D
on’t ask Michael, Dad,” Isaac told his father. He sat up in his hospital bed, Rebecca
on one side, his mother on the other. His father stood at the foot of the bed. “It’s
too much.”
“Of course we’re going to ask him,” his mother said before his father could answer.
“And he’s going to do it.”
Isaac turned to his mother. “Why would he, Mom? Why would he allow himself to be cut
open and a part of his body removed for me? Tell me why he would do that.”
“He’s your brother,” Rebecca said softly. “That will matter.”
Isaac reached for Rebecca’s hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. Then he looked
deeply into her eyes. “You know him better than we do,” he told her. “So be honest.
Would the Michael you know, the Michael who has tried to make my life miserable, do
you really think he’d give me part of his liver?”
He watched tears well up in his wife’s eyes and had his answer.
He looked to his father, who still hadn’t said anything. “It’s not your fault, Dad,”
he said. “You don’t control Michael.”
Abraham cleared his throat. “I know that, but I also know that I haven’t handled things
right with him from the beginning. If I had, you two might be as close as brothers
should be and this decision wouldn’t be an issue for either of you.”
“You can’t play the woulda-coulda-shoulda game, Dad. It’s a no-winner.”
“We can offer him money, a seat on the MEEG board, whatever he wants,” his mother
said. “If he won’t do the right thing out of the goodness of his heart, then he’ll
do it out of his own self-interest.”
Isaac shook his head as he smiled sadly in his mother’s direction. “I love you, Mom,”
he told her. “You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. What a silly question.”
“Well, I’m going to say something that may hurt. If the tables were turned and it
was Michael Thomas needing the transplant, would you be encouraging me to be tested
to be a living donor? If I were a match, would you want me to go through with the
transplant?”
His mother didn’t answer, instead looked away. While her answer disappointed him,
he appreciated her honesty.
“Somewhere along the line,” he said, “we made Michael and Deborah the enemy. Truth
be told, there’s very little difference between them and me. None of us controlled
the conditions of our births, yet we’re living under the shadows of those conditions.
It’s amazing that I can see that so clearly now but I couldn’t see it before.”
“I’m sorry, Isaac,” his father said again. “So sorry.”
Isaac smiled. “One thing that being sick and feeling your mortality does is give you
a bit of clarity. I forgive you, Dad,” he said. “You made a whopper of a mistake thirty
years ago but at least you tried to make it right, albeit it took a long time.”
His father wiped his eyes with his hand. “Thank you, son,” he said.
“Don’t thank me,” he said. “I guess it’s the Martin way. It takes us a while to see
the error of our ways, but when we do, we make every effort to rectify it.”
“Michael’s a Martin, too,” Rebecca said. “That should give us hope.”
Isaac kissed his wife’s hand again. “I need you to forgive me, Rebecca,” he told her.
Her eyes widened. “For what?”
“For being a self-righteous you-know-what. I do love you and I want to make our marriage
work.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “It’s going to take some time to rebuild the
trust between us but I’m willing to work at it if you are.”
“Of course I am,” she said. “Thank you, Isaac.”
“You’re not dying, Isaac,” his mother snapped. “So stop talking like it.”
Isaac laughed. “I know I’m not dying,” he said. “But you have to admit I’ve never
been this close to death before.”
“Still,” his mother said, “stop with all the forgiveness. You’ll have plenty of time
for that later. Let’s talk about the good times we’ll have when you get out of here.
The first thing I think the four of us should do is take a long, a very long, vacation.
We’re blessed people and we have a lot to be thankful for.”
“A vacation sounds nice,” Rebecca said. She looked at Isaac. “A getaway would give
us some time together.”
“I’m all for going on vacation,” Isaac said, “but what I look forward to once I get
out of here is making peace with the Thomases.”
“Please, Isaac,” his mother said. “The boy may not even give you his liver.”
“That’s his right, Mom, but it doesn’t stop him from being my brother, nor Deborah
from being my sister.”
“Half brother and half sister,” his mother muttered.
“I want you to promise me something, Mom,” he said.
She eyed him skeptically. “What?”
“I want you to promise to try to get along with them. I know it’s a lot to ask, but
we can’t keep going on the way we are. I can’t live in a family at war, and whether
you like it or not, Michael and Deborah are my family, too.”
“After what Michael has done to you—”
“If I’m willing to put it in the past, then so can you.”
“I don’t know,” his mother said.
“I do,” he said. “There’s nothing Saralyn Martin can’t do once she sets her mind to
it. Set your mind to this, Mom. Do it for me. There’s been too much stress and drama
lately. All I want is peace.”
“Amen to that,” Abraham said.
“You all make it sound so simple,” his mother said, “but peace has a price.”
A
braham stepped out of Isaac’s hospital room for a few moments. He needed some space
to clear his mind, his heart. While he was proud of the sentiments his son had expressed,
he was concerned that Isaac was giving up. Like Saralyn, he also thought the boy sounded
like he was giving his last words, and he was not about to give up that easily.
Just then he spotted the group he was looking for and strode directly toward them.
Alan saw him first. Then Melvin, Leah, and his dear daughter, Deborah, turned in his
direction. “I’m glad you all are here,” he said, meaning it. He stepped closer to
Deborah and pulled her into a long, warm embrace. He whispered, “Especially you,”
in her ear and felt her smile in return. When he ended the embrace, he kept her close.
“Isaac is awake and talking,” he said. “You’re all welcome to go in and say hi.”
Melvin spoke first. “I’ll say a quick good-bye, then Leah and I are going to head
out. It’s late but we’ve got to get started on getting those test sites set up at
the church.”
Abraham nodded and shook the pastor’s hand. “Thanks for coming. It meant a lot.”
As Melvin walked back toward Isaac’s room, Abraham said to Leah, “It’s okay if you
go in as well.”
She shook her head. “Maybe later.”
He nodded his understanding. Perhaps one day things would be better between her and
Saralyn, but today was not that day. “How about you?” he asked Deborah.
“I want to see Michael first.”
“He’s coming here?” Abraham asked.
“It seems like it. Josette called a few minutes ago and said they were on their way.”
Abraham squeezed her shoulders. Maybe things would work out after all.
“Don’t get your hopes up too high yet,” Deborah said. “Michael doesn’t know about
being tested for the transplant.”
Abraham’s hopes sank at the news. Deborah knew her brother better than anyone, and
she was clearly skeptical about his response to being a donor for Isaac. “It’ll work
out,” he told her, not wanting her to bear the burden of her brother’s decision. “If
not Michael, we’ll find another donor.” He kissed her forehead. “I need to steal Alan
away for a few minutes, if it’s all right with you ladies.”
After both women nodded, he said to Alan, “How about joining me for a cup of coffee?”
Alan looked at Deborah.
“Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
With that, Abraham and Alan headed for the elevators to the hospital cafeteria.
“How are you holding up?” Alan asked when they were in the elevator.
“Still standing,” he said. “But not much more. I’ve fought my share of battles, but
nothing like this. I’d easily and readily change places with Isaac. In a heartbeat.”
“I know what you mean,” Alan said.
Abraham turned to him. “You do, don’t you?” he said, remembering Alisha’s death. “How
did you make it through it, Alan?”
“What other choice did I have? I couldn’t bring her back and I couldn’t go with her.
I was left to go on without her.”
“She was a wonderful girl, Alisha,” Abraham said.
“I know.”
“I was wrong to start seeing her,” Abraham said.
“Let’s not do this now,” Alan said as the elevator doors opened and the two men stepped
off and headed in the direction of the hospital cafeteria.
Abraham maintained his silence until they’d gotten their coffee and taken a seat at
one of the tables in the hospital cafeteria. “I’m sorry I betrayed you, Alan,” he
said. “I know you didn’t like my seeing her, given my marital status and her age.
I’m sorry I refused to see the harm our relationship would bring.”
“It’s the past,” Alan said, sipping his coffee.
“Is it?” Abraham challenged. “Our relationship changed when you found out I was seeing
her, and grew even more distant after her death.” When Alan’s eyes grew wide with
surprise, Abraham added, “I may be a self-centered man, Alan, but I’m not blind.”
“You never said anything.”
“What could I say?” Abraham said. “I’m sorry I seduced your little sister? I’m sorry
I broke her heart? I was too coldhearted to even think those thoughts. I kept waiting
every day for you to leave MEEG or to beat me up or something, but you never did.
Why?”
“Because she loved you,” he said simply. “As she lay dying, she asked me not to blame
you. I’d never denied her anything, and I couldn’t very well start then.”
“I never knew.”
“There was no reason for me to tell you,” he said. “It was between me and Alisha.”
“You’re a better man than I am, Alan,” Abraham told him. “You always have been. At
times I’ve resented you for it.”
“And there’ve been times when I’ve resented the way you take what you want without
regard for the consequences. You did it with Alisha. And before her, you did it with
Leah and those kids.”
“Well, it seems the consequences have caught up with me. The son I raised and loved
needs a transplant, and his best donor may be the son I denied and ignored. What am
I going to do, Alan?”
“You’re going to do what you set out to do,” he said. “You’re going to do right by
all
of your children.”
Abraham sighed. “Isaac doesn’t want me to ask Michael about being tested.”
“You have to,” Alan said.
“But won’t that make things worse between me and Michael?”
“It’s a risk you have to take.”
“And if he says no?”
Alan put down his coffee cup and met Abraham’s eyes. “That’s the price you have to
pay.”
M
ichael’s mood had certainly improved by the time they reached the hospital, so much
so that it made Josette uneasy. Her husband had gone from being totally uninterested
in helping Isaac to giddy at the prospect of being a donor match. He was up to something.
She was sure of it.
She saw Deborah when she entered the waiting room. “Where’s Michael?” her sister-in-law
asked, worry in her voice. “I thought you said he was coming.”
“Calm down,” Josette said. “He’s here. He went immediately to be tested. He’ll come
here after he’s finished.”
“You told him about Isaac’s condition?”
She nodded. “Michael and I have a new pact. No more secrets, no more lies. I told
him as soon as I hung up with you.”
“Well, you certainly took a big risk,” Deborah said. “What if he had chosen not to
come?”
“Then he wouldn’t have come.” With the Thomases, she
thought, the end seemed to justify the means. “I told you, no more secrets, no more
lies. Michael’s a grown man and I’m going to deal with him like he’s one. All this
subterfuge has got to stop.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the lies and half-truths,” Josette said. “They may get you through
the moment, but they don’t endure for the long run. Trust me, I know.”
“Well, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I was only trying to get Michael
to come in to be tested. Knowing how he feels about Isaac, I didn’t think he would
come. That’s the only reason I asked you not to tell him.”
“Well, I told him and he’s being tested.”
“Willingly?”
“I nudged him a bit,” Josette said, not wanting to get into details. “You know your
brother.”
“I’m not sure I do. I hate to say this but I’m surprised he went for the testing.”
“This silly feud that Michael has with his father has got to stop,” Josette said,
running her hands around her extended belly. “This is not the environment I want for
my child.”
“I’m sorry, Josette,” Deborah said. “Things will get better. Maybe Isaac’s condition
will draw us all closer.”
“I hope so,” she said, but she didn’t count on it. “I can’t live this way.”
“What’s up with you, Josette? You’re talking in code. Something’s bothering you. You
may as well tell me what it is.”
Josette looked up at her sister-in-law. “Michael and I are taking a break from each
other,” she said. “Until the baby is born.”
“Will you be staying with Mama and me?”
Josette had to chuckle. Given that her past efforts at leaving Michael had consisted
of nothing more than a short visit to Deborah and Leah’s, she couldn’t fault her sister-in-law
for thinking this time would be no different. “Not this time,” she said. “I really
need to be alone so I can think clearly about the future for me and the baby.”
“You can’t be thinking about divorce,” Deborah said. “Not now.”
“Of course I’m thinking about divorce. I’ve been thinking about one since I found
out Abraham was Michael’s father. Michael should have told me before he married me.”
“I know,” Deborah said. “Mama and I both told him to tell you.”
Josette shook her head. “That’s not good enough, Deborah. When Michael didn’t tell
me, you and Leah should have. How could you let me marry him not knowing the truth?
How could you?”
“It wasn’t our place,” Deborah said. “It was between you and Michael.”
“If you really believe that, I feel sorry for you, Leah, and Michael.”
“You feel sorry for us? Why?”
“Because you’re stunted as a family. It’s been the three of you against the world
for so long that you don’t know how to make room for anyone else. Leah’s still alone
after all these years, you flit from one old man to the next, and Michael married
a woman he didn’t trust enough to tell the name of his biological father. If that’s
not dysfunction, I don’t know what is.”
Deborah took a step back. “Well, you certainly have a low opinion of this family.”
“It didn’t start that way. I’ve loved you all from the beginning, when I thought I
had been brought inside your circle. But I was wrong. Your silence about Abraham was
proof that I was an outsider. Things haven’t been the same for me since I found out.
Something inside me is broken, Deborah, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Leaving is not going to fix it,” Deborah said. “Running away never works.”
“I know it’s not the ideal answer, but it’s the only one I have now. I can’t live
with a man I don’t trust and who doesn’t trust
me, a man who cares more for vengeance than he does for his unborn child.”
“Michael’s not that bad, Josette,” Deborah said.
“He’s worse than you know. Michael has cheated on me, Josette.”
Deborah rolled her eyes. “With whom?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, deciding to keep Rebecca’s name out of it. She wanted
peace, not to add to the family drama.
“Do you have any proof of this cheating?” Deborah said, pushing the issue. “You’ve
been accusing Michael of another woman for months, and he’s said it’s not true.”
Josette gave up with a wave of her hand. “Look, I can’t talk about this anymore. I’m
going to go in and see Isaac.”
“You can’t leave the conversation hanging like this,” Deborah said.
Josette nodded. “I don’t have anything else to say. I’m empty, Deborah. That’s what
I’ve been trying to tell you. The only energy I have these days is for the baby.”
She rubbed her tummy again. “She’s my focus.”
“And she needs her father.”
Josette shook her head. “She needs a father who will put her first, not a father who
will sacrifice her on the altar of vengeance.”
“If you take her away from her father, she’s going to resent you when she grows up.”
Josette smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said. “My daughter will know who her father is.
I just pray history doesn’t repeat itself and he doesn’t ignore her until she’s an
adult. I hope my leaving will give Michael a chance to think about me and the baby,
and how important—or unimportant—we are to him. He’s got to show me that he’s man
enough to be a husband and a father. Right now all I see is a petulant little boy.
I didn’t sign up for babying a husband and a newborn. I won’t do it.”
She leaned over and kissed Deborah’s cheek. “I’d never cut you
all out of my baby’s life. I want her to know her grandmother and grandfather, her
aunt and her half uncle. I want her to have a supportive and loving family.”
“No family is perfect, Josette.”
“I’m not asking for perfection, Deborah. I just want the basics of love and honesty,
someone who treats me with compassion and respect, someone who knows how to forgive,
someone who values family above vengeance. Without those, what do you really have?”