Chapter 5

Whitney

I don’t even bother to call an ambulance. Not in this town. It would be quicker to walk for heaven’s sake. As I slide her into the backseat and quickly buckle her in, Trinity starts to come to. “I’ll get you to the hospital right quick, baby. Just hang on.” I say softly to her. To have her collapse like that, admittedly, is a little scary, but after what I’ve been through with her, nothing shocks me anymore. Turning my hazard lights on, I speed through town, all but running red lights. Thankfully, you could shoot a cannon through nearly every street, and we’re at the hospital in record time.

All the doctors and nurses know us by name here, so I don’t even have to announce myself, I just gesture to the nurse that we’re here. Trinity is fully awake, but I place her in a wheelchair for good measure. Last thing I need is for her to fall on her face and get a concussion, adding to the problem. “I’ll call Doctor Quin right away.” The nurse says, popping out of the enclosed reception area.

“Thanks, Girdie.” I say, as I wheel Trinity into the waiting room.

“Whitney? Y’all can go into the treatment room, honey.” Girdie states. “There’s nobody in there tonight.”

“Thanks, Gird.”

“No problem. I’ll meet you there in a minute.”

I barely get Trinity out of the wheelchair and up on the bed, and Girdie’s there, with a caddy on wheels. “What’s going on tonight, sugar?”

“She passed out. She was asleep and I was out on the porch. All I saw was her little face at the front door, and she dropped. Thank God I was there to grab her.”

Girdie’s face is laced with concern. She addresses Trinity. “How y’all feeling, sweetheart?”

“Good.” Trinity says, and bless her for that. This child has never complained of anything. The only way I ever know that something is wrong is by how she looks or acts. Falling flat on her face is one of those behaviors.

“I’ll take some blood. Is that okay?” Girdie asks her.

“Sure.” Trinity willfully sticks out her arm, making sure that it’s her left arm, not her right, as she’s righthanded.

“Bless you, darlin’.” Girdie gushes. They just love my little girl. She takes a blood sample as per the usual when Trinity ends up here. There’s a standing order for blood when she comes here, so the medical team can get a leg up, in case her kidneys are shutting down, or something equally traumatic is happening, related to her illness. Girdie takes her temperature and triages her like always. “I’ve already tried to call Doctor Quin, but he wasn’t answering. I’ll keep trying him.”

“Thanks.”

Girdie leaves us and I leave Trinity to lay down, staying silent, so she’ll rest. My hand stays on her leg, but I don’t speak or make any movements. And all I can think about is what my damn brother has gotten himself and Doctor Quin into. What a time for him to muck this up. I swear if anything has happened to him, I’ll kill Peter. I mean, what in the hell was he thinking? I know he means well and all, but sometimes my dear brother hasn’t got any sense. Minutes and minutes go by and still no sign of anyone. Girdie finally sticks her head back in the room, a half an hour later. “I still can’t get in touch with Dr. Quin, but I’m trying and trying. How y’all doing?”

Trinity is asleep. “She’s okay.”

“Okay, love. Hang in there.”

“We will. Thanks.”

Trouble is, I’m not sure how long we can hang on for. So help me God, when I get a hold of Peter…

 

***

Quin

“Hey, you got any tissues around here, Chuck?” Cal asks, as Chuck drives me to the hospital. Devon sits next to me, trading shirts with me, since he’s wearing a flannel shirt and an undershirt. My shirt is covered with blood. “We got to get Quin cleaned up or they’ll think he’s the patient landing at the hospital looking like this.”

“No. Sorry, man.” Chuck says.

“Just use the dirty shirt.” Cal suggests. “I’ve got a bottle of water right here.”

Cal passes Devon the water, and he soaks the shirt, helping wipe the blood off me. “We’ll never get the smell from that place out of you, but at least now you won’t look like an accident victim.”

“Thanks.” I say, feeling like tossing the whole bottle of water over my head.

“Your head hurt?” Devon asks as he mops up the blood off the side of my face.

“A little. But it’s nothing serious. I’d be puking and showing other signs of concussion if it were that bad.”

“You’re lucky. Those two idiots could have killed you with those goddamn Glocks.”

“Tell me about it.” I agree, using the bottom of the dirty shirt to wipe up the bits of blood on my pants. I’m as good as new, other than the smell, by the time we land at the hospital.

“You want to give me a call when you’re done, brother?” Chuck offers, since I don’t have a car with me.

“Sure, that would be great, thanks.” I say. “Do me a favor and bring Dan back to the hospital when you guys are all done giving your statements at the police station, huh.”

“Sure thing.” Chuck nods. “You take it easy, now. Call if you need anything.” He adds.

“Yeah, call any of us.” Devon interjects.

“Thanks, guys. I owe you one.” I say as I exit the car.

Girdie, our Emergency room nurse, the one who called me, sees me walk in the front door. “They’re in the room waiting, Quin. The results from the blood have come through. I booted up the computer for you, so it’s all set.” Then she gives me a look as I walk by her. “What happened to your head?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you later.” I explain as I walk by her, straight into the bank of rooms down the first hallway. The first door on the right is where we keep patients like Trinity, who we know are urgent care, and who we already have information on. As I walk towards the door, I knock once softly, and enter. Trinity is asleep on the bed, and Whitney is sitting next to her, on a chair, looking like she’s dozing off herself. “Hey,” I whisper. “Sorry it took so long. What happened?”

Whitney lifts her head and looks at the gash on the side of my face. “Dr. Quin, are you okay?”

“We’ll talk about it after. First, tell me what happened.” I say softly, as I key in the password for the screen and start reviewing the results from Trinity’s bloodwork.

“She just…passed out.” Whitney shrugs. “It wasn’t for long, and she seems fine now. But I figure, with her condition you just never know.”

“Yes, of course.” I agree, observing the numbers on the blood analysis chart. “Her blood cell counts are dangerously low.”

“Is that bad?”

I scan through the rest of the numbers. All of them indicate the same. “She’ll need a few units of blood. It’s just a simple transfusion.”

“But…why did her blood go so low?”

“She’s growing and with the second dialysis treatment, her kidneys are having trouble keeping up. It’s common at this age. We’ll have to get her on a diet that promotes healthy blood formation. Lots of red meat, organ meats, and iron. If that doesn’t cut it, we’ll get her on a daily iron supplement.”

“So, she’s okay?” I notice that her face is brightening a bit.

“She’ll be fine.” I nod. “But she won’t be able to go to school tomorrow. We’ll need to keep her overnight.”

“Well, of course.” Trinity is still out like a light. Whitney changes tack. “So, tell me. Is this gash on the side of your head courtesy of my brother?”

“Not exactly.” I explain hesitantly, unsure of how much she knows.

“He told me about the sleezy deal he made with his loser trucking buddy.”

I purse my lips together, nodding, but I say nothing.

“Do I need to go bail my brother out?” she asks, unimpressed.

“I’m not sure when Cranston is making the arrest.” I explain. “He’s booking the tyrant twins at the moment.”

“So, they’re the ones that hit you?”

“I believe it was Sal who gave me this. Marty was busy with Dan.”

“So, it’s true then.” She says, her voice flat. “Marty did find him.”

“Saw him with my own two eyes.”

“He didn’t get hurt, too, did he?”

“No, ma’am.” I shake my head. “He’s at the police station, giving his statement right now, and then he’s coming over here to do some testing for Trinity.”

She’s shocked. “You mean he…he’s willing to do that?”

“Sure is.”

“I don’t believe it.” her voice is flat again, almost condescending. “The man left no address, nothing, and yet he’s willing to donate a kidney to his long-lost daughter. That I’ll believe when I see.”

“I can’t say I blame you there, Whitney. But the man feels genuinely bad for the way it ended. I saw the man’s face when I told him what happened. I also saw it when the hospital called and said that Trinity had collapsed and was being rushed in.”

“Dr. Quin, I haven’t seen this man in nearly eight years. I don’t even know who he is anymore. Not a card, not a phone call, nothing for this little girl in all these years. I don’t honestly believe that a man who can abandon his child can be suddenly willing to donate an organ to her.”

“Well, we’ll see what we see, I guess.” I shrug. “He said so himself, and my brother Chuck’s bringing him back here once he’s done with Cranston.”

“He’ll come up with an excuse to get out of it, I’ll bet.” She sits up, stretching. I keep my eyes trained on hers. Trinity stirs and opens her eyes. “Hey, sweetheart.” Whitney’s voice returns to its usual warmth.

Trinity looks up at me. “Hi, Dr. Quin. Can I go home?”

“Well, darlin’, we’ve got to keep you overnight tonight. Turns out your body isn’t very good at making blood after all the cleaning it’s been going through with dialysis.”

“So, I can’t go to school tomorrow?”

I shake my head. “I’m afraid not. You’re going to be hooked up to an intravenous tube for a while, so we can pump blood into your body and get you well again.”

“You can do that?”

I chuckle, grinning. “We can do anything. We have these vampires that we keep as friends, and they go around, collecting blood for us, and bring it here for little boys and girls that need it.”

Her face says that she doesn’t believe me. She’s smirking. “Yeah, right.”

“Trin, baby, don’t take that tone with Dr. Quin.”

“That’s alright, ma’am.” I chuckle. “She’s smart. She knew I was telling a tale.”

“All the same. I’d get my mouth washed out with soap if I took that tone.”

“You and me both, but times are changing, I suppose.” I rise. “I’ll go see if there’s a room available for her, and get the nurses hunting down that vampire.” I say with a little wink.

After consulting with Girdie, I find that like usual, she’s read my mind, and ordered units of blood for Trinity, plus coordinated a room for her. With a pause in tasks, I head over to my office, and get started on the list of new tasks that will need to be fulfilled should Dan come through. Girdie texts me the room number where Trinity will be and alerts me that the blood is on its way. Moments later, I receive another text, that my brother is at reception, waiting with someone for me.

And the awkwardness begins.

 

***

Whitney

Girdie wheels Trinity up to her room, and I know I’m capable of it, but they love this little kid, and can anyone blame them? She’s just the sweetest. Once she’s hooked up to the intravenous and the blood starts doing its thing, Trinity falls asleep. I sit and wait, feeling my eyes get heavier and heavier, until I relent and lay my head next to Trin’s thigh and go to sleep. It’s a couple of hours before anyone comes in, and when I see Dr. Quin walk in, I’m startled awake, and not because of Dr. Quin, but because of who is with him.

“Dan.” I say, stiffening.

“Whitney.” He nods.

Dr. Quin checks on Trinity, while the tension in the air is thick enough to cut with a knife.

“How have you been keeping?” I ask, trying like hell to keep the chill out of my voice.

“Good. Thanks.”

“I heard you got married.”

He nods once. “Yes. That’s right.”

“I’m sorry about my brother.” I shake my head. “He must have lost his head or something. He’s been good to me and Trin since you left.”

“I understand.” He looks at Trinity, and for some reason, I feel like standing in front of him, barricading him from his daughter. “She got big.”

“Well, you haven’t seen her since she was in diapers, Dan.” He ignores me. “I heard you got kids.”

“Yes. Two boys. Both little; three and five.”

I feel my hackles go up a bit but try to slough it off. “And they’re healthy?”

His eyes go to the floor. “Yes.”

“Sorry.” I wave. “That’s not fair.”

Dan looks at me. “Yes, it is. Look, I know how you must be feeling, Whitney. There’s no excuse for what I did. But I’m willing to help out here, if I can.”

I look at Dr. Quin. Feeling like a heel. He’s inching his way towards the door and is about to say something. “You don’t need to leave, Dr. Quin.”

“No, that’s fine. I’m done here for now.”

Dan stops him. “Look, can you let me know if I’m a match? I left you my number. I’ve got to get home. My wife’ll be worried sick.”

“Sure.” Dr. Quin says too quickly, and I feel even more like a heel. I’ve made him feel so out of place and put Dan on the spot.

“Thank you, Dan.” I manage, even though part of me still wants to slap him. There are so many emotions running through me right now I can’t process everything. I want to strangle Dan for leaving me with a sick child, running off and getting married, and being lucky enough to have two healthy children. But part of me also wants to tell him how grateful I am for coming out, despite being kidnapped and held under duress, and he’s still willing to donate a kidney to our daughter, if he’s a match for her. God bless him.

“No problem. You…tell her I said hello when she wakes up. I don’t want to wake the little darlin’.”

“I will.”

“She sure…got beautiful.” He says, looking at her again. “She’s you all over.”

Flashback. Dan was always a smooth talker. That’s part of the reason why we ended up in bed together so quickly. He has a way with words. When he says this, I feel a cold shiver running down my spine, reminding me of all the hurt and heartache I felt while we were still together, and in the days after he left. And I have no problem with him leaving right now. “You better get on home to your family.” I say fairly.

Dr. Quin steps out of the way to let him out, and it takes everything in me not to break down and cry the second that he leaves. I bite my lip to stop it from quivering. Dr. Quin sits down next to me. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

“No, not even a little bit.” I say, my voice cracking. For the first time ever, Dr. Quin sets his hand on my back, and gives me a tiny rub.

“I want you to know that hope is starting to show, Whitney. It might not be the right time to tell you so, but if Dan isn’t a match, I got a message from the donor bank, and they may have a match.”

My eyes widen. “Are you serious?”

“Sure am. I got the message right before…well…I got the message earlier.”

Finally, I break. Tears start to fill my eyes and I can’t stop them. As I gasp, Dr. Quin turns to face me and wraps his arms around me, hugging me in a way that is mostly professional, but with warmth and care. I don’t remember the last time I got a hug. Sure, Peter pats me on the back here and there, and mama and daddy give me the odd hug, but nothing quite compares to this. I’ve known this man since Trinity was a baby, shared many personal things with him over the years regarding my baby’s health and my own, and some other things that I felt were pertinent, and it’s like all these years, I’ve never really felt like he was a friend…until now.

He holds me while I sob, and something about his touch makes me feel like it’s okay to let go, not that I was waiting for permission. The tears just flow. His hands grasp my back, holding me with a firmness that feels safe yet comforting, and one hand rubs while the other remains, and then he switches, as I allow myself to hold a man again. My hands are on his shoulders. My chin rests next to his ear.

“I’m going to make a mess out of your shirt.” I sniffle but make no effort to move.

“Darlin’, I’m washable.” He says simply, with a tiny chuckle. He’s so warm, both in body and in spirit, and it’s like he’s going to make it all better. Maybe he is. He’s one hell of a doctor and gives my baby the best care she could ever get. I’m lucky to have him and I’ve never forgotten that. I pull back, figuring that he probably has other patients to tend to, and other things to do. “Here, let me get you a tissue.” He says, reaching for the box on the table next to the bed. When he hands it to me, he’s grinning at me fairly. “You are one hell of a mama.”

“Because I bawled my eyes out?” I scoff.

“No. Because it took you seven years to finally let yourself break, Whitney. You’re the strongest woman I know, and that’s the truth.”

“It’s got nothing to do with strength, Doctor Quin. It’s just…survival. Believe me, if you were in my shoes, you’d do the same.”

“Whitney, after all this time, you don’t have to keep calling me ‘doctor’. My name’s Quin. You can call me that if it suits you.”

I look up at him after drying my eyes. “Alright, Quin. Level with me.” A sniff. “Is a kidney transplant guaranteed to make my daughter’s life better? Or is she better off having weekly dialysis and being on a first-name basis with hospital staff, and now you.”

He takes my hand in his, sandwiching my left hand between both his hands. “The truth is, Whitney, if Trinity doesn’t get a new kidney soon, hers will stop working, and she’ll be living on dialysis. She’s been lucky so far, but her luck’s going to run out some day, and I’d rather get on top of that than have it get on top of us. She needs that kidney more and more with each passing year. The older and the bigger she gets, the less her own kidneys are going to work.”

“Well, alright then. What’s it going to take to see if her daddy is a match?” his hand is still in mine. It’s like he doesn’t want to let it go. And I don’t want to let it go, either.

“I’ve already run some tests. There are a few more after that, but it shouldn’t be long. So far, Dan is a healthy man, no problems at all. As long as he’s a match, we’re good to get started.”

“And so long as he doesn’t back out at the last second. I mean, how’s his wife going to feel about this?”

“I can’t imagine.” He says, looking at my hands. “But she’s a mother herself, so I think that’ll help. If she can put herself in your shoes, she’ll probably stand by him.”

“I sure hope you’re right.” I look over at Trinity, sound asleep. “This blood going to make her have any problems?”

“No, she’ll be fine. We only get blood from the best vampires here.”

I look at him and he gives me a little smile.

“What am I going to do with you.” I smile.

“Nothing.” He winks. “You’re stuck with me.”