Page 104 of Healed Hearts

He nods, stepping back. “Will do.”

Lydia gives me a slight nod, thankfully saying nothing about my little breakdown, and leaves the room. Holden comes to stand beside me. “You alright?”

I nod. “Yeah, I think I will be. I told myself I wasn’t going to ask you stuff like this, but what are the chances?”

He studies me for a second. “We’re going to come back to you not wanting to ask me stuff later. For Ruby and Henry, their odds of being a match are twenty-five percent. For you, it’s about fifty-percent. And then you’ll not only need to be a match, but at least a fifty percent match. A full match would be ideal, but that’s rare. At any rate, fifty percent is fine. She’ll need additional care before and after, but it has been done successfully many times.”

I swallow hard. “And if none of us are a match?”

He reaches out, cupping my chin in his hand. “Then we wait for a match from the registry.”

“Okay. I’m ready.” Well, as ready as I’m ever going to be, I suppose.

Holden turns Wren until she’s on his hip. I stand as his hand falls away from my face. We walk hand-in-hand to the hallway where everyone is standing around waiting for us. Roman grins at me. “You ready?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“Great. Beck wants us to meet him in exam room three. Says it’s the biggest room.”

Holden chuckles. “Can confirm. Also, I’m sure it’ll be a bit of a blast to the past for you.”

Roman’s nose scrunches up. “What do you mean?”

Holden tilts his head. “That’s the room you got your hand stitched up in.”

Realization lights up Roman’s face. “Ah, well, I’d just as soon forget aboutthatday, to be honest.”

“That was the day you got Beck back, though,” Holden says, clearly confused.

“No.” Beck’s voice behind us startles me. “That was the day I almost let the best thing in my life walk away from me.Again.” We all turn to him. He shrugs. “Got tired of waiting. So now you all get to do this here. Step back into the room, please. Hold, are you good with doing my blood draw?”

“Sure am.”

“You were serious about this? All of you?” I blurt out.

Five sets of eyes bore into mine. Roman recovers first. “Did you think we weren’t?”

“Um, maybe a little.”

He chuckles. Then Beck says, “I know Mom wants to get tested too. But she’s scared you’ll give her the boot if she gets too attached, like you did with Holden.”

My jaw drops. “I didnotgive Holden the boot.”

Holden scoffs. “Yeah, I gave myself the boot. Besides, I think I like my role a lot better now than I did before, Beckett.” He sobers. “But really, thank you so much for doing this.”

Beck smiles. “Of course. Let’s get to it, then.”

We all follow him back into the room and when we step inside, Lydia walks in behind us, carrying a little tub filled with needles and blood collection tubes.

Beck starts with Wren and goes down the line, collecting each of our blood samples. When it’s time for his, he grins up atHolden. “Now, remember, CT, this is the only time I’m going to let you come at me with a needle.”

Holden rolls his eyes. “Oh hush, Beckett. I’m more than qualified. I probably draw blood more than you do.”

Beck chuckles. “Yeah, you’re most likely right about that.”

By the time he’s done, we all have matching band-aids in the crooks of our elbows. My heart feels so full it could explode. Even if none of us end up being a match, that they all did this for my daughter means the world to me. I have no idea how I’m going to pay them back for this.

Chapter Thirty-Three

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