After Shock- Ellie's Chance

by Vikki McCombie

  “Ah, good. This is Dr. Simmons, your sister’s physician. Do you have a moment?” the man asked.

  “Certainly.” Anticipation filled her with hope. “How’s Connie?”

  “Not good, I’m afraid.” His tone sounded ominous, and Ellie’s pulse picked up a bit. “Her condition has grown much worse over the past week. I realize tomorrow is a holiday, but is there any possibility you could get here right away? Today if possible?”

  Anxiety rushed through her for her sister’s life. Her condition must be extremely dire for it to take precedence over Thanksgiving. “Wait just a moment, please.” She looked at Tabitha, blinking quickly to clear the tears forming. “She’s in a bad way. The doctor wants to know if I can leave today.”

  “We’ll manage. Tell him yes.” Tabitha’s response was swift and much appreciated, but so typical.

  She returned to the doctor. “I’ll book a flight out right away. I’ll call you with the details.”

  “That’s good, very good,” the man replied with urgency driving his tone. “The sooner the better. I look forward to meeting you. Hopefully, all will go well, and we can meet each other later today. My nurse will await your call.”

  The line went dead, and she turned to her boss. “Thanks, Tabitha. I really appreciate your understanding. I know this will put you in a bind with Thanksgiving being tomorrow.”

  “We’ll manage. Pippa is more than competent, and I’ll help her today, and I already planned to be here part of the day tomorrow. You just concentrate on helping your sister. It takes a great deal of courage to do this for her, but if it were my sister, I’d do it without a moment’s hesitation. Go, make the arrangements.”

  Ellie raced to her office and pulled up available flights. There was one leaving shortly after one that afternoon. She could make it. After a very short conversation with Pippa and Tabitha, she rushed to her vehicle.

  Once she was inside her SUV, she called Lynda. She answered right away. “Ellie? What do you need?”

  How does she know? “I’m leaving for New York in three hours. Connie’s doctor called, and he wants me there as soon as possible.”

  “So, how can I help?” she asked.

  What a dear friend she’d become in such a short time. “Could Zach stay with you while I’m away? I’m sorry to ask, but I don’t have anyone else, and I don’t want to leave him alone on Thanksgiving.”

  “Of course,” she assured her. “We’ll be happy to have him.”

  Thank you, God for bringing Lynda into my life. “You’re a lifesaver. I’ll have him to you in under an hour.”

  “Certainly. I’ll be praying for you and your sister. Now get moving. I’ll see you in a bit.” Then Lynda disconnected the call.

  Ellie drove to Zach’s school, and for once, the traffic was light, and she made it in under ten minutes. She signed him out for the rest of the day. When he entered the office, he asked, “What’s going on?” She quickly explained, and Zach refrained from peppering her with questions. He quickly told her, “Then let’s get going.”

  When they arrived home, they both raced upstairs and threw clothes in a bag. They were out of the house and pulling into Lynda’s drive shortly before eleven. Lynda must have been watching, because she opened her door before she even made it to the steps of the porch. “Hey, Zach, Ellie. Come in.”

  After getting Zach’s stuff inside, she turned to her friend. “Thanks again, Lynda. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t agreed. I’m sorry about Thanksgiving. That just makes this even more of an inconvenience for you.”

  “Not true, my friend.” she scoffed. “Zach was supposed to be here tomorrow anyway. Mark will be thrilled. Just catch your flight. We’ll be fine.”

  After hugging Lynda and kissing Zach’s cheek, she rushed to her SUV and arrived at the airport with enough time to grab a bite to eat. As she waited for her flight, she said a silent prayer for Lynda’s generosity and for Zach’s quick agreement. He’d never even asked to go. If she’d had any doubts concerning God’s existence, they were completely gone. What had happened since she’d talked to her boss could have only gone so smoothly with his intervention.

  She heard the flight attendant announce that they were boarding. In less time than normal, she had taken her seat and they taxied down the runway. The plane landed on time, and she arranged for an Uber driver to pick her up.

  Needing to call the doctor’s office, and let them know she was on her way, she pulled her phone from her coat pocket. She’d heard it ping after she’d turned it from airplane mode, but she’d waited to read those messages until after she called the doctor. She spoke with Dr. Simmons’ nurse, and he would be in his office waiting to meet her.

  What that task out of the way, she opened her messages. She had three. Her heart stopped when she saw that one of them was from Jason. Although she wanted to open his first, she would read his message last, although the anticipation was killing her.

  Zach’s message was brief. He’d sent his love and told her to tell Aunt Connie he couldn’t wait to meet her. Linda’s had assured her Zach was fine and doing a great job entertaining Mark and Samantha while she cooked for the next day. She added she was praying for her and Connie that the surgery would be successful and reminded her God was with her.

  Oh, what a good friend she’d become. She’d looked forward to Thanksgiving with her and the rest of her new friends, but it was better she not be there with things so broken between her and Jason. It might have put a damper on the celebrations if anyone had noticed, especially her son.

  Then she opened her third text with trepidation.

  What did it say?

  Her heart jumped and her pulse thrummed.

  Had he changed his mind and was now ready to hear her out?

  She slowly lowered her eyes to the screen.

  Jason: I want 2 apologize 4 the other night.

  I should have asked U 2 explain.

  I’m ready 2 hear the rest of YUR story.

  Can we meet tonight?

  Goosebumps raced along her arms. Oh, those were promising words. Dare she hope he’d be able to understand her reasoning all those years ago? Oh, she prayed it be so. How should she respond? She had so much going on. Until she’d had the operation, and was on the road to recovery, she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Once she returned, they could, and would, have that talk.

  Ellie: I’m out of town 4 a few days.

  I do want to talk, but it needs 2 wait.

  I’m glad U want 2 talk.

  See U when I return.

  She waited a couple of seconds, but the little dots didn’t appear. That was probably for the best. On the ride to Brooklyn, she tried to relax, but she wasn’t successful. Between the horns blasting and the big buses surrounding the car, she kept tapping her fingers against the seat. Her mind jumped between watching her driver weave in and out of traffic and listening for the ping, notifying her she’d received a text.

  Although she kept telling herself she would be facing major surgery in the next twenty-four hours, it didn’t ease her stress. She couldn’t help dwelling on Jason and what his text could mean. She couldn’t help it. Her heart skipped several beats. He’d apologized. He was willing to listen to her. Maybe, it would turn out all right after all.

  The traffic thinned once they went over the bridge into Brooklyn, and seeing her hometown pulled her from her thoughts, and she made it to Dr. Simmons’s office shortly before five. Even though the next day was a holiday, he didn’t want to wait until Friday to do the transplant. Her sister had already been admitted that afternoon. He personally drove Ellie to Downstate Medical Center.

  When they arrived, he ushered her to Connie’s floor, and they entered an office. “I’ve prepared your sister for your arrival without telling her everything. She’s excited she’s getting to meet her donor. This is highly unusual. Although she’ll be shocked it’s you, I believe she’ll be so overjoyed and relieved, she’ll take the news well. Shall we go to Connie and
let her meet her long-lost sister?” He grinned. “She’s in for the surprise of her life.”

  They arrived at her sister’s room.

  Ellie’s skin pricked, and her heart raced.

  Dear God, please let this go well.

  Keep her strong and don’t let her pass out when she sees me.

  The doctor entered, and she followed him into the room. Connie sat on the side of the bed, looking drawn, but with color in her cheeks. Ellie took a deep breath and moved beside Dr. Simmons. Ellie barely noticed him slip from the room.

  Connie gasped and clasped her hands to her breasts. “Ellie? It’s really you?” She smiled brighter than Ellie had ever seen, even when they were children. She opened her arms. “God has answered my prayers in a way I could never have imagined. Give me a hug.”

  Unable to believe her sister’s words, yet understanding God’s hand had paved the way, she went into her fragile embrace. Her body felt emaciated from the disease. Tears flowed as Connie kissed her. They’d never been demonstrative before, but it all felt so right.

  Ellie smiled through her tears and moved beside her. “I’m so sorry I let you believe I died.”

  Connie’s blue eyes radiated love and acceptance. “If you’d shown up even two years ago, I wouldn’t have greeted you so warmly, but I no longer hold onto old resentments. I see this as God answering the secrets of my heart. We’d had that terrible argument the week before 9/11, and I was riddled with bitterness for many years.”

  “I too, remember that disagreement.” Her cheeks heated as she recalled how it had aided in her decision. When I stumbled on the sponsored ad on Facebook, I immediately wanted to find out if I could be your donor. I searched and found a doctor who ran the tests and communicated with yours.”

  “That’s how you learned of it?” she replied. “Amazing. My church family convinced me to allow them to do that. I don’t even have a Facebook account. If I believed in luck…but I don’t. That was divine intervention.”

  “So…you’re now a believer? That’s another miracle. I too, have turned to God. It’s because of that, I changed my mind about remaining anonymous.” Her soul rejoiced at the change God had orchestrated in both their lives. “Connie. You’re an aunt. I have a son.”

  “Oh, my goodness. What’s his name? How old is he?” The questions flowed back and forth in rapid fire as they caught each other up on the intervening years they’d been apart.

  Ellie showed her sister the pictures on her phone and others in her wallet from Zach’s younger years. When she learned that Lucas was her son’s father, she stated, “Now it makes so much sense. I don’t blame you for disappearing. I never liked him, and I’m not surprised he turned violent. You did the right thing.”

  Her heart took flight. Her sister understood. “Oh, Connie. I’m so sorry I didn’t at least contact you once Lucas passed. I regret that so much.”

  Connie touched her hand. “No, the timing would have been wrong. After you left, you know the crowd I was with, I became involved in drugs. No telling how I would have reacted, if you’d even been able to find me. Two years ago, I was living on the streets, eating out of dumpsters.”

  Ellie heard her sister’s pain. However, her confession released a little of the guilt over not contacting her. Again, God had his hands on her, even then. “What happened to change all that?”

  “At my worst moment, I shot up a deadly bag of heroin. A policeman found me lying in a gutter.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “He saved my life and my soul.”

  “He did? How?” Then Connie told her he’d come to the hospital to see her. How he’d refused to leave her be. That he’d gotten her into a halfway house run by a church. He’d stuck with her until she turned her life over to God. “He’s the one who set everything in action when the doctor found my kidney disease. In the last eighteen months, we’ve fallen in love.”

  Ellie’s heart leaped. Not only was her sister a believer, she’d found love. “You’re in love? That’s wonderful. When can I meet him?”

  “He’ll be here when his shift ends around eight tonight.” She smiled. “I never expected to fall in love and neither did he, but it happened.”

  They embraced again and cried, but now they were happy tears. A nurse entered the room, which ended their reunion. Dr. Simmons returned and explained what would happen the next day.

  The surgery would start at nine the following morning and would last from two to as many as five hours, but the average was usually three, the doctor told them. Connie’s recovery would be much longer than hers.

  Ellie would be in the hospital for several days after the transplant operation. While it would be hard to leave her sister, she’d have to return to Virginia, once she could manage the flight home. Lynda had been generous in allowing Zach to stay with her, but she didn’t want to put a strain on her kind nature.

  Now that they’d been reunited, Ellie found it difficult to leave her sister’s side, but she had to go with the nurse for her pre-op testing that had to be done so the surgery could happen the following day.

  When she returned to Connie’s room two hours later, she met Brad. She could understand why they fell in love. They were perfect together. His genuine care for Connie was easy to see. He was a widower as was Jason. A stab of anxiety shot through her. Would Jason truly give her a chance to explain why she’d left everyone in her life behind when she ran away? He had texted her, so at least he was willing to hear her out.

  Once Brad left, the nurse returned with instructions. They brought in a bed for her, and she changed into her night shirt. Although it grew late, she and her sister had talked until Connie drifted off to sleep.

  Where had she stuck her phone? Then remembering, Ellie ruffled through her purse and found it. She wanted to call Zach and wish him a good night. She also needed to let him know what time she’d be going into surgery.

  After a couple of rings, he answered. “Hey, Mom. Glad you called. So, what’s going on?”

  “Oh, Zach. Connie and I had a good talk. She understands why I didn’t tell her. I feel so blessed she’s able to forgive me. And guess what? She’s found God as well. It’s a miracle. I’ll tell you more once I’m back home.”

  “That’s great, Mom, just great. I can’t wait to meet her.” She heard longing in his tone. She wished it would have been possible for him to have come along. “When’s the surgery?”

  “It’s at nine in the morning.” The impact of why it would happen so soon sent adrenaline surging through her. “The doctor didn’t want to put it off even one more day. She’s very weak, and he said that each day would only make that worse.”

  “Are you scared? I’ve been praying non-stop the surgery will be a success. It’s killing me not being there with you, but I know it would have been too complicated.” He sighed. “I’m scared. I’m trying to be strong, but it’s hard. I love you. Just wish I could be there with you. That’s all.”

  “I love you too, very much.” This time she heard fear for her as well as for her sister. “I don’t want you to worry,” she assured him. “It’s truly not dangerous for me. I’ll feel some discomfort for a little while, and I’ll need to take it easy for a few weeks. Oh, and Connie has a friend. I gave him your number and Lynda’s. He’s promised to text once we’re out of surgery. I’ve also given the hospital your number. They’ll text you with updates.”

  “Praise God. The relief in his voice was clear to her. “I was so worried I wouldn’t know anything. That totally relieves my mind.”

  “It’s late, so I need to get some sleep.” She stifled a yawn. “It will be a long, exhausting day tomorrow. Tell Lynda I appreciate her letting you stay while I’m here. Well, I should be able to call you once I’m out of recovery and the anesthesia has worn off a bit. I love you, Zack. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Me too, Mom. I’ll be praying. Talk to you soon.” He ended the call. Ellie continued to hold the phone to her ear, although Zach was no longer on the line. At last, she lowered it to her lap.
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  It pinged, alerting her that she’d received another message. A text from Jason. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she read:

  Jason: I didn’t realize U were going out of town.

  When will U return?

  Oh, goodness. How should she respond? She toyed with telling him what she was doing, but that would entail too many explanations. Oh, I wish I hadn’t seen his text. Taking a deep breath, she started typing.

  Ellie: I’m not sure but probably a week.

  Listen, it’s late, and I have a long day tomorrow.

  I will try to text or call you tomorrow night.

  I’ll be tied up all day.

  Glad U want 2 talk, and that YUR willing to listen 2 me.

  Need 2 go 2 sleep.

  Talk to U tomorrow night.

  Jason: OK. Until Tomorrow then.

  She silenced her phone and plugged it in to charge. Then she slipped under the covers and turned onto her side. Connie slept peacefully in the other bed. Closing her eyes, she prayed.

  Dear God. Thank you for not giving up on me or my sister. Be with us tomorrow. Guide the doctors’ hands as they perform our surgeries in the morning. I know You are with us. Also, thanks for softening Jason’s heart enough so he will listen to me. I guess that’s all, God. In Your Son’s name. Amen.

  Ellie slowly breathed in and out, letting God’s peace calm her soul. The Lord was in control and His will would reign. She smiled when she remembered her first prayer. Whether she and Jason could move passed their struggles or not, she would be eternally grateful she met him, and that he helped her find the peace she’d found in God’s grace. Her limbs grew heavy, and she slipped into a deep sleep, knowing that whatever happened, she would be okay.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jason paced his study. Although he’d received a response to his text, it hadn’t relieved his concerns. He sensed something huge was going on in Ellie’s life for her to go to New York in such a hurry.

  He touched his watch. Ten o’clock, later than he’d normally call someone, but he was desperate for news. Searching his contacts, he found Lynda’s number and sent her a message. If she wasn’t available, she could ignore his text.