He walked past the nurse’s station on Duke’s floor and got more than a few appreciative glances, but came to an abrupt halt when he heard his name called. He spun around and saw Dr. Chauncey waving him back the way he’d come. The doctor turned before he reached him and led Vaughan into a private family waiting room.
“Dr. Chauncey. Good afternoon. I just finished with Dr. Skool; I think it went well. How soon should—”
Dr. Chauncey raised his thin hand, cutting off Vaughan’s anxious babbling. “I know. The transplant coordinator already sent me the email. The psychologist has signed off, so I wanted to tell you that if you had your affairs in—”
“Oh, yes. Yes! I do! Everything is lined up with the billing office and my job, and my father will be doing all my post-op care. We’re ready to go!” Vaughan cut in, his head and heart pounding with anticipation.
“Calm down.” Dr. Chauncey smiled. “If you have a coronary, I won’t be able to operate on you.”
This was a good sign. Had to be. The doctor was joking with him.
“I have an opening on Friday at six a.m. Can you be here?”
Vaughan wanted to drop to his knees. Oh thank you, god. Thank you, thank you. Tears welled up in his eyes and he just barely contained himself from wailing. It was fate. He and Duke were supposed to be together. He knew it right at that moment. Duke could’ve been severely injured in a way that couldn’t be repaired. But the good lord was giving them a chance. Vaughan nodded his head and finally spoke in a hushed murmur, “Yes. Friday is fine.”
Dr. Chauncey looked on him with so much compassion. He simply patted his shoulder and informed him that the surgery date was set.
“Doctor. You’re still going to keep my name out of this, right?”
Dr. Chauncey looked at Vaughan like he had snot oozing out his nose. He appeared disgusted. Oh no.
“Vaughan you are my patient now. I would never violate your rights. You have asked to remain anonymous and I have to respect and honor that. Besides, it’s my experience that patients dying of kidney failure rarely insist on the details of where the kidney is coming from.”
“Yeah. But even if Duke’s on the kidney donation list, his name wouldn’t come up now if there was a kidney available.”
“Just let me handle everything, okay?”
Vaughan took a breath. That sounded freakin’ perfect to him. Yes. He’d let the good doctor handle it all.
Duke gritted his teeth at the pain in his back. Was that the kidney pain? He wanted to peer down at the collection bag hanging on the side of his bed, but he had a feeling that would probably hurt like a bitch to accomplish and he wouldn’t like what he saw. It would probably contain little to no urine or be full of blood. The stitches in his head were starting to itch like crazy, and the knot on the back of his head was pulsing a steady beat like an out of tune bass drum. He reached his right hand up to rub at the wound on his left cheek and ended up banging his cast on the bedrail. Fuckin’ fuck! He was trying harder and harder not to push that morphine button. He hated the way he felt when he did and he wanted to be alert if Vaughan came by.
He picked up the remote with his good hand – that hand had an IV in it – but at least it wasn’t covered with rock hard plaster. Maybe finding something half-decent on television would turn his mind off. His conscious thoughts were a persistent loop of unanswered questions that he flat out didn’t want the answer to, but lying there ignorant wasn’t making him feel better. What would dying feel like? Would he eventually be so bad off that he couldn’t have company? When would Vaughan stop coming to see him? Would he stay until the end? Would he even know his loved ones were there? Fuck. Stop already!
A light tapping on his door cut off his internal war. He didn’t say anything as the door was slightly pushed open and somehow – instinctually— he knew who it was. Knew it was Vaughan. Could smell him before his body even made it all the way into the room. Duke closed his eyes and let the wonderful scent take him someplace that wasn’t a hospital room. After a few moments he felt the bed dip beside his left thigh, then a gentle caress along his check.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Duke slowly opened his tired eyes. Vaughan was truly a sight. If he’d ever needed something beautiful to look at during all the ugliness he was experiencing… it was that moment. He was in a perfectly tailored suit; he knew it, because he was just able to make out the glittering gold cufflink inside the cuff of the crisp white shirt. He looked so polished and put together. Duke wanted to yank that pristine pink and gray striped tie until Vaughan was completely on top of him. He sighed silently. That would never happen. He’d never feel Vaughan on top of him, inside him, pounding the anxiety of a hard day away.