I tossed and turned trying to sleep. I rolled over and looked at the clock on the wall. The bright red numbers flashed three in the morning. In five hours, I was going to have a new heart and a second chance at life. I was excited and scared at the same time. What if my body rejects the new heart? What if I die during surgery? I began to panic then a calming feeling swept over my body. What if the surgery goes great? What if I get to live longer than the doctors anticipated? I looked across the room and saw Derek sleeping peacefully. He was hunched over in what appeared to be a very uncomfortable sofa chair. What if I get a chance with him? He’s falling in love with me. The thought of being with Derek made me feel so warm. I couldn’t sit still or even fall asleep for that matter. I needed to go for a walk. I grabbed my soft blue robe off the chair next to the bed and carefully adjusted my IV lines not to yank them out of my hand. I began to push the I.V. stand when one of the wheels squeaked. I froze staring at Derek hoping I didn’t disturb him. He shifted his weight from one side to the other but didn’t wake up. I picked up the stand and carried it out of the door. Once I felt it was safe, I set the stand back on the floor and proceeded through the hallway. I walked up to the nurses station and a young nurse looked up and smiled at me. “Late night walk?” I smiled and nodded. She motioned her hand towards the other corridor, “Please continue but don’t leave the floor.” I nodded in agreement. I walked down the dimly lit hallway. Every room I passed by, I could hear the faint sounds of heart monitors and life support machines. At the end of the hall, there was a room that still had the light on. I walked up to it and in the room, there was an older man sitting up in the bed, reading the newspaper. I was about to turn around when I heard the soft, low voice. “You can’t sleep either, can you young lady?” I whipped my head around and the man was looking at me from above his thick, black rimmed glasses. He waved me into the room pointing to a chair next to his bed. I slowly walked in pulling my noisy sidekick along with me. The man chuckled and pulled hs I.V. stand and his was louder than mine. I let out a laugh. “We have more in common than you think. I’m Bill, the old geezer down the hallway. I have a pacemaker and this little ticker isn’t keeping up with me so I’ll be getting a new one tomorrow morning. What’s your name young lady?” I cleared my throat and replied, “My name is Kate. I have a deteriorating heart that will kill me in less than a month. Good news though, I’m getting a new heart tomorrow.” Bill smiled and gave me a thumbs up. He looked over at a picture of a woman by his bed and said, “Look Bev, Kate is getting a brand spanking new heart.” I smiled and looked at the photo. Bill picked up the silver frame and kissed it. “My Beverly passed away twenty years ago this coming fall. She was my darling. We ran away at seventeen and got married the next year. We had a daughter two years after that. Our sweet Jane. Jane was a bright and happy girl. She could make anyone smile even on their worst days.” Bill reached over and pulled another smaller frame off the table. In the photo was Bill, his wife and their daughter. The picture was taken in the snow. They looked so happy. I glanced up at Bill and his face changed. He wasn’t smiling anymore. “When Jane was three, she got sick. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. We went to every expert there was. Day after day, Jane got worse and worse. Her hair wasn’t as bright red as it used to be. Her green eyes seemed to be fading and her skin was turning yellow.” Bill took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. “The day before our Jane died, the doctors found out that her liver was not functioning properly. They rushed her into surgery and did everything they could. She survived the surgery and when they wheeled our Jane out, she was smiling and chatting up the nurses. She was perfectly fine. We could even see that her green eyes had more color in them. Her skin looked almost pink. Bev never left Jane’s side. We were so grateful that we had our Jane back. The next morning, Jane said she didn’t feel good. She asked if Bev would lay down next to her. She cuddled up next to her mother and that was it. As quick as Jane entered our lives, she exited just as fast. We watched our baby disappear in a matter of moments.” Bill reached for a tissue and cleared his nose. “Doctors told us that Jane's little body just wasn't strong enough to overcome the surgery. Bev was never the same after Jane passed. Then again, what parent would be? We tried our very best to make the most of things. We never forgot about our Jane but we tried to make living with her gone easy. We traveled the world together. We laughed often and we loved deeply. Years went by and we loved going here or there. Then Bev got sick on our way to the Grand Canyon. She had breast cancer; stage four. She didn’t have much time left and she still didn’t get to see the Grand Canyon. A week before she passed, I snuck her out of the hospital and we drove for a couple of hours. Before the sun came up, my dear Bev got to see the Grand Canyon. As weak as she was, she managed to give me the biggest smile that was brighter than that rising sun. So here I am, an old grump of a man, living life to the fullest until I reunite with my love Beverly and my sweet Jane.” I could see a small grin form across Bill’s face. He put his glasses back on and pointed to me. “You’re getting a second chance at life, Kate. Make the most of it. Don’t hold back and never give up. Keep fighting until the end.” He tapped on his chest where his pacemaker was. I smiled and nodded in agreeance. “Thank you for sharing your life with me. I hope this will give me the opportunity to give my son a life like you gave your family.” Bill chuckled. “Take what life gives you and make the best of it. Don’t focus on the negatives but cherish and celebrate the good things in life.” I nodded. A knock on the door made us turn to the door. It was the night nurse. She gave us a look and said, “All right you two. Kate, I think it’s time you went back to your room. You have surgery tomorrow; and as for you Bill. You need your rest.” Bill gave the nurse a thumbs up. “Goodnight Kate. I wish you the best tomorrow and I will see you on the other side.” He gave me a little wink just before I stood up. I shook his hand and replied, “It was wonderful to meet you. Good luck on your surgery tomorrow.”
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