Chapter
23
It was dusk when Nick suddenly jerked upright, letting out a gasp.
”What?!” Angela cried in alarm.
“My pills,” Nick gasped. “I
don’t have my pills.”
“What…what pills?” Angela asked, a tremor of fear running through
her.
Nick turned to look at her with grave blue eyes. “My immune suppressant pills,” he said. “The ones that keep my body from rejecting my
liver… Justin’s liver.”
Angela’s eyes widened. She
didn’t know much about organ transplants, but she could tell by his tone that
his was serious. “How often do you have
to take them?” she asked.
“Twice a day. During
breakfast and dinner,” he replied.
“You’ve only missed a couple doses then,” she said.
He shook his head. “Just
missing ‘a couple’ is enough to cause my liver to reject,” he said grimly.
Angela’s eyes widened in panic.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, beginning to tremble.
“It’s not a certain thing,” he assured her quickly, not wanting to
upset her any more than she already was.
“It’s just that Dr. Fergeson told me not to ever miss a dose, because it
could potentially cause my body to attack my liver.”
“We need help, Nick,” she said.
“Not for me, but for you.”
“I know,” Nick agreed, looking pained. “I need to go find some.”
The rain had slowed into just a drizzle now, but dark was falling
rapidly and the Florida night was hot and humid. Not good conditions for walking around in an
unfamiliar territory, searching for help.
Angela didn’t want Nick to go alone, but she knew she couldn’t go
with him, for the pain in her leg had gotten worse, as well as the swelling,
and she was sure she could barely put weight on it, let alone try to walk.
But as much as Angela didn’t want Nick to go, she didn’t want him
to stay either, for if no one came to them, he could die in a matter of days…
or even hours, depending on if his liver failed him or not.
“I need to go now, while there’s still some light out,” Nick
said. He turned to Angela and kissed her
soundly on the lips. “Angela, I love
you,” he said.
She smiled sadly, tears coming to her eyes. “Don’t say that,” she said. “Don’t act like you may not be coming
back. You go and get some help, and come
back to me.”
Nick smiled slightly at how demanding she sounded. “I will, baby,” he said. “But, just in case, I want you to know that I
love you.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And, even though nothing will happen, in case it would, I want
you to know that I love you too.”
“Gotcha,” he said, kissing her again and hugging her tightly.
“If you don’t find anything soon, come back, okay? I don’t want you gone the whole night.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come back soon,” Nick promised.
“Okay. Bye, honey,” Angela
said sadly. She watched as Nick
struggled to open his door. At first, it
stuck, but finally, he managed to get it open and climb out.
Nick’s feet sunk almost immediately in a layer of thick mud on the
ground. Sighing, he realized the car’s
wheels were sunk deeply into it. Even if
the engine had been able to start, they would never have gotten the car out of
that muddy ditch without the help of a tow truck. But right now, Nick didn’t care about his
car. He was worried about Angela, and
about himself, for his own health was at risk now too. He had so much to live for, and Justin had
given him such a precious gift, he couldn’t let it go to waste now. He had to fight for his life, and that’s
what he was setting out to do.
***
