"What do you mean by we have to take her to a hospital in the Bronx? That is an unsafe area. "We could get robbed or even worse…" said Mrs. Smith, as her face became red at the mention of a place she would refer to as ‘ghetto’. The doctor looked at the couple, who looked horrified at the idea of taking their precious daughter to a hospital in the ghetto.
"You should be excited that your daughter has chances of being cured. Besides, it has not been confirmed that your daughter will be taken to that hospital yet. "We have just been hearing little snippets that there might be a heart available for donation." The doctor explained this to them and Mrs. Smith seemed to calm down a little at the mention of her sick daughter.
"So, what are you saying? Our Brooklyn need a heart transplant?" Mr. Smith asked, a serious look on his face.
At least, one in the couple did not care about esthetics. Mr. Smith seemed like the most logical one.
"Exactly. She suffers from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We need to act fast and once we have confirmed with the hospital about the heart, we are going to move her as quickly as possible. "Do you understand?" The doctor asked again. He spoke as though he was talking to three-year-olds. He needed them, especially Mrs. Smith, to understand what was at stake.
"Okay, that is alright. "All we want is for Brooklyn to be alive and well." Mr. Smith said this and the doctor nodded. They shook hands and the doctor ushered them out.
**********************
"I was walking to the shop and I noticed he was not moving. I thought he was asleep, you know. So I hollered, 'Hey Freddy, still asleep at eleven. "You must have had a busy night.' He would usually grunt his response, if he did not want to be disturbed. Today was just different and I had to check what was wrong. Then, I found out he was passed out cold. "I asked for help and took him here." The woman who ran a flower shop just below Lucas' home narrated how she ended up taking Frederick to the hospital. Neil nodded somberly. He had come to check in with the doctor about Lucas, but the doctor had not stepped out in a while, so he waited. While he was waiting, Laura had walked in with two other men helping Frederick into the hospital.
"Lucas always invited Freddy to come sleep a night or two in our building. He always declined. "I always wondered why," he said, trying to take his thoughts off Lucas.
A doctor in a slightly wrinkled coat approached them.
“You're with Lucas, right?” he asked, gesturing towards Neil. Neil nodded and stood up almost immediately. The doctor directed him to walk with him to his office. He offered him a seat and sat across him.
"So, what is going on with Lucas?" he asked, his impatience making patterns in his tone. The doctor took a deep breath at this. He took off his glasses and set them carefully on the table.
"Your friend, Lucas, has an infection we refer to as a gastrointestinal infection. It has been in his system for too long. Longer than necessary. It is a surprise he has lived through the pain this long."
Neil stared at the doctor in shock.
"Pain? That cannot be possible. Lucas is one of the healthiest people I know. He barely drinks, has never smoked, and has the best diet. "Why would he be in pain?" Neil asked. The doctor shook his head sadly.
"We are doing our best to salvage the situation. But, it is a feeble attempt. "We are trying to sustain him and see if we can do damage control," the doctor said, and it seemed like blood had completely drained from Neil's face.
"Can I see him?" Neil asked.
"Of course. However, he is not conscious now."
Neil nodded and walked out to go see his friend who had been carrying pain within him for a long time, and he was too much of an ass to notice.
************************
Frederick's eyes fluttered open, and he saw a nurse switching the drip bag. He gave her a small smile when their gaze met.
"You are awake. "Thank God." She returned his smile and began to check his pulse and temperature. He seemed okay to her.
"We are still trying to figure out what went wrong with you, sir. "You just passed out and you are completely healthy. "Have you eaten anything out of the ordinary lately?" She asked gently. Frederick stared at her and shook his head slowly.
"All of this is out of the ordinary. You just do not see it."
The nurse gave him a confused stare. She wondered if the drugs administered to him were supposed to make him groggy.
"We will discharge you soon, Mr Frederick. "I will be checking in later." She picked up her note pad and proceeded to walk out of the room.
"Wait!" Frederick yelled. The nurse halted her steps and turned around.
"Yes?" She plastered on a smile. She was used to patients wanting to talk to her. Cherry had said it had something to do with her easy demeanor.
"I want to donate an organ."
"What?"
"I want to donate my heart. I know a young lady who would be needing it."
"Frederick, there is no one in this hospital who needs a heart transplant. You need to rest."
"Oh, there will be." Frederick closed his eyes and the pulse oximeter stopped beeping. Her eyes widened in alarm. She ran to his side and checked his breathing. He was not breathing. She lifted his wrist to check his pulse. She could not find any. She tried to revive him and asked for help through her walkie-talkie. A doctor rushed in and checked him out. Frederick was gone, but his heart was still beating.
"Hold on. "This man filled out the heart donation form," the doctor announced. The nurse looked at him confused, her hands still on Frederick's chest.