Page 130 of Drawn Blue Lines

“You want to hate him for it, but he just risked his life to save hers knowing her heart belongs to another man.”

So instead, I did the opposite. I swallowed my pride, proving to everyone I earned Adriana’s kiss. “Not yet, but why don’t you come sit with the family? Val will be the first person they tell.”

He sat up, his eyebrows bunched in confusion. “With the Carreras? I’m a Muñoz.”

I chuckled and clasped him on the shoulder. “I don’t think you’ll burst into flames. And if you do, we’re in a hospital. You could stand some scarring, pretty boy.”

* * *

“¿La familia de Adriana Carrera?”

Five heads popped up followed by ten feet hitting the floor. My heart dropped as a man dressed in scrubs stood in front of us, his dark skin weathered and wrinkled.

Val looked over at me, giving me a quick nod. “En inglés, por favor.” In English, please.

The doctor glanced between us. “Very well. Are you Valentin Carrera?”

Val nodded. “Yes, how is my sister? Is she…” His voice trailed off, and Eden wrapped her arms around him.

“Mr. Carrera, the laceration your sister suffered was serious, but it could’ve been a lot worse. The blade missed her liver by millimeters. She lost a lot of blood, and there was some internal bleeding, but we were able to repair the damage and stop it.”

My eyes bounced between them, the words twisting around in my head.

She’s all right.

Val released the breath he’d been holding. “So, she’s going to be okay?”

“Mr. Carrera, the information you gave stated your sister received a kidney transplant when she was fourteen?”

“Yes, she was born with type 1 diabetes.”

The doctor flipped through the chart in his hands and rubbed his eyes. “Eleven years is a long time for a donor kidney to last with proper care, however from examination and bloodwork I can tell you it’s failing at an incredibly rapid pace.”

Cristiano cleared his throat, and we all turned around. “When I was in that warehouse, Ignacio told me when he took her the first time, he tortured her and gained her cooperation by withholding her anti-rejection meds.”

“Do you know how long she was without them?” the doctor asked.

“Two days, maybe three?”

Everyone’s eyes turned back toward the doctor. “One day, maybe two would cause serious problems, but three days would’ve caused irreversible damage to an already deteriorating organ. The donor kidney is failing, and with the stab wound, Adriana’s body is going into shock.”

“What are you saying?” I whispered, words sounding like they came from someone else.

“We have her stabilized for now, but without an immediate transplant, there’s nothing we can do.”

Val exploded, shaking off Eden’s arm and crowding against the doctor. “Then give her one, goddammit!”

To his credit, the doctor didn’t back down. He stared up at the man who everyone knew owned the hospital and everyone in it. “Mr. Carrera, we can’t just hand one over. There are waiting lists with thousands of people. I understand your unique situation, but I refuse to play God with people’s lives.”

“I’ll donate.”

Leighton whipped around, her jaw dropping. “Brody!”

I didn’t care. I’d give her both kidneys. I’d give her my heart. Hell, she already had it.

The doctor shook his head. “As admirable as that is, it’s not that simple. There needs to be testing done. Blood matching to ensure the kidney won’t be rejected. Ideally, she would need a parent for her best chances.”

I wasn’t backing down. “Her parents are dead.”

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