Three days later, Dr. Li made good on his promise, and both of the brothers Scott were relocated to Room 629.
Chapter 30
Room 629 quickly became the busiest in the building, with a visitor traffic that bordered on ridiculous. The two boys were never alone, with a steady stream of medical professionals and well-wishers, supplemented by Deb, Karen, and the omnipresent Haley. Keith and Dan also came often, but both were working men, and there would be medical bills to pay in the near future.
Tim and the rest of the guys from the basketball team came by, surprised to see Nathan and Lucas being fairly nice to each other. Likewise, Mouth and the river court guys came; they too were shocked by the level of friendliness in the air.
A particularly memorable visit came from Whitey. He seemed almost angry that two of his star players were in this predicament, but then again, Whitey expressed all of his emotions in the form of anger.
"You boys'd better get back on your feet soon," Whitey said as he prepared to leave. "Because I'll be damned if the two of you will miss even one sprint when we start practicing!"
"You got it coach," Nathan said, both of them smiling.
After a week in the room together, Lucas was ready to be released from the hospital. The surgery is, in fact, harder on the donor, so Nathan would need a couple of more days to recuperate before going home. In any case, both boys were making great recoveries. Haley and Deb were at lunch, and Karen was at the nurse's station signing Lucas's release paperwork. It was the first time the two brothers had been alone since they'd become roommates.
"Nathan, listen," Lucas said, breaking the awkward silence that hung in the room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, dressed and ready to leave. "I just want you to know…" He faltered. "I just want to say…" Again, he found himself unable to continue. He stood up, and slowly made his way toward Nathan's bed. "Thank you."
"Hey, don't mention it," Nathan said. "It's been tons of fun."
Lucas smiled, but shook his head. "Nathan. Seriously. Thank you. I mean that." Nathan nodded this time, knowing that there was nothing for him to say.
A moment later, Lucas stifled a laugh. Nathan looked at him questioningly.
"I guess we're like blood brothers now that I'm carrying some of your organs around, huh?" Lucas said.
"Nah," Nathan said, grabbing Lucas's hand and giving it a firm shake. "We're not blood brothers now. We always were."
Well, that's it. For better or worse, I ended it. I know it's cheesy, but I'm a sucker for happy endings. Hope it wasn't too painful to read.