I had a bit of writer's block, but I think it played out ok.

Let me know! You know I love all kinds of feedback!

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Four

A True Devotion

Noah held the bag with Luke's things in it close to his side as he walked out of the elevator. He turned the corner and saw Lily and Holden standing in the hallway. They were waiting for him in front of the same private waiting room that they had been in one day before. They let Noah enter, then came inside and closed the door behind them. Damian was already sitting and Lily sat down next to him. Holden stood against one wall while Noah stood to his right.

This time Noah really got a look of the room. He was too anxious the last time. It wasn't much different than the last exam room he had been in Oakdale. It was medium in size with a sofa and chair along one wall. There was the ever present light box on the wall for ex-rays and a short kind of desk across from the sofa. The doctor was sitting on rolling chair next to the desk. There was just too much tension in this room.

"Ok. Well, we've done the same tests that we did when Luke came in. We had hoped that he would take to medications we were giving him, but that is not the case. He has gone downhill. I'm afraid that he is in acute renal failure now," the doctor stopped to let the words sink in. The color had drained from Noah's face. It was a good thing he was leaning against the wall otherwise he would have been a puddle on the floor.

"What are our options?" Lily finally spoke for the group. Everyone was thinking it.

"I'm afraid he'll need a new kidney," the doctor said and a gasp was heard from Lily.

"Not again," Holden mumbled quietly to himself.

"Given his present condition, he has been moved up on the transplant list. We will keep all of our available options open. He can treat the symptoms, but I'm afraid that is all we can do right now. He is getting dialysis and we are keeping him comfortable. Luke is a fighter; I could see that right off. I'll give you a few minutes," the doctor said as he gathered his things and left the room. Everyone stayed where they were for a few minutes, but it was Lily who spoke first.

"What are we going to do?" She asked as she sniffed back tears.

"What can we do?" Holden asked her.

"After everything we went through the first time,"

"What happened the last time?" Noah asked.

"Luke's last transplant wasn't exactly legal," Holden whispered to a shocked Noah.

"I need to see Luke," Noah mumbled to no one and went to Luke's room.

The room looked the same; dark and quiet.

Noah slid into the chair next to Luke's bed and took his hand. Noah held his still hand in both of his and brought it to his lips. He lightly kissed the back of Luke's palm. Luke stirred slightly and Noah brushed his hair away from his face.

"I'm here. Just sleep. I'm not going anywhere," Noah whispered softly to Luke. Luke settled and was swept back in to sleep. Noah took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. He could feel tears wanting to spill out. He bit them back and looked back at Luke. He remembered all those nights and mornings when he would wake in the night and watch Luke sleep. He thought back to the cold look got right when the weather was becoming cold in Oakdale. It was late October and he came home with a stuffed nose and sore throat. Noah immediately broke out Emma's chicken noodle and the Nyquil. He remembered those nights, after Luke would OD on cough medicine, listening to him sleep. He had a whistle in his nose when he breathed out. Noah thought it was the cutest thing he ever heard.

Right now he wished he could hear that whistle. He wished so many things. That he and Luke were back in their apartment in Oakdale. That he had never met Mason Jarvis. That he had told Luke the truth about how he was feeling and not tried to push him away. He wanted so badly to fix what was broken. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the door open and Luke's doctor enter the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt,"

"No, its fine. How is he?" Noah asked as the doctor looked at the various machines that were plugged into Luke.

"The same. It's all a waiting game now," the doctor made a few notes on Luke's chart and started toward the door.

"Ah Doctor?" he asked; realizing he was introduced to the man that trying to help Luke.

"Dr. Lange,"

"Dr. Lange. Can I talk to for a minute?"

Lily walked down the hall after talking to her mother on the phone. It broke Lucinda's heart to hear her daughter's heartbreak. After everything they fought through when Luke was sick all those years ago, now they had to live through it again. Here she was, one of the wealthiest and most prominent business women in America and there was nothing she could do to help her grandson. She looked to her right and saw Faith and Natalie playing a board game in the penthouse suite they had been staying in. She thought of how important her family was to her and she thought about what she could do. So she did what she could; Lucinda begun working the phones and contacting lawyers. Luke had too much life left to live for him to die at 22 years old.

Lily came around the corner and saw Luke's doctor standing just down the hall. He was talking to a couple nurses. She felt like a zombie; walking through the days without feeling much. She walked up to Luke's door and heard Noah voice. He was talking to Luke and she did not want to interrupt. She decided to take Holden up on his offer of a coffee in the cafeteria.

Noah leaned forward and lightly caressed Luke's cheek with his right hand. He rubbed his thumb across Luke's cheekbone. It was more calming for Noah then it was for Luke.

"Luke, I love you so much. So much that I can't sit by and let this happen to you. I want to take away your pain like you tried to do for me; so many times. I am so sorry that I took you for granted and neglected you. I hope that you never once thought I did not love you. I have to go now, but I will be back as soon as I can," Noah rose to his feet and lightly kissed Luke's forehead. He kissed the back of the Luke's hands and stepped into the hall closing the door behind him.

"Noah?" Luke groaned softly and went back to sleep.

Lily and Holden came back from coffee and saw that Noah had left Luke's room. She thought nothing of it at the time and ducked inside to sit with her son. But when an hour passed and she did not see Noah, she begun to worry. She asked both Damian and Holden if they had seen him. When she got no's from both of them she pulled out her cell and called him.

"This is Noah, leave me a message and I'll get back to you,"

"Noah, this is Lily. Where are you? Call me back," she said in frustration and worry. She held onto her phone waiting for him to call back. It was another hour and several more calls, before he came back. He walked into Luke's room and Lily bounded out her chair to him. She wanted to raise her voice, but she didn't want to wake Luke. She and Noah left Holden alone in the room with Luke.

"Where have you been?"

"Before I tell you, I want you to know that I made this decision and I will not change it,"

"What are you talking about?"

Noah opened his mouth to tell her everything, when Dr. Lange came around the corner with two other doctors.

"Noah, we'll be ready in an hour to start. We'll need to take you into another room to get you ready,"

"Noah? What have you done?" She asked in a guarded voice. She instinctly grabbed his arm.

"My blood type is Type O. I've gone through all the tests and it turns out I'm an excellent match for Luke. I have to do this,"

"No! I will not you risk your life like this,"

"But it's for Luke. Your real son,"

"But you are my son too. Not just because I adopted you. You are a part of my family. I can't lose both of you," she said as tears fell down her cheeks. She was trying to be rational about this. Noah took her face in his hands.

"Would you give Luke one of yours?"

"Of course I would," she said without hesitation.

"So would I. I have to go. They are prepping me for surgery," he said and gave Lily a kiss on the cheek before joining Dr. Lange and his two colleagues. He walked behind the two double doors and disappeared around the corner. She felt like she was losing her other son; her world had been turned on its side.

Noah laid on the gurney and looked up at the ceiling. He was not going to pretend he wasn't nervous. He was terrified, but when he closed his eyes. He saw Luke's smile and he was able to quell the feeling that was threatening to rise up in his throat. He saw Dr. Lange come into the room and come over to his bed.

"How are you Noah?"

"I'm a little nervous,"

"Don't worry. Do you know a Lucinda Walsh?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

"Well, she was able to secure a Dr. van Pelt to fly in this morning. I don't think she knew that he would be needed so quickly," Dr. Lange told him and Noah felt several more people coming into the room. "All right Noah, I'm going to give you to these nurses and I will see you when you get done," he gave Noah a calming pat on his shoulder and left the room. Noah let out a cleansing breath as the nurses started to prep him for surgery. They put in his IV, took his blood pressure and gave him a shot to help him relax.

He was wheeled out into the hallway and was met by the Snyders. The first one he saw was Lily. She had unshed tears in her eyes and a look of worry on his face. He reached up and took her hand.

"I'm going to be just fine," he whispered and then kissed her fingers. All she could so was nod in the affirmative. Faith was right next her. She leaned down and gave Noah gave him a hug. Damian and Holden looked down at Noah and tried to look calm and collected. But even their strong exteriors could not hold back the pride that they were feeling for their son's boyfriend.

Holden was proud of the young man that he had known for years and had seen grown into a very honorable man.

Damian was proud of the man that loved his son more than anything and he couldn't help but think Luke was lucky.

"I'll see you guys in a few hours," he said as he was rolled away and toward the operating room. Lily couldn't stand just waiting there. She went into Luke's room and sat with him for a few minutes before they came in to get him. Luke groaned slightly and started to wake up.

"Noah?"

"Shh, honey. Its mom. You're real sick you should be asleep," she sniffed back tears that she had been fighting back.

"Is Noah here? I thought I heard him," he looked around the room. "I must have dreamed it,"

"No, sweetie. He was here. He's been here the whole time," she leaned forward and sat closer to him.

"Where is he now?"

"Just rest honey. You need your rest,"

"Mom, where is he?"

"He is, ah, he's being prepped for surgery," Lily chose her words very carefully. But she could see panic come into his eyes.

Noah lay quietly even though his feet were showing his anxiety. A man he assumed was Dr. van Pelt was putting his gloves on. He had a confidence that Noah could see right off. He stepped to Noah left side and looked down at the nervous man.

"Hello Noah, how are you feeling?"

"Nervous,"

"I know, but you are doing a very brave thing. It'll be over before you know it,"

Another doctor stepped up to him and placed a mask on his face.

"Ok, Noah, just countdown from 10 to 1," the other doctor said as Noah heard gas hissing and into his mask.

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven; I love you Luke.

Six; I love you Luke.

Five; I love you Luke.

Four; I love you Luke.

I love you Luke.

And he was asleep.

"For what?" Luke asked but before Lily could answer a couple nurses came into his room. She stood up and moved to the foot of the bed.

"For you baby,"

"No! He can't. He just got better! He can't do this," Luke said as he tried to get up. He felt pain run through his body as he tried. The nurses gently moved Luke back to the bed.

"Ok, Luke you have to lay back. We're going to help you, but you have to lie back," the nurse on his right said as the nurse on his left gave him a sedative to help him sleep. Dr. Lange came in and helped Lily out into the hallway.

"Noah's surgery just started," Dr. Lange said to her and Lily felt her heart stop for a second. "We are going to bring Luke into the adjoining OR and we will get this done as soon as we can. Don't worry, we will take every good care of him, of both of them,"

"Please take care of my sons," she said and clasped Dr. Lange's hands to accentuate the point.

Luke's room door opened and he was wheeled out into the hall. Lily felt she was having déjà vu. Seeing Luke being wheeled out of one room and into another operating room. She lived through this once and now she had to do it again. She only hoped she was strong enough this time.

She felt hands on her shoulders and assumed it was Damian. She looked over her shoulder and saw Holden. She leaned into him and felt his arms go around her waist.

She suddenly felt a bit stronger.

Well, how'd I do?

Thanks for stopping by!

The next chapter is already formulating!

Stay Tuned!