The intensity in his gaze made my skin prickle.Despite everything I still loved the bastard.We had a tether between us that had stretched but never broken.I became acutely aware of how close we stood, of the electric current humming in the narrow space between us.
I opened my mouth to respond, unsure what words might emerge, when I heard footsteps.We both turned to see a doctor walking toward us, clipboard in hand, her expression professionally neutral.
“Mr.Leahy?”she asked, glancing between us.
Knight straightened, his hand briefly touching the small of my back before dropping away.“That’s me.”
The doctor nodded, her eyes moving to her clipboard.“I’m Dr.Patel, part of the transplant team.I’ve got your preliminary results.Do you mind if I discuss them in front of Ms.Calloway?”
My heart jumped into my throat.I stepped closer to Knight without thinking, fisting my hands in his T-shirt.Knight wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close to him as we faced the doctor together.
“Already?”Knight asked, his voice steady even as I caught the tension in his posture.“I thought it would take longer.”
“We expedited the tests, given the circumstances.”Dr.Patel offered a small smile.“And I wanted to let you know right away that things look promising.We can go ahead with the rest of the testing, which will take place over the next several weeks, and we still have the hurdle with the hypersensitivity reaction so we’ll know more the closer we get, but I believe we have a real chance of making this work.”Her smile brightened considerably.
My knees nearly buckled.I pressed my hand to my mouth, heat building behind my eyes.Knight tightened his hold on me, wrapping his other arm around me.
“What happens next?”he asked, his voice rougher than before.
Dr.Patel looked between us, her expression softening slightly.“We need to complete the biological testing, which, like I said, will take several weeks, maybe even three or four months.Then we’ll need a full evaluation -- physical exam on you, Mr.Leahy, more detailed blood work and a psychological assessment will happen soon.If everything checks out, we could have a better idea of the timeline.”
The doctor smiled.“I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves, but this is a very encouraging start.I’ll let you two discuss this, and we can talk in more detail tomorrow morning.I’ll be back to check on Brynn in about an hour.If we can keep her healthy enough to make it just a little while longer, we might be able to avoid dialysis altogether.”
Knight looked down at me, his expression transformed from anguish to cautious hope.The argument that had blazed between us just moments ago now smoldered, unresolved but temporarily overshadowed by possibility.And there was no possible way to stay mad at him as tightly as he held me.It felt so fucking good to have his arms around me again.
I blinked rapidly, fighting back tears that threatened to spill over.Knight stood so still he might have been carved from stone, but I caught the slight tremor in his body where he held me so closely.Dr.Patel gave us a moment to process before continuing.
“I want to be clear,” she said, her tablet pressed against her chest.“The next phase of testing is crucial, especially given Brynn’s antibody situation.”She glanced at me and continued, her tone cautiously optimistic.“But parents are often the best matches for a live donor other than twins, so I’m very hopeful.”
Knight asked more questions, but the clinical language washed over me.Though I’d tried my best to understand everything going on, I didn’t have a medical background, and I’d been so busy trying to give Brynn everything she needed or wanted, especially my time, I hadn’t picked up as much as I should have at this stage.
“We’ll schedule the additional testing for first thing tomorrow morning,” Dr.Patel said.“Mr.Leahy, I’ll need you here by seven AM.Try to get some rest tonight, both of you.”She glanced between us, her expression softening.“I know this is a lot to process.Do you have any questions for me right now?”
Knight looked at me, deferring to my experience with Brynn’s medical journey.I wanted to bark out a bitter laugh.I had so many fucking questions I didn’t know where to begin, but none of them were the sort Dr.Patel could answer.Most of them centered on the “why” of this whole thing.Why my Brynn?Why did something so simple as strep throat go so horribly wrong?I shook my head.“Not right now.Thank you, Dr.Patel.”
She nodded and walked away, her white coat billowing behind her.Knight and I stood in momentary silence.Our earlier confrontation remained unresolved, but alongside it now grew something else.A tendril of cautious hope.
Knight shifted slightly, not letting me go.I didn’t want him to and loathed the fact I needed to get back to Brynn.I wanted to stay in this little cocoon for just a few minutes longer.Then I immediately felt horrible.Brynn needed me.She was just a kid, despite her quick intelligence and resilience.
“We should tell Brynn, baby.”
“Yes.”My voice came out barely above a whisper.I cleared my throat before dropping my hands from his shirt and stepping back.“Just… let’s not build it up too much.I don’t want her disappointed if something goes wrong.”
He nodded, understanding without needing explanation.“I’ve got your back.”
I glanced up at him, studying the face that had once been as familiar as my own.The tattooed skin, the hardened eyes, the new lines that spoke of years I hadn’t witnessed.And yet, beneath it all, glimpses of my Rhys.
“This doesn’t fix everything between us,” I said quietly, needing to establish that boundary before we walked back into that room together.
“I know.”His response came without hesitation.“I’m not expecting it to.”He’d dropped his arms to his sides when I’d stepped away from him.I stared at the ink-covered, vein-roped, muscular arms bared by his short sleeves.I needed to remember this wasn’t my Rhys.This was Knight.
Some of the tension drained from my shoulders.“We need to work together.For Brynn.”I didn’t know if I spoke to him or myself.As much as I needed him here, as much as Iwantedhim with us, I had to remember we were both different people now.
“Anything for Brynn.”The conviction in his voice matched the feeling in my chest, this fierce, protective love that had defined my existence for eleven years and was only just beginning to shape his.
“Ada seems good with her,” Knight said as we approached Brynn’s room.“They hit it off.”
“She’s always had a way about her.I’m glad she came.”
