Chapter
30
For the next four hours, the Boys sat with Nick’s family in the
surgical waiting room they had been in only three nights before, during Nick’s
first transplant surgery. They were
filled with déjà vu.
Just like last time, after they had been sitting for those four
long hours, in came Dr. Fergeson. She
was smiling tiredly.
“Well, he’s done it again,” she said. “He made it through yet another transplant
operation. Now comes the waiting
again. Hopefully, it’ll turn out better
this time.”
They nodded, relieved that Nick had survived, but anxious that
what happened last time could still happen again.
“Who was the donor?” AJ asked hesitantly, hoping it wasn’t another
one of her family members.
“I’m not allowed to tell you much, just that he was a 20 year old
from Orlando that was involved in a fatal car accident,” Dr. Fergeson replied.
They nodded, finding the news depressing. Somewhere, in the very same town they were
in, another family was grieving over the loss of their son, who had been only a
year younger than Nick. It was sad to
think that someone had to die for Nick to be able to live. But that was the way it worked.
***
By the next morning, things were looking good. It looked as if Nick was accepting the liver,
but everyone knew that might now last.
After all, after his last operation, things had looked good at the start
too.
The four Backstreet Boys, unable to see Nick, who had been moved
back into isolation, had gone back to their houses to get some much needed
sleep.
Jane and Bob had taken their kids back to Nick’s place too, making
the hospital staff promise to call if anything happened. Luckily, no one called.
***
Three days
later
Nick lay in his bed, in his new room, which he had been moved into
that morning. He was in ICU still, but
he had been taken out of isolation, which meant that Brian, AJ, Howie, and
Kevin could come visit him, as well as his family. Brian and AJ were the only ones there right
then. They had come up early that
morning to see him.
Around noon, AJ stood up.
“I’m hungry. Bri, you wanna go
get some lunch?” he asked.
“Sure,” Brian said. He
turned to Nick. “We’ll be back pretty
soon, okay, Frack?” he asked.
“Sure, Frick,” Nick said.
“See ya.”
“Okay. See ya,” Brian said,
smiling at Nick, then following AJ out of the room.
***
Only minutes after Brian and AJ were gone, the door to Nick’s room
opened. Nick looked up in shock to see
Mandy walk into the room.
“Mandy?” he asked in disbelief.
“Hi, Nicky,” she gushed, hurrying over to sit down in the chair
Brian had occupied earlier. She grabbed
one of his hands and squeezed it tightly.
“How are you doing? I was so worried
about you! I just found out you’d had a
liver transplant, and I got here as soon as I could!”
Nick eyed her warily. She
had caused him so much pain when she had left him those many months
before. Did she really still care about
him?
“I’m okay,” Nick said cautiously.
“How have you been?”
“Miserable, actually,” Mandy said.
“Nick, I missed you so much over the last few months. I was wrong, Nicky. So wrong.
I hope you can forgive me.” She
stuck out her lower lip a little.
Nick sighed, trying to tell if she was being honest or not. “You really hurt me, Mandy,” he said softly.
“I know, baby,” she said.
“And I’m so sorry!”
Nick sighed again. He was
so confused. Why had it taken her all
these months to realize she was sorry?
Why was she coming back to him now, of all times? He didn’t know the answer, and he wasn’t sure
if he could really believe what she was saying.
***
