For Love of a Brother Ch. 01

Andy showed them the fistula that had been implanted under the skin between the forearm and the biceps. It was swollen and misshaped and it looked odd, but no one made a fuss over it.

Jenny couldn't make it that evening because of her studies, but she did call him and they talked for about fifteen minutes. When it got to be about a half hour before visiting hours were to end, Everyone gathered close around Andy's bed.

"Andy," Joe said, "we've got something to tell you, something you should know."

Andy's eyes widened and he immediately thought something was wrong.

Diane patted his hand saying, "It's nothing bad. It's just something we've discussed and we think you should know about it."

"Have you heard of organ transplants?" Serena asked.

"Not really," he answered.

"It's when an organ is taken from one person and put into another. Usually they're taken from persons who have just died, but with kidneys, one can be taken from a living person and given to someone," Serena explained. "The first kidney transplant took place in 1954 when a man donated a kidney to his twin brother."

Clearly perplexed, Andy said, "I don't understand. What's this got to do with me?"

"We've talked about this at length," Joe said, "and we've decided we're going to be tested to see if one of us can give you a kidney."

The silence was deafening and you could have knocked Andy off the bed with a feather if one was available. Dumbfounded and awestruck, Andy sat with his mouth partly open, unable to speak. Thousands of thoughts swirled through his head. He couldn't believe what they were proposing, actually having a kidney removed from one of them and placed inside him...so .... he....could.... feel.... normal again. Overcome with emotion, he held his face in his hands as he bent forward. He couldn't say anything or do anything except cry at that moment.

Diane was quickly by his side, holding and gently rocking her son. He was still her baby after all. He regained control soon thereafter and wiped his eyes. "I don't know what to say," he whispered, barely able to talk.

"No need to say anything," Serena said, "but if you get a kidney from me, you'll owe me big time!"

Jenny stood in front of the large, old house, gazing at it and wondering why she was there. She couldn't remember ever being there before. Dark and foreboding, she could see vines growing up the walls and lattices, climbing up to the second and third floor windows which were lightless.

In a flash, she was in a room. Sheets covered the furniture and the drapes were drawn, casting shadows throughout. Jenny looked around and tried to let her eyes get used to the light, or the lack thereof. She thought she saw a door and blindly stumbled towards it, knocking into a table as she went. Her hand found a knob and it opened with a click. She pulled on the door and it squealed from it's oil less hinges. It startled her as the quietness was broken.

She stepped into the hallway, dimly lit and full of dust and cobwebs. She looked to her left and right and saw a stairway to the right about sixty feet away. Jenny cocked her head and thought she heard voices coming from that direction. She walked cautiously towards the stairway, her shoes making imprints in the dusty carpet.

There was no light going down the stairs and Jenny hung onto the bannister with white-knuckled fingers, slowly descending in a slow spiral. They seemed never ending and the voices were becoming louder, but no more distinct. Her foot touched the floor and she realized the stairs had ended. Down at the very end of the hall, she saw a light coming from a room to the right. Chandeliers lined the ceiling and were decorated with black strips of velvet.

Jenny walked slowly towards the light, the floorboards creaking beneath her. To her left, she saw a mirror, but barely recognized the girl who stared back at her. Jenny's hair was swept up in a special maze of curls atop her head and she wore sparkling earrings. She stared at herself and noticed her dress, black in color and exquisite in detail. She thought she looked paler than usual and was puzzled by the dress. I don't own a black dress, she thought to herself.

Jenny tore herself away from the mirror and pressed on. The voices were becoming more distinct and she thought she heard crying, sobbing as if their heart would break. She came to the entrance and looked inside. It was fogged and difficult to see anything. Jenny strained to see, but all that was apparent was shadows moving about, floating as if on air.

Quickly, the fog lifted and Jenny could see people sitting in plush velvet chairs or walking about. She recognized a lot of the people, friends from school, teachers, and Serena's parents. All were dressed in somber, dark colors and Jenny finally realized where she was. Without hesitation, she turned and tried to leave the room. Out of nowhere, Serena stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked, her breath foul and rancid. She looked thin and pale, nothing like herself. "Come, come, there's so many who want to meet you." Her talon-like nails dug into her elbow as she guided Jenny back into the room.

"I think I should go," Jenny said, no longer wishing to be near her friend.

"Oh no, my dear," Serena cackled, her fingers digging deeper into her flesh, "he wants to see you, too. You wouldn't want to disappoint him, would you?"

"Who are you talking about?" Jenny asked. "Where's Andy?" She tried to pull away, but Serena's grip was too strong.

"He's right over there," she replied, pointing to a group of people. They were standing in front of something, but Jenny could not see what it was, nor could she see Andy.

"Where is he? I don't see him."

"Come along," Serena hissed, "and you will see him." She pulled and dragged Jenny towards the crowd. When they got within twenty feet of them, they parted and behind them was a coffin on a low catafalque.

Jenny screamed, "NO!!!", covered her eyes and tried mightily to pull away from Serena.

"Come, come, child. You must see and believe."

"No, no, no," Jenny shrieked, jerking and trying to wrench away from her captor. "I don't want to see! No, no, no," she kept saying.

"Do not fight it. You must see and believe."

The crowd circled and began to chant, "You must see and believe, you must see and believe..."

They were now within a few feet of the coffin. Jenny held her eyes low and refused to look at the corpse in the coffin, dressed in his black finery.

"Look at him!" Serena commanded.

"No," Jenny whimpered.

"Look at him, bitch! He is here to welcome you. LOOK AT HIM!!!!" Serena took Jenny by the jaw and with lightning speed, brought her face to within inches of the corpse. "Look, my pet," Serena cackled, holding her in place, "he is here for you."

Jenny took a look at the corpse and screamed.

She bolted upright in bed, her mouth wide open from her scream. Frantically, she looked towards her door, but she didn't hear any pounding of footsteps coming from her parent's room. Her heartbeat was in a frenzy and her thin nightgown was clinging to her, soaked from her sweat. She slowly realized she was safe in her own room as familiar things came into view, but she continued to shake from fear.

"Oh my God," she said softly, hugging herself and trying to forget. She glanced at her alarm and it was after one o'clock. Briefly, she thought of calling him, but talked herself out of it, knowing he needed his rest and not needing to hear from his hysterical girlfriend. Standing up on shaky legs, she pulled her nightgown off and dried herself with it. Not trusting her legs to carry her to her dresser, she climbed back into bed naked and pulled the covers up to her chin. She wanted to cry, but she fought against it, not wanting a dream to get the best of her. It was only a dream, she kept repeating to herself. It was only a dream. She prided herself in being a strong person and she didn't necessarily believe in dreams, good or bad. And she certainly couldn't believe inthis dream. Andy was getting better and was going home soon. She just knew the dream couldn't be true, it couldn't be a sign of things to come.

The tears came anyway, despite her strength and resolve to the contrary. Valiantly, she kept them silent and let them run down her face and onto the pillow, damp already from her sweat. When she finished, she flipped her pillow to the dry side and tried to get back to sleep, thinking of Andy and wondering why she received such a horrible vision.

"I can't believe you guys are doing that for him," Jenny exclaimed once she heard the news from Serena about the test. They were dressing for their final practice before their season started.

"What's not to believe?" Serena said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for them to do. "You'd do it for someone in your family."

"You don't know what I'd do or not do," Jenny replied. She truthfully didn't know how she would react if the same thing happened to her family. She was ashamed to admit she really didn't like her sister and wished they were closer like Serena and Andy.

"I guess you're right, I wouldn't know. All I know is we all want to do it for him. You should have heard me and mom arguing about it. She really doesn't want me to do it, but she knows nothing will stop me, so she finally gave in."

"I can see her point," Jenny said. "Who would want two of their kids operated on at the same time?"

"Who's side are you on?" Serena asked.

"I'm not on anyone's side, Serena. I just see her side of it, that's all. This whole transplant thing sounds really weird to me, like something out of a Frankenstein movie."

"Well, I'll tell you what, Jenny. I've done some research and being on dialysis is not the greatest thing. Besides the pain and inconvenience, a person never has the energy he once had, he has to be on a special diet, and..." Serena stopped and looked down at her shoes.

"And what?" Jenny asked.

"And Andy might not have too long of a life being on dialysis. No matter how good a job it does replacing a kidney, it cuts a life short. Now, tell me why I shouldn't do it."

Jenny was dumbfounded and sad. She couldn't believe how stupid she was, how inconsiderate she was of their love and caring for Andy. Jenny looked around for a rock to crawl under, but none were available. Maybe that was why she was shown the dream. Maybe she was seeing what might happen if he didn't get the transplant. She realized just how much Serena loved him.

Jenny touched her hand that was rested on the bench. "I could never tell you not to do it," Jenny said softly. "I only wish I was half as brave as you."

"Bravery has nothing to do with it. I'll be terrified to have the surgery."

"Yes, but you would do it, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"Then it is bravery because you're doing something you're terrified to do, yet, you would go through with it. In my book and anyone else's, the bravest thing to do is to lay down your life for love of a brother."

"Well," Serena smiled, "we don't know if anyone will be able to give him one. It all depends on the testing."

"What happens if none of you can give him one?"

"He'll go on a list and he'll have to wait for a cadaver kidney."

"You mean, he'll have to wait until someone dies who has his type of kidney?"

"Yeah."

"How long would he have to wait?"

"It could be a year or more depending on tissue type and everything. Some people die before they find the right kidney."

"Shit."

"Exactly. That's why we have to give him one. Besides, being family, the doctor thinks it would work better for him anyhow. We just don't want him to have to wait."

Jenny nodded and they finished getting dressed. They headed out to the ball field where Serena and Jenny paired off and helped each other stretch. Once they were through with that, they ran sprints from home plate to the right field foul pole, a distance of about two hundred feet. They did that four times before coming in, grabbing a ball, and began passing it to each other to warm up their arms. Within minutes, their arms were limber and they were whipping the ball back and forth, each trying to make the other's hand sting. It was a game they played before each practice and it was rare that either one gave in and let the other know it hurt.

The coach called in everyone, gave them their positions, and set about the practice. They were going to have something of a practice game whereby the pitching would be live and the batters would run the bases should they hit one fair. Players would rotate to different positions since they wouldn't have enough to field two full teams.

It went by quickly as each player got two at bats and got to play different positions. Serena got a double and a home run in her two attempts and Jenny got a single and a walk. Serena was flawless in the field, even making a long running catch to snare a sure hit before it hit the ground. As they walked back to the locker room after practice, Serena was quite pleased with her effort and looked forward to the start of the season. She knew what was expected of her and she welcomed the challenge. In the back of her mind, she wanted people to know she should have been named the best player in the state the previous year, too.

As they walked up the stairs to the lounge, Jenny still half expected Andy to be waiting for her. Even though he had been in the hospital for almost a week, she still looked for him. It always saddened her when the realization struck her. When they opened the door, he wasn't there, as she expected. Now, she'd give anything to see him there and back to his old self. And she knew why Serena desperately wanted Andy to receive a kidney and quickly. She missed his old self, too.

"So, you guys are getting tested tonight?" Jenny asked. She looked up and saw her mom at the curb.

"Yeah, as soon as I get there."

"I wish I could go, too, but mom says I should wait until after supper."

Serena nodded, but said nothing, alone with her thoughts as they walked out of the school building and into the frosty February night.

The blood test was very routine as only three vials were taken from each. Serena became a bit queasy as she watched the blood come out of her vein and go into the sterile plastic tube, having to look away and regain her composure. The phlebotomist finished quickly and caused them very little discomfort. Dr. Venkata said it would not be until the following Monday before they would have the results and determine who, if any, would be able to give a kidney to Andy.

Before they went up to his room, they decided to go to the cafeteria for their supper. Serena picked at what she had chosen, and she had chosen very little. She was nervous and apprehensive, knowing the wheels were set in motion and perhaps she was at the start of a journey into the unknown. There was no doubt in her mind she would go through with it if she were the best match for her brother, but she had never had an operation and she didn't know what to expect.

Actually, everyone seemed to be in their own world, quiet and to themselves. Eventually, they talked about general things; Serena's practice, Joe's day at work, and things like that. Andy had called them early in the morning and told them he wouldn't leaving until the next day. The doctors just wanted to give him one more day to gain his strength and to give him one more dialysis treatment. There was no sign of infection in his fistula sight, something the doctors wanted to watch very closely. It was common for infection to set in if the connections weren't perfectly sterile, but everything seemed to be working well for him. Although everyone wanted him home, they agreed it would be best for him to stay another night.

When Jenny arrived at his room, she was surprised to see no one there, except for the sleeping patient snoring lightly in his bed. She moved quietly to his side, hoping not to wake him, but his eyes fluttered open as she neared.

"Hey," he said tiredly as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she replied, standing at his side.

"That's okay. I've been sleeping most of the day anyway. That's what really sucks about this, I'm always sleepy and tired," he said disgustedly.

"You'll get your strength back," she said hopefully. "I mean, youare feeling stronger, aren't you?"

"I guess so," he admitted, "but I wish I didn't wear out so easily." He looked at Jenny for a few seconds and realized how pretty she looked that evening. She was wearing a light green sweater that almost matched her eyes and tan, tight-fitting jeans that showed off her figure. Her wavy, blond curls were pulled back in a pony tail and tied with a green ribbon. He could smell her perfume, light and fresh, just the way he liked it.

He leaned her way and sniffed. "What are you wearing?" he asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "some type of rain scent, I think. Do you like it?" She leaned in his direction, moving her neck near his nose.

"Yeah, it smells great," he said. His nose touched her neck and she smelled heavenly. Maybe that was the reason he decided to lightly kiss her neck. Her skin felt amazingly soft as she sighed her approval.

"Oh my," Jenny said, looking at him when he pulled away. "You must be feeling better." She looked at him and bit her lip slightly. Her heart was telling her to kiss him, telling her the moment was right for their first kiss. Her brain was running interference, though, telling her it was wrong to kiss him in his hospital bed and that she should wait for a more romantic moment.

However, instinct took over. Slowly, she raised her hands to each side of his face and held it there for an instant. Andy knew what was about to happen and he wasn't about to stop her. He had thought about this moment many times in his hospital bed, although he certainly didn't think it would happen there.

Lightly, softly, she pressed her lips against his and began kissing him as delicately as the scent that emanated from her skin. He kissed her back, but she was clearly in charge of this episode as she continued for a few seconds. When they parted, her green eyes stared into his brown ones, sparkling from happiness. She was so glad she kissed him. She didn't need soft music and candles to enhance the magic of it. For just a brief moment, she had forgotten where she was and why she had originally come. She had forgotten about his illness and had pushed aside the fact he was in a hospital bed. Jenny only knew she needed to show him how much she cared for him and how important he was to her.

Andy stared back at her and smiled. "What was that for?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," Jenny smiled shyly, "it just seemed to be the right time." She leaned forward once again and they shared another kiss, this one longer, deeper, and more sensual. Andy's hands massaged her neck and the back of her head tenderly, making her melt into him. His kisses were sending signals right between her legs, something she had never experienced before with her other boyfriends. It scared her for a second, but the feeling was too good to be wrong.

Kissing him forever and never letting go crossed her mind, but her brain won the battle this time. Besides, she figured his family would be back shortly and she didn't want them seeing her and Andy in a lip lock. She broke the kiss and hugged him tight, her breasts pressed against him.

Had he been well, Andy knew for sure he would have had a raging hard on at that moment and he would have had an embarrassing dilemma on his hands. She was a wonderful kisser and she felt fantastic against him. But, with his illness and the medications given him, he had virtually no sex drive whatsoever. For one time in his life, he was grateful for that inconvenience.