Chapter 13

Quin

“Is she under?” I ask Mark, or Dr. Beck, as he enters the surgical room, getting suited up for the surgery.

“Yes, she is.” He answers me tersely. I know that I’m driving him nuts, making sure all the ‘i’s are dotted and the ‘t’s are crossed. “Am I doing the surgery, or are you, partner?”

“You are. But I’m so goddamn nervous for her.”

“She’s got fantastic chances, Quin. You and I both have discussed this at length. Unless something completely out of left field happens in that room, she’ll pull through with flying colors. We both know that.”

“Sure.” I say, only half convinced.

“And you, shit, you could probably donate half of your other kidney to someone else, if the need struck you hard enough. Jesus, you have the physical health of a goddamn athlete.”

“Yeah, but you scored better than me in med school, man.”

“I got you there, but you were raised on a ranch with four brothers, an alcoholic father, and a mama who’s more scared of Christ than Mother Theresa, so you’ve got a whole lot more street smarts than I do, brother.”

“And you’re getting a little chubby there, buddy.” I comment, slapping his belly as he stands over me. I’m laying in the surgical ward, waiting to get hooked up to an intravenous tube. He could stand to lose about ten pounds, but he’s not overly plump.

“That’s from the last couple of months working my tail off and not eating properly.” He justifies. “After this I’m taking a vacation and hiring another Urologist to help with my patient load. There aren’t enough of us in this city.”

“You can say that again.” I agree.

“Well, you’re all set. I’ll call Whitney in here before you go in. I’m off. Good luck, man.”

“Yeah, you, too.”

Before Mark leaves to go to the surgical theater, he stops. “Hey.” A pause while he licks his lips.

“What’s up?”

“What you’re doing. You know…for this little girl.” Another pause.

“Yeah?”

“You ought to get a medal for it, man. You’re one hell of a sonofagun for doing it.”

“I’d have done it years ago if I knew.”

“She wasn’t ready then.” He says, and I can’t tell if he means Trinity or Whitney.

“Only God knows when it’s time.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” He slaps the door jamb with his hand and winks at me.

I smile back.

 

***

 

“Hey,” Whitney whispers to me as she walks into the room.

“How are you holding up, darlin’?” I ask her. Her eyes are clear, so I know she hasn’t been crying, and that’s a great sign in my book, under the circumstances.

“Never mind me, how are you.” She says, with concern registered all over her face.

“I’m just fine. I’ve got my drugs.” I lift my arm. “Got this snazzy getup.” I pull at the paper gown I’m wearing. “And I even got a new tattoo.” I say, showing her the spot where Mark indicated which kidney would be removed. After some testing, it was determined that my right kidney is in more than optimal shape, so that’s the one that I’m donating. The other one is in perfect shape, too, but based on biological examinations, that’s the one that’s staying.

She has the grace to chuckle. “God, I love you.”

“I love you, too, darlin’. And in a couple of hours, I’ll be in recovery, and you can come see me.”

“Mark said that Trinity’s surgery will take a lot longer.”

“Yes, it will.” I concur. “She’s got to have way more done to her little body than I do. It could take all day for her.”

“And she’ll be okay, you know, being under anesthetic for that long?”

“Yes. She’ll be constantly monitored by the anesthesiologist. He doesn’t leave until the surgery is complete, and even then, he sticks around while she’s in recovery.”

“God, this is surreal.”

“Isn’t it? But it’s happening, baby.” I lick my lips. “How’s your mama holding up?”

“Oh, her and daddy are playing cards in the waiting room. Your brothers are, too. Your mama brought a box full of board games. It’ll be like a Saturday night here.”

“And Chuck’ll be here when he’s done school.” I add.

“That’s what your mama says.”

A nurse enters. “Hey, Trudy! My favorite nurse!” I shout.

Trudy waves. “That’s what you call all the nurses around here.”

“Well, that’s true. Nurses are important.”

“They are. And they have the power to kick guests out when it’s time, too.” She winks at Whitney.

“Oh, okay. I’ll go.”

“Doctor Becker is ready for you, Quin.” She says.

“Okay, let me kiss my girl before I go.” I say, and Whitney leans in. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you with all my heart, Quin.” She says, and her voice cracks.

“Now, what’s with the tears? None of that, darlin’.” I wipe her cheek.

“I just…I don’t even know what to say to you, baby. What you’re doing for my baby, and what you’re doing to me.” she coughs emotionally.

“Come here.” I say, holding her hand tight. “What did I say to you the other night.”

“Which part?”

“What I said about having all I need.”

“Okay.”

“Well, baby, it’s true. And see, I’m not saying it in the capacity that I did the other night, right? So you know it’s true.”

She nods. “Okay.”

“And when all this is over, well, you just wait and see.”

“Okay.”

“Now, you go. I’ll see you in a bit.” I kiss her again. She kisses me back.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

 

***

 

I can hear my mama’s voice in the background, chiding one of my brothers, and I smile as I open my eyes. They’re all quiet as they see me come to life. I lift my hand and say. “No, continue. Don’t let me stop the bickering.”

“Well, I’m glad they didn’t remove your tongue instead of your kidney.” Mama tuts, irritated at first, but then she comes over to me and kisses my forehead. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. I had the good drugs.” A smile. “Where’s Whitney?”

Mama scoffs. “Darlin’, she’s a mama. Her daughter’s in surgery, where do you think she is?”

Not sure if it’s from the sedation or what, but I’m confused.

“She’s in the chapel.” Devon supplies.

“Ah.” I nod. “How’s Trin doing?”

Mama shrugs. “We haven’t heard. They just told us that you were out and that all went well.”

“Go get me Girdie, mama. Would you?” I ask. “She’ll give me the lowdown.”

“Lan sakes, Quin. You need to rest.” Mama tuts again.

“I’ll go get her, man.” Devon says. “My ass is about numb from all the dang sitting, anyway.”

“Thanks, bro.” I say.

Cal walks over to me. “You look like you did on your prom night. Remember that?”

“No.”

“Like I said.”

We both snuffle a laugh. “Where’s Chad?” I ask.

“He had to go. He stuck around until they told us that you were out, and all went well. He has a big case coming up, and Rachel’s got a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. He didn’t want to miss any baby updates.”

“Cool.”

“You must be stoned, man. You never use that word.” Cal chuckles.

“Quit teasing.” Mama elbows him, and then she addresses me. “You need anything, baby?”

“Nope. Until this sedation wears off, I’m just peachy.”

“Uh oh. You used that word.” Cal observes.

“Would you shut up.” Mama whines. “Why don’t you go grab me and your brothers a snack? Make yourself useful instead of running off at the mouth.”

“Yes, mama.”

Devon walks in a few minutes later, with Girdie and Whitney in his wake. “Look who I found roaming in the halls?” Devon boasts.

Whitney walks over to me, tilting her head compassionately. “How are you, darlin’?”

“I feel like a million dollars. And you look like a million dollars.”

She leans in and kisses my cheek.

“That’s all I get?”

“With your mama standing right here, yes.” She smiles at me.

“Go ahead and plant one on him, sugar. It doesn’t bother me one bit.”

I pucker up and she kisses me sweetly. “That’s better.” I say.

Girdie interjects. “I haven’t heard anything about little Trinity, Quin. I’m sorry. They’re right busy in there, I suppose. Not even the nurse has come off her shift yet.”

“How long has it been, Gird?” I ask.

“About four hours.”

“Ah. Still early yet.” I shrug. “How are my numbers looking? My kidney lonely?”

“Dr. Becker hasn’t seen them yet, of course, but they all look just fine to me.”

“Good. When can I go home?”

Girdie pats me on the shoulder. “You know the answer to that, Quin. Now, smarten up.”

“You keep it up and you’ll be slopping horses.” Mama says, raising her bow mockingly, and then she winks at me. “Now, no arguments. You’re coming to stay with me while you convalesce. Whitney’s got enough on her hands looking after Trinity. You come stay in your old room, and mama will look after you.”

“Fine, mama. As long as you don’t make me fat.”

“I’ll cook all your favorites. You eat what suits you.”

“Peter’s going to help me when Trin can go home.” Whitney supplies. “He’s already let work know that he won’t be able to cover any long hauls once she’s home.”

“Okay, good.” I nod.

“And you need any help at all, darlin’, you just let me know. Any one of my boys can come over and give you a hand with anything. Y’all need someone to get something in for groceries or run errands, we’ve got you covered.” Mama winks.

“That’s wonderful, Mary. Thank you. My folks are going to help out, too, so we should be fine.”

“With all the family around, love, there’s no worry.” Mama adds, giving Whitney a squeeze.

“And it won’t be long until I’m back on my feet again, too. It’ll take Trin longer, as I said.” I remind, feeling my eyes get heavy.

“You get some rest, darlin’. We’ll all let you sleep for a while.” Whitney says, putting her maternal cap on.

As my girl comes over to kiss me again, I lift my hand and pull her to me. “Hey.”

“Hey, what.” She murmurs, searching my eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

 

***

 

I wake up to the scent of mama’s pancakes, the same recipe I used the morning after the first night Whitney and I spent the night together, I’ll reckon. And it brings me back to that night, about a month ago, and it astonishes me how fast time passes by. I’ve been camping out in my old bedroom for a couple of weeks now. The first week I needed it, but the second week, I could have managed at home. Mama loves to fuss over her boys, or anyone who needs fussing, for that matter. She’s been back and forth, looking after me and checking up on Trinity, and she’s been in her glory.

There is a tap on my bedroom door. Mama peeks her head in. “Quin, your phone’s ringing. It’s Whitney.” I must have left my phone downstairs last night when I went to bed.

“Hi, darlin’. Good morning.”

“Good morning. How are you feeling?”

“Great. I’m packing up shop today and heading home. How’s my favorite nine-year-old doing today?”

“Great. I can’t tie her down to keep her from playing with this dang doll house. She wants to have some friends over today.”

“Well, if she’s up to it.” Mark was over to do a house visit with her a couple of days ago and took some blood. Her numbers are phenomenal. It seems that my kidney has just taken over, and her body, well, it’s like it’s waking up for the first time. “Just make sure she takes her medication. That’s what’s most important.”

“Oh, she takes it. She’s loving her new kidney, darlin’. I know that sounds odd, but she does.”

“How about I get showered and come over for a visit?”

“That sounds lovely, darlin’. I’ve been missing you.”

“You, too. See you soon. I love you.”

“Love you, too, baby.”

 

***

 

“Well, look at you, darlin’.” I gush, seeing Trinity sitting up in bed. Her face is bright and clear, and her eyes aren’t tired-looking. It’s funny how different she looks now that she’s on her way back to health. She’s like a new kid.

“Look at you.” She says. “It’s like you’re missing a kidney.”

Whitney and I chuckle.

“You’d never know I’m a kidney short, darlin’. Nobody ever will. I’m as fit as a fiddle. Come on, I’ll prove it to you. Let’s race around the block.”

Whitney tilts her head. “Let’s not and say we did.”

“Mama? Am I allowed to have some friends over today?”

Whitney looks at me for my input, from a medical perspective. “Well, sure, darlin’. As long as you take it easy, you can have a few friends over.”

Trinity is drawing something as she sits on her bed. This child adores arts and crafts, especially drawing and writing. She keeps a journal that will some day be a great book, outlining all the struggles she’s had with kidney disease, but this little masterpiece, she seems to be keeping at a distance. Whitney and I know to let her finish, as she never lets anyone see her artwork until it’s complete.

“Mama, I think I’ll call up meemaw, too. She loves to play with me and my friends.”

“That’s a great idea, darlin’. We’ll have meemaw and meepaw over for dinner.”

“Okay.” Trinity nods.

“You want something to eat, sweetheart?” Whitney asks her.

“No, but I think I might change my clothes, before everyone gets here. Maybe I’ll change into one of those outfits I got for my birthday.”

“Sure, love. Wear whatever you like. We’ll leave you to it. Call me if you need me, darlin’.” Whitney says to her, as we turn towards the door.

“Quin?”

“Yes, sugarplum.”

“Can I talk to you for a minute, please?”

“Why, sure, love.”

Whitney smiles and leaves the room. I step towards the bed and squat down a little, so I’m at her level. She’s folding the piece of paper that she’s been drawing, in half. Then she hands it to me. “Here. This is for you.”

“Aw, thank you, darlin’.” I say as I take it from her. I’m expecting a rudimentary drawing of some dinosaur or a sunburst, or even a house with squiggly windows, but what I see immediately gives me a lump in my throat. “Why, darlin’, my cup runneth over.”

“I drew the doctor to look just like you.” She explains. It is a picture of me with an angel standing behind me, looking over Trinity in bed. “I think…I think you’re my guardian angel.”

I’m utterly speechless. I’m trying my damndest to keep the tears from coming. “Well, if I am, that’s definitely my most favorite job, love.”

“What about being my mama’s boyfriend?”

“What about it?”

“Isn’t that your favorite job?”

I smile. “Well, that isn’t a job, darlin’. You and your mama are things that God brought to me.”

“Or God brought you to us.” She says, and I realize that this child is wise well beyond her years.

“That could be, too, love.”

She looks at me. “Quin?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Thank you for giving me your kidney. I really like it.”

The smile that comes on my face comes from deep in my heart. “Well, I’m sure glad you like it. And you’re welcome, darlin’.”

“And I know that you love my mama, too, so you can marry her if you want to.”

“Can I?”

“Uh huh.” She nods. “She can wear a long, white dress and put flowers in her hair to match her bouquet.” The child beams as she says this. “And you can buy her a beautiful ring, one where the wedding band matches.”

“Wow, you sure have thought a lot about your mama getting married, haven’t you.”

“Every one of my friends has a picture of their folks on their wedding day all framed and big in their living room.” She explains. “I’ve always wanted to have one just like that.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Uh huh, and everyone’s mamas and daddies have matching wedding rings. It’s like if you lose one, you can always find their match, by their wedding rings.”

I have to chuckle at this. She’s too cute for words. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.”

“So, when are you going to ask her?”

I play along. “Well, I don’t know. When do you think I should?”

“Do you have a ring for my mama yet?”

“No, not yet. But it can be arranged.”

“Can I help you pick it out?”

“You sure can.”

Her face lights up. “Can we go tomorrow?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, love. We’ll have to see how you are, I suppose.”

“What about if you get one of those wheelchairs from the hospital, and I sit in that?”

I frown, tilting my head. “Well, that would work, sweetheart. I’ll get my brother Devon to bring one home from work.”

“Oh yeah, because, he’s also a doctor, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And can I help you propose?”

“If we can think of a really neat way to do it together, sure.”

This kid is the best. How can you not love her?

“Can I tell you my idea?”

“Well, sure.”

She pats the bed and tells me what she has in mind. I love it. It’s perfect.

“And she thinks that we all forgot her birthday, like we do sometimes, because hers is so close to mine.” Trinity adds. “So, this is perfect.”

“It sounds like.”

“Mama always says that I was her early birthday present that year.”

“You sure were, darlin’. Can’t argue with that.”

“I hope mama hasn’t been eavesdropping.” Trinity whispers, looking at her door.

I grunt as I get up. “I think you’ve got your mama confused with your meemaw.”

She giggles. It’s such a lovely sound.

“I’ll go make sure that she stayed out of trouble, okay?”

“Can we get up early and go shopping?”

“Sure can.”

She smiles at me, with the warmest smile that touches my hear, and I smile back.

That child is such a blessing.