“Absolutely,” Dr. Andrews said.
“She died in a car accident, but they said she shouldn’t have bled out like that,” I told him.
He frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, Jack. I would be willing to bet she had this too, and it was the reason for her rapid blood loss.”
Everything clicked in that moment, like a puzzle finally coming together. Was it still my fault that she’d died? Yes. But…it made sense. It made it a freak accident. Itwasan accident.
“If she’d known…would she still be…” I couldn’t finish the words.
Dr. Andrews nodded. “Likely, yes. She’d still be alive. There are medications you can take. And after this, I’ll want you to meet with a hematologist to work on a plan.”
“After this? So you can still do the surgery?” I asked him.
Dr. Andrews smiled. “Jack, God must be looking out for you because bleeding disorders are actually my specialty. I get called in to perform surgery on VWD patients often. There are risks, and we can talk about that, but if you decide to do the surgery, you’re in good hands.”
“I’m doing it,” I told him.
“Well, hang on, Jack. Let’s hear about the risks.” Claire was still holding my hand.
I loved her in that moment for her concern, but I didn’t care about the risks. I was doing this. God was giving me a chance to save a life and make up for the one I’d lost, so I was taking it.
An hour later, I’d signed my life away and listened to Dr. Andrews drone on about bleeding out on the operating table, surviving the procedure, and bleeding out after—and everything in between. He’d administered some type of medication that would thicken my blood, and I was ready to be taken back to prep.
I’d called and thanked Chloe for sending Dr. Andrews, and she said she was still trying to reach Cedric. I couldn’t worry about that, though. I had to focus on this surgery and pray I wouldn’t go back to prison for doing the right thing.
“God bless you, Jack,” Claire whispered in my ear. Then she kissed my cheek before a nurse took me into the operating room.
An eerie calm came over me then. I just knew I was going to be okay. No matter what happened, I would be okay. This newfound peace was so comforting that I wished I’d had it my entire life and I wanted to tell everyone about it. How at rest I felt in my soul.
I took a deep breath and smiled up at the nurse. I scanned her name tag and a lump formed in my throat.
Sonia.
There it was again. My mother’s name. Except this time, I didn’t want to break down and slip into a depression. I saw it as a blessing. A sign that my mother was looking out for me.
When I reached the O.R., Dr. Andrews was there with a scrub cap and blue gloves on. He was smiling. Even though he had a mask on, I could see it.
Leaning down, he whispered in my ear. “I talked to the big man upstairs and asked Him to guide my hands and protect you during the surgery.”
“Thank you,” I spoke through the lump in my throat.
As the nurse reached over to put an oxygen mask over my mouth, I saw a charm dangling from her bracelet.
A cross.
I smiled.
“You’re about the happiest patient I’ve had in a long time,” she said.
“I have a lot to be happy about,” I told her.
The anesthesiologist introduced himself then and clapped me on the shoulder. I glanced down at the tattoo on his biceps. A dove. I knew that was a Christian symbol, but I couldn’t remember of what.
It didn’t matter. God was showing me that He was all over this hospital, and as the anesthesia pulled me under, I knew that everything was going to be okay.
Chapter Thirty-Six
HANNAH
