A feeling of anxiousness loomed in the waiting room as Tad
continuously checked his watch. "You're driving me crazy," Greenlee said,
clasping his wrist and holding it down. "It's three minutes later than when
you checked the last time." Greenlee paused. "I'm sorry, Tad," she said,
releasing her grip on his arm. "I'm..."
"It's alright," Tad said as Greenlee put her head down on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He took her hand. "Everything's going to be fine. I promised you, didn't I?" Greenlee nodded. He looked up and saw David standing in the hallway. Tad's eyes widened and he shifted in his seat. He released Greenlee's hand and stood.
"Where are you going?" Greenlee asked.
"The uh... little boy's room," Tad stuttered. "I'll be right back." Tad exited the room and turned to his left, pulling David into an empty corridor. "What are you doing?" Tad whispered loudly. "You know what happens if anyone in that room finds out that you're here? Let alone half the doctors and nurses in this hospital?"
"You brought me here," David said.
"Well, did you get to take a look at him?" David nodded. "And?"
"I don't know what to tell you. He needs a heart."
"What can you do for him right now?"
"Do you want the truth?"
"What do you think?" David shook his head. "No?" Tad asked. "No, what?"
"There's nothing I can do."
"What are you talking about? There's a room full of people in there that I promised everything would be OK."
"Did you ever think of checking before you said anything to them?"
"I didn't think I would have had to, David."
"Well, you made it quite clear on the way here what you did and didn't want me doing to help him. No drugs. Isn't that what you said?"
"That's before I knew it would be my only option."
"Even if you changed your mind now, I don't have anything that would work. The disease is too advanced."
Tad's fists clenched. "You could have prevented all of this," Tad said. "If you had helped him when he asked you, we probably wouldn't be here."
"Those drugs are unpredictable," David said.
"You used them on Dixie knowing that," Tad said.
"Don't bring Dixie into this. Her condition was very different than Jake's. There are different factors to consider."
"Like what? Which of them you would have liked to see live a little longer?"
"I don't have to stand here and take this from you," David said. "I'll tell you again. Get me a heart and I'd gaurantee you I could keep him alive."
Tad took a deep breath. "What am I going to tell them when I go back in there?" he asked.
"Don't ask me," David said. "You got yourself into this. Don't expect me to dig you out."
"Why would I? You haven't done anything for us yet, why start now?" Tad turned his back on David and walked back into the waiting room.
"Are you OK?" Greenlee asked.
"Yeah," Tad said. "I ran into one of the doctors." It wasn't a complete lie. They didn't need to know which doctor.
"Do they have any news?" Tad was silent as he sat. "Tad? What did they say?"
Tad opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn't pass his lips. He didn't know what to say.
"Mr. Martin?" one of the doctors entered the waiting room.
"I'm Tad Martin." Tad jumped to his feet.
"Is this your whole family?" Tad looked around.
"Yeah, we're all here."
"You all should hear this," the doctor said. "Heart transplants are hard to come by." Jamie took hold of Brooke's hand. "But your family seems to have somebody on your side."
"You found a heart?" Greenlee asked.
"It's being brought in right now. I just wanted to let you know before we brought Jake down to the OR."
"But he's OK?"
"He's stable for now, but after we get the new heart in, he should be as good as new."
The doctor turned and went to leave the room, when Tad called to him. "Hey, doc? That new heart. Where did it come from?"
The doctor paused. "I can't say exactly who it came from," he explained. "But I can tell you, it came from a young man who was on his way to a concert in Llanview. His car went off the road."
Jamie's jaw dropped slightly. The conversation was muted. He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there like that, when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder.
"James," Tad said. "Don't you want to go with everyone else?"
"Huh?" Jamie said, looking around the empty room.
Tad sat down beside him. "We've been sitting here all night. Everyone went to get something to eat."
"I'm really not very hungry," Jamie said.
"What's wrong?" Tad asked him. "Everything's going to be fine now." Tad paused. "Do you have something on your mind?"
Jamie took a deep breath. "JR got tickets for that concert. The one in Llanview. We were going to go." He paused. "That could have been us in that car, Dad."
"Hey," Tad said. "Don't even think like that. It wasn't you in that car or your brother. You're safe."
"But... I could have been us."
"It wasn't," Tad said. "Let's leave it at that, OK? We shouldn't be worrying at this point."
"You are though," Jamie said. "I've seen you worry before Dad. Plenty of times."
"I guess I am worried." Tad said. "That something will go wrong in there."
"I'm sure that those doctors didn't go to medical school for nothing." Jamie said. "They know what they're doing. They've probably done this like... I don't know, a million times before."
Tad nodded. "Either way, I'm going to stay and wait for them to be done." Jamie leaned back in the chair. "Aren't you going to eat?"
He shook his head. "I think I'll stay here with you." Tad smiled and put his arm around Jamie's shoulder as they both threw their feet up on the small table in front of them.
"It's alright," Tad said as Greenlee put her head down on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He took her hand. "Everything's going to be fine. I promised you, didn't I?" Greenlee nodded. He looked up and saw David standing in the hallway. Tad's eyes widened and he shifted in his seat. He released Greenlee's hand and stood.
"Where are you going?" Greenlee asked.
"The uh... little boy's room," Tad stuttered. "I'll be right back." Tad exited the room and turned to his left, pulling David into an empty corridor. "What are you doing?" Tad whispered loudly. "You know what happens if anyone in that room finds out that you're here? Let alone half the doctors and nurses in this hospital?"
"You brought me here," David said.
"Well, did you get to take a look at him?" David nodded. "And?"
"I don't know what to tell you. He needs a heart."
"What can you do for him right now?"
"Do you want the truth?"
"What do you think?" David shook his head. "No?" Tad asked. "No, what?"
"There's nothing I can do."
"What are you talking about? There's a room full of people in there that I promised everything would be OK."
"Did you ever think of checking before you said anything to them?"
"I didn't think I would have had to, David."
"Well, you made it quite clear on the way here what you did and didn't want me doing to help him. No drugs. Isn't that what you said?"
"That's before I knew it would be my only option."
"Even if you changed your mind now, I don't have anything that would work. The disease is too advanced."
Tad's fists clenched. "You could have prevented all of this," Tad said. "If you had helped him when he asked you, we probably wouldn't be here."
"Those drugs are unpredictable," David said.
"You used them on Dixie knowing that," Tad said.
"Don't bring Dixie into this. Her condition was very different than Jake's. There are different factors to consider."
"Like what? Which of them you would have liked to see live a little longer?"
"I don't have to stand here and take this from you," David said. "I'll tell you again. Get me a heart and I'd gaurantee you I could keep him alive."
Tad took a deep breath. "What am I going to tell them when I go back in there?" he asked.
"Don't ask me," David said. "You got yourself into this. Don't expect me to dig you out."
"Why would I? You haven't done anything for us yet, why start now?" Tad turned his back on David and walked back into the waiting room.
"Are you OK?" Greenlee asked.
"Yeah," Tad said. "I ran into one of the doctors." It wasn't a complete lie. They didn't need to know which doctor.
"Do they have any news?" Tad was silent as he sat. "Tad? What did they say?"
Tad opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn't pass his lips. He didn't know what to say.
"Mr. Martin?" one of the doctors entered the waiting room.
"I'm Tad Martin." Tad jumped to his feet.
"Is this your whole family?" Tad looked around.
"Yeah, we're all here."
"You all should hear this," the doctor said. "Heart transplants are hard to come by." Jamie took hold of Brooke's hand. "But your family seems to have somebody on your side."
"You found a heart?" Greenlee asked.
"It's being brought in right now. I just wanted to let you know before we brought Jake down to the OR."
"But he's OK?"
"He's stable for now, but after we get the new heart in, he should be as good as new."
The doctor turned and went to leave the room, when Tad called to him. "Hey, doc? That new heart. Where did it come from?"
The doctor paused. "I can't say exactly who it came from," he explained. "But I can tell you, it came from a young man who was on his way to a concert in Llanview. His car went off the road."
Jamie's jaw dropped slightly. The conversation was muted. He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there like that, when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder.
"James," Tad said. "Don't you want to go with everyone else?"
"Huh?" Jamie said, looking around the empty room.
Tad sat down beside him. "We've been sitting here all night. Everyone went to get something to eat."
"I'm really not very hungry," Jamie said.
"What's wrong?" Tad asked him. "Everything's going to be fine now." Tad paused. "Do you have something on your mind?"
Jamie took a deep breath. "JR got tickets for that concert. The one in Llanview. We were going to go." He paused. "That could have been us in that car, Dad."
"Hey," Tad said. "Don't even think like that. It wasn't you in that car or your brother. You're safe."
"But... I could have been us."
"It wasn't," Tad said. "Let's leave it at that, OK? We shouldn't be worrying at this point."
"You are though," Jamie said. "I've seen you worry before Dad. Plenty of times."
"I guess I am worried." Tad said. "That something will go wrong in there."
"I'm sure that those doctors didn't go to medical school for nothing." Jamie said. "They know what they're doing. They've probably done this like... I don't know, a million times before."
Tad nodded. "Either way, I'm going to stay and wait for them to be done." Jamie leaned back in the chair. "Aren't you going to eat?"
He shook his head. "I think I'll stay here with you." Tad smiled and put his arm around Jamie's shoulder as they both threw their feet up on the small table in front of them.