Tears stung Rebekah’s eyes. She pulled a tissue from the pocket of her coat as Elise signed the document. One tear escaped, then another. She put her arm around Elise. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Rebekah, don’t make me cry.” Elise laughed a little. The social worker handed her a tissue.
“Rebekah”—the social worker pointed to the recipient line—“as Pepper’s mother, you sign here.”
Rebekah signed, slowly and purposefully, and then hugged Elise again, a big mama-bear hug. “Thank you. That’s all I can say. Thank you.” Rebekah grabbed two more tissues from the social worker’s desk and handed another one to Elise.
Rebekah drove on the way home while Elise slept. They would tell the kids. All four would be at the farm. Michael and Reid’s practice had been canceled because of a wrestling match in the gym. Rebekah would drive straight home and then get her truck later.
Her plan had not been God’s plan. God’s plan, his design, was so much better. Pepper would be so relieved that Elise could give her a kidney, that it wouldn’t come from someone she didn’t know or a cadaver.
Rebekah stopped the Volvo in front of the fence. Mark walked in a circle on the inside of the corral; Sky trotted around him.
“Thanks for driving,” Elise said.
Elise nodded.
The moms climbed out of the car and leaned on the railing. Mark kept his eyes on the horse.
“He’s good,” Rebekah whispered to Elise, “really good.”
Sky dipped his head, snorted, and headed to Mark.
“Good boy.” Mark’s voice was gentle. He pulled the saddle off the fence and swung it onto the horse.
“Where’s Pepper?”
“In the barn, getting the mare.”
Rebekah swung the barn door open. “Pep?”
“Back here.”
Elise followed Rebekah.
“We have good news, sweetie.” Rebekah shoved her hands into her back pockets.
Pepper poked her head out of the mare’s stall. She wore her blue cowboy hat over her braids. She smiled her pixie grin.
“We found a match.” Rebekah smiled, stopping at the open stall gate.
“What?” Pepper slipped the bit into the horse’s mouth.
Elise climbed on the rail. “I’m a match. An all-around kidney match for you. I signed the donor document.”
Pepper shook her head in disbelief.
“Elise got tested. We didn’t tell you; we didn’t want you to get your hopes up.” Rebekah opened the gate to the stall. “And I signed the recipient document. It’s all settled.”
Pepper kissed the mare on the nose, and then ran into her mother’s arms, reaching out with one hand for Elise.
Patrick came home late. “They’re working you too hard.” Rebekah pushed a load of clean, unfolded clothes that were piled on her side of the bed onto the floor.
“I’m trying to do everything I can so that when Pepper has surgery, they’ll owe me comp time.” Patrick picked up the clothes and threw them in the chair.
Rebekah collapsed onto the bed. “I can’t take this much longer.”
“I’ll help you fold them.” He pushed the chair to the foot of the bed. He inspected each garment and draped the unwrinkled ones over the footboard.
“I tried to call earlier. We have good news.” She pushed her pillow against the headboard. “Elise is a match.”
Patrick dropped Reid’s basketball jersey on the floor. “No.”
“Yes.”
“Is she going to do it?”
“She signed the donor form; she intends to. Nothing is for sure, right? We learned that the last time. But she looks like a very strong possibility.”
“What a relief.” He picked up the jersey. “I never dreamed that Elise would do this for us.”
“That’s not all. Jamie called late this afternoon and asked me to bring Pepper in tomorrow to check her function and symptoms.”
“Why wait to do the surgery?”
“They have to schedule it with the surgery team, and Elise wants Ted to be home.” Rebekah yanked a tissue out of the box. “I wasn’t going to cry about this, because you know it’s not a sure thing until the surgery actually happens, until the kidney starts to work.” She dabbed at her eyes.
Patrick put out his hand for a tissue. Rebekah handed him hers and grabbed another one. He sat down beside her for a moment, then stood and headed to the door. “Come on. Let’s go watch Pepper sleep.”
They stood together, hand in hand, and stared at her as if she were a newborn. She slept on her back, her arms curled over her head. “Let’s pray that Ted comes home sooner than expected.” Rebekah leaned down and stroked a blond wisp from Pepper’s eye.
“Let’s pray that all of the Sheltons stay healthy and safe.” Patrick squeezed Rebekah’s hand.
She shivered. Elise had seemed to be the least generous person she had ever met. Now she was giving her a gift that no one else could. She shivered again.
“Cold?” Patrick asked, putting his arms around her.
Rebekah nodded.
“Let’s go watch Reid sleep.” Patrick headed to the door.
“Fair is fair.” Rebekah turned away from Pepper. “If we don’t, I’m sure we’ll hear about it in the morning.”
“Did you tell Reid about Elise?” Patrick asked.
Rebekah nodded. “And her boys too. They all seemed a little bit in awe.”
“Your kidney function is at twelve percent.” Dr. Thomas felt the shunt in Pepper’s arm. “They did a good job with this. You’re ready to go.”
“Elise is going to donate her kidney.” Pepper zipped her backpack.
“Jamie told me.” Dr. Thomas smiled and nodded. “In the meantime, you may have to start dialysis. We’ll see where you are next week.”
“Why?” Pepper asked. “If I’m getting a transplant?”
“We may need to do something sooner,” Dr. Thomas said.
“Why can’t we just do the surgery now?” Pepper asked.
The doctor closed Pepper’s folder and stood up. “We have to coordinate everyone’s schedule.”
As they walked out of the office, Rebekah took Pepper’s hand, knowing she was being overprotective.
Rebekah turned the pickup onto Terwilliger Boulevard, inching forward in the bumper-to-bumper traffic. A group of runners came through the trees in the park. She envied anyone who had the time to do more than survive.
“Mom, are you all right with Elise doing this?” Pepper unzipped her backpack and took out a skein of variegated blue and brown yarn.
“I thought you said it would be better if it came off the cadaver list.”
“It’s hard to explain, sweet pea. But if this is the kidney that God is going to give us, then I’ll be forever grateful—both to God and to Elise.”
Rebekah pulled on Pepper’s arm when they reached the house. “Come on, Pep. We’re home. You’ve got to wake up. You’re too big to carry.”
Pepper tucked her head under Rebekah’s arm.
“Are you feeling okay, sweet pea?”
“I’m just tired.” Pepper swung her legs out of the truck, one at a time.
“Let’s get you in.”
“I didn’t do all my homework.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll write a note.” Rebekah pulled her daughter close, supporting her as they struggled toward the house.