Recap: They say my kidney's are failing. I might die. I will die.
"Audrey?" someone calls my name, but it's distant. I don't hear anything after that. I just think about it. It took five days for me to get sick, my body was putting up a fight. Such a fight, I guess, that it's finally over, and it's quit.
"Audrey! Snap out of it!" I hear someone say. I throw up, but I'm crying too. I lean back and start sobbing loudly.
"I do-do-don't wan-nt t-t-o die!"
"There is a few options." Dr. Chase says. "You can let her go, you can wait for a donor to crop up, or...we've just tested Elliot. He can donate a kidney to you." I stop crying slowly. I look up, and Taylor's staring at me, Kate is looking at her mom, Anna's not here, my mom is looking at Elliot, and then Elliot looks at me.
"No. I couldn't let you give me your kidney, El. What if you needed it? Maybe someone else will crop up or if not, I'll...die, I guess." I look at Elliot.
"I'd be crazy not to give it to you." Elliot merely says. I hug him, while they adjust my chemo so that it's more straight forward.
"Kate?" I hear Anna ask. I look at Kate. She has tears coming out of her eyes, but then I notice she's watching TV.
"It's awful isn't it?" I ask, recognizing the show as one I've been fallowing when I could.
"Mark just dumped Kelsey."
"And then moved on to Jenna."
"Who likes Spencer."
"Who has the hots for McKayla, Kelsey's twin."
"Who is completely head over heals for Lee."
"Who likes Kelsey."
"Who is heartbroken by Mark!" Taylor laughs. I glare at him. Kate reaches over to her left, to change the channel. But she turned it off. I look at my mom who is asleep between Taylor and I and Kate's mom who is asleep on the cot next to Kate's.
"Taylor." I say. He looks at me. I study him. He's 16, to my 14, he's got the same brown eyes as me, and when we have hair, we both have chestnut brown.
"Audrey."
"What if something happens with the transplant." I ask, but it's not really a question, just an endless thought.
"It won't." Kate says. I look at her questioningly.
"How do you know?"
"I had a kidney transplant from Anna a few months back. It worked, and we're both fine."I let out a breath. I look at the clock, and it's about 7:00 at night on September 15th. I've been her for 6 days. I've been getting sick a lot and right now it's a break.
"So if your both fine, then why are you here?" I ask.
"Because when my kidney's failed, I was also having a relapse. That's what I'm doing right now, chemo." she explains. I make my mouth into an 'o' and then get sick. I hear someone come it and I look up to see a boy, the same age as Taylor, walk in.
"Hey Katie." He bends over and kisses Kate's bald head.
"Jess, this is Audrey, Taylor's sister." She introduces. I raise my hand, and Taylor calls the nurse for me. I throw up again right after the nurse gives me a fresh emesis basin, and then she left. I look over at Taylor. Who's watching Kate. Who's watching Jesse. Who's watching me.
"Can I help you?" I ask. The boy has dark hair and grey eyes. He looks like Mrs. Fitzgerald.
"I'm Jesse."
"I see. I'm Audrey." I say. I think for a moment. "Taylor, how many days of chemo left?"
"I think tomorrow's your last day."
"Until what?" Jesse asks.
"Radiation, then the transplant." I say. He nods. "Kidney." I explain. He gets up and walks to the sink. He rinses out my basin for me and then gives it back to me.
"No!" I hear a voice say from the doorway. I look up and see the boy from the bus.
"Oh no."I say. Jesse looks at me, then at the boy.
"Marvin! Leave!" He instructs. Jesse walks to the boy, whom he obviously knows.
"Jess?"
"I said leave."
"Are any of these your girlfriend?" He asks.
"Not yet, but one of them is my sister, and she needs rest, so leave."
"Relax, I'm visiting my own sister. She just had a baby, so I decided to take a walk. Jack-pot!" Marvin says. I get angry, but keep my mouth shut because my heart monitor is going crazy. Marvin looks at me.
"Hey, I know you!"
"No you don't." says a voice from behind. Marvin is grabbed by a security guard and removed from the oncology department.
"Wow. What has happened when I'm not there?" Taylor asks.
"That kid, Marvin, or whatever, asked me whats wrong with me the first day of school."
"What'd you say?" Kate pressed.
"I said nothing, right now. Wish it only lasted a little longer." I trace my portacath as Dr. Chase comes in.
"Audrey, how are you?" he asks
"Fine."
"1-10?"
"5" I murmur.
"Well, we're going to do the radiation today and tomorrow, and then the transplant, because you're pretty wiped out already and your white blood cell count is already lower than we thought it would go. You're going to need to go into either reverse isolation, or regular isolation. We want regular, but we understand you want to be with your brother."
"Which will make it easier?" I ask.
"Regular, to be honest."
"Then regular. They can call me, right?" I ask. Dr. Chase nods.
"I'll go get your room set up." He says. A nurse comes and they wheel my bed and me to another room. I wave good-bye to my brother. The next morning they use radiation, and they do the same the next day. That night, Elliot comes in and talks to me. Then they whisk him off for his surgery. The next morning I get whisked into surgery. I wake up later, with a new medicine in my portacath for the new kidney, and a new IV. Later that day they check my blood. They've already seen improvements. I'm removed from regular isolation and put into reverse, wearing a mask and gloves.
"Audrey?" I hear a voice that belonged to Jesse Fitzgerald ask. I nod. I give them a thumbs up. Elliot comes up, wearing his own hospital gown and robe, holding his own IV stand. He gives me a hug and I cry.
"Thank you."