Chapter Three
1093 Words
“We got a heart! "It's a match!” the doctor yelled out to Mr and Mrs Smith. They hugged each other fiercely. Their angel would be saved, and they no longer thought about the horrors of taking a trip through the hood.
Brooklyn was wheeled into an ambulance. Her parents were on either side of the stretcher, their hands gripping hers tightly.
The van sped through the city, arriving in the Bronx in ground-breaking time. Brooklyn was rushed into a room to prep for the surgery while her parents sat in the waiting room, their hearts in their mouths.
Mrs. Smith, all nervous, finally said, “I’m getting us some coffee and sandwiches,” and slipped away to the cafeteria, more to get some air than the coffee.
The surgery was performed flawlessly while the Smiths paced around the waiting room anxiously.
Brooklyn came out of her anaesthesia-induced sleep earlier than was expected and a team of doctors swept in hurriedly to carry out a couple of tests to be certain her body system had accepted the new organ. All the tests checked out, and she was scheduled to be discharged in two days. Her parents hurried in to see her.
“Hey, my princess,” Mr. Smith said, as he kissed her hand, “How's my baby feeling?”
Brooklyn managed a little smile, “I've got a bit of a headache, Dad,”
Her mother ran out in search of the doctors on hearing her daughter's complaint. Brooklyn and her father chuckled.
"You know how to keep her away. How are you feeling really?"
"I don't feel anything. "I'm good." She answered with a smile. Her father looked at her with concern. He knew Brooklyn to not speak up when she was in pain. A trait she has gotten from him, no doubt. She noticed how his brows scrunched up.
"Dad, really. I am good. I'm a grown adult. Stop treating me like a ten-year-old."
"You will never be too old for your daddy, young lady." He ruffled her hair with his hand, and she stared defiantly at him. This made him chuckle.
"I see you are strong enough to make jokes," her mother said with a frown as she walked in. The doctor, right on her heels.
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"We are losing him. "How is this happening so fast?" The doctors scurried around Lucas' unconscious body frantically, trying to find a way to save his life. Unbeknownst to them, Frederick hovered around the hospital ward. He floated towards Lucas and smiled warmly. Memories of the moments when Lucas would give him lunch or get him coats and mittens for winter played in front of him. He waved his hand over Lucas' body and floated away. His job was finally done. Lucas was going to be saved. Lucas made a sharp inhale and the doctor almost doubled back in surprise.
"Mr Lucas, how do you feel? "Any pains anywhere?" The doctor asked curiously.
"None at all. "What is wrong with me, doctor?" Lucas asked in confusion. He stared at his side, the IV drip connected to his vein, the pulse oximeter beeping steadily. He tried to remember what led him to the hospital. Memories of him falling down to his feet in his bathroom flashed through his mind. He shuddered in fear of what could have happened if Neil had not been around when he fell.
We diagnosed you with a gastrointestinal infection that has spread significantly through your organs. There was a very narrow chance that we could have stopped the infection and saved your life. But, you are alive with no pain. "We have to run some tests to confirm what we might call a miracle." The doctor gave him a slight smile and hurried out. Lucas was too disconcerted to even realize he was completely healed.
The doctor ran the tests and hurried back to Lucas in excitement. Lucas had grown bored over time and stared at the walls blankly.
"Mr Lucas, this is a miracle. "It says here that there's no trace of the infection. "There is no scientific explanation for this," the doctor said. He raised his palm to wipe the beads of sweat that popped up on his forehead. Lucas only shrugged.
"When do I get discharged?" Lucas asked.
"We need to make our final confirmations before you can leave. A man named Neil is here to see you. Would you like to see him?"
"Yeah, let him in. I thought that sucker ditched me."
The doctor left and almost immediately Neil entered, beaming with smiles.
"Hey man. The doctors say they can't see any of the infection in your system. "You scared the s**t out of me." Neil almost stuttered in anxiety. His eyes were wet, and he had dark circles underneath.
"You look like s**t, man," Lucas said and Neil let out a small laugh. Lucas smiled at this.
"We lost Frederick. He just died. No sickness, nothing. "Just went away," Neil announced.
"I gave him a clean set of blankets just two days ago. How did this happen?"
"He was brought in by the flower lady. She noticed he was not moving, and her greetings went unanswered. He signed a heart donor form before he passed. Some girl upstairs got his heart.
Lucas sat up in shock. “Neil, by God, I swear, if this is a joke…”
“Why would I joke about something like that, man?” Neil said. It’s wild. He knew something, I swear. Like he was ready.”
It is some crazy s**t happening these days." Neil looked shaken. Lucas patted Neil's back slowly with his free arm.
"I do not understand any of it either," he said quietly. He felt brand new. He could not understand why.
"When do you get out?" Neil asked.
"I will be discharged in two days. "Don't say it like I'm doing a federal sentence, man." He joked and got another laugh out of Neil. Lucas was only trying to make him ease up.
"Alright. "I will go get you something to eat while the doctor decides if this was an act of God."
They both laughed as Neil left. Lucas tried to stand up from the bed, and he realized he was strong enough to walk around. The doctor had disconnected the IV drip when he discovered Lucas was fine. He took off the pulse clip and slipped his feet into the hospital slides placed beside his bed. He walked out of the ward and decided to walk around.
- Writer
