“You hadn’t asked her,” Mama says, shrugging defensively. “And I needed to get here. I had to tell her something.”
“Youshould have told me.” Terry walks farther into the room, stopping at the end of my hospital bed. “I’m your best shot.”
“Oh, you just love saying that, don’t you?” I bark out a raw laugh that scratches my throat. “And you wonder why I hadn’t told you.”
“Yeah, I wonder why,” she fires back. “Letting your pride endanger your life.”
“You haven’t been a part of my life in a long time, Terry. Why start now?”
“Because you might not have a life if you don’t get a kidney.”
“You’re misinformed.”
“And you’re stubborn, but then, I knew that based on the way you’ve behaved this long.”
“The way I behaved? You fuck my fiancé, have his baby, drive a wedge between me and my entire family—”
“I didn’t put that wedge there, sis. You did that with your siditty ways.”
“Siditty? Me? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Going off to New York.”
“To get away from you and Brandon.”
“And never coming home.”
“To avoid you and Brandon. Look, you made your choices and I made mine. You got some nerve—”
“I’m gonna shut this shit down right now,” Canon interrupts, his expression thunderous. “Terry, if you aren’t here to help, you can jump on the next plane leaving LAX. I don’t give a damn about you or your husband or this feud. Stress was a trigger for this flare-up, and if you’re gonnamake things worse, go. If you want to help, get tested to see if we can use your kidney. Those are your options.”
“Who is this?” Terry sneers, hands on hips.
“This is Canon Holt,” Mama says hastily. “He arranged for us to fly here. He’s Neevah’s director and—”
“And I said what I said,” Canon inserts, narrowing his eyes. “You will not stress Neevah out any more than she already is. Believe me, her doctor will kick you out before I get the chance if she walks in and finds you yelling at the woman who literally is about to begin dialysis waiting for a kidney.”
“Dialysis?” Terry asks faintly, glancing at me and frowning.
“This isn’t a game,” Canon continues. “That’s what I’m telling you. We don’t have time to argue. You guys can dive into some serious family therapy later, but right now, I need you to start the testing process, if you’re willing.”
“Of course I’m willing,” Terry says, swallowing. “She’s my sister.”
“Even though I’m siditty, uppity, stubborn?” I ask, a sob clogging my throat.
“Exactly all that.” Some of the fire reignites in Terry’s stare. “But you’re still my little sister. When shit hits the fan, family should be there for each other. I know we have a lot to work out, but let me at least try to help.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dr. Okafor says from the open hospital door. “You’re Neevah’s sister, I assume? I see the resemblance.”
Is there? I study Terry’s beautiful face. She was always the pretty one when we were growing up, so I didn’t try to compare us. I knew she’d win the face race, but it didn’t really matter. I loved my sister with an affection so deep it bordered on hero worship. When she betrayed that, the only way I could deal with it and the consequences was to cut her off completely. With our strident words still echoing in my ears, it’s apparent there’s just as much hurt and resentment in this room as there was in our living room over a decade ago.
“I’m glad to hear you want to help,” Dr. Okafor continues. “Can I ask how long you’re here?”
“I have three days before I have to get back to work,” Terry says. “And my daughter needs me. Her daddy…” Her wide eyes meet mine at the mention of Brandon.
“We can talk about testing. We can’t get it all done in three days,” Dr. Okafor says. “We can coordinate with labs and doctors in your home state, too, which is?”
“North Carolina,” Terry says.
