PTSD and The Good Samaritan

Looking back, she had no idea when her husband might have first contracted the disease himself, but it could have been several years ago. For that matter she had no idea how he was doing and couldn't generate the interest needed to care.

Regardless, this was where she was, and better than anyone, Rachel knew she needed a miracle of some kind, and not just to one day have a child but to go on living a normal life. Or...any life at all.

*****

One Week Later

"Mr. Thomas? This is Doctor David Denning from Advent Health."

Heath's deep funk lifted even as he replied.

"Yes. Hi."

"I have some very good news."

"I could use some," Heath said as he sat up straight and listened.

"As you know your screening was successful. You also qualified to be a donor, and you've had the risks explained to you, and all of the needed tests run. So if you're still interested in donating, I have some very good news."

"Yes. I'm very interested," Heath told him as he sat up straight and listened.

"You're a match for a woman who lives here in the greater Orlando area."

"You're kidding," Heath said, forgetting about the things that had held him captive for so long.

"No. I'm very serious," the doctor told him. "This person is local and would like to make her identity known. Since you've indicated you still want to go through with this, I'll be calling her as soon as I hang up. As for now, I can provide you her contact information, and after I've talked her, I'll give her your name and number. We won't release her information over the phone, though, so if you could stop by, we could..."

"I can be there in an hour," Heath said, interrupting the doctor. "I just need to shower and head your way."

"All right. Stop by my office and this will only take a couple of minutes."

"I will. And Doctor? This is the best news I've had in...well, a really long time."

Doctor Denning hung up the phone and wondered what kind of person thought risking their life for a total stranger was good news? He understood the question was rhetorical because people did things for all kinds of reasons.

One such reason was altruism. It was uncommon in today's world, but this young man was one of those rare people willing to quite literally roll the dice. So if he knew the risks and wanted to do this, the good doctor would be more than happy to make his wish come true.

Heath arrived a little over an hour later as he also shaved for the first time in a week. As he walked into Advent Heath again, Heath almost felt like his old self. And the reason, he now understood, was having found purpose and meaning to his life.

Being a donor provided him a reason to live. And the fact that he could actually give life to another human being was the greatest feeling he'd ever experienced.

*****

"Ms. Owens? This is Doctor Denning from Advent. Yes, you too. Thank you. Listen. I have some amazing news."

"Oh, my...did you...is there...a donor?"

The doctor chuckled softly and said, "We have a match," rather than 'yes'. Even though he'd just spoken to the potential donor, until he actually signed the final consent forms, he could back out at any time.

Rachel hadn't cried since the diagnosis, but this news was so powerful she couldn't stop herself.

Her mother knew she was on the phone and rightly thought it was related to her medical situation. When she saw Rachel crying, she immediately assumed the worst as she hurried to her daughter's side where she sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Rachel shook her head but couldn't speak. She did, however, turn the speaker phone on.

"Ms. Owens?"

"This is her mother, Peggy. Rachel's crying so hard she can't talk. Is there something I should know?"

"This Doctor Denning from Advent. I can't tell you that, ma'am, but Rachel can," she heard a male voice tell her.

"They...found a donor," Rachel finally managed to say.

"WHAT? Oh, my God! I have to call your father!" she said as she flew out of the chair.

"Doctor?" Rachel said after inhaling slowly and deeply. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm just the messenger," he said very pleasantly.

"May I know who it is?" she asked.

"Yes, you may. I just spoke to him, and he's coming in to get your contact information. I fully expect he'll be calling you very soon. But in the meantime, I can tell you his name is Heath Thomas, and he's also from the Orlando area."

"Heath Thomas," she repeated. "That's the most beautiful name I've ever heard."

"I can give you his phone number, if you'd like."

"No. That's okay. If he wants to call me, I'd love that. But if not, I don't want to interrupt whatever plans he might have. Just please tell him how incredibly grateful I am, okay?"

"I will," the doctor promised. "And once he and I have talked, the next thing we'll be doing is setting a date for the procedure."

"I...I don't even know what to say," she told him truthfully.

"I'm sure the right words will come once the two of you talk," Dr. Denning said, even though that wasn't what Rachel meant.

"Yes. I'm sure you're right," Rachel replied, almost in a state of shock.

She thanked the doctor again, hung up, then sat there and cried all the tears that had needed to fall but couldn't as she walled herself off against disappointment. She knew quite well there were still other hurdles, the biggest of which was the donor changing his mind, but just finding one really was the proverbial 'needle in a haystack'.

The needle had been found. Now if it could only be threaded and carefully used to give her the hope of more time...

*****

It was a little after four o'clock when Rachel's phone rang. Her father had taken off from work as soon as his wife called, and the three of them were sitting around the kitchen table talking and laughing, all the while staring at the phone laying in front of Rachel.

When it rang, her mother yelped so loudly it made her father laugh. She playfully slapped him as they watched their daughter pick up the phone, accept the call, then quietly say, "Hello?"

Rachel's hand was shaking as she held the phone to er ear. She wasn't going to let her parents listen until her Good Samaritan told it was okay.

"Is this Rachel Owens?" she heard the most wonderful baritone voice she'd ever heard ask.

"Yes. This is she."

Her parents both had tears in their eyes as their daughter smiled.

"Hi. My name is Heath. Thomas. I understand you and I will be...sharing body parts real soon."

Rachel laughed much too loudly, and when she did, her mom and dad laughed, too, even though they had no idea what had been said.

"Yes. I believe that's true," she replied.

"I uh, I'm looking forward to meeting you," she heard him say.

"Me, too, Heath," she told him immediately. "My...my parents are both here, and I was wondering if you'd mind letting them listen in."

"Not at all," Heath told her.

"Let me put you on speaker, okay?"

Rachel smiled at both of her parents then laid the phone down and hit 'speaker'.

"Okay. They're listening," Rachel told him.

"Um...hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Heath said as cheerfully as he'd said anything in well over a year.

"Hello!" her father called out.

"Thank you!" her mother cried—literally.

"Oh, no. I'm the one who's grateful," Heath said, confusing everyone.

No one dared asked why, so Rachel said, "My parents are Brian and Peggy Owens, by the way."

She also didn't care to mention she'd gone back to her maiden name after the divorce as that was the last thing she wanted to think about during this happy time.

Heath was unaware that he laughed for the first time in the same length of time before saying, "It's a pleasure 'meeting' both of you."

"Tell him we'd like to meet him," Rachel's mom said, as though Heath wasn't listening.

She only smiled and asked Heath if he heard that.

"I did. And I'd love to meet all three of you."

"That...that would be wonderful," Rachel replied. "Just tell us what day and time work best for you and we'll be wherever you say."

"Oh, well, I was kind of hoping we might be able to at least meet for a few minutes this evening. If that's not too..."

"That's perfect!" Rachel's mother blurted out. "What would you like for dinner, Heath?"

"Mom!" Rachel said as they heard Heath laugh again.

"Anything will be fine," he replied. "What time and where?"

Rachel gave them their address then looked at her mom who mouthed 'six o'clock' which her daughter repeated.

"Great. I'll see you all at six then," Heath said.

"That sounds perfect," Rachel said, as her eyes teared up again. "And, Heath? From the bottom of my heart—thank you!"

"Us, too!" her mother called out.

He wasn't about to try and explain why this mattered so much to them over the phone. In fact, he wasn't sure he even wanted to mention his motives. Were he to do so, that would almost certainly necessitate talking about what had led up to his need to find something to give him a reason to go on living. And the thought of his demons returning due to simply saying those things out loud convinced him not to.

In fact, he hadn't even mentioned what he was doing to his therapist for fear she'd try and talk him out of it. He trusted her, but this was his life, his business, and his decision. He didn't need or want anyone else's permission, so that was another can of worms he had no interest in opening.

"I'll see you all in a couple of hours then," Heath told them.

"Yes. See you then, Heath," Rachel replied, holding off the next round of tears until he hung up.

When Heath told his parents where he was going, they weren't anywhere nearly as enthused as Rachel's mother and father were. But when Heath's mom saw him smile, it touched her so deeply she knew something important was going on in her son's life.

"Have a wonderful time," his mother said as she hugged him goodbye.

"Thanks, Mom," he told her as his father intentionally refused to look at him.

After all he'd been through, getting the cold shoulder from his dad wasn't that big of a deal. He managed a kind of smile then told his dad he'd see him later. His father only grunted and kept reading the paper.

Heath hadn't felt this nervous since his first days in Afghanistan. He had no idea who Rachel Owens was or whether he'd even like her. But he did know that without his help she would die. He quite literally held the power of life within himself and therefore resolved to be as polite and upbeat as he could no matter who she turned out to be.

As he pulled into their driveway he realized he'd used the word 'upbeat'. That, too, was something he hadn't bothered trying to be since the whole PTSD thing started. His only goal had been to survive another day after waking up to the same hell he'd lived in the day before.

The dark clouds had, for the most part, lifted, and as he walked to the front porch, he almost felt optimistic. He went to ring the bell when the door opened.

"Heath?" he heard a female voice say.

As he looked at her, he hoped the surprise on his face wasn't too obvious as he realized she was a very attractive woman who was probably in her early 30s.

"Rachel?"

Tears were flowing down her face as she stepped onto the porch and put her arms around him and hugged him as hard as she could as she answered, "Yes."

Heath hugged her back and came close to tearing up himself.

"Hi!" she finally said as she pulled away and looked at him. "I'm so glad to meet you."

"Same here," he told her, an actual smile appearing on his face.

"Come in. Please. I want you to meet my mom and dad. Again," Rachel told him almost playfully, as she grabbed his hand and refused to let go.

Heath closed the door behind them, and just a few feet inside were her parents standing there ready to thank this unknown Good Samaritan who was saving their little girl's life.

Rachel's mother was also crying as she hugged Heath and welcomed him to their home.

Her father shook the younger man's hand then pulled him in and hugged him, too.

"Thank you," he said as he squeezed Heath before letting him go. "Thank you so much."

"Heath, as you know these are my parents, Brain and Peggy. We, of course, all know yours, and you know I'm Rachel."

Evidently, she was as nervous as he was based on the way she was shaking and talking.

"Please come in and sit down," Peggy said very pleasantly. "Would you like anything to drink before dinner?"

"No thank you," Heath told her as he looked around.

It was obvious they were at best a middle-class family causing Heath to wonder how they were paying for all of this, another thought that surprised him. And for the first time the thought hit him as to how he would pay for the amount Advent Health's 'Living Donor Foundation' didn't cover.

Rachel's father said, "Our daughter hasn't stopped smiling since we heard the good news."

He looked at his daughter then added, "Except for the times she's been crying."

"That goes for me, as well," his wife added. "We're just so unbelievably thankful and grateful beyond words, Heath."

"I have to say I'm also thankful to have this kind of opportunity," he replied.

His comment would have been puzzling were they all not so overwhelmed with gratitude they couldn't focus on such details.

"So...are you from Orlando?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. Born and raised. You?"

"Yes. I grew up right here in this house," she told him. "Well, minus the years I was...married."

Rachel's smile disappeared and she looked away when she mentioned having been married.

"But that's all behind me now," she said much more cheerfully. "How about you, Heath? Are you married, engaged, in a relationship?"

"Me? Oh. No. None of the above," he told her. "No. I've never even been close."

There was a moment of silence before Peggy said, "Dinner's ready. Why don't we go ahead and eat?"

"Sounds great," Heath said as he stood up.

Rachel was right across from him so he extended his hand. It surprised her and also caused her to smile.

"Thank you," she said very sweetly as she took his hand and stood up, too, before leading him to the dining room.

"This is delicious," Heath said after tasting the fried chicken Peggy had made.

She smiled and Rachel told Heath, "My mom is an amazing cook."

"Oh, that's not true," her mom said modestly.

"Oh, yes it is," her husband countered. "And Rachel is just as good."

"Oh, really?" Heath asked as he looked at her.

"I do okay," she replied, also being very modest.

Brian finally got around to asking Heath what he did for a living. It was just a standard get-acquainted comment, but Heath, who was in between bites, wasn't sure what to say.

"It's none of our business," Brian said immediately.

"No. It's okay," Heath told him. "After I graduated from the University of Florida..."

Rachel smiled and said, "GO, Gators!" which caused Heath to laugh.

"I uh, I joined the Marine Corps and did 3 1/2 years on active duty. After getting out, I moved back home with my folks, so I'm kind of...unemployed at the moment."

"Ah, okay. If you need any help finding a job, just let me know, okay?" Brian told him sincerely.

"I may take you up on that," Heath replied, the thought of a job being one of the last things on his mind as of late.

Small talk took up the remainder of their time together until Peggy asked if anyone would like dessert.

Everyone said 'yes', and to Heath's surprise, Rachel's parents said they wanted to give the two of them some time to talk and took theirs to the family room. The sound of the television meant they couldn't hear any conversation, and Rachel apologized.

"For what?" Heath asked.

"It was nice of my mom and dad to give us some time to talk, but it was, I don't know, a little...clumsy."

"It's fine," Heath assured her. "And I agree. It was nice of them."

Neither of them spoke as they each took a bite of the fresh, moist chocolate cake.

"This is amazing, too," Heath said as he took a sip of milk to wash it down.

"Mom made it from scratch," Rachel told him.

Some more silence passed before Rachel got up the courage to ask why Heath was doing this.

"Don't get me wrong, please. I'm beyond thankful you are. But I'm just trying to understand it. That's all."

Heath could tell she was an unassuming person, and that was something he liked in women. Confidence was fine, but he preferred a more traditional kind of woman who wasn't loud or aggressive. Then again, Rachel wasn't someone he was 'pursuing', but he liked that she had a kind of sweetness about her.

"I guess the short version is...I need to find some kind of purpose in my life," Heath told her very quietly.

"I'm sorry for being so nosy," Rachel told him.

"No. You're not being nosy at all. It's...it's just really hard for me talk about."

Rachel smiled then said, "Then let's talk about something else. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. Just little old me," he told her. "You?"

"I have a brother, Andy. He's the best. He's been so supportive. I can't wait for you to meet him."

"I'd like that," Heath said as they continued to gently probe for details.

"He's younger than me. I'm thinking you might be a few years younger than him."

"I don't know his age, but you can't be all that much older than me," Heath told her in a way that made her think he was serious.

"I'm...I'm 38, Heath. I don't know your age, but my brother's 33, and you look younger than him. To me."

She smiled then added, "I had no idea what you'd look like, but I have to admit it was a very pleasant surprise to see how...handsome you are."

Heath smiled again and thanked her before telling her he was 26.

"I wasn't sure, but that was pretty close to what I thought," Rachel told him.

"I am, but I'm really having a hard time believing you're 38. I honestly thought...30 or maybe...32."

"Oh, my gosh! I love you!" Rachel told him with the happiest smile he'd seen yet.

Heath laughed along with her before she got serious.

"I...I really do...love you, Heath. Not...romantically, of course. I mean that in..."

"I understand," he told her.

"After Doctor Denning called me, something I heard a long time ago kept running through my mind. It's something like, 'Greater love hath no man than this.' I can't remember the rest of it, though."

Heath had heard it said at a Sunday service in Afghanistan.

"Greater love hath no man than that he lay down his life for a friend," he told her.

"Yes. That's it. Thank you," Rachel said. "I have to say that's how I feel whenever I look at you."

Heath wanted to tell her something but instead asked, "Do you have any idea when they'll do the...procedure?"

"Oh. Um...no. I mean, I know it'll be relatively soon. I just don't know exactly when yet. Why? Did they tell you something?"

"No. I was just curious," he replied, causing Rachel to momentarily wonder if he might be having second thoughts after meeting her.

"I see," she said very quietly.

Heath realized she had some kind of thought that concerned her so he said what he wanted to say earlier.

"What I meant was...I...I was kind of hoping we might have some time to maybe, you know, get to know each other a little better."

Rachel's expression changed completely.

She smiled happily then told him, "I'd like that very much, Heath."

"Do you work?" he asked.

"No. I...I haven't had a job since before I got married. And after I left my ex-husband, I've was in no condition to hold a job, so I've been sponging off my parents..."

Rachel remembered Heath was living at home, too, and apologized again.

"I wasn't implying that living at home meant..."

Heath managed a laugh then told her he hadn't taken it that way.

"Oh, good. I don't know why I'm so...nervous around you."

She looked away then looked back at him and added, "But I am."