'Is it the right time to stay away?' Talia wondered.
This time she could actually be of help if he stays close.
Her grandfather is in need of a kidney. She has two. And humans can survive with one kidney apparently. And so she does have one to spare. Her blood group is also O-neg and since she is related to him, she'd definitely be a match for him.
Talia decided to call Dr. Garret once more and then she got a call from the same number who called sometime before.
Is this someone I know?
With doubts, Talia picked up her phone.
"Hello"
"Uh, um...Talia, its me... How are you?"
'Well now, who might this be?' Talia wondered since the voice seemed a bit familiar but she couldn't recognise it.
"I'm sorry, you are...?"
The other side seemed to go silent for a couple of seconds and Talia almost disconnected the call.
"It's me... David. David Bailey," just when she was about to disconnect, the voice in the other side said with a bit exasperation and Talia knitted her brows. She felt a little embarrassed for forgetting the voice of her ex-boyfriend.
But... Why is he calling now?
"I... I want to meet you. I'm actually near your apartment. Can you..."
"I'm sorry, David. I'm in the middle of something now. May I know the reason?" Talia asked politely. For her, he's now not any different from her colleagues as she felt nothing knowing it was him and hearing his voice did nothing to stir her heart.
And he knows she doesn't allow anyone inside her apartment. So what's the emergency?
"Oh, that's a shame," David paused for a moment, " I'm getting married," his voice from the other side felt weird for her.
Why is he telling me that now?
"Oh, I know. Congratulations!" Talia said calmly and her heart was still with her grandfather as she looked at the screen of her laptop with various search results and the way David paused for every sentence made her a bit irritated.
Did he just call to chat? I'm in no mood for a chat now!
"Talia... I..."
"I'm busy now. Let's talk later," without even expecting his reply, Talia disconnected the call and immediately dialled Dr. Garret.
Dr. Garret now have confirmed this is the infamous granddaughter of Brunton, accepted the call immediately after showing his phone to Jerome.
Jerome gestured the doctor to sit beside him and put the call on speaker mode and the doctor obliged to his wishes.
"Can you now tell me what's wrong with my grandfather?"
Talia asked and the doctor explained everything in layman's terms. And from what he said, Talia could infer a kidney transplant would give longevity to her grandfather than doing dialysis.
So be it!
"Dr. Garret, send me the list of tests I need to take to donate my kidney. I'll check with a doctor here and after confirming the compatibility, I'll come there for the surgery. Arrange everything as soon as possible."
She spoke surely as a command and Dr. Garret could see Jerome shaking his head and waving his hand completely opposed to this proposal by her that seemed absurd for him.
Even Dr. Garret was surprised by someone readily giving away their kidney for someone. Although she is family, as a doctor, he has seen many people refusing to help even their younger sibling much less their older grandparent who might or might not handle the surgery at their advanced age.
"Miss. Brunton, I can assume your kidney will be compatible with Mr. Brunton's"
As he was speaking Dr. Garret felt a chill in his spine and he saw Jerome's eyes cold as an iceberg.
Heavens! It's not like I'm accepting her command! Why is that both of them this imposing?
"But..." Dr. Garret cleared his throat and continued and explained the complications of putting Jerome under knife at this age.
"You wouldn't know if you didn't try. My grandfather might belong to the percentage who survived after the surgery. Why is that you are being pessimistic, Dr. Garret?" Talia refused to back off. She could hear some noise through the line and could figure out the other end is in speaker mode and so her grandfather should be the one refusing.
Seeing Talia not backing off, Dr. Garret then explained the scary complications of organ donations and also added by listening to Jerome that people who are on other medications cannot donate.
"But it doesn't say so in the internet! And I'm not obese and I don't have any underlying physical conditions so there won't be any problem. "
Talia refused to back off and Jerome's fierce glare intensified making Dr. Garret nervous.
"Miss. Brunton, you are so young and yet to start a family. Kidney donation may cause serious complications during pregnancy like gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia..."
Before Talia could speak, she could hear her grandfather's voice on the other end.
"Pre-eclampsia?"
Talia could hear the shock and pain in his voice through the phone. And then she remembered, her grandmother died of pre-eclampsia in those days with not so good medical developments.
It's not like she is already having a man by her side and ready to make babies. Although Arthur's face flashed in her mind when the doctor talked about starting a family. But that's not important now. What's more important is that she cannot attend another funeral. She hated funerals.
And medicine have developed a lot these days and not every woman who donated kidney will have pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy. But she knew now her grandfather never allow her to donate her kidney.
She in her own thoughts, didn't hear the door opening and she didn't realise the tall figure silently listening from the side.
"No, Mary-Ann! I forbid you to donate kidney, ever!"
"You cannot forbid me, grandpa! I'm no child! I'm a grown woman. I'd donate whatever I want. In fact Dr. Garret you can also take my heart for my..."
"Mary-Ann!!!"
Her grandfather's growl was heard in the other side, followed by his coughing triggered by his anger.
'What is this child saying? She has one heart and the only way one's heart will be donated is when they....' Jerome could not even think far. He'd die before making this young child suffer.
"Grandpa, If you are not accepting a transplant surgery, I'm not willing to come and see you. "
Why should I go back to watch him die?
Talia spoke in a soft tone but her unwavering tone conveyed the determination in her heart.
Before she could hear from the other side, Talia felt a gentle hand wrapping around her shoulder while another hand softly grabbing the phone from her hand.
Arthur who was listening from outside her room saw her enthusiasm in donating for her grandfather and he knew her grandfather would be extremely opposed to it. He refused transplants for some reason and refused to change his decision. Honestly, maybe stubbornness just runs in the family.
Arthur knew if those two continued talking, they'd end up in a verbal war and she might actually anger her grandfather and might inadvertently cause a heart attack which would be a terrifying outcome no one would like to happen. So he decided to take over.
"Sir, let's discuss about this later," Arthur spoke politely all the while rubbing Talia's head and she felt it to be soothing oddly.
"Artie! You're with her!" Jerome's excited voice came from the other side.
"You are staying with her?"
"Yes, sir" Arthur answered and sat by Talia's side and kissed her head since he felt like it.
"She accepted you? Well... I knew it! She always loved you. Now, be a man and get her pregnant! You know if you want a woman to stay with you, you get her pregnant! And I want to see my great-grandchild. Also that would stop her from getting weird ideas like transplants and whatnot. See how a child could change everything..."
Jerome went on and Dr. Garret by his side cringed a bit by this old man's ideas. Which century does he belong to?
Arthur couldn't even interject the over enthusiastic elder. Its not like he doesn't want to have children with her. It would be all perfect if she wants a child with him. Otherwise what should he do? Force her? There is no other way to break their relationship for good other than him forcing her.
"Sir... Sir..." he tried to stop Jerome but he was already going on about naming his great-grandchild.
Isn't he counting his chickens before they hatch?
"Sir! I'll call you later," he spoke in a little loud tone to interject the happy elder in his own fantasy world with his triplet grandchildren named after his wife, his grandfather and him.
"Okay.. Okay... What time is it there...? Get to business. I won't interrupt your good times. You know what Artie, I don't mind you returning with my great-grandchildren," Jerome laughed in glee before ending the call and Arthur felt his scalp go numb imagining that old man who always looked like those stone statue of the guys sitting on horses, with a childish smile in his face.
Whew! It would be terrible!
Arthur placed the phone on the nightstand and hugged Talia close. Talia on the other hand was in deep thoughts and knew her grandfather wouldn't accept her kidney and became broken hearted.
"Can't a King like you find a kidney for him? Did you try in the black markets?" Talia leaned on his strong shoulders and asked.
Arthur sighed looking at the despaired figure with her hair covering her entire face and sighed.
"We tried and found one but then he passed it on to a teenager saying he doesn't need it. He said that no matter how many times we arrange for his transplant surgery, he'd pass it. We don't know what to do. Even Sebastian is feeling helpless," Arthur said as he gently caressed her hair and it seemed slightly wet.
'She didn't dry her hair for this long?' he got a bit angry at her for not taking care of her health.
So grandpa is doing this to get me back? Well, I'm not going to!
" Ah, Sebastian... How is he? " Talia looked at Arthur and there was a slight smile in her eyes. Sebastian is their family's butler as long as she remembered and her grandfather considered him as a friend even though he'd be embarrassed to be treated as a friend when he was a butler in their mansion. Sebastian was like another grandfather to her. A kind and gentle one.
" Apart from your grandpa's health issue, Sebastian is exhilarated. His grandson recently had twin girls and he is fluttering around like a butterfly. It is pretty funny to watch him always walking with a skip in his step at his age."
Arthur spoke with a chuckle as he got up and Talia smiled looking at Arthur as she could imagine that little chubby bald grandpa walking around humming happy tunes with a skip in his steps.
Suddenly she felt being lifted up as Arthur picked her up from the bed.
" What are you doing? "
Talia didn't expect that and she yelped.