Page 141 of Promise Me Nothing
Which is why I’m so glad that she’s here today. In a space that we’re both allowed to inhabit.
I mean, you can’t kick someone out of a hospital, right?
We’re meeting with Dr. Lyons today. Me, mom, Ivy, Ben, and Hannah.
Lucas was invited, but he said he didn’t want to intrude since Ivy still doesn’t know he’s her brother, so he’s waiting in the car to take Hannah home whenever we’re done.
I told him to let me drive her home.
He told me to fuck off and that he’s working on his own relationship with her and I should find my own time.
Prick.
But I get where he’s coming from, to some degree. I wouldn’t let anyone else take away my time with Hannah if she was willing to grant even a few minutes my way.
Right now, she won’t even look at me. She’s sitting in the corner of the waiting room, signing with Ivy. Smiling and laughing.
Hannah has always been incredibly kind and loving to my sister. More than most people. But I can see the shift, now that she knows Ivy ishersister, too.
There’s more love in her eyes.
“Hello everyone,” Dr. Lyons says, my attention fracturing and heading in her direction as she approaches us.
Then she looks at Ivy.
Ready to come back?
Ivy nods, though that lighthearted happiness she’d had on her face when talking with Hannah quickly dims.
Once we’re in Dr. Lyons’ office, she closes the door and takes a seat behind her desk.
“A full room today,” she teases, her hands moving as she speaks. Then she looks at Ivy.You have so many fans.
Ivy giggles.
“The big difference today is that we’ve brought Hannah with us. She’s Ivy’s biological sister and is willing to be tested for a bone marrow transplant.”
Ivy slips her hand into Hannah’s, looking up at her with affection. When we told her about Hannah, she hadn’t cared about the logistics or the web of relationships and family. She’d been through the roof. Over the moon excited.
My mom had been… understandably icy when she realized the girl I’d been dating was Henry’s daughter, a representative of the family that he wouldn’t leave to spend time with Ivy.
But my mom knows how to be the plastic politician when it suits her, so we luckily haven’t faced any negative setbacks, because she’s keeping her mouth shut.
“How wonderful,” Dr. Lyons says, a smile stretching on her face. “We can do blood tests today, if you’re up for it?”
Hannah nods. “Absolutely.”
Dr. Lyons then launches into a brief but detailed explanation of testing, and what they’re looking for in a match.
“You’ll have a twenty-five percent chance of having the same HLA as both parents, which is what we’re looking for in donors for bone marrow.”
Hannah’s brow furrows. “We don’t have the same mom. Does that impact our percentage.”
There’s a pause from Doctor Lyons.
“I apologize, I assumed you were a full sibling with Ivy. The current protocol for HLA matching is for identical sets only.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, sitting forward on my seat. “You told me a blood relative would be Ivy’s best option for bone marrow. I brought you a blood relative.”
