The Light
By and © Joe Writer Man
Chapter 47
*-* Friday *-*
From a deep, deep sleep I was awoken by Peter nudging my chest, a kiss on my cheek and his request to get up and go to our own room. As the fog cleared I felt a bump, bump, bump on the other side of where I was lying. I opened my eyes, looked toward the source of the motions on the bed and found Allen's ass going up and down at a fairly high rate of speed. Angel was close to me. His eyes were closed; his facial features were such that it was not too difficult to know his state of affairs. And they both were oblivious to Peter's and my presence.
Just as we got to the door dad appeared. We pushed him away and Peter closed their door. I said, "Don't go in there dad, not right now." At about the same time the whimpers, moans, groans, squeals and exclamations were very loudly emanating from behind closed doors.
Dad smiled knowingly but didn't say anything. He didn't have to say anything. He reminded us that Peter's appointment with Dr. Rasmussen was at 11:00am that we should get showered and dressed, that we should have breakfast and get to going.
We did take a quick shower. Arriving in our room we decided to wear all black, not because we were depressed or anything, and not because we were attending a funeral rather the color black accentuated our features. Peter says I look 'hot' in black. I feel the same way about him.
We decided on black jeans, black socks, and a black pullover shit. Peter wore a pair of dark burgundy bikini underwear whereas I wore a pair of baby blue briefs.
We kissed tenderly then headed downstairs. Dad was busy scurrying around the kitchen getting breakfast preparations completed. Jeremy was helping him. A few minutes later Allen and Angel appeared. They were showered and fully dressed.
Angel looked at me then to Peter and said sheepishly, "Sorry for the interruption. Uhm..."
Peter replied, "No problem, don't worry so much. Yikes, it's 8:55. You know how Alice is about being on time." At the same time I handed each of them a banana. They quickly made their exit.
Dad, Peter and I then engaged in light, inconsequential discussion. The TV news got our attention. The room got deathly quiet, all conversation ceased, our eyes were glued to the TV announcer, and the screen.
Matt's picture was centered. The TV announcer said, "This is a follow up to a story we first broke several months ago. The boy who was injured on the south point has been identified as Matthew Jamison, age 15. As we reported then, he was injured severely with life threatening injuries, and has been at University Hospital since then. Our sources, who wish to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to release information to the media, also report that his twin brother, Peter Blake also 15, and his family have been located. Stay tuned for exclusive interviews and more information at five, six and ten pm on channel 5 your local news leader. Cindy Davis reporting."
"Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkk." Dad exclaimed quietly under his breath, but just loud enough for us to hear though I do not believe we were supposed to hear his exclamation.
"Brad. It has to be him. We are in danger dad." Peter said sadly as a tear escaped his sad eyes and rolled down his cheek.
"What a fuckwit. What a fucking fuckwitted retard!" I yelled in anger then got up from my chair at the table knocking it over.
"Don't David. Don't do it. Stop. Let it be." Peter said with his head bowed down on the table.
When I saw Peter hugging himself, my anger quickly dissipated but it was too late. Dad looked at me angrily then said "Go to your room David. Do not come out until I come and get you. Go on. You and I will talk about it later."
"Dad, I'm sorry, Peter ..."
"Go to your room. I won't tell you again. Now go."
Reluctantly, I went upstairs to our room, closed the door then flopped down on our bed and began crying softly. I was not crying for me, rather I was crying because I had shown to Peter a dark side of me, a dark side that I had never before seen or experienced. I cranked the stereo up to drown out the rush of feelings that were swirling around my head. I have never before wished anybody dead yet there I was hoping against all hope that that motherfucking Brad was dead and deep, deep in his fucking grave.
I sat down at the computer terminal, logged on, signed into email then began composing a message to Cindy Davis, the bitch at the TV station. Before I could start typing though, a hand was on my shoulder. I looked around. Nobody was there. Nobody was touching me. I then felt a softly placed kiss on my right cheek. I smelled mom's perfume ... [Don't go there honey. Just let it be. Let dad handle this. He is a good man and knows what needs to be done, and when. You also deserve to have your mouth washed out with soap what with speaking to your dad and Peter, the gentle souls they truly are, like you did. Your dad has settled down. I have also 'spoken' with him. Go downstairs now, apologize and direct your anger into being compassionate. I love you David. I'll always be here for you. Go on honey.]
"I love you mom." I said feeling immediately relaxed and at ease.
Getting up from the computer desk, I went and opened the door only to find Peter walking toward our room with dad leading the way. I walked up to meet them. Dad had compassion written all over his face. His arm was around Peter's waist. As we met, Dad pulled me into his side and said "David, we will talk about it later. I've told you guys to not cuss when you are angry like that. But I broke my own rule. Go down and finish your breakfasts. I have phone calls to make."
"Dad, I'm not hungry. Can I lie down for a little while instead?" Peter said.
"Son, it's going to be a while before you get to eat again. I understand though, I'm not too hungry myself. Okay, you guys go lie down for a while and rest. I mean rest." Dad said looking directly into my eyes with a stern expression on his face.
"What?" I asked innocently then what he said dawned on me. I felt a tremendous heat flow across my face and the rest of my body too. I felt that surely spontaneous combustion was near. Peter took off for our room.
Dad's phone began beeping. He looked at me and said, "Go be with Peter. He needs you right now."
I returned to our room and shut the door then walked to our bed and lay down next to Peter and pulled him into my arms. He was no longer crying but he wasn't a happy camper, not in the least.
"They're close, David. They know where we live. David, they promised that they would kill me if I ever said anything about... about... about... what they did, you... you... you know... about..."
"Shush baby. With all the security and stuff around we're safe. I'm not afraid. We gotta stay strong, and yeah we have to stay vigilant."
"I'm sorry David. If I weren't..."
"Shut up Peter. Don't say it. Everything happens with purpose. Right now I'm more concerned about Matt than I am us. Come on; let's see what dad's doing."
We got up and headed downstairs. Peter went on when I told him that I needed to hit the bathroom first, and that I'd be right down.
We kissed then I went into the bathroom, dumped a load, washed my hands and went to dad's office. Peter and dad were hugging. I debated on going in because it would interrupt their 'moment'. Dad looked up, saw me standing there then motioned for me to enter. He drew me into their hug and said, "The situation's under control. We're safe."
"How dad?" I asked quietly.
"Just trust me. We're safe." Dad replied assuredly with a look on his face saying not to question his words.
...
We arrived at Dr. Rasmussen's office at 10:45. Just as I was about to pick up one of the ancient magazines on the coffee table Dr. Rasmussen presented at the door to the inner sanctum and summoned us into his office. After our pleasantries were exchanged, he shuffled through Peter's chart, and after finding what he was looking for said "Okay, I have good news and some troubling news all at the same time. I'll give you the good news first."
Peter tensed up. As he reached for my hand I reached for his at the same time. As contact was made, I felt a tremendous strength pass between us. The strength of the energy was nearly blinding, but not quite. Peter looked into my eyes. He felt it too then smiled as his strength renewed.
Seeing that Peter and I were comfortable, Dr. Rasmussen continued, "The good news is that you are a perfect match with Matt, Peter. Your genetic profile came back - and it's scientifically proven that you and Matt are identical twins. The studies identified no genetic aberrations in you or in Matt, or between the two of you. Your blood sugar was a tad bit elevated but I'm not too worried about it. We'll keep an eye on it both during and after surgery. The results of your other tests are perfectly normal. Therefore you have been approved as a kidney donor to Matt. My only <smiling> question to you is: which one of your kidneys do you wish to donate? The choice is solely up to you. From a technical surgical standpoint either will be just fine."
"Everything seems to be just as right as it should be. I know this is the right decision to make so the obvious choice is my right one. The right one is the one I wish to give to Matt. Uhm, what's the bad news, doctor?" Peter said.
"Matt had a complication with his dialysis treatment early today. The major vein used failed meaning the toxins and waste products naturally produced by his body are building up in his system. The transplant is now urgent but not critical. Should he not have his transplant within the next 24 hours, I'll be required to perform surgery to reestablish adequate blood flow so that dialysis can be performed.
"Oh. Okay. When are you thinking then?" Dad asked as Peter looked at me then to dad then to Dr. Rasmussen.
"Tomorrow morning at 7:00am."
"Whoa." I said as the word automatically came out of my mouth without any forethought. Peter looked at me questioningly. I shrugged my shoulders.
Peter squeezed my hand and said to Dr. Rasmussen, "That's fine. No problem."
"What's next?" Dad asked Dr. Rasmussen.
He replied, "We need to admit your son to the hospital this afternoon, no later than three o'clock so that the preliminaries can begin. Doing the transplant on such notice is challenging to our staff but it's not impossible."
Peter said, "That's fine. Dad?"
"It's fine with me. The sooner the better." To Dr. Rasmussen, dad asked, "What do we need to do right now?"
"I'm going to make a phone call to the hospital to arrange for admission. It shouldn't take but a minute."
Without waiting for an answer, Dr. Rasmussen picked up the phone sitting on his desk, punched some numbers and then when someone answered said, "This is Dr. Rasmussen. Peter Blake is to be admitted to University Hospital in preparation for kidney donation. The recipient is Matt Jamison. Surgery is scheduled for 7:00am tomorrow. The patients should share a room..." and then he went into technical stuff that I didn't understand as it went way over my head... until he said 'right kidney'.
After hanging up he said to Peter, "Your operations are scheduled. I'm going to explain what will be done and what needs to happen. If at any time you have questions then just ask. If I get too technical or if you don't understand something then just say so and I'll explain. Sometimes we doctors get carried away with our jargon.
Everybody agreed. He continued "Mr. Blake, the donor's insurance coverage, in this case, the state will cover the entire cost of Peter's operation and hospital stay expenses. There is no out of pocket expense to you whatsoever. In addition, you will be compensated $250.00 a day. David and each of his brothers will receive $125.00 a day. This is standard operating procedure around here."
Dad spoke up, "Will you please donate any and all compensation we would receive to a family in need. It's the right thing for us to do."
"Very well. Thank you. Okay, well let's get down to the nitty gritty then. First thing, you will be admitted to the hospital. I have requested that both you and Matt share a room. We always do this with same sex family donors whenever and wherever possible. Is this arrangement okay with you Peter?"
"Oh yeah. No problem." Peter replied happily.
"After you're admitted, a nurse will put an IV in your arm. You've had them before so you know what to expect. You will be given antibiotics through your veins three times prior to the operation and once in the preoperative holding area. You will be given very vigorous laxatives so that your colon is clean. We do this in the unlikely event your colon is nicked during surgery. I've never experienced or caused this complication but we have known of incidents where this has occurred. The cleansing process is totally precautionary."
"You will have additional blood drawn after admission. We'll type and cross match six units of blood so that is available for you in the event of complications. This a standard preventative measure for any operation when blood vessels are involved. Kidneys have a number of major blood vessels, two in particular: the renal artery and the renal vein, in addition to other smaller ones."
"The operation itself is not difficult. There are possible complications however. I'm required to inform you of them. It's called informed consent."
We nodded our understanding and remained quiet.
"Okay, we'll start by making the incision I showed you the other day. We'll go in and remove the kidney. There are two major vessels leading into and out of the kidney: the renal artery and the renal vein. These vessels will be closed off however we'll leave them open for the kidney itself so that we can hook them into Matt's system. We then check all of your major organs for abnormalities. If abnormalities are found then we'll talk to you Mr. Blake before we do anything about them - unless complications arise. Obviously, the complication would be taken care of first. Any questions so far?"
Peter said, "No."
I said, "What kind of complications are you talking about?"
"The main complication is bleeding. I've performed many of these operations. I've only had one patient bleed out. That was several years ago."
Dad asked, "What happened?"
"Unfortunately, the bleeding was too great, we couldn't control it. The patient expired. He died. Since then the procedure's been modified to prevent such an occurrence."
Dad nodded.
Dr. Rasmussen continued, "The operation is a major undertaking. We do everything possible to make it safe but there are times when complications do develop. Another possible complication is nicking the bowel. This happens in about 1 in 10,000 cases so it's rare."
I said, "Take care of Peter. Don't let him die. And don't let Matt die." I said seriously.
Dr. Rasmussen reiterated, "We perform many, many operations. I assure you that we take all precautions and do everything possible to prevent complications. Transplants are gifts of life."
"Other complications include heart attack, stroke, blood clots in the legs, heart or lungs or even what we call stress ulcers can and do occur. Stress ulcers are the body's defense mechanism where it starts eating the lining of the stomach. We don't understand why this happens. We only understand that it does happen on rare occasions. These complications can be lethal. We do not see these complications in healthy young people like you, Peter. I just have to mention them for completeness sakes."
To Peter he said seriously, "You'll experience discomfort after your operation. Don't suck it up. Your body will be stressed from the operation. Pain is a major stress to the system so don't let it go untreated. You'll also be very sleepy for a day or so. For the first 24 hours we medicate you with pain medicine on a regular basis to prevent unneeded stress."
Peter replied, "I'll do what you say. Don't worry."
"For precautionary purposes, we'll have you in the intensive care unit for 24 to 36 hours post operatively. We want to keep a close eye because, as I said previously, your operation is major surgery."
We nodded our understanding. Peter asked, "What about Matt? He probably has a worse, I mean better, chance of complications, right?"
"Yes he does Peter, for obvious reasons I'd put his chances for complications up as high as fifty or more percent. Although his recent progress has been remarkable his body is still weak and is susceptible to having a much more difficult recovery road to climb. The types of complications he can experience are the same as yours, only the chances of them happening to him are much, much greater."
When silence fell over the room dad asked "Do we have time to go home, to get something to eat and to share the news with my other sons?"
"Yes, that's fine. Unless you have any more questions, I will see you in the hospital this evening after you are admitted."
"Sounds good to me. Matt and I will be fine. I just know we will."
"Dr. Rasmussen, I have one additional concern. It involves security. We will require background checks on each and every one of the operating room, PSICU and transplant unit personnel. They must pass muster else they are not permitted close to my boys. We will also have security personnel nondescriptly placed throughout the hospital. They'll be authorized to use lethal force when threats are determined to be imminent and real. We will be coordinating with hospital security, and where my boys are involved my security folk will be primary. My people are experts. I trust them completely with my children safety and well being." Dad said seriously.
"Sir, we periodically perform background checks on all of our personnel once, sometimes randomly up to 4 times per year. These background checks are performed by local authorities and at the federal level by the FBI and or Homeland Security. In anticipation, our administration is performing background checks today for anyone who can or will come in contact with you and your sons at our hospital."
"Very well. What about media attention? They can be ruthless at times. I like to think they are just doing their jobs but sometimes I wonder. They can be persistent. They can be problematic. We will do our utmost to shield your family from them." Dr. Rasmussen asserted confidently.
"Doctor, Peter's life has been threatened in the past. The perpetrators have made it very clear. This morning, Matt and Peter's identities were splashed on the morning news, their relationship as well. I must insist that their information is held in strict confidence. Should a leak occur, the ramifications can and will be swift and severe. For your information, background checks are being performed as we speak."
"Very well. Our databases are secure. Only certain individuals of the team have access. If, at any time, our staff discloses confidential information then they are dealt with severely. We don't tolerate it. Period."
When no further questions came forth, we left and immediately went home.
After arriving, dad called Alice and informed her of the recent developments. She said the school day would end and that she'd send our brothers home immediately.
Within 10 minutes Jeremy, Allen, Angel, and even Jason and William were home. Dad, meanwhile, made up cold cut sandwiches, fresh fruit and a fresh crisp green salad. We weren't all that hungry because of the worry and concern for Peter and Matt's upcoming operations.
Contrary to the usual rules about swimming after eating, dad shooed us away from the table and told us to go swimming while he performed cleanup activities. He assured us he'd be out soon.
We went outside; stripped naked then splashed and goofed off for about 30 minutes. Our time was interrupted in a big way when dad came running and did a major canon ball into the water. He engaged us in a big way, exerting his dominance, in a good way of course. Soon we were laughing and carrying on like nothing was wrong.
At about 1:30 we got out and sat in the sun to dry off naturally then headed upstairs for our showers. After taking a quick shower, Peter and I went to our room, closed the door and then consummated our relationship one more time by doing a quick but intense 69. I was sure to give Peter an ample supply of protein via the oral route.
Peter dressed wearing a pair of bright blue running shorts, a white tank top and sandals while I dressed up all black. He decided to go commando since he would soon be out of his clothes and wearing one of those sexy hospital nightgowns, but then Peter looks sexy in anything he wears (or does not wear as the case may be. I'm biased in that sort of way, no doubt).
Dad knocked on our door. When Peter answered it dad announced it was time for us to head to the hospital.
Jason and William were permitted to ride with us though Alice had concerns that they'd just be in the way. Dad allayed her concerns however saying that their presence would not only be welcome but that their sticking close by would be good for us too.
The time for us to leave came way too soon.
The whole gang was going to go with us. Alice had reluctantly given Jason permission to come although she was concerned that he would just be in the way. Peter cleared her concerns when he said that Jason was like one of his own brothers.
William was hanging around Peter like a shadow. He had worry on his little face, and occasionally a tear would escape. He'd quickly wipe it off and hope that nobody saw it. But see it we did.
Peter took William to the pool where they were seen to sit down and have a quick conversation.
When they returned William walked to me. He said, "David, ya gotta tell me how Peter is, okay? Call me every minute if you have to. I gotta know. Promise me you will."
"I promise. Stay strong. Peter's going to be just fine."
With that we took off for the hospital in the limo, arriving shortly, and were then escorted by heavy security.
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