The Broken Road (The Broken Series) (29 page)

I
ducked out of the nurse’s way as she took Lexie’s temperature.

The
two men joined me at Lexie’s bedside. Nate pulled me in for a quick hug. “It’s
good to see you, Kri.”

Kadyn’s
eyes softened as he approached Lexie. “Hi, Lexie. I've heard a lot about you.”

Mischief
sparked in Lexie’s eyes. “I could say the same about you, Kadyn Rand.”

Kadyn
raised a single questioning brow as he fixed his gaze on me. A smile tugged at
the corner of his lips.

I
reached for Lexie’s hand. “How are you feeling? Is there any more news?”

Lexie
scooted across the bed. She patted the mattress, encouraging me to sit next to
her. “I’m feeling better. We’re still waiting to see how my kidney responds to
the new drug protocol.”

I
eased onto the bed. “When are you busting out of here?”

“I
don’t know,” she responded sullenly. “We have to play it by ear.”

“Do
you know where I can track down a cup of coffee for Kri?” Kadyn asked as he
turned toward Nate.

I
smiled at Kadyn. “That sounds wonderful,” I responded gratefully.

Nate
strode toward the door. “Sure. Follow me.”

The
nurse patted Lexie on the arm. “Your vitals look good. Visiting hours are
officially over, but I’ll give you two a few more minutes.”

“Thanks,
Pam,” Lexie responded as the nurse walked out of the room.

I
stretched out onto the bed and turned to face Lexie as we both sank into her pillows.
“What’s going on with your kidney?” I whispered softly.

The
spark faded from Lexie’s eyes. She suddenly looked very tired. “The kidney
disease has spread to the transplanted kidney a bit sooner than we expected.”

I
kept my eyes locked on hers. “Do you need another kidney?”

She
sighed.  “Eventually, but we’re going to try to hold on to this one as long as
we can. Hopefully, the new anti-rejection drugs will help.”

“So,
no dialysis for now?”

Lexie
shook her head. “No, not until my creatinine hits four.”

I
breathed a small sigh of relief. “Where’s your creatinine now?”

Lexie
reached for my hand. “It’s at two. One full point outside the normal range.”

I
linked my fingers with hers. “Okay, so that gives us a bit of wiggle room.
Hopefully, the new meds will slow this down.”

Lexie
nodded, although she didn’t look terribly optimistic. She suddenly perked up.
“Holy cow, Kri. That man of yours is seriously built. Just looking at him makes
me feel tingly all over.”

I
laughed. “Hey, you’ve got your own muscle man. Don’t be getting all tingly over
mine.” Nate had been a wrestler for as long as we’d known him, so he, too, had
a killer physique.

Lexie
burst out laughing. “Kadyn, we were just talking about you.”

I
groaned, knowing full well he’d overheard us.

“Next
thing you know, they’re going to ask the nurse for some measuring tape so they
can compare the size of our biceps,” Nate complained half-heartedly.

“I’d
much prefer to watch the two of you wrestle,” Lexie suggested with a wicked
glint in her eyes.

“Ladies
first,” Kadyn retorted, “and preferably in mud.”

Lexie
glanced at me questioningly. She looked as though she might seriously be
considering it.

I
just shook my head and laughed.

The
nurse popped her head inside the doorway. She was smiling, but she tapped her
watch.

Nate’s
eyes met mine. “Your parents and Lexie’s parents are sleeping in the guest
rooms, but you and Kadyn can have the couch.”

I
pulled Lexie in for another hug before slipping out of bed. “Thanks, guys.
“We’ll head over to your house, then.” I glanced at Nate. “Are you coming home
too?”

Nate
shook his head. “No. I’m spending the night in the hospital with Lexie.”

I
smiled. Nate was a really good guy. He had done a remarkable job helping Lexie
through her transplant surgery, and I loved his take charge attitude with her
doctors and nurses. “Okay. Sleep well. We’ll see you in the morning.” I turned
back around to look at Lexie when I reached the doorway. “I love you, cuz.”

She
smiled. “I love you too.”

Kadyn
handed me the coffee as we walked out of the room. “Your cousin looks pretty
good.”

I
nodded. “I was expecting much worse. I'm relieved to see her doing so well.” I
took a sip of the vile tar the hospital tried to pass off as coffee and winced
when the bitter concoction slid over my tongue.

I
dropped the coffee into a trash bin just outside the hospital entrance. I
shivered as the wind blew the cold night air straight into my bones.

Kadyn
tucked me under his arm as we crossed the parking lot. “It’s a bit colder here
than it was in Virginia.”

I
wrapped my arm around his waist. “Lexie’s house isn’t far from here. I’m happy
to drive.”

Kadyn
smiled. “That sounds good. I’m afraid I’m running on fumes.” He dug the keys
from his pocket, unlocked the car, and handed me the keys as he opened the door
for me.

I
slid into the driver’s seat, then reached over to open the passenger side door.
“It’s been a long day, and we’ve got the time difference working against us
here. Lexie and Nate have a huge sectional couch. It’s really comfortable, so
we should be able to get a good night’s sleep.”

Kadyn
folded himself into the passenger seat. He closed his eyes as he leaned back
against the headrest. “Sleep sounds good,” he murmured.

I
turned the heat up as I backed out of the parking space. Kadyn’s eyes remained
closed while I drove the short distance to Lexie’s house. I nudged him after I
parked the car in her driveway. “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

He
opened one eye. “Already?”

“I
told you her house wasn’t far from the hospital,” I responded as we stepped out
of the car.

Kadyn
shot me a sidelong glance as we pulled the luggage from the trunk. “I wasn’t
sure whether you were measuring distance by Montana standards or by more average
means. Everything is so spread out here… the towns… the houses... the people. I’ve
never seen so much wide open space.”

I
laughed. “That’s why we call it Big Sky Country.”

My
mom and aunt bum rushed us at the door. “Kri!” they both exclaimed excitedly.

I
flung my arms around my mother. “Mom! I’ve missed you so much,” I choked
through a throat full of tears.

My
aunt wrapped her arms around the two of us. “We were so worried. What took you
so long?”

I
swiped at my eyes as I stepped back to look at them. “We stopped by the
hospital to see Lexie.”

My
mom clung to my arms. “It’s so good to see you, honey. I’m so glad you came.”

“Is
that my daughter’s voice I hear?” my dad bellowed from somewhere deep inside
the house. He rounded the corner to the foyer. My uncle followed in his wake.

My
dad lifted me off my feet and squeezed all of the air out of my lungs in one of
his famous bear hugs. When he settled me back onto the floor, my uncle pulled
me in for a slightly gentler hug. “How’s our little Krissy?” he asked
affectionately.

“Good...
better now that I’ve seen Lexie.” I glanced over at Kadyn, who was still standing
on the porch with our luggage. He had an amused look on his face.

“This
must be your knight in shining armor,” my aunt surmised as she pulled Kadyn in
for a hug.  

I
laughed at the surprised look on Kadyn’s face. “Yes, this is Kadyn… Kadyn, this
is my Aunt Linda, Lexie’s mom.”

My
uncle reached for Kadyn’s hand. “Nice to meet you, young man. Thanks for
looking after Krissy.” His eyes widened as he squeezed Kadyn’s bicep. “Do you
work out?”

“Uncle
Chuck!” I gasped.

Kadyn
laughed. “It sort of comes with the job.”

My
dad shook Kadyn’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kadyn. I heard you moved
mountains to get our girl home. Thank you.”

“This
is my father, Darren,” I explained.

Kadyn
offered a polite nod. “Nice to meet you, sir.” His eyes softened as he turned
toward my mom. “You must be Kri’s mom.”

Tears
pooled in her eyes as she hugged Kadyn. “Thank you for bringing Kri home.”

Kadyn
smiled as his eyes met mine. “It was nothing, ma’am.”

“Please,
call me Anne,” my mom responded as she linked her arm with mine.  

Kadyn
set our luggage against the wall as we filed into the living room. He dropped into
a large oversized chair next to the couch. My dad sat in the other chair. My
uncle sprawled out on the floor, and my aunt and mom flanked me on either side
of the couch.

I
reached for my aunt’s hand. “Lexie looks pretty good. She said her kidney
disease is attacking the new kidney, but I don’t understand why that landed her
in the hospital. I have a feeling she’s not telling me the whole story. What
happened? Why is she in the hospital?”

My
aunt squeezed my hand. “Lexie was sick, and she wasn’t keeping any food or
water down. She got dehydrated. That threw her electrolytes off, which messed
up her heart. Nate thought she was having a heart attack, so he called for an
ambulance. The paramedics saved her life by using one of those electric shock
machines.”

“A
defibrillator,” my uncle clarified.

My
voice was barely a whisper. “They had to restart her heart?”

My
aunt nodded solemnly.

I
looked at my uncle. “Lexie and Nate didn’t tell me that part.”

My
mom gently rubbed my back. “Lexie was worried about how you’d handle this being
so far away.”

I
battled a confusing array of emotions. I couldn’t tell if I was feeling
outraged, betrayed, or completely devastated. “Well, I kind of think I’m
entitled to worry about her. She’s my cousin and my best friend for crying out
loud.”

My
uncle hooked his arm around his knee as he sat up. “She’s doing much better
now, Krissy. Her heart seems fine now that her electrolytes have balanced out.”

My
eyes narrowed as I studied each family member in turn. I wanted to ensure they
weren’t holding back any more information. “So now it’s her kidney they're
worried about?”

My
mom nodded. “Yes. The hospital discovered her creatinine was outside the normal
range when they ran her blood work yesterday. Her nephrologist performed a kidney
biopsy this morning and confirmed that the kidney disease has infected the new
kidney.”

I
leaned back against the couch, suddenly exhausted. “I knew that was a risk, but
I didn’t expect it to happen so fast.”

“None
of us did,” my father responded sadly.

“She’s
a fighter. She’ll get through this,” my uncle declared as he stood back up. He
reached for my aunt’s hand. “Come on, love. Let’s go to bed. It’s late, and
these kids need to get some sleep.”

I
smiled. I loved that my uncle still considered me a kid. “Good night, Uncle
Chuck.”

My
aunt gave me a quick hug before she and my uncle disappeared down the hall. Her
voice trailed behind her. “Good night, Kadyn. Get some rest. Tomorrow is going
to be another long day.”

My
mom pulled me in for another hug. “Dad and I are going to bed too. I set some
towels and washcloths out for you in the bathroom. There’s a pile of blankets
and pillows for you two right over there.” Mom pointed to the floor on the
other side of the couch. “Do you mind if Annie sleeps out here with you? She’s been
kind of lonely without Nate and Lexie around.”

Annie
was Lexie’s golden lab. She wagged her tail at the mention of her name. She
rose to her feet and sauntered toward me.

“Of
course not,” I replied.

Annie
nuzzled my hand with her nose.

I
patted her on the head. “I miss Cade. Being around Annie will help.”

“I’ve
already taken her out back. She shouldn’t have to go outside again tonight,” my
dad explained as he kissed me on the forehead. He reached for Kadyn’s hand. “Thanks
again for bringing Kri home. There’s bottled water and leftover lasagna in the
fridge if you guys are hungry. Sleep well.”

Kadyn
rose from the chair as he shook my dad’s hand. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Stone.”

My
mom gave Kadyn a quick hug. “Please, call us by our first names… Darren and
Anne.”

Kadyn
nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

I
laughed at the distraught look on my mother’s face. “I’m afraid he’s hardwired
this way. I’ll keep working on him.” I glanced at Kadyn as my parents left the
room. “Would you like some lasagna?”

He
smiled, then nodded. “I’m starving.”

I
glanced at my watch. It was after ten o’clock and we still hadn’t eaten dinner.
Kadyn followed me into the kitchen. He dug the pan of lasagna and two bottles
of water out of the refrigerator while I gathered plates and silverware. We
heated the food in the microwave and returned to the couch to eat.