Hey guys, this is my first story. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Prologue
Kendall's heart sinks when his finally rest upon the tiny figure swaddled in the stark white hospital sheets. It doesn't feel real, and for a moment, Kendall wonders if this is all just some twisted nightmare his imagination conjured.
His musings are promptly terminated by the sudden weight he feels on his shoulder. He looks up into a pair of hazel eyes he has known for the past ten years. Though they're familiar to him, Kendall is taken aback by the intensity of their darkened gaze, never seeing anything like it. As soon as their eye lock onto each other, James' countenance softens, causing the dark hue of his eyes to return to their naturally light hazel color. Forcing a small smile on his face, James silently encourages Kendall to approach the bed. In response, the blonde takes a nervous step backwards, suddenly feeling trepidation replace his sorrow. As he attempts to take another step away from the bed, Kendall feels someone grab his wrist. Out of his peripheral, Kendall sees it was Logan who held him in place. Kendall turns toward his best friend, hoping to convey that he can't go over there. Rather than letting him free, Logan throws his arms around Kendall, embracing him tightly. Overcome with emotion, Kendall emits a quiet whine as he hugs the spiky haired boy back. Logan pulls away from Kendall, his face solemn. He nods toward the bed and gives Kendall's shoulders a reassuring squeeze. Kendall looks over Logan's shoulder and sees James comforting Carlos, who is sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up against his chest. Carlos tenses, feeling Kendall's eyes on him. The Latino boy looks up at Kendall, giving him a strained smile, trying to assure his best friend that everything will be okay. Despite the situation at hand, Kendall smiles back. He gains strength from his friends' support, and walks over to the bed, to face the source of his fear. However, as he stops inches away from the bed, his courage crumbles, and he lets his body fall on the bed. His hand trembles as he reaches out to the figure on the bed. Gently, he places his hand on the top of his beloved sister's head.
Though Katie was only fourteen years old, she suffers from kidney disease. Kendall remembers the coldness that surged through his body when he heard the news, the chill making it near impossible to breathe. He remembers the doctor's voice becoming muddled as he continued to explain Katie's condition. Kendall strained to process what he was saying, but the shock of the news was too overwhelming for him to comprehend anything. The only other information he processed that day made his stomach do a flip: kidney transplant. The doctor believed that the only hope for recovery was for Katie to receive a new kidney. Immediately, Ms. Knight and Kendall underwent the blood test that determined whether or not their kidneys were compatible with Katie's. Even though the best chance for finding a perfect match was within the family, James, Logan, and Carlos also underwent the blood test in hopes one of them would be a match if Ms. Knight and Kendall were not. At first, Ms. Knight and Kendall tried to persuade them to not get tested, knowing that if one of them were a match, their life would change forever after the transplant. But Logan, the aspiring doctor, fired back by saying that he informed the other two of the dangers of a kidney transplant, and that they still wanted to help. Kendall always knew he had the best friends a guy could have, but seeing their willingness to help overwhelmed him.
That was four weeks ago. The results of all their tests came back two weeks later. None of them were a match. Everyone took the news hard. Though the doctor warned them there was a chance none of them would be a match, they were optimistic that at least one of them would be a match.
Ms. Knight completely broke down. At first, she would keep her composure for the sake of the boys, but as soon as they left her sight, she'd relinquish her control and allow her maternal fears to consume her until she fell into a fitful sleep, her episodes taxing her spiritually as well as physically. Eventually, her frenzied state of being took its toll. Never fully rested, she'd walk around the apartment in a trance-like state, absentmindedly doing the household chores, a shell of her former self. The Garcias, Diamonds, and Mitchells tried their best to help her, but they too had their own trials to deal with as a result of Katie's illness. The four boys had been best friends for fifteen years, making their relationship something akin to familial rather than platonic. As a result, the three other boys have been having trouble coping as well.
Though Carlos has always been known as the light-hearted, hyperactive member of the group, the recent events have left him pessimistic. For the past two weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia have looked on helplessly as their child barely manages to get through the days, his vigor for life obviously gone. His usually smiling face has been replaced with a permanent grimace, his bright eyes clouded by the tears that seem to be perpetually present.
Similar to Carlos, James has spiraled down into a deep state of depression. Since receiving the news, the narcissistic boy has lost all interest in his looks. Not even his lucky comb could provide him comfort. The Diamond family, frightened by their son's unkempt appearance, has tried bribing him with all the latest Cuda products in hopes of helping him out of his current state. To their dismay, James adamantly rejected their bribe, his disinterest evident.
Logan's reaction differed immensely from the others. While they were sluggish and apathetic, Logan threw himself in his studies. For hours at a time, Logan would read through his medical textbooks, hoping to find something within their pages that could be beneficial to Katie. He never did find anything, but he continued his research anyways, praying that he had overlooked something. Logan's parents worried constantly, noting that he never stopped to eat and barely stopped to sleep. Though the Mitchells would bring him his meals, they noticed he never touched it.
Kendall's reaction was perhaps the most startling. He became belligerent, his anger pushing his friends away until they gave up. With each passing day, his aggressiveness would worsen, the fury within building up until he had no choice but to release. He'd start taking his frustration out on the hockey rink, mustering all his anger as he swung at the puck. After continually doing this for several days, the rink's security guards had to escort him out. Without the hockey rink to let off his steam, Kendall began to exhibit self-destructive behaviors, varying from throwing pillows onto the floor to punching walls.
The only thing that kept these five people from completely going off the deep end was when they would visit Katie. It was the only time they all could manage to put aside their bitterness, knowing that they needed to put up a brave front for Katie.
Kendall feels Katie stir in response to his touch. "I'm so sorry," he whispers to his sister, regretting that he failed to protect her from this ailment. Katie looks up at her big brother, a weak smile appearing on her face, her medicine making her too loopy to realize what he had said. Her gaze remains short-lived, for her eyes flutter close soon after. Kendall feels his shame swell inside of him, threatening to blow at any minute. He ducks his head, trying to gain control. Once successful, Kendall stands up and saunters to his friends, who haven't moved from the spots Kendall left them at.
"I'm going to find my mom," he mutters, "Keep Katie company."
Wordlessly, the three boys move to Katie's bed, moving the chairs that the room had within it to her bedside. Sitting down, the three boys begin to talk to Katie, their words a mere buzz in Kendall's mind as he walks out the door.
Kendall looks down the corridor, but sees neither his mother nor the doctor. Ignoring the sudden pounding in his ears, he ambles over to the nurses' station, asking where if they knew were Dr. Benson was. Receiving no answer, Kendall walks down the corridor, turning right. He finds himself in an empty hallway. Sighing, he walks down the hallway, knowing his search is fruitless. As he reaches the end of the hallway, Kendall hears the murmuring of voices. Slowing his gait, he tiptoes to the end of the hallway, pressing his back against the wall. His heart skips a beat when he realizes he finally found his mother and Dr. Benson.
"…condition worsening more rapidly than we anticipated," he hears Dr. Benson explain to his mother. Kendall's stomach clenches at the sound of his mother's muffled sobs.
"How much more time?" Amber Knight manages to ask.
Kendall hears Dr. Benson sigh. "It's hard to say, but if I were to guess…two, three weeks tops."
"A-And you haven't found a donor?"
"No, and I fear we can't afford to wait for a random donor to appear."
"What are you suggesting, then?"
The blonde teen hears the rustling of Dr. Benson's lab coat, as if the middle age doctor were shifting his weight. "I suggest that maybe we look for Katie's father. There's a significant chance that he may be a match."
Ms. Knight laughs bitterly. "Good luck finding that lazy, good-for-nothing, son of a bitch. He left town as soon as the divorce was finalized, and I haven't heard from him since."
Kendall flinches at his mother's harsh words, but feels the beginnings of hope revitalize his bleak spirit. Silently, Kendall moves away from his hiding spot, and rushes to Katie's room. During the course of his journey, he thinks about his father. He was only five when his parents divorced, and as a result, doesn't really remember anything about him. But surely he isn't as bad as his mother claims. Surely he would at least get tested to see if he could save his daughter's life.
Wouldn't he?
Kendall banishes the doubt from his mind, knowing that now is not the time or place. Before he even considers his father rejecting, Kendall first needs to figure out how exactly he's going to find him.
There's the first chapter, tell me what you thought please! Reviews are gladly welcomed. Thank you so much for reading, and let me know how I can improve!