CHAPTER 14

Jenna wandered around the office. She stared intently at various degrees and family photos on the wall. She didn’t really care about their contents. She was only trying to keep her mind off why she might be there in the first place.

“So, is Derrick meeting us here?” she asked without turning her attention from the items on the wall.

“I don’t think so, the doctor just called this morning and I haven’t talked to him.”

A.J. was seated in front of a desk, leaning to the side with his legs crossed. He had been devoting his attention to looking out the window of the doctor’s office. They were in their brother’s transplant doctor’s private office, which had an unimpeded view of Mt. Rainier off in the distance. He couldn’t help but assume the doctor was hot shit to have this view. That gave him comfort. After he responded to his sister, he resumed his entranced look at the mountain.

Moments later, the door opened.

“Sorry for the wait,” offered Dr. Caldwell. He looked harried and offered repeated apologies for getting behind schedule.

Jenna took the seat next to her brother. Meanwhile, the doctor sat behind the desk and opened a file folder. His attention was affixed to the file and the siblings looked at each other awkwardly.

“Dr. Caldwell?” asked A.J., hoping to get the ball rolling.

“Yes, sorry. You are probably wondering why I asked you here. I just spoke to Derrick on my way in here. He is going to be admitted to the hospital this afternoon.”

The siblings exchanged looks of concern.

“Did the timeline for the transplant get moved up? I thought the surgery wasn’t for another three weeks,” asked Jenna, who looked to A.J. for confirmation. For his part, her brother remained focused on the doctor with a skeptical look in his eyes.

Dr. Caldwell took a deep breath.

“Unfortunately, no,” he said. “We have had a couple setbacks today and that’s why I asked you here without your brother. We received a call today that the donor kidney has fallen through. The person that had been lined up got cold feet and pulled out.”

A.J. slammed his hand on the arm of the chair and started to mutter curse words under his breath. He then leaned forward and settled with his head in his hands.

Jenna looked from the doctor to her brother and back, hoping for a “but” that never came.

“Well, we’ll wait for another one,” she offered, grasping for something. “I know it’s not been easy, but we have to remain hopeful. We can talk to the media again, get another story on the need.

“He’s a fucking hero for Christ’s sake,” she continued, getting flustered. “He wouldn’t be in this mess...”

Her voice broke and A.J. grabbed her hand and he leaned over to put another on her back to console her.

“Time is running out, unfortunately,” Dr. Caldwell said, bleakly. “His condition is worsening and that’s why I had him admitted. We have seen the timeline shrink from months to weeks. If we can’t find a new donor soon, we’ll be,” he paused. “We’ll be out of time.”

Jenna began crying into her hands, while A.J. shifted in his seat to get closer to her.

“I don’t see anything more your brother can do, but wait,” Dr. Caldwell said. “We’ll need to lean on the two of you, as the next week or two will be critical.”

“What can we do, Mike?” A.J. said, forgoing formality. “We’ve tested every willing person in Seattle.”

“I don’t know. We need to expand our reach, I guess. Are there any family members we haven’t reached out to? They would be our best bet. Anywhere else in the country? Second or third cousins? Your brother can’t be the only O-negative person in the family, can he?”

Jenna looked at A.J., who refused to meet her gaze. The doctor picked up on the interaction and quickly jumped on it.

“What is it? An asshole uncle’s kidney is just as good as any,” he said, shifting his gaze between the siblings.

A.J. let out a deep sigh and stood up to pace the office.

“Why do I feel like there is something you’re not telling me?” asked Dr. Caldwell.

“Deuce. Derrick’s twin brother,” Jenna blurted out.

The doctor looked at A.J. incredulously.

“A twin? For fuck’s sake, guys. How was that not your first call?”

“We haven’t talked to him in almost 15 years. I, I wouldn’t even know where to find him,” A.J. offered.

“Derrick is only 26. You haven’t talked to his twin in almost 15 years?” the doctor asked.

A.J. looked daggers at the doctor and Jenna buried her face in her hands. Dr. Caldwell thought better of continuing this line of questioning.

“Estranged or not, I’d suggest you start looking for this twin if you want to save your brother’s life.”

“You’re right. We’ll take care of it,” A.J. said, conceding defeat. “I’m sorry about this. We appreciate everything you’re doing for Derrick.”

“We’re all fighting for him. We just need to keep our eyes on what’s really important here,” Dr. Caldwell offered, standing to leave.

“We have a nationwide network,” he added. “If you find this twin, he can get checked for viability anywhere he is.”

“Thanks again, doc.”

The doctor patted Jenna on the shoulder as he passed, shook A.J.’s hand and left the room.

A.J. looked as if the wind was taken from him. He slouched into the seat next to his sister.

“I have no fucking idea where to start,” he said, exasperated.

A full minute of silence passed when Jenna spoke.

“I’ll do it,” she said, matter-of-factly. “I’ll find him.”

“What?”

“You and Roland have Trent’s bachelor party this weekend. Go. You guys need to relax. I’ll find Davis and, y’know, talk to him.”

“Are you sure?”

She thought for a second and nodded her head.

“Plus, do you really think he’d talk to you?” she asked. “I think my odds of getting him to come home are better than anyone else’s.”

She had a point. A.J. hadn’t had the best relationship with his brother when they’d lived under the same roof. He could only assume the amount of added resentment Deuce would feel for the last 13 years of radio silence. He could not stomach the thought of talking to or seeing his brother again. He was relieved to know at least he wouldn’t have to call him.

“You’re right. Thanks,” he said, giving his sister a look of concern.

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said. He interpreted it as playful at first until he realized the subtext.

“Fine. I’ll support you,” he relented, reading her mind.

“He needs to come to town around the wedding anyway,” she said eagerly. “You want him to donate a kidney, it’d be pretty shitty to have a wedding and exclude him.”

“Whatever gets him back here, you can give him the house, for all I care,” A.J. said. He muttered an added, “I think he still owns part of it anyway,” under his breath.

Jenna looked at her brother confused at that last bit. She softened her demeanor when she realized she was going to get to invite her brother to the wedding. Then it struck her.

“The wedding,” she said, defeated.

“Yeah, you can invite Deuce. I’ll support you.”

“No, Derrick,” she said, slipping to the verge of tears. “He’s going to be in the hospital. He’s…”

“One thing at a time, kiddo. If he makes it to your first anniversary, you’ll completely forget he wasn’t at the wedding.”

She smiled at her brother through glistening eyes and the two stood and embraced.

They made the decision to check in on Derrick and made their way to the nearby hospital. They traversed the medical offices building in silence and did not feel the need to talk much in the car either.

When they arrived at the hospital it was near lunch. They would be unable to see their brother until a little later as he’d only recently checked in. They went to the cafeteria for lunch. A.J. picked at a chicken salad and Jenna devoured a grilled cheese sandwich and some french fries. She sometimes developed a voracious appetite when she was nervous. Their continued silence was almost forced. Jenna did not want to sound too enthusiastic about her quest to find Deuce. For his part, A.J. was reluctant to accept the pursuit as actually necessary.

They were very open in their relationship. This made the silence uncharacteristic and more uncomfortable.

At the prescribed time, they revisited the front desk. They were given directions to visit Derrick. A.J. entered the room first, ducking in his head to confirm he was in the right place, and he was followed by a nervous Jenna.

“You found me,” Derrick offered in an upbeat manner. He was sitting up in no visible pain and thumbing through his phone.

“Well, you only go to three places these days,” A.J. shot back, forcing a smile onto his face.

Jenna was not able to manage a smile, as the gravity of the situation was overpowering. The brothers saw her discomfort and quickly shifted the tenor of the conversation.

“We just came from Dr. Caldwell’s office,” offered A.J. “He got us up to speed.”

“Yeah, this fucking sucks,” conceded Derrick, trying to make the best of it. “I, uh, yeah, I don’t know what’s next.”

“Well, we have a few plans in the works. You just relax, do what the doctors say, and we’ll do whatever we can to take care of this,” A.J. said.

Derrick seemingly knew what A.J. was tiptoeing around and cut to the chase.

“Do you think he’d do it?” he asked flatly.

“I don’t know, but we have to try, right?” A.J. countered.

“I’ll find him,” Jenna chimed in. “It can’t hurt to ask.”

“Well, you have to know you have my support,” Derrick said. “Not that I have much of a choice, really.”

He turned to his brother and continued, “I appreciate you considering this. I know this is a sticky situation and I know how protective you have been with us since mom and dad died.”

A.J. sighed and responded, “Whatever it takes. Maybe he’s changed. Mom and dad were more concerned than anything, I think. If he’s changed and has been able to get his act together, I think this could be a good thing?”

He lacked confidence in his last statement. He was nervous about anyone reaching out to Deuce. He never fully understood their parents’ decision to distance the family from him. But, he did his best to respect it. After they passed, it seemed like a point of no return. This only galvanized his decision to keep their brother removed from the family.

The siblings shifted the topic to a happier one, the wedding. They discussed updates and the impending bachelor party trip.

David had arranged for about 12 of Trent’s friends and closer family to spend three days at a cabin. The Pacific Northwest was great for these types of trips. Spending time outdoors was one of the few interests Derrick shared with Trent. As it was, he would miss out on the hiking, fishing and boating that David had planned.

The trio was laughing when the nurse returned to evict the guests. Some family gossip had emerged during some recent wedding planning. Jenna was filling in her brother. A.J. and Jenna gave Derrick delicate hugs and said their goodbyes. They left the room and Derrick settled in for a nap.