by Shane Morgan
“Well, then, why is he still calling? I want to find out for myself what’s up.” She broke away from my grasp and snatched up the phone from my desk before I could reach it.
Vanessa checked the screen before answering. “Oh, so it really is him.” She prepared herself to cuss him, resting her weight on one leg and pursing her lips. “Branden, you better have a good reason for saying that…” Her voice trailed and her forehead creased. “Who’s this?”
I moved closer and mouthed, “What is it?”
Vanessa held up her index finger to signal for me to give her a sec. While I waited, I noticed her expression changed between appalled, raised brows, to a creased forehead.
The longer she was on the phone, the more nervous it made me.
Then suddenly, Vanessa’s hand slowly moved from her face, her eyes gazed down at the carpet. She was utterly stunned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, touching her arm lightly.
Vanessa looked up at me, frightened. “Some woman said she’s Branden’s Mom.” She sounded unlike my best friend. Not like the bubbly girl I was used to.
“Why is Branden’s Mom calling me?” I asked in a curious voice, taking the phone from her hand. Mrs. McCarthy had already hung up.
Vanessa grabbed my car keys from the desk. “We have to go, girl, now!”
She pulled me towards the door.
I slowed her down and asked, “What happened? What did she say?”
Vanessa opened the door and guided me outside into the hallway. “Branden’s at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. She said he’s going to have surgery tonight. You have to hurry, Moya.”
I couldn’t make a sound. I couldn’t breathe. I let Vanessa take my hand as I ran behind her to my car. It was a good thing she was driving because I was downright beside myself with worry.
Why did Branden need to have surgery?
The news shook me. As much as I was angry at him for hurting me, I wanted Branden to be okay.
I found myself crying in the car, hoping it wasn’t anything serious. Hoping I’d get to see him again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Moya
When Vanessa and I got to St. Joseph’s Medical Center, I hurried over to the nurse at the reception area and asked for Branden’s room. She politely said since I wasn’t family, she couldn’t explain what was going on.
I took my cell phone out and dialed Branden’s number. His mother answered and said she’d meet me in the lobby.
“Take it easy, girl. Let’s relax before you have a heart attack, okay.” Vanessa rubbed my hands and tried to calm me down. My nerves couldn’t settle.
I nearly flew out of my skin as Mrs. McCarthy rushed down the hallway. “Come with me.” She took my hand and led me back the way she came. Vanessa stayed behind.
I followed Mrs. McCarthy without asking questions, assuming I’d get answers when I see Branden.
Finally, we got to a room with the sign ‘OR’ above the doors. A huge knot formed in my throat as Mrs. McCarthy pushed the door open and ushered me inside.
There, in the middle of the pale green room, was Branden. I slapped my hands over my mouth to hide my gasp at the sight of him. He looked so vulnerable, so fragile, as he lay unconscious in the bed—an IV attached to his hand and a heart monitor, beeping in its high-pitched, ominous way, over his bed.
“What’s going on?” I muffled, turning back to Mrs. McCarthy at the door.
She tilted her head, choking back tears as she said, “I wish he’d told you sooner, dear. I hope you understand he had his reasons.”
Mrs. McCarthy walked over to Branden and rested her hand on top of his head, fighting hard to appear strong for him. His eyes flickered as he came to. Then she murmured, “Moya’s here,” glancing my way.
Elated, Branden eased up faintly and smiled at me. I slowly walked over to his side. “Are you okay?”
He raised his hand and wiped my wet cheek.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Mrs. McCarthy said, as she walked out of the room. Her body was visibly drenched in pain. Was it that bad?
Branden pointed me toward a chair and I brought it close to the bed and sat down. “Tell me what’s going on, Branden? How come you’re in the hospital?” I sobbed.
He exhaled, “Moya, I lied.”
I shook my head. “Lied about what?”
Branden turned on his side and took my hand into his. “I love you. I love you so much, Moya.”
His confession didn’t surprise me. I already knew. I was only disappointed he’d pretended not to love me when he clearly did. I had to know why. “Tell me why you lied and hurt me like that then?”
He closed his eyes and took a long breath before continuing, “I have Aortic Dissection. It’s actually my second time around, and I have to do surgery tonight for a chance to put an end to the condition. I thought, me being so sick, I would be a burden to you. I thought you deserved better.”
Shaking my head, I refuted, “You could never be a burden to me just because you’re sick.” But I didn’t understand his condition. “Aortic Dis…”
He broke it down, “It means there’s a tearing of the inner layer of the aorta wall, and blood is starting to leak into the wall, causing a separation of the inner and outer layers. That’s why I get all these aches in my chest. The first time it happened, was back in my senior year of high school. That’s why I had to stop playing hockey. I did surgery a year ago to fix it but it won’t go away.”
The whole thing was new to my ears. It sounded really serious, though, especially since he had to do surgery. Right then I wasn’t mad at Branden anymore. I wanted him to be okay. “So, this second surgery, it’ll make it all better, right?”
Branden turned his head away from my eyes. “They said there’s a chance it might not.”
A sudden pain twisted my heart. I began to whimper. “What does that mean?”
He shook his head and stroked my cheek. “Don’t think about that. Just believe I’ll be okay.”
I nodded and lowered my face on the bed, trying to hide my tears. Branden combed his fingers through my curls and consoled me. “You know, I was thinking I’d really like to meet your momma some time. To meet the woman who raised such a wonderful girl.”
My head shot up when I heard him mention Momma, and I cried even more. I couldn’t tell him how mad I was at her then, that she wasn’t who I thought she was. Instead, I stayed by Branden’s side until Mrs. McCarthy entered the room again, a white haired doctor behind her.
She walked over to us and touched me on my back. “It’s time.”
I began to heave, glancing back at Branden and securely gripping his hand. “No, wait. I have to stay with him,” I cried.
Out of nowhere, strong hands clutched my arms, carrying me out of the room and away from Branden. I looked behind once more to stare into his eyes for what could be the last time. He gazed back at me with those adorable blues that captured my soul, mouthing, “I love you.”
I whispered back, “I love you.” Then I was left outside with Mrs. McCarthy as the nurse went into the room, closing the door behind her.
Afterwards, I walked back to Vanessa in the waiting room. She threw her arms around me as I sat down and cried.
Moments later, Mrs. McCarthy joined us. Her husband and Ashton also entered the room, sitting down across from Vanessa and I.
“The whole time he was sick,” I mumbled to myself. “From the very moment we met. I wish we had more time, done more things together. It feels like we’d only just begun.”
Vanessa rubbed my back. “That nurse in the lobby finally told me what was going on. After the surgery I’m sure it’s gonna be all right, Moya.”
I rested my head on her shoulder and thought back to the first time I saw Branden in Business Law, how he’d stared at me, and how persistent he was, trying to win me over. Gosh, I’d been so headstrong, even when I saw how different he was. That he genuinely cared about me.
“Moya,” The baritone voice pulled
me from my thoughts.
Glancing up, I saw my father and mother. I looked over at Vanessa, confused. She had a guilty expression on her face.
Holding her hand up in the air, she admitted, “I called them. Please don’t be mad but you could use their support right now.”
As angry as I was at them both, I didn’t have the energy to argue. I stayed silent as my parents sat down next to me. Honestly, I wanted to rush into my momma’s arms the moment I saw her face. But what she’d done was still fresh on my mind amidst my worrying about Branden.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” She gently reached for my hands. “No matter how angry you are with your father,” she paused, her eyes watering as guilt quivered at the corners of her mouth. “No matter how angry you are with me, please let us stay with you through this.”
I hesitantly allowed Momma to clasp my hands into hers, not having any vitality to chase her away. My father gave me a heartening smile when I looked over at him briefly. Good thing he kept his distance because I wasn’t sure how I’d react if he’d tried to console me as well.
The waiting was driving me insane. I peered up at the clock at every passing minute—its loud ticking filled the quiet room. I heard everything from Mr. McCarthy’s worried sighs, Mrs. McCarthy’s lowly whimpers, to the sound of Vanessa’s long fingernails as she scratched them nervously on her jeans.
When two hours passed and still no word of how Branden was doing, I wanted to scream. But gazing over at Mrs. McCarthy, I felt like it wasn’t my place to complain. Neither she nor Mr. McCarthy could stay seated. He paced the area, fists clenched, and a painful expression on his face. Ashton, though, was nowhere in sight. He had left to get something for his mother to drink more than ten minutes ago and he still hadn’t returned.
I got up from the seat. Vanessa touched my elbow. “What’s wrong, Moya? You need something?”
I bobbed my head. “I’m okay, going to get some air.”
I walked down the passage towards the exit. As suspected, Ashton was outside the hospital, sitting sluggishly on one of the benches.
He looked over when he heard footsteps. “Moya?”
I sat down next to him, dully. “You should be inside, with your family.”
Ashton shook his head. “I can’t. I don’t like the look on their faces.” He sank back on the bench, struggling to hold back tears.
“It’s okay. Truth is, I was looking for a reason to come out here, too. I don’t know if I can stay in that room. Everybody looks so down, like they don’t think he’s going to make it. He will…” I shivered.
Looking Ashton in the eye, I pleaded, “Please tell me Branden is going to be all right. Please?”
Ashton squeezed my hands. “He’ll be fine. My brother is a fighter, and I can tell he really cares about you.” He feigned a smile. “I’m glad you made him want to hang on. I don’t think he would have taken the risk if it weren’t for you, Moya.”
A panic filled voiced bellowed my name, “Moya! Hurry!” Vanessa shouted.
Ashton and I rushed back inside behind her, where Doctor Henderson was talking to Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy. They seemed overjoyed.
“What happened? Did the surgery go well?” Ashton asked as we drew closer.
I clasped my hands together prayerfully and brought them to my mouth, hoping it was really good news.
Mrs. McCarthy spun and threw her arms around him. “Oh, Ash, the surgery went well. He’s going to be all right. Branden’s going to be okay.”
Vanessa turned me to face her and she hugged me cheerfully. “Girl, you hear? He’s gonna be all right.”
I cried in her arms, ecstatic.
Momma walked over and rested a hand on my shoulder. I pulled away from Vanessa and stared at her and my father.
“I’m happy your friend’s gonna be all right, baby girl,” he said, tapping my elbow with caution.
Putting the anger aside, only for this moment, I dove into his parted arms. He wrapped them around me tightly as I whispered over and over, “Daddy, it’s going to be okay.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Branden
I had no idea how long I’d been in the hospital following the surgery. One thing I did know was that Moya was there every day, with me. The whole time I slept I heard her voice, comforting me, beseeching me to open my eyes and look at her.
Moya’s voice was like honey, sweetening the air. On every visit she would plant tender kisses on my lips that made me eager to wake up and pull her in for more.
And now, there I was, waking up. The blinding rays from the sun made me squint as I opened my eyes and surveyed the room. I breathed steadily and felt around at the tip of my fingers for a button to call the nurse. She rushed in immediately, all smiles as she walked over to the bed.
“Mr. McCarthy, you’re awake. How do you feel?” she asked, giving me a glance over.
“I’m all right,” I said.
She tapped my hand and said softly, “I’ll notify Doctor Henderson and your family,” leaving right after making sure I was in good condition.
Already, my body felt relieved—like the surgery got rid of the sickness for good. Still, I was a little weakened by the procedure, so it would probably take me longer to heal this time than it did last.
The nurse had apparently done as she’d said, because shortly after Doctor Henderson checked in on me, my family arrived. One by one, they each popped in the room.
“Oh, Branden, I’m so glad you’re finally awake, honey,” Mom gushed as she hurried over to the bed.
I squeezed her hand gently as I said, “I’m glad, too. I can’t wait to be all better so I can get out of here.” And continue where I left off with Moya. I was all jitters. Now that news was out that I was awake, I knew it would only be moments until I got to see her beautiful face again. And I couldn’t wait.
Dad kept a stern expression and stuck his hands in his pockets after reaching my side, trying not to break down again. He nodded at me, “Can’t wait till this is all behind us, son.”
Of course, Ashton charged over, jerking me with care. “Bran, you little prick. You scared the crap out of us.”
Mom cleared her throat and sighed for him to settle down. Ashton regarded her face and teased, “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt your baby.” They seem to be making an effort, because the look in her eyes appeared softer now when she stared at him. My condition probably impacted them a lot.
Looking back at me, Ashton said more seriously, “I’m really glad you’re all right, little brother.”
I eased up and took a long breath, “Yeah, me too. Glad to be alive.”
Everyone laughed, grateful. I looked around the room at their pleasant faces and felt more appreciative than ever for my family. Then the door opened halfway and we all stopped suddenly to see who it was. An alluring creature poked her head in.
Moya stood in the doorway, shyly. “Hey,” she said.
“Hello, dear,” Mom said in a warm, welcoming voice.
Ashton broke through the stillness and ordered, “Everybody out.” He walked to the other side of the bed and tugged on Mom’s elbow, leading her to the door. “Give them a moment.”
“Okay, I get it,” Mom chuckled, touching Moya lightly on the arm as she exited the room with Ashton. Dad followed behind them, pausing at the door to offer Moya a quick nod before leaving the room as well.
Afterwards, Moya walked over slowly to the edge of the bed, observing me with care. Dressed simply in a long sweater and jeans, the sight of her was still breathtaking. She gave me ultimate joy, like I was in utopia.
“You scared me there,” she said, touching my big toe lightly.
I exhaled, “I know, that was mean. But I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
Moya sauntered around to the side of the bed and sat down, mindful of putting any weight on my body. “You promise?” She tilted her head to the side and peered down at me with that fiery gaze I adored.
I snaked my hand around her lower
back, pulling her closer. “I promise.”
Seeming satisfied and relieved, Moya brushed away the loose curls from her face as she moved closer to my lips. Her voice softened to a whisper, “I love you, Branden McCarthy.”
I shifted a bit on the bed and made myself more comfortable, clutching her with both hands to draw Moya further into my chest, gently. “I love you too, Moya Douglas McCarthy.”
Her brows shot up. My assertion amazed her.
I didn’t allow it to sink in as I voraciously kissed her lips, making up for all the time I’d spent unconscious.
It was going to be a very long kiss. Soon after, I’d share with her my plans for us. Because I was certain more than ever, Moya was the girl of my dreams. The girl I’d decided I was going to spend the rest of my life with. In the end, she made it all seem not so impossible at all.
PART TWO
IMPOSSIBLY
TRUE
CHAPTER THIRTY
Branden
There are three things in my life which make me happy. I mean Leonardo DiCaprio kind of happy, complete with a shout-out about being “king of the world!” Those three things are my health, my girl and hockey.
After surgery, that annoying pain in my chest was gone. I mean, I felt good. Not a speck of pain or shortness of breath. Nothing. I was back to being the old Branden McCarthy before getting sick. I’d begun my sophomore year at college and fell in love with a beautiful girl. A girl who remained by my side, even when I was hospitalized. I won her heart and love.
Finally.
Yes, things were definitely working out. My life was mine again. Playing hockey was a possibility too. I contacted the Athletics Department at Easton University and inquired about joining the team next fall. Of course, I had to provide medical documents—proof I was no longer sick and could handle the exertion and stress of a demanding sport—but like I said, happiness was mine.
It was almost three months now, since I had surgery to correct my aortic dissection, and almost three months since dropping the m-bomb on Moya that I intended to give her the McCarthy name. Of course, after some careful consideration, we decided to spend more time getting to know each other since I’d fallen for her last semester, before taking such a huge step. Actually, it was more of her decision. Not mine. I’d marry her today if she wanted.
