Chapter
3
Brian had been in the hospital for two days and still, he didn't know
what was wrong with him. That day, however, the doctor would be coming in with
a diagnosis.
A nurse was just clearing away the breakfast plates when Dr. Simms,
Brian's doctor, strode into the room.
"Good morning Brian," he said, though the doctor did not seem
to be having a good morning at all.
"Hey, Dr. Simms," Brian said. He forced a smile.
"Are your parents here," he asked.
"No," Brian said. "They're still in Kentucky. I told
them they didn't need to come down here. I mean, I'm fine, right?" His
voice wavered on that last word.
"Well, that's what I've come to talk to you about," the
doctor replied. Brian heard the serious tone in his voice. His heart started to
pound and his palms began to sweat. He said nothing.
"Brian, I'm going to be straight with you," Dr. Simms began.
"I'm afraid you aren't fine at all."
"What do you mean?" Brian asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"You had surgery two years ago, right? To close the hole in your
heart?"
"Yeah," he said softly.
"The surgery lasted for over two hours. It should have only been
about forty-five minutes, but the doctors found another hole, correct?"
Brian nodded.
"Well, what the doctors didn't realize was that there was another
hole. It was in the back of the heart, in a place that was hard to detect. They
didn't find it during your surgery because they were in a hurry to close the
other two. Anyway, this hole has been there since you were born, also. It has
stayed very small until recently. It started to grow, very quickly. That's why
you started to feel sick."
"But I didn't feel that sick before my surgery, when the other one
grew," Brian protested.
"This one is much bigger than the other," Dr. Simms replied
softly.
"How big?" Brian asked, afraid to know the answer.
"Right now, it's the size of a quarter, but it's growing
bigger."
Brian felt as if he would throw up.
"Does that mean I have to have another operation?" he asked.
"No, Brian," the doctor told him gently, laying a hand on his
shoulder. "It's too big to be operated on."
Brian gasped. "What are you going to do then?" he cried.
"There's really not much we can do," Dr. Simms said.
"Your only real hope is a heart transplant."
Brian couldn't speak. He lay there, dumbfounded, refusing to believe
the doctor's words.
Dr. Simms stood and squeezed Brian's shoulder gently. "I'm
sorry," he said sympathetically. "I wish I could have given you
better news."
Brian didn't move.
"Do you want me to get a hold of your parents for you? Have them
come down here?"
Brian nodded slightly.
"Okay," Dr. Simms said. He patted Brian's shoulder once more,
then left the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, Brian buried
his head in his pillow and cried.
***
