Page 125 of Before You Can Blink
Rolling that over in my mind, I finally said, “Okay, so what can you do to get them workin’ again?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple.”
“Apparently, nothing is around here,” I muttered.
Stepping toward the machine at Daisy’s bedside, the doctor explained, “This here is a dialysis machine.” A stifled sob sounded from Aspen at that news. “The kidneys act as the body’s natural filtration system, working to clean your blood supply and flushing out waste through urination. When they’re not working properly, toxins build up in the other organs, which can ultimately lead to death.”
“My—” My voice cracked, my throat feeling like it was lined with broken glass. “My wife’s going to die?”
“Not if we can help it. The dialysis procedure is removing the blood from her body, running it through this machine to clean it as a functioning kidney would, before returning it.”
Eyes bulging, I asked, “Allher blood?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Very slowly. Most patients are fully conscious while undergoing dialysis.”
“So, um, how long . . .” My hand moved in a circular gesture toward the machine.
“It takes about three to five hours to run a full cycle.”
“And then she’ll be healthy again?” I pressed.
His lips turned down into a sad smile. “Dialysis is a treatment, not a cure.”
My brows drew down. “I don’t understand.”
Tripp came in hot with a question of his own. “She’ll have to keep doing this?”
“Yes,” Doctor—I took a look at his ID badge since he never bothered to introduce himself—Kohler, confirmed. “On average, three times a week.”
“Forever?” My chest hollowed out.
“That’s not something I can answer at this time.”
Irritated, I challenged, “Well, when can you answer it?”
Sympathy filtered into his gaze even though I was being an asshole. “I know this is a lot to take in. Sometimes, if there’s another underlying cause, patients can regain full function of their kidneys, and other times, the kidneys just quit for no reason. I’m going to transfer Daisy’s case to a specialist, who can continue to monitor her condition now, and also after she’s been discharged.”
Discharged. That word gave me the tiniest scrap of hope.
Mac stepped forward to shake the man’s hand. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“My pleasure. You folks take care.” With that, he left the room.
The silence that descended after his departure was deafening. With cautious steps, I moved to Daisy’s bedside. She looked so fragile that I worried that if I touched her, she would shatter into a million pieces.
“Here, Dad. Why don’t you sit down?” Tripp brought over a chair.
I dropped onto it, leaning forward so my forearms rested on the thin mattress.
Swallowing thickly, I stared at the woman whom I’d vowed to love through sickness and health over forty years ago. She’d upheld her end of that bargain more times than I could count, and it was finally my turn to repay the favor.
“Daze,” I rasped. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. If there’s anyone who can fight their way through this, it’s you. Doesn’t matter if you have to do dialysis for a day, a week, a year, or more, we’ll make it work, because we always do.” That last part had tears I refused to let fall burning behind my eyes.
Turning to my children, I told them, “Ya’ll should go home.” Aspen shook her head, opening her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. “Squeezeyour babies extra tight tonight so they’ll know how much Gramma loves them.”
My daughter buried her face in her husband’s chest, muffling the sounds of her sobs. Over her head, Mac said, “You call us if there’s any change.”
“’Course,” I agreed.
