Fragile Hearts (8 page)

The week I spend at home is both happy and sad.
I'm happy to see my parents, but sad that Tyce ended things between us. Maybe
he wants to stay friends, but I know I can't be around him. A broken heart can
only survive so much.

Lying on my bed, I glance around my room. I've
spent more time in this room than anywhere else. At one time, I didn't think I
could leave these four walls, this house, this neighborhood.

There's a knock on my door and I call,
"It's open."

My mom ducks her head around the door. She
smiles and asks, "Got time for a mother-daughter chat?"

"Always."

Mom sits on the side of my bed and I start to
sit up, but she says, "No, stay where you are. I won't be long."

I notice tears in her eyes. Alarmed, I ask,
"What's wrong?"

She pats my hand. "Nothing is wrong. Your
father and I are just so proud of you. Sending you away to live at college was
one of the hardest decisions we've ever made. Over the years, we've just wanted
to protect you. It wasn't until the last couple of years that we realized how
overprotective we'd become." Mom fingered a tear.

My own eyes are starting to moisten.

Mom brushes hair out of my eyes. "But look
at you now. You're even trying out for the Paralympics."

"I may not make the cut."

"But that doesn't matter. What matters is
that you're overcoming the fear that's kept you dependent on me and dad for so
long. Now you have friends and a full life."

A tear trickles from my eye to my ear. I reach
and brush it aside.

Mom says, "So, how are Lucy and Tyce? You've
talked so much about them that your father and I were hoping to meet them during
the break, but I suppose they have family they're spending time with,
too."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "Yeah.
Lucy went home for break and I guess Tyce did, too. Lucy's from a small town
called Oasis in Central Arizona. Tyce has never told me much about his family, only
that he lives with his mom on the outskirts north of town."

My mom gives me a questioning look. "You
really like him, don't you?"

I can't stop another tear. "Yes," I
say softly, "but he doesn't have those kinds of feeling for me. We're just
friends."

Mom leans over and hugs me. She says, "Now
I understand why you've seemed a little down. If things don't work out with
Tyce, don't let the disappointment stop your progress."

I understand my mom's concern and I reply,
"I won't."

Mom sits back up, smoothes a hand across her own
face to wipe away tears, and then looks at me with such love it makes me think
of my sister—the daughter she lost—and I cannot fathom the sorrow of parents
losing a child. The guilt I always feel returns full force and after Mom leaves
the room, I turn my head into my pillow and quietly weep. I have never told the
entire story of what happened that night; how I was the reason for the
accident.

The first day back at school after Christmas
vacation I'm surprised when Lucy doesn't show up. I'm even more surprised when
I find Tyce waiting for me after class. He smiles slightly and my heart expands.
He's so beautiful, inside and out, and there's a sadness he's never disclosed
the reason for. I hope someday he'll trust me enough to confide in me.

He says, "Hi Morgan. How was break?"

"It was nice spending time with my family.
You?"

"It was nice, too." I get the feeling he
wants to speak privately with me. He motions down the hall. "Can we find a
private spot? I need to tell you something."

My heart starts hammering faster than it already
is. "Sure. I'll follow you."

Tyce exits the building, barely returning
greetings to other students. He ignores Tina and she gives me a scathing look.

Outside, I follow him to a tree near the street where
there's no one around. We're going to be late for class, but I can see that whatever
he wants to say outweighs that concern.

He leans against the tree and stares at me for a
second. "Kaylee had the surgery to replace a kidney. I didn't call because
I wanted to tell you in person."

I hold my breath, waiting for his next words.

"She's doing well. The doctors are pleased
with her progress."

I release my breath. "That's wonderful!
When can she have visitors?"

"Not for a few days." Tyce bends over
and says in my ear, "Lucy was the kidney donor."

While I'm trying to wrap my mind around this new
piece of information, Tyce places his hands over mine. "I didn't find out
until a few hours before the surgery. I went to visit Kaylee and saw Lucy in
another room on the same floor. She admitted to being the donor, but didn't
want Kaylee to know."

"How is she doing?" I ask, barely
above a whisper.

"The doctor said she's recovering well.
Lucy's mother is with her now. Seems Lucy didn't tell her until the last minute
because she didn't want her to worry."

I'm still processing this information, but ask,
"When can I see Lucy?"

"The surgery took place four days ago and
she just came out of intensive care last night. I saw her for a few minutes.
She can have visitors for short periods of time. I'll drive you there."

I nod. "Can we go now?"

"Do you want to finish your classes first?"

"No."

"I understand. Wait here and I'll get my
truck."

The smell inside the hospital makes me want to
wretch. After my accident, I spent months in the hospital and later in a
long-term care facility. I push memories aside and follow Tyce to the third
floor. We enter a room and again, I want to throw up when I see Lucy hooked up
to machines monitoring her vitals and tubes dripping solutions into her veins.
Her eyes are closed.

Quietly, Tyce and I approach her bed. My
wheelchair makes a sound and she opens her eyes. Although she looks pale and
weak, a huge smile breaks forth. I stifle a sob, but can't stop tears from
leaking.

Lucy's first words are, "They told me Kaylee
is doing great."

I reach a finger to touch Lucy's hand. "Why
didn't you tell us?"

She grins, "Because you're both worry
warts."

Tyce pulls a chair to the other side of her bed.
"Still, that's no excuse," he scolds, but softens his words with a
smile. He reaches to brush a strand of hair from Lucy's forehead.

Lucy sighs. "Tyce, if anyone but Morgan
owned your heart, I'd try to steal it."

Tyce frowns and I quickly say, "Those are
some crazy drugs they've got you on."

Lucy chuckles, "Yeah. Before you came in, I
was dreaming I was stomping around in that vat of grapes with Lucille Ball."
She yawns. "Did you ever see that episode?"

I laugh softly. "I did."

Lucy closes her eyes and says, "I think Lucy
is calling me back to the vineyards. Sorry to be so rude, but I can't keep my
eyes open."

I glance across the bed at Tyce. He nods toward
the door indicating we should leave.

As we walk down the hall, I ask, "Will Kaylee
ever know that Lucy is the one who saved her life?"

"I'm not sure."

"What floor is Kaylee on?"

"She's on the fifth floor. I tried to get
in to see her last night, but the ward is blocked to visitors. They don't want
to take the chance of anyone spreading germs to the patients."

"Are Kaylee's parents with her?"

"Julie said they were both here for the
surgery, but her dad left after a couple of days to go overseas."

"At least she has her mother here."

"Maybe for a short time only. Julie said
Mrs. Ventura doesn't do well in this atmosphere and expects she'll leave as
soon as Kaylee is released to a regular room."

"I can't imagine a mother leaving her
daughter like that. Why, when I was hospitalized, my mother and father camped
out in my room, literally. The staff brought folding cots for them to sleep
on."

We reach the elevator and I glance up at Tyce.
His jaw is clenched and when his eyes meet mine, he quickly looks away. I
suppose he's as upset about Kaylee's parents' disregard for their daughter as I
am.

The elevator ride is quiet, as is the truck ride
back to my dorm. Unexpectedly, Tyce asks if I want to stop at The Coffee Mug.
Even though I'm reluctant to be with him—not because I don't want to be, but
because my heart is breaking—I say yes.

We go through the usual motions of him
retrieving my wheelchair from the back of his truck and then lifting me into
it. I love his smell as he holds me against his chest. I wish Lucy's words were
true about me owning his heart. He seems to hold me longer than necessary, but
I decide it's only my imagination.

I push the wheelchair lever and steer across the
parking lot. Tyce steps in front of me to open the door. Because school is
still in session, there aren't many patrons in the coffee shop. I order a frozen
coffee drink and reach for my purse. Tyce places his hand over mine. "I've
got it." Then he grins and says, "I thought you didn't like
coffee?"

Sheepishly, I say, "I lied. I love
coffee."

We find a table in a corner and wait for our
orders to be called. I make conversation by asking Tyce when he's going to
visit Lucy again. He asks if I want to come with him and I tell him yes. He
says we'll go tomorrow evening.

Tyce asks, "How's the swimming coming
along?"

"Actually, it's better than I expected
after being on break."

"Are you keeping up the weight
lifting?" His serious expression turns playful for an instant.

"I am. I'm even thinking of becoming a body
builder." He looks surprised and I laugh. "Just kidding."

Tyce reaches across the table and trails his
index finger down my forearm. "Morgan, I have no doubt that you can do
whatever you set your mind to."

I'm sure he can feel the goose bumps on my arm.

We stay at the coffee shop for at least an hour
talking about school and life in general. Tyce will be graduating this year so
I ask him how his job leads are coming along.

"I was offered a position with the Mayo
Clinic in Phoenix as a physical therapist."

My eyes widen. "That's wonderful! Are you
going to accept?" Part of me is elated for Tyce, the other, not so much,
because taking the job will send him out of the area.

"I'm not sure."

"What's holding you back? Are you waiting for
an offer from another facility?" I'm unable to read the strange look on
his face.

"I have a few more applications out there.
I want to wait and see what happens with them."

We finish our drinks and Tyce sighs. "We've
played hooky long enough. Guess I better get you back to school."

For
the next few days, Tyce picks me up every evening to visit Lucy. I meet her
mother, Dotty Arnez, who gives me a big hug. She says, "Lucy talks nonstop
about you. I'm so happy the two of you became friends."

Lucy's
mother could pass for her sister, that's how young she looks. Mrs. Arnez
confides to me and Tyce, "I have to tell you, I'm not surprised that Lucy
has done this. My daughter's heart is as big as the universe. As a child, she
rescued so many animals, I actually thought about creating a charity foundation
to house them. We didn't have the facilities, of course, and I finally found homes
for most of them, and the rest we kept." She fingers a tear. "Yep, when
the good Lord passed out hearts, my little girl got the biggest one."

The
next day Lucy is discharged and it's also the day we get to see Kaylee for the
first time. We wave goodbye to Mrs. Arnez and Lucy as they pull away from the
hospital and then we reenter and take the elevator to Kaylee's floor to get a
status update. We're told she's been transferred to the second floor. We hurry
to her new room. Outside Kaylee's door, I pause to compose myself. I don't know
what to expect. Tyce reaches for my hand. Together we enter the room.

Kaylee
is hooked up to an IV and a machine monitors her vitals. There are a couple of
other intimidating machines pushed against the wall.

The
child looks good. In fact, she looks great. Her coloring is rosy and her eyes
bright. She's reading a book when we enter. Slamming the book shut, she tosses
it on the table positioned over her bed and then pushes the table aside.
Reaching for the controls to her bed, she raises it until she's more upright.
Grinning, she says, "I was wondering when you two would get here. I was
hoping you'd sneak into ICU and bring me something to eat. The food here sucks.
In fact, it's not really food; it's more like liquid guck."

Kaylee
already has me laughing, which is good, because all the medical paraphernalia
creeps me out. It brings back too many memories.

Tyce
walks to her bedside and bends to kiss her cheek. "Hello, honey."

I
reach to hold her hand. "I think you're on a special diet and the nurses
would kick us out if we brought you junk food."

Kaylee
frowns. "There you go again, being my role model." Her frown is
replaced with a grin. "But I forgive you because it's so good to see
you." Her grin widens. "The doctors say everything is looking great
and my body isn't rejecting the kidney. Can you believe a donor was finally
located? Of course, with the internet, they can search the world. They said my
donor wants to remain anonymous, but as soon as I can get up, I'm going to
become a detective and see if the person is still in the hospital. I want to
give him or her a big hug." She glances first at Tyce and then me.
"You don't know who it is, do you?"

"The
doctor never told us," Tyce responds cleverly, which is the truth.

While
Kaylee prattles on about her donor, Tyce and I exchange a knowing look. We need
to let Lucy know Kaylee's playing detective.

For
the next hour, Tyce and I sit beside Kaylee and catch her up on all the
happenings. I tell her about my swim practice becoming even more grueling and
Tyce cracks a few jokes. We can see she's getting tired, so we say goodbye even
though she protests.

For
the next week, Tyce and I continue our visits to Kaylee every evening after my
swim practice. Sometimes he comes early and watches me, although I don't think
he knows I'm aware of him. At first, I was really nervous, but I'm learning to
tune everything out and focus only on my breathing and swim strokes.

Kaylee
seems agitated when we enter her hospital room. When I slip her a chocolate chunk
blizzard from Dairy Queen, her eyes light up, but I can see something is still
bothering her.

She
sips the blizzard and says, "My mom's leaving tomorrow to meet my dad in
France."

I'm
not sure how to respond.

Tyce
says, "You do realize, don't you, that she's been here longer than
usual."

"Yeah,"
Kaylee sighs. "I wonder what it would be like to have a normal mom and
dad."

I
interject, "Maybe its better they're not normal."

Both
Tyce and Kaylee look at me strangely.

I
try to explain. "If they were normal, then you might not be the fighter you
are. I truly believe your attitude is what kept you alive when the odds were stacked
against you. When I first met you, I marveled at your will to overcome
adversity at such a young age. It made me look at myself. I have a regular mom
and dad and they kept me so protected I never stepped out of my comfort zone.
But you, you were always pushing the boundaries. Maybe you were trying to prove
something to your parents?"

I
glance at Tyce and then back at Kaylee before continuing, "I didn't do
anything until my parents finally realized they had to step aside. They forced
me to live on my own; to become more than someone watching life from the
sidelines." I shrug. "I hope you understand what I'm trying to say."

A
noise from the doorway distracts us and we see Mrs. Ventura standing there with
tears in her eyes.

Quickly,
I say, "Ah, I think I'll get something to drink."

Tyce
says, "Me, too."

As
we leave, Kaylee's mother steps into the room and mouths the words, "Thank
you," to me.

Tyce
is unusually quiet as we sit in the cafeteria sipping tea. Finally, he says,
"What you said was beautiful."

I'm
embarrassed. "It just sort of came out like that. I really wasn't sure how
to express what I wanted to say."

"I
think you've accomplished the impossible—bringing Kaylee and her mother closer."

We
chat a little longer and then Tyce says we should tell Kaylee goodbye because
he has an appointment to meet a new tutoring student.

After
we leave the elevator, I say, "I'll meet you back at the room. I need to stop
at the restroom."

When
I return to Kaylee's room, the door is slightly ajar. I start to push it open
but stop when I hear Kaylee say, "So, when are you going to tell
her?"

Tyce
responds, "I don't know."

"She
has a right to know."

"Maybe
she does. Maybe she doesn't."

"Tyce,
she does.
She has a right to know how you're connected to her
accident."

"You
don't know the truth of what happened. All you know is what was in your
father's investigative report."

I
frown, wondering who they're talking about until Kaylee responds, "That's
true, but Tyce, you've
got
to tell Morgan what happened."

A
cold wave of dread washes over me. Tyce was connected to my accident?