Chapter Six
"What do you mean he can?" Gordo questions slowly trying to keep his voice calm so that he can prevent himself from giving into the fear that has no taken hold of his heart.
"It's the whole custody thing David, we has joint custody of you meaning he has as much of a right to say no as I have to say yes." Roberta gently rests her hand on Gordo's arm.
"He can't do this!" Gordo exclaims brushing his mother off, "it's bullshit!"
"David Gordon!" Roberta scolds, "I understand you are upset but..."
"No!" Gordo shouts, "you don't understand."
"David, calm down," Roberta's words are soothing. "Don't get yourself all worked up over this now, we'll talk to your father when he gets I tomorrow and perhaps when you explain everything to him he will change his mind."
"Fine, whatever" Gordo storms to his room at his utterance and while he feels like a five-year-old upset because he didn't get his own way Gordo doesn't care. Slamming his door Gordo enters his room and looks around it blindly, somehow the room that had once been his break from everything outside of it held only memories of times when Lizzie had been well. Months ago Lizzie had decorated Gordo's room with pictures of them, there were pictures of them from as far back as the ride home from Rome and sitting right next to it was their junior prom picture, with the them Fly Me To the Moon featuring them sitting in two chairs that resembled plane seats. Tears well up in Gordo's eyes when he sees how healthy Lizzie looks, she'd opted to wear her hair down for the dress and it falls in gorgeous ringlet curls that Gordo hadn't been able to keep his hands out of that night and her skin nearly glowed; all in all she was the picture of perfect health. Unable to stand the sight of the picture any longer without breaking down Gordo moves away and instead if faced with a different picture, one taken nearly two-years ago on his 16th birthday. Gordo's father had been in town then and offered to take Gordo and Lizzie out to dinner, Howard had asked the waitress to take a picture and they had posed with Howard wrapping an arm around Gordo and an arm around Lizzie. As if it will make the situation better Gordo hurls the picture frame across the room satisfied as it crashes into hundreds of tiny pieces on the carpet.
"David, are you alright in there?" Roberta asks several minutes later.
"I'm fine Mom!" Gordo calls back before flopping onto his bed completely drained.
"Can I come in? I think we should talk.
"Mom, I'm tired, I just want to get some sleep."
"I won't be long," Gordo's words seem to have no effect as she slips into Gordo's room.
"Mom..." Gordo sighs but doesn't fight his mother any further, "what?"
"I know you are disappointed about not being able to help Lizzie...."
"Disappointed?" Gordo asks, shocked that his mother doesn't even seem to get his reasoning for the donation.
"But," Roberta continues before Gordo can say anything further, "maybe it's for the best."
"For the best?" Gordo stares shocked at his mother. "How can you say that?"
"I think I jumped into this without thinking as well, I let my emotions for Lizzie get in the way of what is best for you. You're father refusing has helped me to see that."
"You're taking his side on this?"
"I'm sorry Gordo, but your father may be right."
"Get out." Gordo's voice is firm, "get out."
"David I really am sorry...."
"Get...out..."
"Fine, I'll go, we will talk about this more later when you have calmed down a little bit."
Anger keeps Gordo up for awhile, but eventually the anger gives way to shear exhaustion and Gordo falls into a dead sleep before 11:30 only to be woken two hours later. "Gordo, wake up?" Roberta stands over Gordo her white bathroom standing out against the black of the night.
"What?" Gordo asks yawning.
"David, they had to take Lizzie to the hospital." Roberta's voice is tentative, she's unsure of how her son will react.
Gordo bolts up, "what, why?"
"Jo didn't say, she just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to go to the hospital and wait with them while they run some tests."
Gordo bolts up, "of course I want to go."
"I'll drive you."
All of his anger at his mother suddenly returns, "I can drive myself."
"David..."
"It's fine." Gordo snaps pushing the covers off of him.
Roberta straightens completely, "I'm driving, I'll be waiting for you in the car in five minutes."
"Fine." Gordo responds picking up the clothes he had deposited on the floor earlier that night.
"Gordo!" Jo calls Gordo the instant he steps into the emergency waiting room.
"What happened?" Gordo asks hurrying to Lizzie's family.
"She got up on her own, she said she was hungry so of course I offered to make her food," Jo looks to be on the verge of tears. "She made it all the way to the kitchen with a little help from Sam and then she collapsed..."
"Has anyone called Dr. Grace?" Gordo asks.
Sam nods, "We called her on the way to the hospital, she's seeing Lizzie now."
"Was she awake when you guys got here?" Gordo asks.
Jo shakes her head, crying, and Roberta hugs her without saying a word, and the rest of the group sits in the uncomfortable plastic chairs as an old I Love Lucy rerun breaks the silence. Matt sits, zombie-like, flipping through a magazine that he isn't even looking at a fact made clear when he sets it back on the table and the Pregnancy Today title is shown. Sam and Jo are wrapped up together, their arms around each other and in their own little world and Roberta has all ready left to make a coffee run leaving Gordo to just stare at the people around him until Dr. Grace enters the room.
"How is she?" Gordo is the first to notice the doctor's presence and the first to speak.
The group is all standing before Dr. Grace begins to speak, "she's gotten progressively worse, she's in desperate need of a new kidney and I believe that we should get the paper work filled out on Mr. Gordon as soon as possible."
Gordo shifts uncomfortably, "that might be a problem."
"Why?" Jo turns nearly wild eyes on Gordo, "what's wrong, Gordo?"
"It's my Dad," Gordo sighs tears welling up in his eyes, tears he can't control as they slip down his cheek. "He refuses to sign the papers, he's flying out to lecture my Mom and me about how dumb and idea this is...My Mom says that they have legal joint custody and without his signature I can't do anything..."
"Oh God," Jo murmurs her face going sheet white as she gripes Sam's arm. "Dr. Grace, what now?"
"What do you mean he can?" Gordo questions slowly trying to keep his voice calm so that he can prevent himself from giving into the fear that has no taken hold of his heart.
"It's the whole custody thing David, we has joint custody of you meaning he has as much of a right to say no as I have to say yes." Roberta gently rests her hand on Gordo's arm.
"He can't do this!" Gordo exclaims brushing his mother off, "it's bullshit!"
"David Gordon!" Roberta scolds, "I understand you are upset but..."
"No!" Gordo shouts, "you don't understand."
"David, calm down," Roberta's words are soothing. "Don't get yourself all worked up over this now, we'll talk to your father when he gets I tomorrow and perhaps when you explain everything to him he will change his mind."
"Fine, whatever" Gordo storms to his room at his utterance and while he feels like a five-year-old upset because he didn't get his own way Gordo doesn't care. Slamming his door Gordo enters his room and looks around it blindly, somehow the room that had once been his break from everything outside of it held only memories of times when Lizzie had been well. Months ago Lizzie had decorated Gordo's room with pictures of them, there were pictures of them from as far back as the ride home from Rome and sitting right next to it was their junior prom picture, with the them Fly Me To the Moon featuring them sitting in two chairs that resembled plane seats. Tears well up in Gordo's eyes when he sees how healthy Lizzie looks, she'd opted to wear her hair down for the dress and it falls in gorgeous ringlet curls that Gordo hadn't been able to keep his hands out of that night and her skin nearly glowed; all in all she was the picture of perfect health. Unable to stand the sight of the picture any longer without breaking down Gordo moves away and instead if faced with a different picture, one taken nearly two-years ago on his 16th birthday. Gordo's father had been in town then and offered to take Gordo and Lizzie out to dinner, Howard had asked the waitress to take a picture and they had posed with Howard wrapping an arm around Gordo and an arm around Lizzie. As if it will make the situation better Gordo hurls the picture frame across the room satisfied as it crashes into hundreds of tiny pieces on the carpet.
"David, are you alright in there?" Roberta asks several minutes later.
"I'm fine Mom!" Gordo calls back before flopping onto his bed completely drained.
"Can I come in? I think we should talk.
"Mom, I'm tired, I just want to get some sleep."
"I won't be long," Gordo's words seem to have no effect as she slips into Gordo's room.
"Mom..." Gordo sighs but doesn't fight his mother any further, "what?"
"I know you are disappointed about not being able to help Lizzie...."
"Disappointed?" Gordo asks, shocked that his mother doesn't even seem to get his reasoning for the donation.
"But," Roberta continues before Gordo can say anything further, "maybe it's for the best."
"For the best?" Gordo stares shocked at his mother. "How can you say that?"
"I think I jumped into this without thinking as well, I let my emotions for Lizzie get in the way of what is best for you. You're father refusing has helped me to see that."
"You're taking his side on this?"
"I'm sorry Gordo, but your father may be right."
"Get out." Gordo's voice is firm, "get out."
"David I really am sorry...."
"Get...out..."
"Fine, I'll go, we will talk about this more later when you have calmed down a little bit."
Anger keeps Gordo up for awhile, but eventually the anger gives way to shear exhaustion and Gordo falls into a dead sleep before 11:30 only to be woken two hours later. "Gordo, wake up?" Roberta stands over Gordo her white bathroom standing out against the black of the night.
"What?" Gordo asks yawning.
"David, they had to take Lizzie to the hospital." Roberta's voice is tentative, she's unsure of how her son will react.
Gordo bolts up, "what, why?"
"Jo didn't say, she just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to go to the hospital and wait with them while they run some tests."
Gordo bolts up, "of course I want to go."
"I'll drive you."
All of his anger at his mother suddenly returns, "I can drive myself."
"David..."
"It's fine." Gordo snaps pushing the covers off of him.
Roberta straightens completely, "I'm driving, I'll be waiting for you in the car in five minutes."
"Fine." Gordo responds picking up the clothes he had deposited on the floor earlier that night.
"Gordo!" Jo calls Gordo the instant he steps into the emergency waiting room.
"What happened?" Gordo asks hurrying to Lizzie's family.
"She got up on her own, she said she was hungry so of course I offered to make her food," Jo looks to be on the verge of tears. "She made it all the way to the kitchen with a little help from Sam and then she collapsed..."
"Has anyone called Dr. Grace?" Gordo asks.
Sam nods, "We called her on the way to the hospital, she's seeing Lizzie now."
"Was she awake when you guys got here?" Gordo asks.
Jo shakes her head, crying, and Roberta hugs her without saying a word, and the rest of the group sits in the uncomfortable plastic chairs as an old I Love Lucy rerun breaks the silence. Matt sits, zombie-like, flipping through a magazine that he isn't even looking at a fact made clear when he sets it back on the table and the Pregnancy Today title is shown. Sam and Jo are wrapped up together, their arms around each other and in their own little world and Roberta has all ready left to make a coffee run leaving Gordo to just stare at the people around him until Dr. Grace enters the room.
"How is she?" Gordo is the first to notice the doctor's presence and the first to speak.
The group is all standing before Dr. Grace begins to speak, "she's gotten progressively worse, she's in desperate need of a new kidney and I believe that we should get the paper work filled out on Mr. Gordon as soon as possible."
Gordo shifts uncomfortably, "that might be a problem."
"Why?" Jo turns nearly wild eyes on Gordo, "what's wrong, Gordo?"
"It's my Dad," Gordo sighs tears welling up in his eyes, tears he can't control as they slip down his cheek. "He refuses to sign the papers, he's flying out to lecture my Mom and me about how dumb and idea this is...My Mom says that they have legal joint custody and without his signature I can't do anything..."
"Oh God," Jo murmurs her face going sheet white as she gripes Sam's arm. "Dr. Grace, what now?"