“Kidney transplants have been done for more than sixty years and are highly successful. We expect Nicole to make a full recovery. You’d have to keep a close eye on her after the surgery, and she’d be on immunosuppressants for the rest of her life to prevent her body from rejecting the transplanted kidney. She’d have to be careful not to damage it playing sports. But many people live long and healthy lives after a transplant.”
Loretta rested her elbows on the table and placed her head in her hands. “This is a lot to take in.”
The doctor to her right leaned toward her. “You don’t need to decide today. We want you to start considering this.”
She turned to him. “When would this happen?”
“We wouldn’t do the transplant here. You’d have to go to a transplant hospital to be evaluated. If they agree that Nicole is a good candidate, they would place her on the national list for a kidney donation.”
“So we’d have time?”
“Yes. This can be a lengthy process. That’s why we thought you should get started now.”
“Won’t her body destroy the new kidney?”
“Not in her case. A birth defect is causing them to fail. That won’t happen with the transplanted kidney.”
“Is there a transplant hospital near here?”
“One of the best for pediatric patients is at Indiana University,” her doctor replied. “We can refer you to the doctors there.”
Loretta nodded slowly, forcing herself to think. “All right, if that’s what you want me to do.”
“We think it’s in Nicole’s best interest,” he replied.
“How long does it take to get a kidney once she’s on the list?” Loretta asked.
“That can vary. There are two types of transplant donors,” one of the other doctors answered. “Living and nonliving. Kidneys are unusual because a person can live with only one. Success rates are better with living donations.”
Loretta faced him. “Who can be a live donor? Since she’s a child, does it have to be a child?”
“That’s a good question,” he said. “Anyone can be a donor if they’re healthy and have the same blood type and other compatible tissue characteristics. The best matches come from close relatives.”
“So the kidney can come from an adult? Won’t it be too big?”
“Adults can donate to children. The kidney is bigger, but we make room.”
“I don’t have the same blood type as Nicole,” she said sadly.
“There’s always the national donor list,” the doctor reminded her. “What about her father?”
“He’s dead,” she stated matter-of-factly.
“It’s too bad that her siblings aren’t older,” her doctor observed.
Loretta stared past him. Maybe now was the time to learn the answer to the question that had plagued her for years: Was Paul Martin really Nicole’s father? More importantly, were Susan and Mike Martin related to Nicole?
“Would you like us to make the referral to the transplant center at Indiana University?”
She drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly before nodding in agreement. “Yes. I think we should get started.”
***
Loretta crawled into bed shortly before ten that night, praying that her exhaustion would allow her to fall asleep. She looked at her bedside clock at midnight and swung her feet to the floor in frustration. She padded to her closet and pulled the old calendar down from its hiding place on the back of the top shelf.
She didn’t turn on her bedside lamp but brought it to her bedroom window and drew back the curtain. The light from the street lamp illuminated the page that she knew from memory. The large red X on the page marked the date when she felt certain Nicole had been conceived.
She sagged against the windowsill and leaned her forehead against the glass. Nicole had to be Paul’s child. That other guy had been a drunken, vengeful fling she’d had when she’d quarreled with Paul over his promise to divorce Maggie and marry her. She stifled a sob. She didn’t even remember his name. Why had she been so careless? The odds were heavily in Paul’s favor, but she couldn’t be certain he was Nicole’s father. Until Nicole had needed a kidney transplant, she had been content to let the issue die with Paul. Now that Nicole needed a family member to donate a kidney, she had to know.
Loretta wasn’t a match. She had to find some way to reach Susan and Mike. She had to convince them to get tested to see if they could be kidney donors for Nicole—and to donate a kidney if they were. This would be so much easier if Paul were still alive.
Loretta turned her face upward. Please, God, give me the words. Show me the way. Do this for Nicole.
Loretta returned the calendar to its hiding place and climbed back into bed. Her fatigue led her into a dreamless sleep.
***
Loretta Nash stood in the doorway of Frank Haynes’ office and cleared her throat. He looked at her over the top of his reading glasses.
“May I come in? I have something I need to talk to you about.”
“Of course,” he said, motioning her to one of the chairs on the other side of his desk. He looked into her eyes and smiled.
Loretta lowered her gaze to her hands clasped in her lap. She cleared her throat and began. “I’m going to need some time off of work, Mr. Haynes …”
“It’s Frank, for heaven’s sake,” he interrupted.
She glanced at him and a smile brushed her lips. “Fran
k. The doctors think that Nicole needs a transplant. It will be better for her in the long run, and she should have it done sooner rather than later. They want us to go to a hospital in Indianapolis that does a lot of pediatric kidney transplants. Nicole needs to be evaluated before she can even get on a transplant list.”
He nodded encouragingly.
“So I’m going to need to be gone from work for the initial consultation. And when she has the transplant, I’ll need a bunch of time off.” Loretta’s voice caught in her throat. “I’m not sure how much. And you’ve let me take off a lot already.” She looked into his eyes, and her tone was pleading. “I’ve got to keep my job, Frank. I need the health insurance and the income. I don’t know how, but I’ll make it up to you. You don’t have to give me a raise for the rest of my life.”
“I’m not going to fire you, Loretta,” he heard himself reassure her. “And I’ve already told you, I’ll help with your medical expenses. That goes for this transplant center, too. Don’t worry about being gone. I did all the work around here for years. I can pick up the slack again,” he said, not feeling sure that he could.
“I’ve thought about that,” Loretta said. “Could we hire a part-time assistant? A high school student on work study or an intern from the college? They could do the simple data entry, and I could work on the reports and financials remotely, on a laptop. I could take it with me. I’ll be spending a lot of time in waiting rooms. I could easily work there. Or while Nicole’s asleep.”
“We’ll see,” Frank said.
“I know you don’t like a lot of people poking their noses into your business,” she said. “I understand that. But we’re almost at the point where the two of us can’t keep up anymore. I was going to suggest this even before Nicole got sick again.” She paused. “Think about it.”
He nodded slowly, knowing he’d never agree to bring anyone else on board. “What about Sean and Marissa?” he asked, changing the subject. “Will they go with you?”
“No. They’ll be in school. My babysitter has agreed to take them.”
“She’s a very nice woman.”
“You have no idea. She’s agreed to keep them for free to help me out. I can’t believe it, because it’s not like she doesn’t need the money.”
Haynes made a mental note to make sure that the babysitter won the drawing for this month’s Visa gift card from Haynes Enterprises—regardless of whether she had ever set foot in one of his restaurants and entered to win or not.
“When will you go?”
“I’m not sure yet but probably by next month. Her doctor is setting it up.” She began absentmindedly twisting a strand of her hair around her finger, a nervous habit she’d picked up as a child that had grown more prevalent since her move to Westbury. “I’m so sorry that I can’t give you much notice.”
Haynes waved his hand in dismissal. “That doesn’t matter. Why don’t we buy you a laptop this afternoon? Then you’ll be all set.”
“Thank you, Frank.” She began to rise, but he put out his hand to stop her.
“What have they told you about the transplant donor? Who would make a good candidate?” If Nicole were Paul’s child, as he suspected, Maggie Martin’s kids could be ideal donors.
“Anyone with the right blood type and tissue match can be a donor, but close family members are best. Nicole and I are different blood types, so I’m not a candidate, unfortunately.”
“What about Nicole’s father?” Frank asked. “Or other close relatives?”
Loretta shook her head. “I was adopted, so I’m not a blood relative to my sister.”
Frank remained silent. Surely she knows that Paul Martin’s other children could be donors, he thought. He wouldn’t broach the subject with her just yet; he’d let her keep her secrets a bit longer.
Chapter 32
Susan Martin stared at the text message on her phone:
Can’t go Westbury with you on 1st. Can’t b away that long. You go. I’ll come on 3rd. Explain later.
He could explain it right now. She punched his number into her phone and waited. Dr. Aaron Scanlon answered just before the call would have gone to voice mail. “I’m in the middle of something,” he said in hushed tones. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”
“No. You promised me you’d make this trip. You’ve taken your boards and your vacation was approved. And it’s your brother’s surprise birthday party. You have no excuse.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll make it for the party. I’ve been offered the opportunity to assist a surgeon who’s visiting here from Johns Hopkins. He’s demonstrating some cutting-edge techniques that I’m very anxious to learn. This will be my only chance because nobody on the West Coast does this procedure.”
“There’s always going to be something like this, isn’t there? Every time we plan something, I’m not going to be able to count on you.”
“That’s not fair, Susan. I’m only asking for a few days. You can go to Westbury as planned and spend time with your mother. It’s not like I’m abandoning you where you don’t know anybody. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”
“Because I haven’t spent any quality time with you for weeks.” She struggled to hold back tears. “I was counting on this time to reconnect with you.”
“I’ll be out on the third, and we’ll have three days together. I’ll get the first flight out in the morning. How would that be?”
Susan remained silent.
“I’ve accepted this invitation, and it would look very bad if I now declined,” Aaron said.
“All right. I guess it doesn’t matter what I say. Next time, please consider my feelings and ask me.”
“I’ll do that. I’m sorry that I’ve upset you. And I’ll be there on the third in time to take you to lunch, I promise you that. I want to be at Alex’s party, but I’m more excited to spend time with you.”
***
“The girls, too?” Maggie asked. “Aren’t they just about to start school?”
“School begins the week after we get back.” Susan sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“I’m bringing the girls with me on the spur of the moment because Aaron signed up for some surgical thing and isn’t coming out until the third. Since you and John will be working and the girls have been nagging Mike and Amy to get back to Westbury to see their friend Marissa Nash, I decided to bring them with me. Mike had airlines miles, so he booked their tickets.”
“That was nice of you. And I’m thrilled that I’ll get to see them. So why do you sound so down?”
“I’m disappointed about Aaron. I gave him lots of leeway while he was studying for boards and I was so excited about this trip together. Then he accepted an offer to assist this prominent surgeon from Johns Hopkins with a surgical demonstration. He’d rather do that than spend time with me,” she concluded glumly.
“I understand how you feel, believe me, I do. I spent years feeling let down because something I was looking forward to got canceled because of your father’s schedule. But to be fair to Aaron, this sounds like a big deal for him.”
“It is, I guess.”
“And he’s still coming, just two days later. I think your idea to bring the twins to Westbury is brilliant. We’ll have fun. After all, when was the last time you spent two full days with them?”
“If you look at it that way, you’re right. And he promised he’d be here by lunch on the third, so everything should work out fine. You always make me feel better, Mom.”
Chapter 33
Maggie Martin and Gordon Mortimer stepped out of the back exit of the Ferndale bank shortly after two o’clock. The armored car that would be transporting Maggie’s treasure trove of silver to New York for redeployment to London had just pulled out of the parking lot.
“I should be getting back to Westbury,” Maggie said. “I didn’t think it would take so long to pack and load this. I thought that Sotheby’s would take their own photos for the sale catalo
g.”
“They will, madam,” Mortimer said. “I always take my own for insurance purposes. One can’t be too careful, you know.” He arched his brow as he looked at her. “We just loaded well over a million dollars’ worth of silver onto that truck.”
“You’re right. Thank you, Gordon,” she said, realizing she’d ruffled his feathers. “Do you want to get started tonight on the silver that’s still at Rosemont?”
He shook his head. “I’d like to begin first thing in the morning. The light will be better for photographs. It’s hard to use a flash with silver. I think I can be done by noon. I’ll take the silver to the post office to ship to New York in the afternoon.”
“Is it safe to send that way?”
Gordon Mortimer bristled. “Of course it is, madam, or I wouldn’t be doing it. The silver that you kept at Rosemont wasn’t nearly as valuable as the items here in the bank’s vaults. Everything will be fully insured. And I’ll have my photos, of course.”
Maggie nodded. “Will you look at the furniture in the attic while you’re there? We’ve added a painting to the lot, too.”
“I’ll have to do it another time. I’m planning to leave as soon as I deposit the silver at the post office.”
“That’ll be fine,” Maggie said in a conciliatory tone as she slid into the driver’s seat of her car. “Whenever you get a chance.” She rolled down her window and called to him as he headed to his car. “Are you staying in Westbury tonight?”
Gordon Mortimer nodded.
“Then come have dinner with my husband and me at Rosemont. We’d love to have you,” she heard herself say cheerily.
“I’d be delighted, madam,” he replied.
“Seven o’clock,” Maggie called, wondering what in the world she had in her refrigerator to feed him, and why she’d invited a dinner guest the night before Susan and the twins were to arrive. She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
***
Gordon Mortimer rang the doorbell of Rosemont precisely at seven o’clock. John Allen opened the door and welcomed him inside. Truth be told, he’d had a hard day at the animal hospital and wanted nothing more than to take his wife out for a bite to eat and fall asleep in his chair in front of the television. But this was important to her, so he’d be a good sport and make the best of it.
Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series Page 14
