Page 121 of I Shouldn't Love This Way

I was about to respond when Aria said, “You guys don’t have to help. I don’t want any of you to lose a kidney because of me. Put me on the transplant list, Dr. Peters. I’ll wait.”

“We only need one kidney to live, sweetheart,” Natalie stated.

“I don’t care. That’s a major surgery. You’re gonna be losing an organ—permanently.”

“Aria,” Nat sighed. “We’re all getting tested. End of story.”

Rick shared some medical knowledge.

“I should let you all know that transplant results are best when the donor and the patient are identical on the white blood cell antigen series. Because of inherited genes, this can only happen between brothers and sisters, where there is a one in four chance of a perfect match. Parents and children have a fifty percent match, because only half of the genes in a child come from each parent. One portion of the testing is called cross-matching.

“If both biological parents test positive by only a single antigen, that means the child would reject their kidney. But if they test negative, it means there’s a minimal risk of organ rejection. With the antigens it’s all tissue testing—keep in mind that those six antigens are out of 100 ones that are the most effective three out of the six that come from only one parent.”

“I’m so confused.” Aria frowned.

“I’ll explain further,” Rick said. “There are three major tests: blood type, the tissue one that is used especially, and the crossmatching where the blood samples are literally mixed to see if one destroys the other.”

“What about me and Rob?” asked Evan. “We’re not her blood relatives. What are the chances of us being a match?”

“There is a one in a hundred thousand chances that you will both have all six antigens,” Rick replied. “Transplants with living related donors are more likely to be successful than with unrelated because the body tissues are more likely to be closely matched. But to answer your question, even though the chances of being an ideal match are very slim, it is possible.”

“See,” I said to Aria. “Your mother and I will most likely be a perfect match.”

I thanked Rick for his in-depth explanation and told Natalie that it was pointless to have Rob and Evan tested.

“I wouldn’t rule out that option,” Rick said. “There is a possibility that they could be a match—slim, but possible.”

Natalie insisted this was all in our daughter’s best interest.

“Fine.” I relented. “We’re all getting tested. I won’t argue about it anymore.” I was confident that I would be a match. She and I were connected in every way. I wanted to be the one to donate a healthy kidney to her. I had made a deal with God. This was the next part of our deal: giving her a part of me, selflessly, the way a father would. All I cared about was her wellbeing.

“Noah,” said Nat. “May I have a word with you, please?”

I nodded, following her out of the hospital room. We stood in the hallway near the door to have a quiet conversation.

“You’ve been here since yesterday,” she said. “Go home for the night and get some rest. I can stay with Aria until you come back”

“I want Rob and Evan to leave.”

“She just survived a fatal accident. Let her be around people who love her.”

“You expect me to believe that asshole really loves her?”

“He’s willing to donate a kidney. Doesn’t that prove he loves her and wants to help? I know he’s not perfect, but he’s changed for the better.”

An attractive blonde nurse walked past us with a smile. Correction: she smiled atme.

“Fine,” I sighed. “I need some sleep, anyway. If anything happens…”

“I will call you. Don’t worry.”

“Monitor Evan,” I warned. “I don’t trust him.”

She rolled her eyes and said, “I don’t think he’s the one you should be worried about right now.”

Ending our discussion, I walked back inside and told Aria I was heading home.

“You should rest, sweetheart.”

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