“I want…” I began searching for the words.“I want to see Brynn healthy.I want to hear her laugh again -- really laugh, not that sarcastic snort she does when she’s pretending she doesn’t care.”I paused, gathering courage.“And I want us to be a family.All three of us.Whatever that looks like.”
Knight pulled me closer against his chest, our bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces finding their match after being scattered.His heartbeat echoed steady and strong beneath my ear, a rhythm I could set my life to.
“We will be,” he promised, his voice dropping to that low register that vibrated through his chest and into mine.“A family.”He moved to get the comforter from the foot of the bed and put it over us.The sheets were wet but, strangely, I didn’t feel uncomfortable.With Knight wrapped around me, I felt more comfortable than I’d been in a very long time.
I closed my eyes, letting exhaustion finally claim me as Knight’s arms held me safe.Across the street, our daughter slept under Ada’s watchful eye.Whatever battles lay ahead, we would face them together.Not as the people we once were, but as the people we’d become.Scarred, stronger, and finally whole.
For the first time in months, I allowed myself to truly rest, Knight’s breathing syncing with mine as we drifted toward sleep, our bodies entwined like we’d never been apart at all.
Chapter Ten
Knight
I stared at the framed medical degrees lining Dr.Patel’s office wall.Beside me, Lavender’s palm felt clammy against mine, her fingers interlaced with my tattooed ones in a death grip neither of us was willing to break.The office smelled of antiseptic and coffee, the space so cramped my knees nearly touched the desk.A child’s crayon drawing was taped to a filing cabinet, stick figures beneath a yellow sun, the words “Thank You Dr.P” scrawled in wobbly letters.Some kid Dr.Patel had treated.
“She’s late,” Lavender whispered, glancing at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes.
“She’ll be here,” I murmured, squeezing her hand gently.“Probably just stuck with another patient.”
I kept my voice steady despite the storm churning in my gut.The past forty-eight hours had been a blur of additional tests, blood draws, and urgent consultations since Brynn’s condition had taken another downturn.The shadows beneath Lavender’s eyes had darkened, her slim body somehow growing even more fragile.
The door opened and Dr.Patel entered, a stack of printouts clutched in her hands.She offered a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she settled behind her desk.My stomach dropped.I’d gotten good at reading people in prison and everything about her body language screamed bad news.
“Mr.Leahy, Ms.Calloway,” she began, her voice carrying that careful neutrality doctors perfect for delivering life-altering information.“Thank you for coming in.I know you don’t like leaving Brynn.”
“Just tell us,” I said, the words scraping my throat raw.“Is it Brynn?”
Dr.Patel shook her head quickly.“Brynn is stable for now, though we’ll discuss her condition in a moment.”She adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit I’d noticed during our previous consultations.“I have your final compatibility results, Mr.Leahy.”Lavender’s grip tightened painfully around my fingers.I barely felt it.“You are an excellent match for your daughter,” Dr.Patel said, and for a split second, relief washed through me like a flash flood.“There are no concerns about the transplant procedure itself.”
“Thank God,” Lavender breathed, her body sagging slightly beside me.
But Dr.Patel wasn’t smiling.She shuffled the papers before her, and I braced for the other shoe to drop.
“However,” she continued, her voice taking on an edge I hadn’t heard before, “there is a complication with the transplant committee approval.”
“What kind of complication?”I asked, my voice dropping dangerously low.
Dr.Patel met my eyes directly, something hardening in her gaze.“The preliminary psychological evaluation has raised… concerns among two committee members.”
“What concerns?”Lavender asked, her voice thin with sudden tension.
Dr.Patel sighed, removing her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose.When she spoke again, her words carried barely restrained anger.“I’m going to be blunt with you both because I respect you too much for hospital-approved euphemisms.Certain members of the committee have expressed reservations about Mr.Leahy’s criminal history and his current affiliations with a motorcycle club reportedly full of ex-convicts.”The words hit like a physical blow.My vision tunneled, the edges of the room darkening as rage bloomed hot in my chest.“They’re questioning your motivation for donating,” Dr.Patel continued, her tone making it clear these weren’t her words.“Some have suggested you might be attempting to manipulate Ms.Calloway or establish an unhealthy control dynamic.”
“That’s fucking ridiculous,” I snarled, my fingers clenching reflexively around Lavender’s hand before I caught myself and abruptly let go, afraid I’d hurt her in my anger.“She’s my daughter and I just fucking found her.”
“I know,” Dr.Patel said firmly.“And for the record, I chose to phrase it exactly as they did in committee, rather than use the softer language the hospital administrator suggested, because I fundamentally disagree with their assessment.I’ve spent considerable time with both you and Brynn, together and separately.Your motivations are crystal clear to anyone actually paying attention.You want to help that girl with every breath you take, and you love her mother just as much.”
Lavender reached for my hand again, but I kept mine clenched in a fist on my knee, not trusting myself to touch her without somehow transferring the violence building inside me.
“What do we do?”Lavender asked, her voice surprisingly steady.“How do we win this fight?”
Dr.Patel leaned forward, her professional detachment giving way to quiet determination.“I’ve been advocating strongly on your behalf since the committee meeting this morning.I’ve arranged for an expedited personal interview for Mr.Leahy with the full transplant committee this afternoon at four PM.It’s short notice, but if you had a lawyer present, the board might be intimidated enough to proceed.Needless to say, any reasonable person would never have brought this up.”
“Will that be enough?”Lavender pressed.
“I hope so,” Dr.Patel replied, honesty bleeding through her professional facade.“Several committee members are already on our side.The chief of nephrology and I have worked together for fifteen years.He trusts my judgment.”
I barely heard them, blood rushing in my ears as I fought to contain the rage threatening to explode from my chest.My past was, indeed, coming back to haunt me.Only Brynn would be the collateral damage.The bitter irony of it twisted like a knife between my ribs.
