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"Let's go!" I am not fucking around…those pilots better fly their asses off to get us home quickly. I pull Christian to his feet and grab his hand. He's not muttered a word because he's in shock. I will get him settled on the plane…I'll take care of my husband. My sister will be okay. Keegan will be okay. Keegan will be okay. I keep saying this over and over in my head, but I'm not so sure I believe it.
Our flight seemed as if it took forever. Christian is exhausted. I'm exhausted. I spent the entire flight comforting him, trying to reassure him this will all turn out the way we need it to. We talked about what this means for Christian since he will give his kidney to Keegan; he told me his will is up to date as of our wedding day. I don't even want to think about the possibility of losing my husband, not on top of all this other shit.
We land in Seattle in the early afternoon, and Taylor takes us straight to the hospital. I am desperate for a shower; I'm sure I can smell myself. I'll worry about that once we talk to Grace and find out Keegan's status. We walk off the elevator, and I see my sister Harper first. She runs into my arms and breaks down. I push her back, so I can get a good look at her to make sure she is alright.
"Ana, I am so sorry about your honeymoon...but I am so glad you are here," she cries.
"Don't fucking worry about my honeymoon, we can go another time. You're okay, right? Other than the obvious?" She nods with big tears in her eyes. "Let's go sit so Christian can talk to his parents. You have to tell me every fucking detail about what happened...later though." I grab her hand to reassure her I'm not going anywhere.
I find Christian with his head in Grace's lap as she runs her hands through his hair trying to soothe him. I lean down to hug and kiss her, then Carrick and touch Christian's face. They both look like haven't slept, but still impeccably dressed.
"Grace, can you tell us what's happening with Keegan?" Maybe this will bring Christian out of this self-imposed hell.
Taking a deep breath, she begins to detail the severity of his injury.
"As a result of the altercation, he suffered penetrating trauma to the left kidney. What that means is that the knife used to stab him penetrated deep enough resulting in an active hemorrhage which is a considered a high-grade renal injury. He was taken into surgery immediately, and the surgeon did what he could to save the damaged kidney, but it was beyond repair. That leaves him with just one kidney. It turns out he has the beginning stage of renal failure and would need to go on dialysis indefinitely. That is unless he receives a transplant. Generally, it could take years before a match was found; however, we know that Christian is a match. I spoke with Christian before you left Bali and he indicated that there was no question that he would donate a kidney. I assume you've spoken about this already?"
"Yes, we discussed it on the plane. There was never any question that Christian wouldn't do this for Keegan. I know there are tests he needs to have before this transplant can take place. Is Keegan stable enough to wait for those results?" She's not said what his status is now.
"Yes, he is stable right now. He's intubated, but his blood pressure is fine, all his other organs are functioning as they should. He received several pints of blood during the operation because there was considerable loss due to the femoral artery damage. The vascular surgeon was able to repair that quickly before he reached the point of no return." Her eyes fill with tears as she looks at Christian.
I take hold of her hand, "What do we need to do to get the process started?" I have no fucking clue how a transplant works.
"Christian needs to be admitted, and genetic testing called human leukocyte antigens test will tell us how close of a match he is to Keegan. I expect him to be six out of six, which is the best possible match since they are identical twins. They will speed up the normal process given Keegan's emergent status, but Christian will have an EKG, CT and other tests; they will take a lot of blood as well. It's important that Christian is healthy because we do not want anything to go sideways for him."
"Well, let's get this show on the road people," I say as I stand up, running my hands down my black yoga pants to rid myself of the clamminess I feel. Comfort is key, right? Who the fuck wants to fly thousands of miles in uncomfortable attire. No one, that's who.
Christian appeared more settled after listening to his mom talk about Keegan. As you've seen, those two are as close as two siblings can be. At times they are more like one person than two. Harper and I are close, but our relationship is not like Keegan and Christian's. I see Elliott, Kate, and Mia walking towards us with bags of food it appears. Leave it to Elliott to have food; he's truly a bottomless pit.
"Hey, Bitty…when did you guys get in?" Elliott asks as he gives me one of his famous hugs.
"We landed about an hour ago. Taylor drove like a bat out of hell to get us here. Grace has been catching us up on your brother and what next steps we have to take."
Kate and Mia hug me and give me a head pointing toward Christian. We sit together at the round table with the hard-plastic chairs in the family waiting room, and I fill them in. Thirty minutes later I realize that Grace and Christian aren't here.
"Carrick, where did Grace and Christian go?"
"Oh sweetheart, they just went to the chapel for a bit. They should be back soon."
Hmm, I know my in laws go to church faithfully, but it's not something Christian, and I regularly do. We grew up in a liberal household, Ray and Carla let us make our own decisions about religion. Ray was raised Southern Baptist, and Carla's side of the family is Jewish. Yeah, I'm a Jew. You know the whole halakhically Jew thing. Carla's grandparents fled from Odessa, Russia, bringing with them her grandmother's sister, husband and two kids. We celebrate Christmas so yeah…there's some Jew confusion in our family.
Alright, let's get back to more important things and not dwell on my heritage. I see Taylor return with two overnight bags and a few other necessities. I suppose we will be here for a while and I am still desperately in need of a shower. That can wait until I get my husband settled in his room.
Less than thirty minutes pass, and we are walking into the VIP wing of the hospital. Well, …slap me silly this private room looks like it should be in some rich person's home, not a hospital. Oh, right. We are those rich people, damn I keep forgetting how rich Christian is. One whole wall is nothing but windows; all you can see is ocean and mountains. It's quite peaceful and makes you forget that you're in a hospital. The little blonde nurse manager tells us about the room's amenities…beginning with the large, flat screen television and the specially made Tempurpedic queen size bed. Good thing it's extra-long, Christian is so tall that he doesn't fit on a typical size bed. There will be no fucking in this bed, and I know he'll try when he's acting like himself again.
There's plenty of seating with a leather sofa, a small area off to the side where a dark wooden table and four chairs are centered in the space, coordinating paint on the walls, and a bathroom that rivals a luxury hotel. I will be staying here until Christian is released from the hospital so I can appreciate the homely feel of the room.
Helping Christian to get settled, I fold his clothes neatly and put them in the closet. We decided to shower before he has to get into bed and get his IV in. He must wear a hospital gown until after the surgery, but this gown is not the typical ass revealing ones. This is a dark blue striped and neatly hemmed pullover with all snaps in the back…none of those bullshit one that refuses to stay tied, so you're always wrapping it around you to cover your bits.
I feel so much better after a shower. I was pretty ripe, but now I feel pretty. I throw on my yoga pants, a Henley t-shirt, and some socks. I'm good to go. Christian didn't say much while we showered, other than he is scared for his brother. I know I would be terrified if that was Harper, really any of my siblings. I tried to reassure him and tell him how much I love him…I think it helped some.
"Knock knock." I hear softly, as Grace's head peeks around the edge of the partially open door.
Giving her a smile, I tell her to come on in. "Christian's just getting dressed. We had to shower since its basically been 36 hours since we left Bali, and he didn't want to lie around in his own filth, as he so eloquently put it."
"I can appreciate that. There's nothing better than a shower and feeling clean. It's good for him too since they'll be up soon to start his IV, and take him down for some tests," Grace explains.
Nearly thirty minutes pass when another cute little redhead walks in, with a big ass smile on her face, rolling a cart full of what looks like an IV start kit. There's a tourniquet, antiseptic, gauze, tape, stickers to label the samples, tubing, and needles, amongst of bunch of other crap I haven't a clue about.
"Mr. Grey, I'm Trisha, and I'll be taking some blood and then starting an IV on your other arm," she says to Christian.
He just nods and then grabs my hand. He's not a fan of needles, but really, other than a meth head, who is? She's quick and only has to stick him once to find the vein. That's because my husband has no body fat and those veins pop out like an angry zit on teenage boy's face. There are several blood tests that must be run to make sure Christian's kidneys are functioning properly as well as the rest of his organs.
By this time, Elliott and Kate, Harper and my parents, Carrick, Mia, and Ethan have all congregated in the room. Trying to keep Christian and me in good spirits, Elliott is enthusiastically telling us the story of some client and his pain in the ass designer wanting to take out the walls in a room, so he can show off his massive tank that holds a preserved shark. I shit you not, Elliott has pictures of it. Rich people and their weird purchases. I mean, really, why the fuck does someone need a dead shark in a tank, in the middle of a room in your house? It's not even a great white shark, it's some pussy shark, like a whale shark that has no teeth and sucks up plankton. I could see if it's a great white, with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, that's bad ass…but, not a shark that only eats veggies.
The nurse and transport guy come to take my husband for some tests. He needs a CT, MRI, ultrasound and a few other radiological tests. I dot kisses across his face, telling him how much I love him. We sit and wait…almost three hours later he returns, and he looks exhausted. He needs dinner because he won't be having anything tomorrow. I want to visit Keegan, so Grace takes over for me while Harper and I go to the ICU.
After visiting Keegan for the allotted 30 minutes, Harper and I leave in tears. There are no words to describe how devastated everyone is over this and how frail he looks lying in that sterile, white room. We've not even talked about who did this, but I am sure the story will begin to unfold soon. Taylor has been on the phone with Welch since we touched down hours ago.
Gail and Sawyer come in rolling a cart and carrying several bags, and I know that its dinner. Thank God for Gail. She's a second mom to Christian and me, taking care of us all. After setting up all the food, we dig in, Gail, Taylor, and Sawyer join us. There was plenty of friendly banter between everyone which helped lighten the obvious tension everyone feels. Elliott keeps us laughing, Christian keeps telling him to fuck off, Grace scolds them, we all laugh. It's always the same thing when we're all together…but not quite since Keegan is not here. Soon after dinner is finished, Gail and Sawyer leave to take the remnants of our family dinner. They'll be back before Christian and Keegan go into surgery which is scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow.
It's close to 10 at night, and Christian's nurse gets him all set for the rest of the night. Walking into the bathroom, I wash my face, brush my teeth and put my hair up, so I don't have to deal with it first thing in the morning. I have my purple goat pajamas with a white t-shirt to sleep in, and Christian has a new man gown on…mmm easy access. I climb into the bed next to him and lay my head his chest…he wraps his around me and pulls me close.
"Are you tired, baby?" Christian asks quietly and kisses the top of my head.
"Ugh…I am so exhausted that I am beyond tired, but I am so amped up right now, I don't know if I can sleep," I whisper. The room is quiet except for the heart monitor and blood pressure monitor that goes off every 15 minutes.
"Are you scared, Christian?"
"A little, but I suppose that's to be expected. I have to do this for my brother, so I'm trying to not think of what could go wrong, instead thinking about how great it will be once Keegan is well. Staying positive, right?" His voice wavers as he tries to talk himself into staying positive.
I gently kiss his lips, "Everything will be fine, my love. Keegan will be back to his antics in no time." He chuckles.
We talk for a little while longer, and Christian's hand begin to razor-sharp, and I feel something poking me in the stomach. He can't move around because of his IV's, so I maneuver myself on top of him. I'm wet already, so I slide right on down on his hard dick. I love this feeling and can't get enough of it. He holds on to my hips as I move up and down, going deeper and deeper. This goes on for some time when I feel his finger rubbing my clit. I throw my head back, reveling in the connection that we have and the love we share for one another. It's all-consuming, and I begin to feel it…
"Go faster, baby," Christian says desperately.
We've got a good rhythm, and I'm about to come when I hear a soft voice coming from the door, which thrusts my orgasm into outer space. Yep, it's gone. I lie still and don't breathe…yeah, maybe she won't see me on top of my husband in his hospital bed bumping uglies in the middle of the night.
"Mr. Grey, are you alright? Your heart monitor started going crazy, so I thought I'd better check on you," Nurse Trisha asks.
Oh, fuck a duck…we totally forgot about the heart monitor, and now we've been caught having sex in a hospital. Shit, what do you say to that? I caught Carla and Ray in the middle of sex once when I was about 11 years old. It has scarred me for life, and I never ever want to see my dad going to pound town with my mother for the rest of my life.
"Yes, I'm fine, just moving around a bit. Thank you, Trisha." I'm not sure how convincing that was through all the heavy panting.
Still inside me with a rock-hard cock, he bucks, prompting me to start moving to finish what we started. Fuck, my thighs are starting to burn. I need to seriously work on legs when I work out. A few minutes later, he comes, I come, and we're done…Ana out!
Sonofabitch, now I have a mother of a cramp in my leg, and I'm stuck in this position. Christian's no help because he's tethered by the IVs. Oh, Mama Mia corn tortilla, it hurts. Do you ever get those Charlie horse cramps in your feet and your toe sticks straight out like it's got it's a little hard on happening? I get those after I wear heels…I'm sure that's my feet's way of telling me to put my flip-flops back on. Someone said to me if you stand on the cold tile it will relax the cramp. Yeah, that's a complete fucking lie. If you have a good remedy, share please, because I can't deal anymore.
I wake up when I hear rustling around the room. I peek through one opened eye and see a new nurse dicking around with the equipment. Looking at the clock on the wall in front of us…it's only six thirty. Uh, it's too damn early lady, get the fuck out.
"Sorry, Mrs. Grey, I didn't mean to wake you. I just need to make some adjustments, and I'll be out of here." The older woman explains.
"No problem, I need to get up soon, our family will be here shortly." It's going to be a long ass day.
An hour later the whole family makes their way back into the room. The doctors and nurses follow shortly to go through the entire process with us and to take Christian to the surgical floor. Grace and Carrick give him a hug and kiss; Grace whispering something in his ear that brings tears to my husband's eyes. Elliott and Mia leave with them, so they can see Keegan before he goes into surgery.
Everyone has cleared out, and only Christian and I are left in the room. I am trying to keep a positive attitude and put on a brave face, but I am terrified. Sensing my impending breakdown, Christian pulls me to him.
"Anastasia, everything is going to be fine. I am strong and healthy, so there shouldn't be any issues. Keegan is going to come through with flying colors and a new kidney. Before you know it, we'll be out of here and enjoying our lives together, as a family. I love you with every fiber of my being, baby." He has a death grip on my hand when a few nurses come in with the transport team. I walk with them as we make our way to the surgical floor and into the preop area. I get to stay with him until they take him in, which looks like any minute.
The anesthesiologist comes to talk to us and gives Christian a sedative through one of the IV's. A minute passes when I see his eyes start to close.
"I love you, Christian, I will be waiting for you…I'm not going anywhere." My voice wavering ever so slightly.
"I love you, Mrs. Grey. I'll see you soon, baby," He says and kisses my hand.
Tears fall as I watch as they wheel the love of life into the operating room. When I can't see him anymore, I turn to go find my family in the waiting room. Grace has secured us the use of a private area since there are so many of us. There are other operations taking place, and their families are waiting as well, and we don't want to disrupt them. The doctor said it would take two to three hours for the entire surgery, but they will keep us updated.
About an hour into the surgery, a nurse comes out with an update to tell us that everything is going fine. The kidney has been taken from Christian, and they're almost finished with him, but he will be monitored until Keegan's surgery is completed. Grace approaches the nurse, asks a few questions, they are whispering, so I have no idea what's being said.
She sits next to me and takes hold of my hands, "Ana, everything is fine with Christian. There was a slight issue during his surgery, but nothing that wasn't remedied quickly," she explains in a quiet, evenly spoken tone.
"What sort of issue, Grace? I need to know what happened." I beg.
"It's not uncommon, but Christian did wake during the surgery. He wasn't in any pain, I can assure you. They said he just looked around, he couldn't speak since he was intubated to help with his breathing. The anesthesiologist adjusted the sedation, and he was back to sleep in no time."
I sit there looking at her, dumbfounded, unsure how to respond, "Um, well…I guess if there weren't any issues…he's not going to remember that, is he? I mean that's weird, right?"
"He most likely will have no memory of it. It's good to know this for the future, should he ever require surgery. He received the standard dosage for his age, height and weight…he'll just need to explain what happened, so the doctors are aware and pay close attention. That's all. Trust me, this frequently happens, as long as the patient is put back under quickly, there are no issues." I trust Grace and her experience, so I nod my head. Alrighty then…
Two more hours pass when I see two surgeons approach, and I grab Grace's hand. Both men are wearing pale blue scrubs; one is taking off a brightly colored sugar skulls cap, and the other is holding a cap covered with the Periodic Table. They pull up two chairs and sit down in front of us.
"Everything went according to plan with both Keegan and Christian. We did remove the kidney damaged because of the attack. The other will remain even though it's not functioning in any capacity. There's no harm in that. They are in recovery right now, so the only visitation is limited to parents and spouses right now. They will both be in ICU overnight as a precaution, and Christian will be moved tomorrow if everything remains uneventful. We don't anticipate anything negative happening with either one. We'll continue to monitor Keegan in ICU until he regains consciousness. He received induction drugs which are powerful antirejection medicine used at the time of the transplant. Since they are identical twins, there should not be a need for anti-rejection medication for Keegan, unless something begins to go sideways with his health. Once he has regained consciousness, healed enough to leave the hospital, he will be very limited in what he will be able to do for several months, as we discussed previously." He is looking at Grace and Carrick when he says that.
Poor Harper, she is feeling like an outsider, I'm sure. They aren't married, so she doesn't get a say in anything to do with Keegan's health…at this point, as next of kin is his parents. I am holding her hand, so she can keep her shit together. She understands all of this, but I want her to know that I am there for her. Keegan will go home to Grace and Carrick's house when he can be released. It's already planned for Harper to stay there as long as necessary to help take care of him. He has a long recovery ahead of him.
"Thank you both for everything. We deeply appreciate the care and attention you've given both boys," Grace asserts, while shaking their hands.
"Yes, thank you so much for taking care of my husband, Dr. Greer." I stand to shake his hand and the other surgeon, Dr. Nelson. They both smile, nod and leave us to celebrate quietly that both made it through just fine.
Now we wait. We wait until we can see them both in ICU and more importantly, we wait for Keegan to wake up.
You didn't really think I'd kill off anyone, did you? Not in a million years. Time jump after this. Thank you for reading.