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I reached over my bedside and took Nadine’s hand. Tears brimmed in her eyes when she looked at me, but she wore a big smile that made my heart flip in my chest. I smiled back and said, “I’ve never been more sure of anything. She’ll get my kidney in this surgery, but this girl already has my heart.”
“Aw.” Nadine sighed, and she wiped a tear from her eyes.
It wasn’t just some sappy poetry. It was true.
“Let’s get started, then,” the doctor said.
We had to sign a few more papers, then we changed into our hospital gowns. The doctors wheeled me down the hall and had me lay on a surgical table. They hooked me up to an IV, and the anesthesiologist squirted meds into my IV line.
It seemed like moments later, I was waking up in the recovery room. I had no concept that any time had passed at all. My head swam as I came out of the anesthesia, and I was vaguely aware of medical personnel moving around the room. I was hooked up to all kinds of tubes, including an IV for administering fluids, as well as a catheter for monitoring my urine output. Slowly, I became more aware of my surroundings, and the pain in my abdomen intensified as the anesthesia wore off. I ran my fingers over the bandages on my stomach, unable to believe I was one kidney short. They gave me painkillers, which made me really tired.
Only four hours had passed from the start of surgery to when they wheeled Nadine back into our room. I couldn’t sit up, but I tilted my head to watch her sleep, knowing her body was already working on healing. The doctors said my kidney would start working for her quickly. I hoped it was already filtering her blood.
Nadine woke two hours after me. She stirred a little, before turning her head to look at me. When her eyes met mine, a light smile touched her lips.
“It’s done?” she asked, sounding relieved.
I nodded. “We’re out of surgery. You’ve got a new kidney.”
Tears filled her eyes. It wasn’t a brim of tears she could hold back, either. These were huge, grateful tears that splashed down her cheeks and onto her pillow.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you, Lucas,” she said, her voice breaking.
“You don’t have to,” I told her gently. “I don’t want you feeling like you have to do anything to make it up to me, Nad. It’s yours now.”
As was I. Perhaps I was still high on drugs, or maybe I was overwhelmed with emotion, but when I looked at her lying in that hospital bed, I knew for certain I had never loved her more.
At that moment, one thing became crystal clear to me. I’d given her a piece of me, but I was ready to give her all of me.
When the time was right, I was going to ask Nadine to marry me.
CHAPTER 16
NADINE
Recovering from the kidney transplant was difficult, yet one of the most hopeful times of my life. Lucas and I were put on bedrest for a few days, with instructions to walk no more than an hour a day, and to avoid the stairs. The nurses helped us shower and dress, and within three days, Lucas had already gone home. I was out of the hospital the next week.
I came back often for follow-up appointments, blood tests, and prescription refills. The doctors said my blood pressure was getting better and that my blood tests looked good. They were confident that everything was healing well and that my body had accepted Lucas’s kidney. After a few weeks, my check-ups became less frequent, and my arthritis caused by my lupus had gone into remission.
It was like I’d been given a new body, and with it, a new lease on life. I wasn’t sure I ever believed it was possible. It was so strange, because I’d been fighting for my life for years, and now, all of a sudden, my body had nothing left to battle against. Everything felt completely new, and soon, I was doing tasks easily my body had struggled to perform before. Errands that would’ve taken me hours before took minutes. The medicine I had to take consistently was no longer a worry.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about it all. I was thrilled to be better—sure. And I couldn’t be more thankful that I had come out alive at the end of all this. But now that I’d gone into remission, it felt like I was missing a part of who I was. The only thing I could do was use my newfound health to help other sick people as much as possible.
The Miriamic Messenger had requested an interview about the transplant. Lucas and I had agreed only because we knew they’d write about us regardless. They made the whole thing into a piece about the priestesses and how noble they were for advocating for my health. At least they’d painted Lucas in a good light, which was more than I’d hoped for.
The snow had begun to melt as we entered the first week in April. Our friends had continued investigating the Wands and vanquishing demons, but the transplant had delayed our research by weeks. Professor Leto hadn’t killed again, thankfully, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to soon. The Coven’s Shield hadn’t met since the transplant. I didn’t think anyone wanted to bother Lucas and me while we were recovering.
I was finally able to sleep through the night—until I was roused from my sleep by the sound of my phone. Isa stirred as I rolled over and checked my screen. My stomach instantly dropped. It was the council.
I answered, and Priestess Margaret spoke hastily. “Nadine, we have business to attend to. You’re to come to the Imperium headquarters immediately.”
“It’s the middle of the night,” I groaned.
“This is urgent,” she pressed.
Talia stirred from across the room. “Is everything all right?”
“It’s the council,” I told her.
