“I’m the donor, Tyler.”
My eyes fluttered up to his, and I watched his face go blank. His lips parted in shock as his hand fell from my cheek, and panic rushed through my system. My heart rate monitor started beeping faster. Tyler fell back in his seat. He cupped his hands over his mouth as tears rushed to his eyes, then streamed down his face without protest or struggle.
“You what?” he whispered.
“I’m your mother’s donor, Tyler.”
“But how did you—?”
“When you told me you weren’t a match for your mother, I saw how devastated you were, how scared. And it killed me, Tyler. It killed me to think that you’d lose her. On top of everything else I had put you through—hiding Brody, destroying our relationship, fighting with you all the time—I couldn’t let your mother die. Not if I could try to do something about it.”
“So you—?”
“I couldn’t let you go through anything else, Tyler. You’ve been through too much because of me. So, I came to the hospital to get tested, and a few days later they told me I was a nearly perfect match.”
He sighed and shook his head as more tears fell from his eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked breathlessly.
I closed my eyes as that familiar question slammed into my chest.
“Because I didn’t know if I would be a match and I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I didn’t want to cause any more hurt than I already had. I didn’t want you thinking I was doing this out of guilt for hiding Brody or anything like that. I didn’t want you to think it was some gesture to try to get you back. I just—I wanted to do it. I wanted to help. I wanted to bring some sort of happiness into your world if I could.”
His eyes fell upon me and my heart skipped a beat. A nurse came rushing in to check on me and found Tyler crying in the chair next to my bed. She looked at me carefully, and I nodded my head, signaling that it was okay he was there. She checked my pulse and massaged my artery, trying to get my heart rate to slow down.
“Remember what I told you about working yourself up?” she asked.
“I’m sorry. I’ll settle down,” I said.
She massaged my artery as I took deep breaths, and once my heart rate leveled out, she eyed Tyler carefully and left the room. Before I could turn back toward him, I felt his arms encompass me. I felt his face press into the crook of my neck. I felt his tears drip onto my skin as I kissed the side of his head repeatedly, holding him as he shook against me.
“You saved my mother,” he murmured.
“It’s okay,” I whispered.
“There are no words for what you’ve done, Ana.”
“It’s fine. I could help, so I did.”
“You did so much more than help.”
He pulled back and looked deep into my eyes as I wiped the tears away from his face.
“You’re incredible, Ana.”
“Thanks,” I said, grinning.
I gazed into his eyes before he helped me settle back down in bed. He pulled back and reached for my milk, then opened it and held it to my lips. He cradled the back of my head while I drank, making sure none spilled out and down my skin.
Then, little by little, he helped me eat.
He fed me grapes and cut up my eggs, putting small forkfuls into my mouth. He shredded my toast and fed me small bites I wouldn’t choke on, then cradled my head again so I could drink. We fell into a silent rhythm, him feeding me before he pressed my pain medication button.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Much better now that I’ve eaten.”
“I told you that you needed to eat.”
I smiled at him as I nodded my head.
“Yeah. I guess you did,” I said.
“Does Brody need anything while you’re here?”
“Not that I can think of. But you can go see him whenever you want. I just don’t want him seeing me like this.”
“That’s understandable. I promise, Ana.”
“I’ll message you my parents’ address.”
“Ana, it’s fine. Don’t worry. I’ll go see him soon. But for now?”
He took my hand before he brought it to his lips to kiss.
“I want to be here with you,” he said.
I pushed the table away and shifted in bed, making room for him so he could settle in. He slid underneath the blanket with me and wrapped his arm around my body, pulling my head against his chest. I lay there against his strong body, feeling his heart beating against my cheek. He held my pain pump in his hand and pressed it every time it turned green, flooding my body with the medication I needed to be comfortable.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked.