Life's Second Chances: The Show Me Series: Book One

by Anne Stone

  “That feels so good. It’s been another trying day. I’m beat. I think I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.”

  “Alejandro, can you wait a minute?”

  “I really—”

  “It’s Matthew, isn’t it?”

  Sighing, he nodded his head. “His kidney function has declined again.” Taking a deep breath he said, “He really needs that transplant as soon as possible. I spoke to Daniel and he said that we’re going to have to add another dialysis treatment. I don’t like that… We’ve just got to start praying harder to find a donor.”

  She was taken aback by his comments. “How long have you known this?”

  He was silent.

  “Be honest.”

  “A few weeks. I was afraid you’d hear something today when you took him to his dialysis. That’s why I wanted to take him.”

  “Is that why I caught you looking at his chart?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It’s just that I wanted to…”

  “Protect me.”

  “Something like that. I know it was wrong.”

  “Yes, it was. He’s going to be our son. I need to know everything about his condition. You need to be honest with me.”

  “I know. I was trying to protect you.”

  “I realize that. That’s water under the bridge now that you’ve told me how critical the situation has become.” She turned off the lights and followed him to their bedroom. He showered and joined her in bed. Reaching for her, he apologized again. He held her the entire night.

  Waking at dawn, he wrote her a note and headed off to the hospital. It was Saturday and he wanted to get home as soon as possible so he could enjoy the day with his family. Jessica had been released from the hospital the week before and she’d returned home to her family. She’d dodged another bullet and thankfully wasn’t rejecting her kidney.

  Alejandro was fortunate that he had only two patients in the hospital—he was home by ten that morning. Angelina and Matthew had just finished breakfast when he walked back in the door. “Did you get my note?”

  “Sure did, and it sounds like a plan to me.”

  “Huh? What are you talking about?” asked Matthew.

  “How about a day at the zoo? It’s perfect weather—not too cold. Do you feel up to it?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Then go get your jacket, and I’ll go grab the camera.”

  Thankfully, the zoo wasn’t too crowded when they arrived. As they walked through the gates, Angelina looked at her family and smiled. It was the first time they’d done something together and she was overjoyed. She finally had the family that she’d dreamed about since she was a little girl.

  Alejandro threw his arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the sea lion exhibit while Matthew walked ahead of them. When they reached his side, he was leaning over the railing, pointing towards the sea lions. “Look at that,” cried Matthew. He didn’t get the response he was looking for so he called out to them again, “Mom, Dad look at that!”

  The Mom and Dad titles caught both of them off guard. “What’d you say?”

  Matthew looked at them. “I called you Mom and Dad.”

  “But Matthew—”

  “You are my mom and dad now.” He reached for their hands and they joined him along the railing.

  Angelina had tears in her eyes. Alejandro caught her eye, winked and smiled at her. They were a family—a true family in every sense of the word.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The holidays were a jubilant time as they celebrated their first Christmas together as a married couple. And to top it off, they had Matthew, too.

  Angelina had a blast preparing for the holidays. She decorated every available space in the house with lighted garland, Christmas trees, and anything else that she could find that was festive.

  She surprised Matthew with a Christmas tree for his bedroom. She took him shopping so he could choose whatever he wanted to decorate it with. He chose various birds to decorate his tree, along with brightly colored lights and garland.

  She kept up her holiday tradition with Colleen as well, but Alejandro wasn’t able to join them this time. Instead, Alejandro decided to start a family tradition all his own. He took Angelina, Matthew, Colleen, and Wyatt caroling. Since their house was located in a rural area, they caroled in both his and Angelina’s family’s neighborhoods. They had a blast and even recruited Ben and Jackie, along with his parents, to join the group.

  Matthew still believed in Santa Claus, so Alejandro went all out. He found a form of a shoe that he could use to sprinkle with ash from the fireplace. It was perfect. He made it look like Santa had come down the fireplace—footprints led from the fireplace to the Christmas tree.

  When Matthew woke Christmas morning, he went to the family room where he saw the shoe prints that led directly to the mound of Christmas presents. He ran to Angelina and Alejandro’s room, bursting through the door screaming, “Santa’s been here! Hurry up! Come on, let’s open our gifts!”

  Both Angelina and Alejandro were exhausted from the night before. They hadn’t been able to get Matthew to go to sleep, and then they had to wrap all of the Santa gifts. It all added up to a Christmas Day nap for both of them.

  They watched Matthew as he unwrapped his presents. The excitement he showed was overwhelming to Angelina.

  Alejandro noticed a tear trickle down her face. He turned to her, brushed the tear away with his thumb, and said, “What’s this all about?”

  She smiled at him. “It’s nothing. I’m happy—happy that we have Matthew in our lives.”

  They finished opening presents and then headed off to church, then over to her parent’s house. They had decided to forgo what had turned into an annual early morning Christmas celebration at her parent’s house because it was too late for Matthew.

  After visiting with her family, they went to Alejandro’s parents’. By the time they got home, everyone was exhausted.

  Their first Christmas together as husband and wife was a memorable one, especially with Matthew in their lives.

  *****

  Matthew’s class was having a Valentine’s Day party the following day. Angelina took him to the store to purchase last minute valentines for his class party. She had purchased valentines several weeks before, but when Matthew went to sign his name and add his sucker to the card, he decided he didn’t like them at all—they were too girlie. She was tired of listening to Matthew’s complaining, so she agreed to take him to the store so he could choose his own. He was so excited that he could barely contain himself in the car as they made their way to the store. It took him forever to make his decision since the selection of valentines had been picked over at that point. After some serious thought, he got a huge smile on his face and said, “Okay, Mom. I want these. They’re perfect!”

  “You’re sure those are the ones you want?”

  “Yep, I think these are just right!” he said as he perused the back of the box looking at the various cards.

  “Ready to check out?”

  “Uh, huh,” he said as she pushed the cart towards the front of the store. The store was packed with shoppers. They slowly made their way to the checkout lane and stood in a long line—it seemed like everyone was there purchasing various sundries for Valentine’s Day. The store seemed awfully warm to Angelina, but she attributed it to the larger than normal crowds. As Angelina reached into the cart to grab Matthew’s valentines, she became lightheaded and quickly grabbed ahold of the cart, dropping the box onto the floor.

  Matthew picked them up and noticed how pale she was. “Mom, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. It’s just a little warm in here.”

  They made it through the checkout lane and headed out to the car. Matthew kept looking at her as they moved across the parking lot. “Mom, are you feeling better?”

  “I am, Matthew. I just got really warm in there, that’s all. The fresh air has really helped. Thank you for asking.”


  They hurried home so Matthew could address his valentines. Angelina started dinner, but had to sit down because she got dizzy. She realized she hadn’t been feeling herself all day, but blamed it on all of the viruses going around school. Alejandro walked in as she sat there with her head in her hands.

  He walked over to her, put his hand across her back, and leaned in to place a kiss on the top of her head. “Sweetheart, are you feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m just tired. I haven’t quite felt like myself today. I guess I’m fighting what everyone else has. I had three kids out in my class today. I hear there’s a virus or something going around.”

  “That’s what I hear, too. We had a few nurses out this week, too. You need to take it easy. Maybe you should stay home tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be fine. I just need a good night’s sleep.” Alejandro kissed her on the cheek, then went to check on Matthew. They huddled closely while Matthew completed his valentines.

  “Dad, I think something’s wrong with Mom.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Matthew proceeded to tell him about what happened while they were shopping. Alejandro thought about how he found Angelina when he came into the house. He decided he would watch her closely and, if she didn’t seem better, he’d have her see the doctor.

  Valentine’s Day was unforgettable. Matthew made them special valentines. They were taken aback when they read them. He’d written how much he loved both of them, and he thanked them for becoming his parents. After reading her card, Angelina smiled and reached for him. She pulled him into her arms, telling him how lucky they were to have him be a part of their family. Alejandro brought home dinner, wanting to do something special to celebrate the day. He didn’t want Angelina cooking since he was still concerned about her being ill and wanted her to take it easy.

  Angelina placed the silverware on the table and reached for the plates when she again became lightheaded. She stumbled, almost dropping the dishes. She regained her balance and was able to set the plates down without incident. Alejandro noticed this out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t want to overreact. “Need some help there?”

  “I’m fine—I just stumbled over my own feet.”

  They ate dinner, but Alejandro kept his eye on her the entire time. She mainly pushed her food around on her plate while they discussed Matthew’s party.

  Alejandro put Matthew to bed. After she cleaned up the kitchen, Angelina poked her head into Matthew’s room, wishing him a goodnight and telling Alejandro that she was also heading off to bed. It was unusual for her to go to bed that early. Alejandro finished his story to Matthew and sought her out. She was in bed reading. He joined her and pulled her into his arms. “Sweetheart, are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just a little tired this evening. It’s pretty chaotic whenever we have a party. Today was no exception.”

  “You know how I worry.”

  “I’m fine. Just go about your evening.”

  “If you insist,” he said as kissed her and told her he’d join her shortly.

  *****

  Before they knew it, spring break was upon them. They elected to stay in town and just be a family, doing whatever they felt like doing. Angelina was feeling much better. She guessed she’d had a virus since her symptoms disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared.

  Alejandro had just arrived home for the day when his cell phone rang. It was the hospital.

  Angelina watched him as he spoke, and his voice began to raise with excitement. She had no idea what was going on. He hung up the phone and grabbed her, calling for Matthew.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing… Everything’s right.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “Matthew, we got it.”

  “Got what?”

  “A kidney!”

  Angelina almost collapsed in his arms. She couldn’t believe it. Their prayers had been answered. “We need to get to the hospital.”

  They arrived at the hospital and were greeted by members of the transplant team. Matthew was anxious, but greeted them with a smile. He knew that his life was going to change, but he was scared and couldn’t wait for the surgery to be over. Angelina stood by and watched as they prepared him for surgery. Alejandro had phoned both of their families. His father was already at the hospital while Gabriella drove his mother. Alec and Joe would join them after their clinic closed and they finished rounding at the hospital for the day. Angelina’s parents were out of town with Wyatt’s hockey team and wouldn’t be back until the following day. Colleen hurried to the hospital and was able to see Matthew before he went into surgery.

  Alejandro went into the operating room while Matthew was being put under, but left before the actual surgery began. He needed to be with his wife.

  Alejandro wished he was the surgeon—he’d be in control then. He’d performed this surgery countless times. He was comfortable with the procedure, but nervous because it was his son being operated on by someone other than himself.

  Angelina sat beside him. She was extremely pale. He knew she was nervous, but that shouldn’t account for her paleness. He made a note to keep his eye on her. Alejandro’s parents and Colleen went to the cafeteria while Alejandro and Angelina waited for news on how the surgery was progressing. Angelina rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, thanks. I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? You look like you don’t feel too well.”

  “I’m just anxious and tired, that’s all.”

  “You’d tell me if you didn’t feel okay, right?”

  She smiled at him and nodded. “What do you think?”

  “I think no, but I have to believe you would.”

  They sat together for some time, just the two of them. Alejandro explained about the surgery and where he thought they were in the process.

  The doors opened and a nurse came in to tell them they were closing. Daniel would be in shortly to tell them how the surgery went. Angelina decided to use the restroom before the doctor came in. She kissed Alejandro on the cheek. As she rose from the couch, Alejandro watched the expression on her face change. Angelina fell towards him, and he caught her before she hit the floor. She’d fainted dead away.

  Alejandro laid her on the couch and called for a nurse. Just as the nurse entered the room, Angelina woke. “What happened?”

  “You fainted.”

  “I what?”

  “You heard me. See, I knew you weren’t feeling well—I could tell by looking at you. We’re going to get you checked out.”

  “Alejandro, I’m fine—just a little tired. Just help me to the bathroom and then I’ll take a glass of juice. I feel better already. I guess I just need to eat something. I’m fine.”

  Alejandro knew better than to argue with her, but he knew something was wrong with her and had known it for some time. He’d watch her closely and, when he thought she’d overtaxed herself, he’d step in and help her out. This time he was going to make sure she saw her doctor.

  Daniel came in and told them that the surgery had gone well. “He’ll be out of it for a while, so why don’t you go home and come back later?”

  Angelina told Alejandro that she didn’t want to leave the hospital. Instead, she thought they could just hang out in his office. Alejandro agreed and he led her to his office couch where she fell asleep almost instantly. While she was out, he paged Kevin, her doctor. Alejandro was tired of her making excuses. He had actually believed that she’d been fighting the virus that had been tearing through the community. She’d been fine for the last several weeks, but with the fainting he wasn’t sure anymore. He wanted her checked out and wanted to know if something was wrong with her.

  When Angelina woke, she saw a note laying on the table besides her. It read, “I’ve gone for coffee and something to eat. I’ll be back shortly. Love, A.”

  She smiled and headed to his office restroom. She was still lighthe
aded and even somewhat nauseous. She chalked it up to the fact that she hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day. When she returned, Alejandro was seated behind his desk. He stood when he saw how pale she was. She even looked a little green around the gills.

  “That’s it.”

  “Huh?” she murmured.

  “Angelina, quit lying to me.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  “Something’s wrong with you, isn’t there?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re awfully pale and you look like you’re—”

  She abruptly turned around and rushed back to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Alejandro rushed over and opened the door, finding her slumped over the toilet. He reached for a paper towel and wet it with cool water. He wiped her forehead as she sat slumped on the floor. “I think I have a bug.”

  “A bug? Angelina this has been going on for weeks. You’re going to get checked out today. Your doctor’s on his way here.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Quit arguing with me. You’re going to get checked out. If you’re sick, you won’t be able to see Matthew.”

  “Okay. I’ll listen to you.”

  “Thanks. Now, if you’re feeling better, let’s get you up off the floor and back to the couch.” Alejandro guided her back to the couch and sat beside her. Thankfully, he’d thought to get some soda crackers while he was getting their breakfast. He had a notion that she might need them.

  Angelina’s doctor came by promptly at nine. Alejandro led them into one of his examining rooms. Her doctor’s office was offsite, but he’d agreed to see her as a favor to Alejandro. Alejandro left them alone. He’d already informed her doctor of the symptoms he’d witnessed. He’d hadn’t trusted that Angelina would divulge what was going on, but she did—she told her doctor everything. She believed she had nothing to worry about since there were so many viruses going around school. She was sure she had one of them since she was so run down and just couldn’t shake it.