Duke finished processing what the doctor said and he finally managed a garbled, “Eight.”
“Okay. I’ll make sure the nurse starts a PCA soon. I wanted to talk to you about the injuries you sustained today.”
The doctor’s face looked like he’d rather be anywhere but there about to say what he had to. “Mr. Morgan, you came into the ER this morning with multiple contusions to your face and body. Quite a few superficial wounds and a badly fractured radius that we casted pretty quickly.” The doctor paused and pulled up a stool. He sat gingerly and looked Duke in his eye when he spoke. “You also suffered two cracked ribs which caused concern that fragments may have broken off and caused internal bleeding. There is some internal injury and we repaired as much as we could in hopes we can take a closer look when the swelling goes down. However, the CT scan showed considerable damage to your kidneys from a beating you sustained during your attempted apprehension. It appears that both kidneys are badly damaged and you’ve been diagnosed with a grade five kidney injury.”
“What’s this mean, doc? I need surgery? Dialysis or some shit?” Duke murmured. His throat felt like sharp blades were slicing down it.
The doctor looked extremely uncomfortable. “Um. No. As of this morning your kidneys have not been able to do their job, which is filtering contaminants and expelling them through your urine. Which you’ve produced very little of since you’ve been here. I’m afraid you are in acute kidney failure.”
“Fuck,” Duke said solemnly. That was bad.
“One of the kidneys is completely inoperable, the other is in pretty bad shape and can’t be repaired enough that it could function as your sole kidney.”
“What are you saying, doc? Spit it out honestly. Am I going to die?”
“Unfortunately, because your kidneys were damaged by blunt force trauma, it limits a lot of what most kidney failure candidates are eligible for as far as alternative treatments because they either have one working kidney or their condition was not immediate onset. Soon, you’ll be in chronic kidney failure, at which time we typically start a patient on hemodialysis treatments until a donor becomes available. But… but because of the other internal injuries you suffered, you won’t be deemed a suitable candidate for dialysis. If you did try it, your life expectancy would be considerably shorter than typical. But you’d stay on the machine that will do the job your kidneys can’t until....”
“Until I die,” Duke whispered.
“Well. Until you choose not to receive dialysis anymore and are taken off the machines… and then… yes… soon after… you’ll die. Or you stay on it until your name comes up on the donor list.”
“Donor list?”
The doctor looked hesitant. “Um. Yes, sir. I’ve already started running the necessary additional test to submit your name, but unfortunately, some patients wait as long as ten years to become eligible. In the interim, if you did start dialysis, your entire life would have to change. You couldn’t do much physical activity at all or especially work as a—”
“Wait. You telling me I couldn’t be a bounty hunter anymore either!” Duke was panicking. There was no other word to describe it. His life was done. On a machine for years, living as a damn near vegetable. He couldn’t do it. He’d rather die.
“All this from a few kicks to my back.” Duke grumbled.
“Sir according to the police report. You blacked out during the beating, but you were hit more than just a few times and it was bat and a pipe. The kicks are what probably broke your ribs. The kidneys are pretty well protected by your back muscles, but the type of force with which you were hit can definitely injure them beyond repair.”
“If I don’t do the dialysis.” Duke gulped a breath, his eyes stinging with moisture. “How long would I have?”
“I’m sorry to say… Only weeks. You are already stage five. You would however, be made comfortable during that time.”
Duke turned his head as a tear rolled down the side of his face into his hairline. He wasn’t ready to go.
“Sir. Do you have any family members that could be possible donors?”
“No. My parents are deceased and I’m an only child. My only living relative is my aunt and she’s in a nursing home.”
“I’m going to continue to do workups with your blood and look over your chart. If I come up with anything, I’ll let you know. I’m also going to get a third opinion.” The doctor stood up but Duke didn’t have any words. If he spoke right now he’d start bawling. “You have friends in the family waiting room, would you like me to go ahead and speak to them?”
Duke knew it was the easy way out, but he didn’t think he could look Quick in the eye and tell him he was about to die. Oh god, Vaughan. Duke closed his eyes and prayed silently.