Chapter
23
Gena was back twenty minutes later. Dr. Fergeson was still sitting by her son’s
side, holding onto his cold, limp hand, lost in her grief.
“Maggie, I’m afraid there’s a problem,” Gena said.
“What is it?” Dr. Fergeson asked.
“Well, I have one surgeon scheduled to do the organ
harvesting. But there’s no one around to
do the actual transplant,” Gena explained.
“The other two transplant surgeons aren’t working today.”
Dr. Fergeson sighed. “I can
do it,” she said.
Gena looked at her in surprise.
“Really?” she asked. “Gosh,
Maggie, I don’t know. You shouldn’t have
to do it. Your own son passed away only
awhile ago. You need to go home, get
some rest.”
“Gena, if there’s no one else, I have to do it,” she said. “I can’t let a perfectly good liver for Nick
go to waste just because of my own grief.
It’ll make it worse if Nick dies, because I was too upset to do an
operation that could save his life.
You’re right, I’m upset, but I can do it.”
“Well… okay,” Gena said.
“If that’s what you want to do.”
“It’s not what I want to do,” Dr. Fergeson said. “It’s what I need to do.”
***
Half an hour later, tests had been run on Nate to make sure his
organs that were to be donated were in good condition, and everything had
checked out. Now, it was time for Dr.
Fergeson to tell the good news to Nick’s family and friends. She’d already ordered for him to be prepped
for surgery, and she figured everything would be ready in less than an hour.
Dr. Fergeson took a deep breath as she opened the door to the
waiting room in ICU, where she knew the Carters and Nick’s other friends
sat.
Jane looked up when she entered the room. “Hi, Dr. Fergeson,” she said slowly. “Did something happen.”
“There’s a liver for Nick,” Dr. Fergeson said, forcing herself to
smile at these people, who cared so much for Nick. Of course, they didn’t know what she had gone
through, and she couldn’t tell them. The
identity of organ donors were supposed to be kept a secret from their
recipients.
“Oh, my God,” Jane whispered, joyful tears filling her eyes. Her husband hugged her happily, and Nick’s
younger siblings, and the four men that were his best friends all broke into
happy grins.
“He’s already getting prepped for surgery, and we should be ready
in about an hour,” Dr. Fergeson said.
“Oh, thank you so much,” Jane gushed tearfully.
Dr. Fergeson smiled sadly.
“You’re welcome,” she replied softly.
***
True to her word, an hour later, Dr. Fergeson entered the
operating room, prepared to cut out Nick’s failing liver and replace it with
her son’s.
***
