What The Heart Wants
This story includes several characters undergoing several different medical procedures. I am not a doctor so I have no idea how close (or far away) I am from the reality of these procedures. They are here simply to help the story along, so please keep that in mind. As always, votes and constructive comments are welcome. Thanks for reading...
David Pierce was sitting on a pool lounger, lost in thought. His twin daughters were laughing and splashing each other and their friends as they enjoyed time at home and away from college for their winter break. Both had turned 21 and were celebrating with a pool party on this unseasonably warm day. As David watched his girls, he marveled at how much they looked like their mother at the same age. Then he sighed - their mother had died in a tragic accident several years earlier, and he still hadn't gotten over it.
David and Emily had planned their vacation for years. Emily's roots were in Scotland, and she still had family living there. So when the girls were old enough to mostly take care of themselves (under the watchful eyes of their next door neighbor), David and Emily took off for Scotland for a month, travelling the country, visiting relatives, and enjoying time alone.
The end of their vacation had them in Edinburgh, checking out all the sights and sounds of the ancient city. On one of their last days they had lunch in a pub in the Grassmarket area and were strolling down the street when two teen-aged boys bolted from a store they had just robbed and knocked into David and Emily. David was fine, but the force of their actions knocked Emily off her feet, and she hit her head on the pavement. There was a sickening thud, and then a small pool of blood began to puddle under her head. A passerby called for the emergency services; luckily an ambulance was nearby. Loading her onto a gurney and into the ambulance, Emily tried to speak to David, but could only blink her eyes, squeeze his hand, and give him a small smile.
Three hours later, David was visited by a doctor who came out to fill him in on what was happening. He was surprised to hear an American accent as she spoke.
"Mr. Pierce, I'm Doctor Anderson, and I've been helping with your wife."
"Hi. An American doctor in Scotland? Not what I would've expected."
"I'm sure. I'm here to teach and help with emergency services, surgeries, and transplants. Has anyone been out to speak with you yet?"
"Not for a while, so hopefully you can fill me in on Emily's condition. How is she doing?"
"Truthfully? Not well. She hit her head hard on the pavement, and that caused all sorts of problems with her brain. Right now we have her on a ventilator, keeping her alive, as she can't breathe on her own."
David looked at the doctor, and seeing the anguish on her face, almost expected what was coming next.
"David, this is very difficult for me to say, but I feel I need to do this now and be straight forward with you. Emily's brain functions are slowly shutting down. I know this is difficult to hear, but I don't think she'll make it through the night."
The doctor paused, and then continued, but with a catch in her voice.
"Have you every discussed what would happen if one of you passed away in terms of organ donation?"
Hearing that, David's eyes got wide and his breathing became labored. Organ donation? Was Emily going to die?
"Is she that bad, doctor? Really?"
"Unfortunately, yes. There's always the possibility of recovery, but if it doesn't happen in the next few hours, it most likely won't happen. I'm sorry."
David took a moment to catch his breath and think. They had never seriously discussed things like this, but in passing moments had talked briefly about it. Both were under no illusions - if they were going to die, why bury organs that could potentially save others.
"What organs of Emily's can be harvested to help?"
"Off the top of my head, I can think of several - her heart, kidneys, and liver to be sure. Possibly her corneas. It all depends on compatibility and how soon they can be transplanted into someone else. I'll get started on this right away. Thank you, David. I know this was a difficult decision for you."
"Can I be with her at the end? Please?"
"Absolutely. Stay here for now, and I'll get a nurse to tell you where to wait. Please know I'll do everything in my power to help her; but if she doesn't make it, remember that she'll be helping several other people to live. Thank you again."
Hours later it was time. After visits from the transplant coordinator, Dr. Anderson, and several nurses, David was ushered into an operating theatre where Emily was hooked up to several machines, including a ventilator. He could see that her vital signs were nearly non-existent, and steeled himself for the end. He nodded to Dr. Anderson, and she shut the ventilator off. Emily's body, not knowing any better, still breathed for several moments - and then stopped. Kissing his wife one last time, David left the room with one of the hospital administrators, leaving the doctors and nurses to do what they needed to do.
Moving to an office, David was met by a representative from the U.S. Embassy who was there to help him make arrangements for transporting Emily home. After several calls to the airline and a funeral home, all was set. All David needed to do was tell his daughters their mother was dead - a phone call he was dreading.
He first called their neighbor, Jane, told her what happened and asked her to go to the house to be there when he called his girls. Several minutes later, he was on the phone again.
"Hi dad. What's up? How's the vacation going?"
"Hi girls. Listen, I have something important to say, and it's probably the hardest thing I've ever had to tell anyone."
"Oh come on dad, what could be so hard?"
Gathering his wits and his voice, David continued.
"I don't know any other way to say this, so I'm just going to be straight with both of you. Mom is dead. She was knocked over by someone and hit her head on the street, causing a brain aneurism. The doctors did everything they could, but in the end her brain just stopped working. I'm so sorry to have to tell you like this, but I can't think of any other way to do it."
There was silence from the other end at first, only to be broken by cries of anguish. Their neighbor was trying to comfort the girls the best she could, but it wasn't enough... and David knew it. He waited until they had settled down before he continued.
"I'm emailing Jane my flight information; I'll be home tomorrow. She'll stay with you until I get home. Amanda, Stephanie - take care of each other. I love you both, and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."
The next day, David watched as Emily's casket was loaded onto a plane at Edinburgh. He was accompanied by the flight's First Officer, who then escorted him onto the plane and into first class. The flight attendants were aware of his situation, and treated him with the utmost respect, only bothering him when necessary.
When the plane landed, the Captain asked all passengers to stay seated until David could be escorted off as the casket was moved from one plane to another. Landing in Phoenix, he was met at the gate by his neighbor Jane and his two daughters, who were distraught, as one might expect. They were all met by the funeral director and they watched as the casket was loaded into the hearse. And the tears flowed once again.
