âConnorâwe have a child.â
He snorted derisively. âThatâs a damned lie and you know it.â
âLook closer, Connor. She is yours.â Mallory shoved Liddyâs photo under his nose. âSheâs six now. Sheâs ill. I swear I wouldnât be here otherwise. Iâ¦weâ¦she needs your help, Connor.â
It was only after Connor stopped to examine Liddyâs baby picture that Mallory began to relax. âI named her Lydia Beatrice,â she ventured. âI, uh, everyone calls her Liddy Bea.â
âThis isnât some practical joke, is it? This child really exists. And sheâs mine.â Connorâs shell-shocked eyes rose from the photo at last. He stared at Mallory, who had once again retreated into the shadows.
Something moved deep inside her. Finally, mercifully, she was able to place herself in Connorâs shoes. âI shouldnât have sprung this on you with no advance warning. Iâm sorry.â Her hand fluttered. âLiddy Bea is ill, Connor. Her kidneys have stopped functioning.â Fumbling, she extracted a manila envelope from her bag. âHer doctorâs office prepared a report for you.â
He took the report, and as he skimmed it, she backed slowly away from him.
A moment later, the report in one hand, Liddyâs baby picture in the other, he stalked toward her. âYou waltz in here after seven years ofâ¦of nothing, announce I fathered a child, and oh, by the way, she needs one of your kidneys, Connor. Thatâs a hell of a monkey wrench to throw in a manâs life, Mallory.â
Dear Reader,
In an earlier career of mine, I had the privilege of working for a doctor who led the race in the pediatric kidney transplant program. Although there have been great medical strides in the dialysis programs since those first forays into the field, the desperate need for organ donors has changed little. Doctors and patients still have to beg for lifesaving organs. And yes, even though transplants are easier than they once were, problems do still occur, even when it seems that all factors point to the perfect donor.
This story is dedicated to a sorority sister and good friend who has had one failed transplant. Sheâs now near the top of the national donor list, but her âperfectâ match hasnât shown up. The problems facing people in the long waiting list are not as simply solved as Iâve made them for the sake of a happy ending. Yet I hope Mallory, Connor and Liddy Beaâs situation adds in some small way to public awareness of the constant need for organ donors.
I also want to give special thanks, always, to my editor, Paula Eykelhof, for continuing to let me write stories that are close to my heart.
Roz Denny Fox
P.S. I love hearing from readers. Write me at: P.O. Box 17480-101, Tucson, AZ 85731. Or you can reach me by e-mail: [email protected].
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A LIGHT TAP AT THE DOOR of Liddyâs hospital room drew Mallory Forrestâs attention. Her daughterâs doctor, Fredric Dahl, motioned for her to come out.
Liddy Bea had fallen asleep. Mallory hated leaving without telling the fretful six-year-old where sheâd be. But Tallahasseeâs leading pediatric nephrologist was a very busy man. Dropping a kiss on Liddyâs cheek, Mallory slipped out, closing the door softly behind her.
Dr. Dahl strode briskly toward a small conference room near the bustling nursing center. Malloryâs heart quickened, and fear clawed at her stomach as she followed him. Busy doctors didnât use conference rooms to impart good news.
Fredric pulled out a chair for Mallory. He leaned against one corner of the table, all the while clutching a thick metal hospital binder. Liddy Beaâs chart. Mallory knew from its size. It pained her to think of the number of times Liddy had been hospitalized in her short life. To avoid Dahlâs unsettling frown, Mallory concentrated on smoothing wrinkles from the suit sheâd worn that morning for work.
Fredric spoke gently, though ever blunt. âItâs as we feared. Liddyâs rejecting the kidney you donated. I need you to authorize its removal, Mallory.â He drew a paper from the chart and slid it across the table. âThe organ is dying. Any delay taking it out means we risk gangrene setting in.â
âHow is that possible?â Mallory ignored the gold pen he extended. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and tucked her hands under her elbows to slow their shaking. âCanât you switch Liddyâs antirejection medication again? Surely thereâs something new on the market. Something different we can try?â Tears spilled from beneath Malloryâs eyelids. âShe was doing so well. Why? Why her?â
âNow, now, Mallory. We knew it wasnât a perfect transplant. Itâs those rogue antibodies of Liddyâs I told you weâre dealing with. And you werenât an absolute match.â
âBut I should be, shouldnât I? Iâm her mother. Oh, itâs not fair! She doesnât deserve to have her new life snatched away.â