A/N:Sorry this is taking so long, I'm just finishing up Guys and Dolls at my school so we're busy, here's the next chapter please review!
Chapter Two-Complications
Charlie spent the next several days with his Coach, and Katherine. Telling Katherine about some of the good and bad times, telling them both what had been happening in the past two years. She was eager to hear about it all, she hadn't seen much of her son either, however she had heard a lot from him periodically about the kids. Charlie could tell Katherine adored her son.
"So, was Coach Bombay an only child?" Charlie asked quietly.
"No, he has an older brother and a younger sister. He doesn't talk about them often though. Gordon and his brother Bill haven't spoken since their father died, Bill is nearly six years older than Gordon and never got along well or talked much. They did when Bill was under twelve, but then Gordon became more of a nuisance to his brother than a sibling. Hannah is three years younger than Gordon so she's busy with her life of course. She lives in Florida, I haven't talked to any of them much in the past year, it's no excuse, but they're busy with their lives, and I'm busy with mine."
"Don't you even seem them on Christmas?"
"Sometimes, when their jobs allow them."
"I'm sorry," Charlie said.
"It's not your fault, it's not even their fault. My children are busy at times, I've accepted that, and I try to see them whenever we can. I love them all."
"Sometimes I wish Coach Bombay had married my mom, that way he wouldn't be so far away so often."
"I can tell he means a lot to all of you."
"Well he means a lot to all of the players, but he's more than a coach to those of us who have been with him since we were District-5. He became our father, a mentor, a friend."
~~~~~~~~~
Charlie was slowly walking towards Coach Bombay's room, he walked into the room and noticed it was empty. He turned around and hurried to nurse's station.
"Excuse me, I'm Charlie Conway, my coach, Gordon Bombay was in that room over there, it's empty where is he?"
"Oh, I'm sorry you can't see him. He's been moved into isolation ICU," Charlie became worried.
"Why, what happened?" He asked.
"Charlie, come here son," another voice called, Charlie turned and saw Dr. Brandon standing only a few feet away.
"Doctor, where's my coach?"
"Come to my office with me Charlie," Dr. Brandon was nice, he understood the boy's need to be around his former Coach. He knew how the boy felt, he had been in a similar relationship.
Dr. Brandon led the teenager to his office and closed the door behind them.
"Mr. Bombay developed a fever late last night, at first we thought it was pneumonia. We've run some tests, his kidneys are failing and he has a staph infection. We can't let him have any visitors anymore, his body is too weak to fight off anything else."
"Can I donate a kidney, I know you can live with one."
"Yes, it's true you can live with only one kidney, however you are only seventeen and that makes you disqualified. You have to be at least eighteen to donate."
"How long will he be in the isolation unit?"
"Until one of two things happens, he either gets better and we give him a transplant, or…"
"He dies," Charlie whispered. He sighed. Two years ago he had been standing at the grave of his mentor Hans, thinking he couldn't handle anyone leaving him this way, finding it hard to cope, and watching his coach and mentor cry. He remembered being angry at Bombay a lot of his freshman year, but then he had made that same difference he made every time he was with Charlie. He showed him love, friendship and a father figure Charlie had needed.
"I'm not going to let him die son, not without a fight first, he's fighting too son, I believe that with all my heart."
"I'd feel better if we could help him by talking to him."
"Pray son, I don't know if you believe in God, but if by chance you do, pray your heart out." Charlie sighed and nodded.
"Doctor, if we could find someone with a kidney, what are his chances of making it?"
"If his body doesn't reject it better, but the problem is, at this moment he's not strong enough or stable enough to be moved into surgery where we could give him a kidney. I can't open him up if he's this weak."
"Thanks doctor, I guess I'll be around then."
"Charlie, you need to try and get back to your everyday stuff too."
"I know sir," Charlie touched the doorknob and stopped, looking at the doctor he sighed.
"If you see Mrs. Bombay, could give her my phone number, I'd like to invite her to our first game on Saturday."
"I think I can do that, and she would probably be honored. It's good for her to get the chance to meet you guys, she's hurting too, and you guys might be able to help her as much as she can help you."
"Thanks," with that Charlie walked out of the office, he couldn't help himself as he walked by the isolation unit and stopped in front of Gordon's room, there was a large window facing towards the hallway so the nurses could tell who was in there. Sighing he looked inside to see his coach looking worse than ever. Charlie looked down for a moment, it didn't look like his coach, it didn't look like Gordon. Charlie could feel tears behind his eyes as the memories came rushing back to him of all the moments he had spent with Gordon and the Ducks, all the time he and his mother had spent together.
"Hold on Coach, just hold on," he whispered, then slowly walked away from the window, saying a prayer; to whatever God there might be for his friend's life.
~~~~~~~~~
Coach Orion stood in front of all the students and smiled gently, sympathetically as they were on one knee in front of him. He knew about Bombay and had visited him a couple times, he too cared about the former coach. They had grown up together in this very school, they had been close friends, not that either of them had ever told the Ducks that.
"All right guys, I know it's been a tough couple of weeks, I know you've got more than hockey on your minds, and I understand that, I really do. However, you're here now, and you have a game in three days, I need you guys to do the best practice you can, and when Saturday rolls around I need you guys to play hard, play your best, if for nothing else, for Coach Bombay." The Ducks all nodded somberly. He smiled gently trying to keep his own spirits up.
"All right, let's get going we don't have all day," he said. They all nodded a little harder and soon they were off to practicing. Finally two hours later the coach called them to drop to one knee. They did so, surrounding each other they looked around at their coach.
"You've got tomorrow off, I know Coach Bombay is in isolation however I have his mother's number and address if any of you would like to help her through this. Ducks, you don't need me to tell you this seeing as most of you've already figured it out on your own. However, this is the time you all need stick together, fly together as Ducks, you all need each other, and Gordon needs you. I bought something a couple days after seeing Gordon myself, he's been my friend for a long time and most of you don't know that, but well, I figure we can honor him and tell everyone who we're flying for," he pulled out bands of cloth with 99 printed into it with Bombay written across it. The strip was Duck's colors.
"Wear them for Gordon." The kids all nodded and slowly helped each other strap them around their arms.
"Quack, Quack, Quack," they began the chant.
"GOOOO DUCKS!" With that Orion dismissed the team watching them all leave, he observed that Charlie simply stood there.
"Charlie, what's wrong?"
"He needs a kidney, and they're afraid he may not get one."
"Charlie, what are you suggesting?"
"You knew him, and his family, can't you ask his brother."
"No, I can't. Bill wasn't very fond of his baby brother, and to be honest we were very fond of him. I don't even know where the man lives. Look Charlie I'd love to help, but I can't and I don't think his brother could either."
"Why?"
"Because Bill was in a hockey injury seven years ago, he lost a kidney."
"Dammit," Charlie whispered.
"Give it time son, he'll pull through, I understand your urgency to help him, he's the only father figure."
"I wish he had married my mother when he had the chance."
"I get the feeling your not the only one that feels that way," Orion said as he walked Charlie into the empty locker room.
"He's the one that showed me that you weren't a bad guy."
"I know, he told me. Charlie how about some lunch?" Charlie nodded and soon got a shower and they headed out together.