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Chapter Seven

The family gathered at Lucky's. A roasted chicken sat on a silver platter on the table, surrounded by vegetable. No one was in the mood to eat.

Katie was still upstairs, in her bedroom, with her best friend Lacey. They sat Indian style on the bed, as they had thousands of times through the years, sharing secrets.

"Justin says I shouldn't do it." Katie told her friend.

"Are you going to let your boyfriend decide for you?"

"Yeah right. You know me better than that."

Lacey asked, "So, what do you think?"

"It sounds gross. They cut you open."

"Seriously, that does sound sick.."

Lulu told her, "But if I don't he could die."

"You could die."

" For sure he will, eventually, if he doesn't get a kidney."

"Why should you worry about him though? You don't know him."

"I know he's my family. That's all I need to know."

Lacey saw the determination in her friend's eyes and reached over and hugged her.

"Don't try and stop me." Katie warned

Lacey laughed. " That never works."

Katie walked her friend to the door and then went into the dining room. Everyone sat around the table, involved in a heated conversation.

Lucky said to his brother, "Come off it, Nikolas, you would never let Spencer donate his kidney. So don't tell me to risk my girl."

Nik said, "I wouldn't want to but I would respect his decision. And not try to make it for him."

Katie stood in the doorway, unnoticed, she heard her mother say "She's too young to make this big of a decision. Lucky and I have to think of her future. We want to help but it's too dangerous... there could be complications. We just can't. "

"I understand your worries." Lulu said "But I have to beg you to reconsider. Clark will die without the transplant. I can't let him down twice in a lifetime. Please, don't say no yet."

Dillon said, " We can talk to the doctor again. Find out exactly what the odds are Katie would have complications."

Lucky told him, "We read the literature. And our minds are made up. The answer is-"

Katie butted in and spoke over her father. She said "Yes."

They all looked at her.

"What did you say?" asked Lulu

"Yes." Katie repeated "I'll do it."

She was a stubborn girl and her parents knew it. Liz and Lucky exchanged a look, filled with fear and pride. They loved that she wanted to help her cousin but they couldn't stand the thought of her doing this.

Over the next week, Katie battled her parents daily about her decision but by the weekend she was on the train to New York.

She left a note in her room,

M and D,

You keep asking why I want to do this. Well, you both taught me that family is EVERYTHING. We go to the extremes for each other and never run from a fight. Clark is in the middle of a war. No, I don't know him. But I can save his life. So, how can I not do this?

I'm going to talk to the doctors. My mind is made up. Like Grandpa Luke always says

Spencer born, Spencer forever.

And Spencers don't run from danger.

Please don't be mad. I do love you both.

Your Kate

P.S. Cameron is with me. Don't blame him. I blackmailed him into it. I still have plenty of dirt on him from our childhood so he is pretty much my slave ( kidding! ). He wouldn't let me go alone. When will you all get that I'm a woman now not a little kid?

Liz stood over her daughter's bed, holding the note, and read it aloud to Lucky finishing with "When will you all get that I'm a woman now not a-"

"Little kid." Lucky finished.

"Yep."

"Damn it! We have to go after her."

" I agree we need to get to New York. But it's not like the operation will happen tonight. This stuff takes time to coordinate."

Lucky gave his wife a confused look. "Your talking like you're okay with this."

"We can't stop her."

"She could die! There must be something we can do!"

Liz hugged him and said, "Pray."

Meanwhile, Lulu and Dillon had spent the last week trying to find a different donor. They had made phone calls to every old friend they knew asking them and their family to be tested. Lulu called Carly's cell phone and asked her, Morgan and Michael to be tested. Dillon called Skye and asked her to test her children. Plenty of people sympathized with them but were hesitant to put themselves or their kids at risk. But Dillon and Lulu pressed on. The doctor called each day. Clark was getting weaker.

When Lulu spoke with Dr. Phillips earlier today he had said, "Clark has been moved up the donor list."

"Is that good news?" she had asked

"In order to be moved up his condition has to worsen so it's not what we would like to see happen."

Now Lulu called Dillon and said, "I'm going to him. He might slip away with neither of us there. I can't," her voice broke "let that happen."

"I'll go with you."

"Really?" her voice was soft and hopeful.

"The doctor will have the results from the people who got tested recently and maybe one will match. If not, we keep looking. But it will have to be over the phone. I want to be near him too. He doesn't have any adoptive family left he should know he has a huge biological family that loves him and is rooting for him. I'll pack a bag and be over to your hotel in an hour."

"Thanks, Dillon."

Gently he said, "Lulu, you don't have to thank me. I'm never going to stop being on his or your, " he emphasized that word "side. I'll see you in a little while and we'll go be with our son, even if we can't tell him, yet, who we are."

"But if he gets worse we will, right?"

"If he's as big a fighter as his mom we won't have to worry about that. I don't think Clark is giving up anytime soon. And either we will, right?"

"Right. See you soon, Dillon."

Lulu hung up feeling like with her and Dillon as a team they could face anything. Maybe Dillon was only being nice to her because of Clark but she would take what she could get. Her son deserved parents who were a united front and she felt like, finally, her and Dillon were on the same page regarding their child.