Page 121 of Until the Last Star Fades

Riley leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

“Well, Benjamuffin, I’ll say it if no one else will—dude, you’re my frickin’ hero!” Piper winked and sprinkled pepper on her dinner. “This is the most romantic thing ever, saving the life of your girlfriend’s m—” Riley kicked Piper under the table. “Ahhh—well, it is!”

Ben blushed over a forkful of salad. “They emailed me an info packet, so we started to make a list of questions for Thursday.”

“So soon?” Maggie glanced at her daughter.

“His blood work, physical, and liver CT scan are Thursday, which means, no eating after 10 P.M. Wednesday.”

Ben made a face and chewed quickly, swallowing before talking. “And I’m seeing a liver doctor, a psychologist, and an ethics specialist.” He looked at his girlfriend. “Did I forget anyone?”

“A living donor advocate and a surgeon.” Riley dug her fork into her salad and exhaled, feeling the weight of the day. “It’s gonna be a busy one.”

Ben nodded. “And then Friday is a chat with an anesthesiologist. What else…oh yeah, a heart test and a MR-something.”

“MRCP, another test that looks at the liver,” said Riley, reading notes on her phone. “They said Ben should know if he’s donor material by late next week.”

Piper gulped her Fanta. “Before Labor Day weekend? They don’t waste any time.”

“Nope,” said Ben. “So, surgery could happen early September. You ready, Maggie?”

“Everything’s moving so fast. I wish you’d think about this a bit longer.” Maggie scratched her head, the patchy regrowth of her hair—once brown and wavy—coming in auburn and straight.

“I’ve done my thinking. Now it’s time to get rolling.” Ben smiled, sampling the cheesy macaroni.

“Mom, don’t bother trying to change his mind.” Riley smirked at him. “You think I’m stubborn…”

“But what about missing work?” Maggie leaned in.

“I’m pretty fit from cycling, and the doc said that works in my favor. The healthier I am, the easier the recovery, the earlier I can go back. Hunter will be cool about time off, and Stavros, my diner boss, will understand. He just marked five years with his sister’s kidney!”

Maggie shook her head. “But you’ll lose thousands in lost wages. My insurance will cover some of your medical bills, but not all, and it won’t take care of your food, travel costs, rent…”

“The doc told me about a few organizations that offer short-term financial assistance.”

“But you have to apply…oh, Ben, I don’t want you taking out loans for this.”

“I’ll be fine, Maggie—really.”

Mom’s not backing down. Riley’s chest tightened. Should I…?

“Ben, I can’t let you donate AND get yourself into debt, it’s too—”

Riley cut her off. “The crowdfunding page will help.”

“The what?” Confusion clouded Maggie’s gaze.

“Uh…” Riley winced. “In April, we started a fundraising page for your medical expenses.”

“Fundraising?”

“Yeah.”

“It was my idea, Maggie.” Piper came to Riley’s aid, opening the page on her phone and handing it to Maggie. “Sorry. I shoulda asked first.” She gulped.

“Strangers…” Maggie squinted at the screen, reading. “Two thousand dollars?!” Her mouth fell open. “People donated this…for me?”

Riley nodded.