Page 66 of Crucified By the Dark
“I want to tell you about what I found out from the investigation of Wolf’s Hummer,” Trev said.
It was Murphy’s law that her phone picked that moment to ring. She stared at the name of the specialist she’d contacted for Kyle. “Sorry, give me a second. I need to take this.” Standing, she moved farther away from the two bickering men. “Hello?”
“Is this Morianna Waters?”
“Yes, it is.”
“This is Doctor Zittle returning your call. I will get right to it. I spoke to Kyle’s doctor and received all the latest blood work, scans, and liver levels.”
“Okay, and what do you think?”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Waters, but your son’s condition is well beyond what I can help with unless you have a donor.”
Morry pinched the bridge of her nose.
“So how long does he have,” she asked, not wanting to know. There was no worse feeling than seeing your child ill and being unable to help them. From the beginning of his illness, they always had multiple options, but now they were only down to one.
“It’s hard to say for certain at the rate his liver is diminishing, but…I would say six weeks.”
Morry slumped against the support beam of the building and had to hang on as her knees went weak. She closed her eyes as her mind tried to tell her that what she’d heard must be wrong. The doctor had to be wrong.
“I’m very sorry to have to call you with this news, but if a donor is found, I will clear my schedule to make the transplant happen. I really am sorry.”
She nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. “Thank you,” she said, her voice straining as she tried not to cry. Hanging up from her call, she turned to face Trev, but all three now stared at her.
“What’s wrong,” Trev asked as he stood. His eyes were as firm and fierce as she’d always known them to be. Even when they were all at their worst and wanted to give up, Trev was the one who kept them from turning on each other and kept them going. Even now, he looked ready to take on whatever the challenge may be.
“That was the specialist I called to look over Kyle’s case. He thinks that, at best, he has…,” Morry paused. Her mouth wouldn’t spit out the words. If she said it out loud, it would make it more real. This couldn’t be real.
Trev walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Tell us what you need, and I will find a way to make it happen,” he said, his voice full of concern as the tears trickled from the corners of her eyes.
“He needs a liver transplant, but for a long time, he was low on the list, and now that he’s at the top, they can’t find a match,” she said and closed her eyes. “I can’t lose my son, Trev. It will kill me. I just can’t.”
“So you need a donor? That’s easy enough,” he said, and she looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You need someone with O neg blood. They are a universal donor. I will check with all the retired vets and see if anyone is willing. I have a database we can go through. Also, have all the bikers who are willing checked. You may have a donor right here and not know it.”
Without even thinking about it, she grabbed Trev and hugged him. “Why are you always able to see the easy answers?”
Trev wasn’t what she would call a hugger, but he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. “It’s always easier to see the tree that’s needed when you’re not lost within the forest.”
“If this is a group hug, can we get in on the action?” Morry stepped back and glared at Arek. “What? I was only asking because Kes wanted to know.”
Kes rolled his eyes and shook his head no, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“I need to speak to Henry,” she said as Trev picked up the tablet he’d put down.
An hour later, the announcement saying they needed help and for those willing to get a blood type check had gone out over the P.A. system. Morry was shocked to see how long the lineup was. Of course, right at the front of the line was Jeremy. He was the first to walk out of the shop area when she said she needed someone with O neg blood. Greasy hands and all, Jeremy stood patiently waiting for Henry to take the sample.
Trev made a few calls and found two potential donors who were getting tested to see if they were healthy enough to donate. It shouldn’t have surprised her that Trev would find the solution that had been staring her in the face the entire time. Not that she would admit this to the guys, but sometimes, always striving to be better made her blind to when she needed to ask for help.
The minutes ticked into hours, and she couldn’t stop pacing outside the clinic room, where everyone was getting their results one at a time. Henry said he couldn’t just announce it. To do that went against doctor-patient confidentiality and ethics. Sure, now he wants to be a rule stickler. He said it put unfair pressure on those who could donate to have everyone know they could. Of course, she knew it had to be their choice. It wasn’t like it was a walk-in-the-park procedure. Whoever it was would be laid up for weeks, but the thought of someone living here being a potential donor and choosing not to help her son sat like a weight on her chest.
Every conversation and relationship she’d made since taking over was running through her mind. Had she burned bridges with anyone? Did they love or respect her enough now to help? Were their livers even healthy enough since they all drank alcohol like it was water?
She turned to march back in the other direction when the door opened from the large waiting area, and Butch came out. He gave her a sad face and shook his head no. With each person who wasn’t a match, the panic she’d managed to bury began to poke its head out of the sand.
“You really should eat something,” Trev said as she walked past where he was leaning against the wall.
