Courting Death - Carol Stephenson [72]
I saw the sincerity in Dr. Cruz’s dark eyes. “I believe you.”
“Let me show you something.”
I followed her down the hallway to another room. She stepped inside with a bright smile on her face. “Hey, Jennifer.”
A waif of a blond-haired, blue-eyed teenager lay in bed with an ereader. She glanced up and smiled. “Hi, Dr. Cruz.”
The administrator motioned toward me. “I’ve brought someone to meet you. This is Nicole Sterling, she’s an attorney.”
Delight pushed aside the shadow of pain in the girl’s eyes and her grin went up in wattage. “Oh wow, I want to go to law school.”
I crossed over to the bed. A sickly pallor marred her fair skin. I didn’t need a medical degree to realize she was seriously ill. I perched on the edge of the bed.
“Do you?” I gestured at the digital device she held. “You’re on the right track. Law involves a ton of reading.”
“I know. I want to be a children’s advocate.” She pleated the edge of her sheet. “I’ve been in hospitals a lot so I understand what they’re going through.”
I reached into my purse and pulled out the card holder from a side pocket. “Here’s my business card. It has my email address. I’d love to hear what law school you get admitted to.”
“Wow, thanks.” Jennifer took the card but I saw her fingers tremble.
Dr. Cruz stirred. “We’ll let you rest now, honey.”
“All I do is rest,” she grumbled.
However, after I stood and looked down, the girl’s eyes had already drifted close. Quietly, I said, “Good luck, Jennifer.”
Once we had moved into the hallway, I stopped and said in a low voice. “What’s wrong with her?”
The administrator’s mouth thinned. “Her heart. She’s been on the transplant list for nearly a year without success. When the Jane Doe came in, we thought we had a miracle—they’re a blood match. Since Jennifer is now critical, we were able to arrange for her to be the recipient of the other woman’s heart. We had a helicopter standing by to transport Jennifer and the heart to another hospital that specializes in transplants.”
“I see.”
“Do you? Ethical issues continue to plague organ transplantation, and every time there’s a scandal like the one you’ve just uncovered, there’s renewed moral outrage. Donations cease and people waiting for a life-saving organ die.”
“Rosa, I understand.” I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll speak with the Cooks when they arrive. With your permission, I’ll introduce them to Jennifer. Ultimately, if the woman is Rachel, it’s their decision.”
The administrator let out a sigh. “Thank you. That’s all I can ask. The rest will be left in God’s hands.” She walked away. Behind me, the machines in Jennifer’s room beeped and whirred.
Satisfaction hummed in me as I pulled into my driveway and parked by Melissa’s sub-compact. Tragically, the Jane Doe had been the Cooks’ daughter. Although they had immediately identified her when they entered the room, the dental records they’d brought had been the clincher.
After allowing them privacy to be with their daughter, I had taken them to see Jennifer. Marvin had gripped his wife’s hand and they had looked at other. With tears in their eyes, they had agreed to the transplant. They would have all the time they needed to say goodbye to their daughter before she’d be taken off life support. By tomorrow if all went well, Jennifer would have a new heart and chance at life.
A good day—and hopefully, later, a good night with Sam. For the first time in a long while, I could see into my own future. When we’d initially dated, he had mentioned going away for a long weekend, but I’d shot him down, panicked by the idea of being a couple. Now I was ready for the next step.
I walked up the front path and opened the door. “I’m—”
Hard metal pressed into the back of my head. “It’s about time you got home, bitch.” The hate-filled voice chilled me.
Mom. Melissa. Were they all right? Earlier Melissa had mentioned taking my mother on a walk around the block. I prayed they hadn’t returned.
A beefy, tattooed hand seized my arm and spun me around. I plastered a thin, arrogant smile on my face. “Jordan, when did you get out?”
Rage