Love's Second Chance (Second Chances #1)(49)

“Take mine,” I said.

Everyone turned to look at me with shocked expressions all over their faces. I stood up and said it again. “I want you to take mine. Screw the waiting lists and all that bullshit. I want you to take one of mine and give it to Galen. Waiting list or not, I want to do this,” I ordered with every fiber of my being.

“We can do that,” Jason offered. “But we need to make sure you’re a match. Blood will need to be drawn, and if you’re a match we’ll need to get you prepared.” I nodded, even though all of that wasn’t necessary because I knew we were a match. The reason why I knew was because I saw his blood donor card in his wallet and it was the same as mine. However, hospital had to do it anyway, and I understood that. “I’ll have one of my nurse’s take you back in a few minutes. Mr. Matthews will be assigned a room here shortly and then you can go in and visit him, but only two people at a time are allowed.”

I sighed. “Thank you, Jason.”

“Yes, thank you, Dr. Andrews,” Elizabeth cried. Jason gave a slight smile before he took his leave. Turning to me, Elizabeth took me in her arms again. “Korinne, I don’t know how to thank you for doing this. If I was a match, I would’ve forfeited my life and offered both of my kidneys,” Elizabeth sobbed.

Stepping away from the hug, the tears began to flow harder as I looked at Galen’s mother breaking down in front of me. Crying, I said, “I know you would have, but if there is a way for me to save him I’m going to do it. I made a vow to him, and I’m going to keep it no matter what. I can’t lose him like I did Carson, not when I know I can help him.”

“He’s lucky to have you. You know, he used to talk about you all the time when you both were in college.”

“Really?” I asked. “He never mentioned to me that he talked to you about me.”

“Oh yes,” she told me. “That boy would glow every time he talked about you. He had never spoken of a female like he did you.” This made me cry even more, so I used my sleeves to wipe away the tears. “I see the love and devotion he has for you every time you two are together. He’s always made me a proud mother.”

“He told me about how he left on his motorcycle after his father died. He holds that regret in his heart even to this day. ”

“He should have known I would understand. I missed him and I knew he had to deal with his grief in his own way. We all deal with it in our own ways. He felt he had to leave, and I respected that. I never once was upset with him for leaving me.”

“That’s exactly what I told him you would say,” I said to her. Glancing at the door to the waiting room, I saw a nurse headed in our direction. She was probably the nurse who was going to take my blood for testing.

“Korinne?” the nurse called out.

“I’ll be back,” I said, looking at everyone. I followed the nurse down the hall to the lab stationed on that same floor. This was my first step to saving Galen. Soon he would be healed with a fresh new kidney … my kidney.





After my blood was drawn, I made my way back to the waiting room. Jenna was sitting there, watching television all alone. When she saw me approach she patted the chair beside her. “Brady and his mother are in there with Galen. They knew you were desperate to see him, but they didn’t know how long you would be, so they went in there first,” she informed me.

“I understand. I want to see him so badly, but I’m sort of afraid of what I’m going to see,” I confessed to her. Memories of my time in the hospital with Carson came flooding back and never did I think that I would be in the same situation again. I was both angry and sad. The emotions conflicted in my heart, and at that moment I wanted to scream in outrage from the unfairness of it all. I kept telling myself there was no time to feel the sadness. I was sure there would come a time for that, but it was not then. I needed to have faith, and that faith was what was going to get me through.

“Korinne?” Jenna murmured gently. Tilting my head to the side, I looked at her and raised my eyebrow in question. “What you’re doing for Galen is amazing. There’s no greater sacrifice than to put your own life at risk for the one you love.”

“He would do the same for me in this situation. I owe him everything I have. He wouldn’t be here in the hospital if it wasn’t for me, and I’ll gladly work my ass off to make it up to him for the rest of our lives,” I admitted whole-heartedly.

“I’m sure he’ll like you being indebted to him, too.” She laughed weakly. “How did it go getting your blood drawn?”

I put my head in my hands and groaned. “Not too good as a matter of fact. I passed out after they were done. Once I came to they made me drink a soda and eat a spoonful of peanut butter.”

Jenna reached over and touched my forehead. “That doesn’t sound like you. You never pass out over anything. You don’t feel like you have a fever.”

Sitting up, I put my hand at my throat and rubbed it. “No, I just can’t shake this nausea. We ate sushi last night and I think I got food poisoning from it.”

“You need to get some rest. After you visit with Galen, I’ll take you home to get some sleep. I’ll stay with you to make sure you’re all right.”

“I don’t want to leave him,” I complained.