Perfect Match (31 page)

He’d put in a call to Ned Stringer just to chat with him and
get a feel for his cab schedule over the next few days. Ned was a crazy kind of
guy, but each time Roscoe talked with him he liked him more and more. He was
comical, had a good heart, and was a hard worker.

After supper, when he was sure no one was watching, he’d sat
on the edge of his bed and done a number of stretching exercises for both feet,
and then he’d spent time walking without crutches. His injured foot supported
his weight equally and without any pain. He felt only a twinge of tenderness.
So far so good, as the old saying goes.

When he’d pulled out a few stitches earlier in the day, he
reddened the skin by scratching at it. He’d done no damage, just threw the
doctor off, but he knew Rachel was much more observant. He thought, the woman
ought to be a psychotherapist. She seems to figure me out with great accuracy.
He chuckled silently.

The wall clock in his room pointed to 8:12 p.m., and still
no Rachel or Trevor. Roscoe grew anxious. He sighed wondering if they’d talked
to each other or just decided on their own not to show up. Maybe none of this
was going to work. But why did he have such an inner conviction that he was
doing the right thing? Why?

Maybe being in the hospital disorients people. They have
crazy thoughts. The cloud of regret moved into his thinking. If only I hadn’t
been so stupid I would still have a nice plush job and salary, and I would
probably be in bed with a hot blonde. He thought a moment. No, don’t want to go
back to that.

The muffled sound of tennis shoes brought him back to the
moment. Rachel and Trevor came through the door with solemn expressions. Rachel
was still in her nurse uniform. Trevor was wearing his lab coat.

Trevor spoke. “Sorry we’re late. We were both involved with
an extended patient.”

Roscoe smiled. “That’s okay. I appreciate both of you being
here.”

Rachel jumped in. Her agitation showed. “What’s this about?”

Roscoe took a deep breath. “I’ll get right to the point. I
know both of you have things you need to do when you’re off duty. But I need a
favor from you. Rachel, I want you to draw blood from me, and Trevor I want you
to run the tests to see if I’m a compatible match to be a living kidney donor
for Selena Sanchez.”

Silence gripped the room.

Rachel’s mouth moved, but there was no voice.

Trevor’s face drained of color.

Silence lingered another few moments.

Rachel said, “What did you say?”

“You heard it right.”

Rachel’s thoughts came rushing out. “You can’t do that. We
can’t do that. What you’ve asked is against rules and hospital policies. It’s
unprofessional. We could lose our jobs; the hospital could lose its accredited
certification. There would be a scandal to no end. And—”

Roscoe interrupted, “And Selena could lose her life.”

Rachel took a step toward his bed, as she wagged her finger.
“Don’t you dare try guilt-tripping with me.” Her words brittle as chipped ice.

Roscoe looked up at Trevor, standing in shock. He muttered,
“I just…I just don’t know what kind of trouble….” His words drifted into
silence.

Roscoe thought a moment, before bringing up his phone
calendar. “Okay, I think I understand your answers loud and clear. There’s just
one other minor detail. How about meeting me one week from today at
umm…Starbucks for coffee while we mourn Selena’s death? Will that date work for
the two of you? Will that violate anyone’s rules or policies?”

Trevor stared into space.

Rachel calmed herself, trying to get back in a rational
nurse mode. She sat on Roscoe’s bed resting her chocolate hand on his knee.
“This is a major decision for you Roscoe. The hospital has a process in place
for a comprehensive evaluation of a living donor, including a psychological
profile to make sure the donor is not making an erratic emotional decision. The
hospital wants the best outcome for both donor and recipient of an organ. I can
get you started on the paper work right now, and do this the proper way.” Her
eyebrows raised in question.

He shook his head. “I’ve been all over the internet
including Cobalt’s site. I’ve read through their detailed process. We all know
that the driest desert on earth will become a rainforest before the donor
process is completed. Besides I want this kept completely anonymous. I do not
want Selena or anyone in her family to know. I don’t want any credit or
attention from this.” And then he added, “Selena doesn’t have time for a
bureaucratic marathon.”

She said, “But why the secrecy? This would be a wonderful
human story of giving.”

He said, “Almost everything I’ve ever done in my life was
done with me wondering what kind of attention I was going to get. For once I’d
like to do something quietly, just for the sake of doing it. I’d like to know
what that would feel like. I need to experience that.”

“But Trevor and I are going to know, and the surgical teams
are going to know. They’re not going to roll an unknown donor into the
operating room and start removing body parts—”

“I know that, but at least we can minimize the number of
people who know.”

Rachel tried again. “What makes you think you’d even be a
match?”

“I may not be. The compatibility tests will show that. I
just know this whole issue,” he waved his arms, “has been on my mind ever since
I visited Selena’s church. I’ve slept good most nights, but my dreams have been
filled with the possibility of being a match for Selena. I don’t know where all
this came from.”

He shrugged.

“I’m not a superstitious kind of guy, don’t believe in
ghosts or vampires, and don’t believe in fortune tellers…I don’t know.” He
shook his head. “Look, I’ve been trying to get out of this hospital, since day
one. If the tests indicate I’m not a match, then I’ll be released from Cobalt
day after tomorrow. I’m out of here.”

He paused.

“What I do know is that I’ve heard an increased flurry of
foot traffic in and out of Selena’s room the last few days. I’ve picked up
other tidbits of information that she’s not doing well. Her physical appearance
shows she doesn’t feel well.”

Trevor cleared his throat.

Roscoe glanced at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes sir. I….” His voice cracked. “I was just thinking.” He
swallowed hard to get his emotions under control. “I got a call from Selena
this afternoon. She apologized for being so distant toward me. She explained
that since her health had made her future uncertain she hadn’t wanted to get
close and end up hurting someone. She was so apologetic.” His voice cracked and
chin trembled. “She’s a wonderful person. I love her writing. I’d hate not to
get to know her better.” His voice cracked again.

Rachel stood and walked over to the window. People were
bustling up and down the sidewalks. Cars were pulling in and out of the parking
lots. Trees swayed in the breezes. She turned back to Roscoe, giving him a
slight nod and a smile from her heart. She said to Trevor, “How long will it
take you to get me the tubes and equipment for drawing blood? Inventory is
tightly monitored on the floor.”

“I can be back in fifteen minutes.” Trevor caressed the
screen of his smartphone. “I need to check some schedules in the lab.” His face
went through a series of twists and grimaces, before giving an assuring nod of
his head. He looked up from his phone. “I can make this happen. I’ve got a
couple windows of opportunity to do my work, but it’ll take me most of the
night. I can probably have results shortly after 7:00 a.m. tomorrow.”

Rachel looked worried. “Are you sure you can do this,
Trevor? Your career is too young to go up in smoke.”

“No doubt in my mind. I’ve always gone beyond regular
classroom assignments. I’m working on a special lab assignment now that I’m
going to submit on my scholarship applications for college.” He turned to
Roscoe, still propped on the bed. “But if Mr. Fallington is not a match, I’ll
break his other foot.” His lab coat flapped as he breezed out the door.

Rachel said, “I have to check on a few things.” She was
quickly down the hall.

Roscoe sighed deeply, closing his eyes, and uttered silently,
Lord, I’m just trying to complete my homework before I give it to you
.

Rachel tapped with her gloved fingers searching for the best
vein on Roscoe’s left arm. She inserted the needle and each tube of blood was
labeled and placed in a special carrier for Trevor to take to the lab. When
Rachel finished, she let out a sigh.

Roscoe said, “Great job. I could almost swear you enjoyed
that.”

She gave a wry smile. “I could box your ears. That’s what
I’d enjoy.”

Trevor chuckled. “Glad my work’s downstairs.”

She asked, “Are you going to be okay with…with all this
secrecy, Trevor? I mean how are you going to run the tests without someone
knowing about it?”

“Don’t ask because I’m not telling. Quit worrying, I’m in my
element. I’ve pulled more than one all-nighter. This one is special. I’ve got
my plan already laid out. I’ll have some results for you in the morning. Keep
your fingers crossed.” He was gone in a flash.

Rachel removed her latex gloves and put them in the trash
receptacle. She took the chair. “Need anything before I leave?”

Roscoe shook his head. “No. Thanks again for doing this.”

She shook her head. “You’re the most unusual patient I’ve
ever had.”

“Just trying to learn about life.”

“I guess we’ll know what we’ve learned in the morning. I’m
sure going to pray hard for all this.”

She stood, reached down, and squeezed his hand. “I knew
there was a lot of good in you. I just wondered how it was going to come out.”

She closed the door behind her, leaving Roscoe in the
silence of his room.

7:50 a.m., Tuesday,
Asheville

7:50 p.m., Tuesday,
Hong Kong

There was a twelve-hour time difference between Asheville
and Hong Kong. Madison, bone tired and jet-lagged, propped up on her queen-size
bed in her hotel room, said to her three security personnel that accompanied
her, “I’m impressed.” She stretched her arms wide. “The three of you are
unbelievable.”

They smiled with small nods, as they sat in chairs around
the bed.

The three, Woo Li, Zhong Gao, and female Mee Chang, were
employees of Cold Steel Security. All were of Chinese ancestry, but were born
and educated in the United States. They had boarded in Detroit with Madison’s
connecting flight to Hong Kong. They carried nothing more lethal than their
skilled minds and bodies…until they arrived in Hong Kong. Within an hour after
landing they were fully armed, by an advance security party, with the tools of
their profession in order to carry out their mission to “protect and defend”
Madison even if they had to destroy any threat that arose.

Madison and her security had checked in and slipped out of
two other hotels before landing in the current one that was considered safe,
since it had been “swept clean” by another advance security team.

Cold Steel Security services were expensive, but they were
dead serious about their work. If Madison can accomplish her goal with the
Chinese supplier, the security costs will be a minor afterthought.

She’d finished a final briefing with her security. There had
been other briefings by video conference setup through Cold Steel over the past
couple weeks. Madison exhaled and said, “I think we’re ready for tomorrow.”

They nodded. Zhong spoke. “Here’s the agenda for the
evening. Mee will take the first security watch. The suite has three adjoining
rooms. Woo will be in the bedroom on your left, and I will be in the bedroom on
the right. Mee will sleep in the bed next to yours. One of us will be awake
through the night.

“When on duty we do not snack, drink, smoke, snort, read,
watch TV, or fiddle with entertainment gadgets. We are on alert at all times so
we can protect you. If you have any concern at any time, you let one of us
know.”

Madison nodded.

Zhong continued, “One other thing…we have a number of
special disposable cell phones customized by Cold Steel. However, because of
our international location we might experience some blackout times, but we’ve
got a backup system in place, which I can’t divulge, that will let us know how
your daughter, Selena, is doing back home. You won’t be out of touch.”

Madison’s eyes watered at the mention of Selena’s name.
“Thank you Zhong. I thank all of you.” She nodded at each one.

Zhong glanced at Mee. His ear piece emitted a tiny crackle.
He listened. “The hall is secure, but you’re on Mee. Keep us safe.”

Zhong and Woo headed for their bedrooms.

“Madison, you do whatever you like. I’ll be sitting,
walking, watching in the sitting area just outside your bedroom door.” She
thumbed toward the room. “Sleep well. I’m looking forward to the meeting
tomorrow.”

Madison was asleep shortly after crawling under the covers.

Morning couldn’t come soon enough for Roscoe. Although he’d
slept soundly, he was anxious to know the results of Trevor’s lab work. The
second hand on the wall clock ticked around in slow motion, testing his
patience.

He recognized the tennis-shoed cadence of Rachel approaching
his door. As she entered her eyes were scanning for Trevor. “He’s not here
yet?”

“Nope, thought he’d be here by now.”

Rachel took his vitals, entered the data in the computer on
the desk in the corner. She then unlocked the drawers of the desk, checking the
supplies and meds for the day.

He asked, “How’s Selena?”

She didn’t answer right away. “She had a pretty rough
night.” Her sad voice spoke more than her words.

“What happened?”

“You know I can’t give you details.”

He snapped, “Damn it, Rachel! Don’t do this to me. I’m
trying to give a kidney to her and you’re pulling this…this protocol bull—”