Page 127 of Before You Can Blink
“Then my answer stays the same.”
“You’re not making this easy, darlin’,” I muttered.
“Nothing about this is easy,” she shot back. “But I won’t have Tripp or Aspen suffering on my account. It’s my job as their mother to protect them, and so long as I’m living, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
“Fine.” My eyes slid closed, and I tried in vain to pull in a deep breath. “So we keep doing dialysis, then.”
Dr. Pierce spoke again. “Ruling out immediate family doesn’t mean a transplant is off the table. We can put you on the waiting list for a non-directed donation—either living or deceased—from someone you don’t know. Would that be something you might be interested in exploring, Daisy?”
Reaching over, I squeezed her hand, praying she could feel how much I needed her to get better, and clearly, a transplant would offer her the greatest quality of life while extending it at the same time.
“Yes, okay,” she agreed, and I sagged in relief.
“Great.” The doctor nodded his approval over her choice. “I’ll get to work right away, making sure you’re added to the list. In the meantime, we’ll continue with the dialysis and maintain our regular appointments every two months. How’s that sound?”
Less than ideal, but we’d make it work.
Because what other choice did we have?
Chapter 30
Jett
Age 64
September
Myworldhadnarrowedto caring for my wife. If we weren’t in a hospital for treatment, appointments, or testing, we were in the car driving there.
But there wasn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for Daisy. Not one.
Dr. Pierce hadn’t been kidding when he said finding a match would be complicated. In the months since that meeting, when Daisy was added to the transplant list, I’d learned that the donor having the same blood type was only the first hurdle. After that, there were six different antigens in the blood that needed to line up. You didn’t need all six to line up, but the more that did, the smaller the risk of Daisy’s body rejecting the transplant.
So far, we hadn’t gotten that call that the perfect kidney was waiting for my wife, and I silently suffered with the debilitating anxiety that the clock was ticking on the time I had left with her. Each day that passed was one closer to the one where I would lose her.
And I couldn’t lose her. There was no place for me in a world where Daisy didn’t exist.
“Mm.” With her eyes closed, my girl let out a soft moan as my fingers massaged her scalp, spreading the shampoo through the damp strands. “You know, I’m not sure I’ll be willing to give up this type of pampering if I ever get that transplant.”
The only bright spot in this whole mess was that Daisy remained upbeat; even when she was obviously suffering, she never let it get her down. I was in goddamn awe of her.
Chuckling, I turned on the faucet of the kitchen sink to rinse the suds away. “Who says you have to give it up? I’ll keep washing your hair for as long as you want me to, Daze.”
A smile tipped up on her lips. “I’d like that.”
Squeezing all the excess water from her hair, I wrapped a towel around her head and helped Daisy sit up. “Aspen texted this morning. I guess Reagan is pretty excited about a chapter book she checked out of the school library and was hoping to come over and show off her reading skills this afternoon if you’re feeling up to it.”
While Daisy loved all of our grandchildren equally, she had developed a special bond with our eldest over books. The eight-year-old had struggled when Daisy got sick and their everyday after-school routine of reading together came to an abrupt halt.
My wife’s smile reached her eyes. “I’d love that.” Her gaze was full of affection when she remarked, “She’s so smart, Jett.”
Nodding, I agreed, “They all are.” Pressing a kiss to her cheek, I added, “I think we both know where they get it from.”
She swatted at my arm. “You always sell yourself short.”
“Nah. Just stating facts. I barely made it out of high school.”
Arching an eyebrow, she shot back, “Getting good grades isn’t the only determining factor in a person’s intelligence. You’ve been incredibly smart in business. Not many could take a piece of land and turn it into a thriving ranch like you have.”
