Chapter Nine

One chapter left after this one...Yay almost done...I'm sorry to say though that there may not be an update til late Sunday night or Monday afternoon, sorry :(...anyway review for this please! Sorry when fixing the spaces on this I had some problems with my computer that's why the spacing is off after awhile...anyway enjoy!

Gordo's cell phone seemed to ring constantly about 10 minutes after her got to the park, his mother and then his father's name flashing repetitively on the caller ID and after minutes of the phone ringing Gordo finally shuts it off, leaning against the tree and closing his eyes.
"You idiot!" Gordo is startled awake by the harsh words and a pain in his shoulder.
Glancing up he stares at Miranda, "what the hell?"
"Get up," Miranda pulls Gordo to his feet, "you haven't been answering your phone."
"I shut it off."
"You idiot!" Miranda exclaims again.
"What is your problem?" Gordo demands.
"Your parents have been trying to call you," Miranda states.
Gordo glares at Miranda, "since when do you care whether or not I talk to my parents or not?"
"Since they've needed to talk to you, they changed their mind Gordo." Miranda hits Gordo again for good measure. "They need you at the hospital as soon as possible."
Gordo jumps up, "they did?"
"Well if you weren't so wrapped up in yourself they could have told you themselves."
"I didn't know..."
Miranda rolls her eyes, "duh. Now come on, my parents dropped me when we saw your car, I'll drive us back to the hospital so we can get this show on the road."

Even days after the surgery Gordo couldn't remember what all the prep work was, he remembered what seems like hours of tests and prepping and then 15 minutes before they were to give Gordo the anesthesia they stopped by Lizzie's room. After the emotional turmoil of the day Lizzie looked exhausted, "I don't know what to say...I didn't know what to say to your parents either."
"You don't have to say anything," Gordo responds, "I'm just glad they are letting me do this."
"Have you seen them?" Lizzie asks.
Gordo shakes his head, "not yet. The instant I set foot in the hospital I was swept up in a world of tests."
"Gordo..." Lizzie's words are tentative.
"Yeah, Lizzie?" Gordo asks.
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I didn't mean it, I was just scared I realized for the first time for real that I might actually die. But you have been here for me through all of this and I am grateful."
"I know you are Lizzie, I was scared too." Gordo admits, "but none of that matters now, we are going to recover from this surgery and then we are going to go to the movies and out to dinner and just be normal for awhile..."
Lizzie smiles, the first real smile Gordo had seen on her face since he had told her about donating, "sounds perfect."
Gordo kisses Lizzie as the nurse comes back in, "ready to go Gordo?" She asks offering a smile to the two.
Gordo nods, "very."
"Baby we're here," Roberta's face his the first thing Gordo sees when he comes out of the anesthesia.

"Mom?" Gordo questions, they had been the last people he had seen before the anesthesia had kicked in and he had said a drugged thank you to his parents.

"Yeah, Dad's here too." Roberta responds and Howard can be scene over her shoulder.

"Lizzie?"

"She's not through yet, but when the nurse came in with an update a little while ago they said that it shouldn't be much longer." Howard assures.

"Lizzie's parents want to see you, are you feeling up to it?" Roberta asks.

The initial pain medication still hasn't worn off so Gordo nods, "I want to see them."

Jo and Sam replace Howard and Roberta and not a lot of words are exchanged, Gordo had grown up with Lizzie's parents like they were his own and words are necessary he can read how grateful they are in their expressions. Gordo knows they want to say something to him but he beats them to the punch, "I don't want you guys to say thank you."

"Why not?" Jo asks surprised by Gordo's request.

"Because I did it for selfish reasons." Gordo states swallowing against the dry feeling in his mouth.

Sam shakes his head, "there was nothing selfish about what you did for your daughter."

"Actually there was," Gordo responds, "I did this because I want her here with me, not for any other reason. I did this because I can't see my life without her and that's why I wanted ask you both something."

"Anything." Sam and Jo state together.

"When Lizzie gets better, I know she has a ways to recovery, but when she's out and feeling more like herself I want to ask Lizzie to marry me. I know we're young and it won't be until after we are out of college, but I want to spend the rest of my life with her and I want her to know it."

Jo has tears in her eyes at the end of Gordo's slightly slurred statement and Sam responds, "if Lizzie agrees to marry you then Jo and I have no problem with you marrying Lizzie, everyone has seen it coming anyway."

Gordo nods, "thank you."

A nurse comes in then breaking up the conversation with the statement, "they are bringing your daughter out of surgery and into recovery, you should be able to see her in half an hour."

"What about me?" Gordo asks, "when do I get to see her?"

The nurse smiles kindly at Gordo, "as soon as you get enough rest and as soon as she has gotten enough rest then I am sure it can be arranged for you to go see her. But not a minute before, for the transplant to be worthwhile you both need to be well rested, it won't do to have you going back and forth across the hospital to see each other. Besides Lizzie has to stay away from as many germs as possible this early after the surgery, you and her parents will be the only people allowed to see her for awhile."

Gordo nods, "but she's okay?"

The nurse nods, "the transplant surgeon spoke to Dr. Grace and he told her that it's one of the best kidney transplant surgeries he's done. Lizzie is going to be fine, given enough recovery time."