“THEY THINK THEY MIGHT HAVE A HEART FOR HARPER!” MACEY CRIED into her phone.
“They do? Already?” Ben could hardly believe his ears, but then he stopped in his tracks and leaned on his rake, realizing what this also meant.
“I know,” Macey said, reading his mind. “It means another child is slipping away.”
“Yeah,” he said softly. He looked across the river at the pink Savannah sky. “It makes me sad and happy at the same time.”
“It is bittersweet,” Macey whispered, “but it’s the only way.”
“I know,” Ben said, biting his lip.
Macey waited for him to say more. “You there?”
Ben nodded and cleared his throat. “Yeah . . . yep, I’m here.”
“Can you come?”
“Yes. Just let me clean up and give Keep his supper. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” She tapped off her phone and looked out at the setting sun, replaying the conversation she’d had with the doctor just moments before. She had come back from the cafeteria with a cup of coffee, and he’d peeked into the room and motioned for her to come out. They’d stood in the hall and he’d told her he had a feeling they would have a heart by that night. It was highly unusual, he’d added, to have an organ become available so quickly.
Tears filled Macey’s eyes as she tried to imagine the heartbreaking decisions that the family losing their child was struggling with, and she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to turn their world upside down. As badly as she wanted a heart for Harper, her own heart broke to think of the loss another family was suffering. She watched the sun slip below the horizon. Some people found the end of the day to be peaceful, but as beautiful as it often was, it always made her feel melancholy. What was it about the setting sun? Was she just tired by the end of the day or was she overly sensitive? Maeve often talked about how the setting sun affected the elderly patients who suffered from dementia, making them even more disoriented and confused.
“Hey,” a voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
Macey turned to see her sister. “Hey,” she said, mustering a smile.
“Mom said I’d find you here. How’re you holding up?”
Macey bit her lip. “I’m fine. They think they might have a heart for Harper.”
“Already?!” Maeve whispered in disbelief. “Does Ben know?”
Macey nodded. “He’s on his way.”
“That’s great!”
“It is great for us . . . but not for some other family.”
“Mace, you know what Grandy would say. . . .”
Macey nodded. “That it’s all part of God’s plan, I know. But how can I hope so much for something that will cause heartache for someone else?”
Maeve pressed her lips together. “It doesn’t always. . . .”
“It sure seems like it does. Just this morning,” Macey continued, “I was storming the gates of heaven for a heart for Harper, and not once did I really realize that I was praying for another child to not need theirs anymore . . .” She paused. “And now that God’s answering my prayer, I feel as if I’m responsible for someone else’s loss.”
“Oh, Mace, you know that’s not how it works.”
Macey shook her head. “I’m sure the other family is praying for a miracle right now. They’re praying their baby will wake up, smile, and be their old self. So why should my prayer be answered, and not theirs?”
“Mace, you’ve been praying to be a mother for years, and now that it’s actually happening, you’re questioning it.”
Macey shook her head. “I know,” she despaired. “But I don’t want anyone else to suffer.”
Maeve pulled her sister into a hug. “Your prayers are being answered, and it has nothing to do with someone else’s not being answered. I don’t know why it’s happening this way—no one does. It’s life—it’s the way things happen sometimes.”
Just then, the doctor appeared in the doorway. “We’re a go,” he said. “The nurses will be in to prep Harper for surgery soon.”
Macey bit her lip and nodded. “Okay.” Harper stirred and opened her eyes, and Macey looked back at the doctor. “May I tell her?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Tell me what?” Harper asked sleepily.
Macey sat down on the bed. “They’ve found a heart for you.”
Harper’s eyes grew wide. “They have?”
Macey nodded.
“When are they going to put it in?”
“Soon.”
Harper bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. “Is it a strong one? Because there’s no point if it’s not strong.”
“It’s a very strong one,” Macey said, silently praying this was true. “They wouldn’t give it to you if it wasn’t.”
“Okay,” Harper said, mustering a weak smile.
When Ben arrived, he gave her a confident thumbs-up and Harper returned the gesture. Moments after that, a flurry of activity filled the room as two nurses came in and started getting her ready. One of the nurses reached up to adjust the intravenous tube above her bed and as she prepped a new needle, Harper eyed it warily. “Has that been tested with horseshoe crab blood?”
The nurse frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean, hon . . .”
“Horseshoe crabs have blue blood,” Harper explained, “and it’s filled with stuff that fights infection by releasing goopy stuff that surrounds germs to keep them from spreading.”
“Is that so?” The nurse looked up at Macey and Ben and smiled. “I had no idea!”
Macey and Ben looked at each other in surprise. “We didn’t know that, either,” Ben said.
Harper nodded as if it was common knowledge. “It’s true. That’s why scientists use horseshoe crab blood to make sure medicine in needles is safe.”
“Well, I’m sure the medicine we’re giving you is safe, so no worries,” the nurse assured her as she adjusted the bag. “Now, Mom and Dad,” she said, looking up again, “it’s time to give your little girl a hug and a kiss because we’re all set here.”
Harper frowned. “They’re not my . . . ,” she started to say, but then stopped midsentence as Macey leaned down to give her a hug. It felt odd to have the nurse refer to Macey and Ben as her parents, but it also felt oddly comforting. After all, they had been nothing but nice to her since she’d moved in with them, and now, Macey had practically moved in with her while she was in the hospital. No one—except Cora and Mary—had ever treated her with so much kindness before.
Ben reached for her hand. “You got this, Harper!” he said. “Just remember how brave Keeper was when he had his surgery. If he can do it, you can, too!”
Harper nodded and pulled Bear against her chest, but when the nurse realized she still had a stuffed animal with her, she said, “I think you better give that to your mom.”
Harper’s lip quivered as she looked at Macey. “Will you take care of him?”
“You bet,” Macey said. “I won’t let him out of my sight. Everything’s gonna be fine,” she added softly. “We love you and we’ll be waiting right here.”
Harper nodded and as soon as she let go of Bear, the nurse wheeled her out of the room. Macey watched them go and then looked down at the tattered old bear entrusted to her, and lightly traced the pink heart on his chest.
“She’s gonna be fine,” Ben said, squeezing her hand. “I have a good feeling.”
“You have a good feeling?”
“I do,” he said, pulling her closer. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Macey bit her lip and nodded, hoping he was right.