Page 118 of Exposed

“She’s doing well, and so is my father. The Tonys and mycousins have everybody covered, so I could come over and see how you are.”

“Did the new donor come through?” Mary asked, sensing that his mood was too good for it to be otherwise.

“As a matter of fact, yes. It’s official now. Rachel is back on the countdown.” Simon grinned, and so did everybody else, but a funny undercurrent left Mary feeling as if they knew something she didn’t.

“What’s going on?” Mary scanned their faces and they started looking at each other and smiling. “You guys are the worst poker faces in the world.”

Simon answered, “Mary, ask who the donor is.”

“Who?” Mary asked, mystified.

“Bennie.” Simon gestured at Bennie, who waved him off, flushing.

“Really?” Mary gasped, touched. “Bennie, I can’t believe you! That’s amazing! When didthathappen?”

Bennie shrugged it off. “I did the cheek swab and I was a match. Please don’t make it a big thing.”

Anthony looked over with a smile. “Itisa big thing! It’s a wonderful thing to do.”

Declan put his arm around Bennie. “He’s right, babe. Now your secret’s out. You really do have a heart.”

“And more importantly, marrow,” Judy interjected.

There was a knock on the door and they all looked over to see Dr. Drinkwater stick his bald head in the door. He was short, chubby, and African-American, with a good sense of humor. “Whoa, do you have room for me in there? It doesn’t look that way.”

“Come on in,” Mary answered, and everybody moved aside as Dr. Drinkwater approached the bed with a warm smile.

“How are you feeling, Mary?”

“Good, thanks. Am I going home today?”

“I’d like to take a few minutes to examine you, then ask afew questions.” Dr. Drinkwater hesitated, glancing around. “Would you rather do that in private?”

Mary smiled. “No, don’t worry about it. Everybody here is family.”

“Everybody?” Dr. Drinkwater asked, his dark eyes bright with amusement behind his tortoiseshell glasses.

“Everybody,” they all answered in unison, then started laughing.

“EVEN YOU, DOC!”

Everybody laughed again, including Dr. Drinkwater, who turned to Mary, getting down to business. “So how’s the headache?”

“Comes and goes. Less often than before.”

“How’s the pain, scale of one to ten?”

“One.”

“Any dizziness?”

“No.”

“Nausea?”

“All gone. Can I leave today?”

“Yes, and your discharge papers will explain your wound care. You got twelve staples back there, so follow the directions.”