Chapter 31
There had to be something he was missing. Levi’s mechanical brain laid out all the pieces, fitting them back together like parts of an engine.
He’d stayed with Hayley for hours the other night, talking.
Or rather, listening to her talk once he’d said what he’d gone there to say.
He hadn’t known what words to use to make her feel better, so he’d simply sat there and held her tight, pushing down his own feelings of inadequacy and helplessness.
This wasn’t about him. It was about her.
But that just made him want to help all the more.
Which was why he replayed her words yet again. Stripped down everything she’d said to their individual parts. Inspected them. Looked for some way in which he could step in and make things run smoother for her.
Call him selfish, but his mind kept tripping over one particular thread of discussion—the future.
The reason she hesitated to be all in with him.
The fact that her organ transplant had an expiration date and the confession that she wouldn’t seek nor accept another donor liver.
He understood her heart and her reasonings, and he couldn’t help himself but admire her more for them, no matter how much pain the thought of losing her caused.
She said she “didn’t want to Nicholas Sparks” him, but he’d rather spend and cherish the days she did have than live in fear and premonition of an uncertain future.
Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair and tugged on the ends.
“Whoa, what’s got your panties twisted in a wad?”
Levi spun on his heel to find Jack standing just inside the open garage bay door. “What do you want?” he snapped. He sighed and let his shoulders drop. “Sorry.” So much for improving on his social skills.
Jack waved off his apology. “Just wanted to let you know we have to postpone the meeting with the town business owners. May’s daughter went into early labor, so she’s heading over to Charleston.”
Levi nodded, acknowledging the change.
“So, back to your panties and why they’re twisted.” Jack flashed a disarming grin.
Levi glared, unamused.
“Could your agitation have something to do with a certain librarian?”
Levi let out a grunt despite himself.
Jack’s grin grew. “I’ll take that as a yes. Trouble in paradise between the lovebirds?”
Levi folded his arms over his chest. Unfortunately, Jack had never found Levi’s above-average size and bulk intimidating.
“Whatever happened, apologize. I’ve heard flowers go a long way in softening a woman’s heart.”
Levi looked away. A dozen roses weren’t going to fix anything.
“Oh, it’s that bad, huh? Well, tell me what you did and maybe we can figure out how to make her forgive you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he ground out.
“Would she agree with that assessment, or is that your stubborn pride talking? I mean, I’ve been told by womenfolk that men do stupid things all the time that we’re not aware of.”
Levi’s hand made another pass through his hair. “We aren’t fighting. I’m just . . .” Was he really going to talk about this with Jack? “Worried about her.”
“Worried? About what?” Jack regarded him. “Wait. This doesn’t have anything to do with why she needs to be on prescription medications, does it?” He quickly sobered. “I didn’t realize it was anything serious.”
“What do you know about it?” Levi growled.
Jack held up his hands in the universal sign to show he wasn’t a threat. “Nothing. I just saw her take some pills from a prescription bottle. She seemed fine, though, so I didn’t think it was a big deal, but maybe I was wrong.”
Levi’s head fell back, and he blinked up at the ceiling.
“Is that it, then? Why you seem stressed out of your mind?”
He pulled his chin down to look back at Jack. “I want to help her, but I’m not a doctor.”
Jack scratched his jaw. “Have you talked to Dr. Smith? Maybe she has some insight.”
Could Dr. Smith help him figure out what he was missing? It was worth a shot. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a busybody, Jack?”
“Anyone ever tell you you’re a sourpuss, Levi?”
The two men stared at each other, one grinning like a fool, the other hiding a small smirk behind his thick beard.
“Get out of here.” Jack shooed him away. “I’ll close up the shop for you.”
Levi didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed the keys to his truck and marched out of the service station.
The road to Dr. Smith’s house was more like two tire-worn paths with grass and weeds growing between them than actual road, not unusual for their neck of the woods.
He pulled up in front of a barn that had been converted into a house at some point in time.
He killed the engine and stepped out of the truck.
The sound of a rocking chair moving over a loose board welcomed him from the direction of the front porch.
“Well, if it isn’t Levi Redding as I live and breathe.
” An older Black woman stood from where she’d sat in the rocking chair.
He recognized her as the doctor who’d pushed liquids and fever-reducing medicines at him when he’d been too sick to do much else than lie in bed.
She gave him a kind smile and waved him over.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence on this fine afternoon?”
He mounted the steps, pausing when he reached the top.
A breeze blew from her direction, bringing the scent of strong perfume with it.
He fought against the grimace trying to freeze his muscles and forced his lips into a semblance of an answering smile instead. “I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
“On the contrary. I find myself quite curious as to what has brought you to my doorstep. Let me go get us some tea and we can have ourselves a little chat. Make yourself comfortable.” She gestured to the second rocking chair, then went inside with the slap of the screened storm door following her.
Levi exhaled his pent-up breath and took in a long inhale of fresh country air as he walked over to the chair she’d indicated. The wooden slats of the rocker looked like they had seen better days, and Levi wasn’t sure the frame would hold up under his weight. Maybe he should stand instead.
The screen door opened, and Dr. Smith stepped out, ice cubes tinkling in the full glasses of sweet tea in her hands. “Go ahead and have a seat. These rockers may be weathered with age, but they’re stronger than they look.”
Levi regarded the rocker dubiously but obediently sat. The wood creaked under his weight.
Dr. Smith cackled. “Don’t you look like a giant in a doll shop. Here, sugar.” She handed him one of the cold glasses, then sat in the other rocking chair. “Now, tell me what brings you to my neck of the woods. I know this isn’t a purely social visit.”
Levi rubbed at his neck, chastised to be called out on only seeking the woman’s company when he needed something.
“None of that. I’m just giving you a hard time. My Earl isn’t one to sit around chewing the fat either. In fact, he hightailed it back inside the second he heard your truck heading up the road.”
Levi glanced through the window. “I didn’t mean to scare him off his own front porch.”
“Nonsense.” Dr. Smith waved away his concern. “I’d been talking his ear off, so he’s glad of the reprieve. But enough about him. I want to hear what’s brought you out of hiding. Not feeling poorly again, I hope.”
“No, ma’am.” Levi sipped his tea. It was cold and sweet. “It’s about a friend of mine.”
She observed him with an air of open nonjudgment, as if her very presence created a safe space and invited confidentiality. He could picture her in a white lab coat, stethoscope around her neck as she gave patients the care and attention they needed.
“My friend received a liver transplant quite a few years ago when she was a young girl, and . . .” How could he succinctly describe all of Hayley’s worries and concerns? And a thought he hadn’t considered previously: Would it be a breach of her privacy and confidence to do so?
“I think I see.” Dr. Smith hummed in a way that made Levi think she really did understand with so few words spoken. “You know, transplant science, especially in regards to the liver, has come a long way in recent years.”
“It has?” Hope perked within the heavy weight inside him.
Dr. Smith nodded. “More and more living-donor transplants are being performed.”
“What’s a living-donor transplant?”
“Just as it sounds. Someone living who is medically compatible with the person needing the transplant gives a portion of their own liver.”
Levi blinked at her in wonder. “That’s possible? A person can function with only part of a liver?”
“Well, you see, in both the remaining portion of the donor liver as well as the recipient’s liver, growth occurs.
In the span of only a few short months after surgery, the segmented livers regrow to their normal size and capacity.
Not only do living-donor transplants have fewer medical problems after the procedure, but they also have longer survival rates than a liver from a deceased donor. ”
This was it. The missing piece. He could give Hayley a portion of his liver if or when a need for another transplant arose.
She wouldn’t have to feel guilty taking a life-saving organ from someone on the transplant list, and she wouldn’t have to live in fear of a future that might be stripped from her at any moment because of organ failure.
Even if she ultimately decided the future she wanted wasn’t with him, she could still feel like she had the time and space to make that decision.
He wondered why she didn’t know this information already.
Wouldn’t it have been something she’d researched on her own or talked to her doctor about?
Then again, she seemed to have been coping with this event in her life by ignoring every facet of it.
Maybe in her refusal to face the unpleasant feelings her transplant had brought along, she’d also chosen to live in ignorance.
She’d claimed that was the only way she thought she could hold on to any sort of contentment.
If one didn’t hope for more, one couldn’t be disappointed.
“Before you start calling and getting on a surgeon’s schedule, you’ll have to find out if you’re even a good candidate to be a living donor, and if you are, if you’re compatible with your friend.”
There was no holding back the reins now. “I have type O negative blood.”
“An excellent start, but there are other tests that need to be done too. Blood tests to check your liver function and rule out any infections or diseases, chest X-rays, an EKG, an ultrasound of the abdomen, and possibly even a CT scan. As well as the physical, you will also have to meet with a psychologist to determine your candidacy.”
Levi planted his hands on his thighs. Whatever obstacle, he’d overcome. Whatever hurdle, he’d jump over it. “Where can I go to get started on these tests?”
Dr. Smith smiled at him. “I’ll give you the name and number to a doctor friend of mine. He can point you in the right direction at the very least.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Smith.”
She stood, turning toward him. “It’s a big thing, what you’re contemplating doing. I hope you take the time to think it through. With your head as well as your heart.”
“I hear what you’re saying, ma’am.” He looked up at her, his jaw set in a determined line. “But giving this woman a portion of my liver is a small thing considering she’s already staking claim to my whole heart.”