Rebirth

Not my best, I don't think, but I will work on it more. Reviews welcome to help me!

I

t was the nightmare all over again. Nine years had passed and Molly couldn't believe this was still happening. History was repeating itself. Molly didn't know if she could cope with the impending decision – or either outcome. She didn’t even really know Sam that well yet but it might be nice to have a half-brother to share her life with. On the other hand, she’d already lost her husband Frank to a freak accident – or that was what the doctors said it was. It was never a sure thing to begin with, she was told. It didn’t mean she had to believe them. That was why she had dedicated her life for the past nine years to stopping other people making the mistake her trusting husband had made. Surgery should only be available for those who medically needed it, not for other generous people to die in procedures of donating their own organs to save the life of another relative they had never even met. Both hospitals and the doctors in them were her mortal enemies and that was why she had dedicated all her time towards the organisation that had consumed her entire being.

“Bereaved Against Needless Surgery”, or BANS, was the only reason she had to keep going after Frank’s funeral; to prevent other perfectly healthy people from making the same mistake that he did. The protests sent a sort of energy through her, like being struck by lightning, and gave her life a purpose.

“Standing up for something you believe in,” she would tell anyone who showed signs of interest in BANS, “is exhilarating. Some would even say it makes them feel their life has a purpose.” And that was exactly how she felt. She needed a reason to bother with even the tiniest of things, like brushing her teeth or washing her hair. So how could she now betray the organisation that had supported her and kept her going for nine years? If she donated her own kidney now, she would be a complete and utter hypocrite. Would her fellow BANS members accept her decision, or would she be kicked out?

Getting to know a half-brother might be fun. From the little time they had spent together, they had found a lot in common between them. Could she really give that up now, just because of her own prejudices? Could she even bear to sign up for the same surgery that had killed her husband? Although it was technically just one decision she had to make, all these questions were rolling around inside her head. Anyone else, she felt, would be able to make this decision in a flash. She knew what was right. What she didn't know was if she could handle it.

Molly woke with a start. The telephone beside her was ringing. She realised the only person it could be and snatched the phone off its cradle.

“Molly Mitchells.”

“Hi Molly, it’s Dr. Samson here from Grindleby Hospital. I think you’d better come down here as soon as possible. It’s Sam.”

“I’ll be there right away. Thank you for calling. And Doctor?”

“Yes?”

“Will I make it in time?” Her voice faltered.

“I hope so, Molly. I hope so.”

Molly didn’t even really have enough time to think about what she was doing, just grabbed her keys, coat and wallet. Thinking about it in the car, even she didn't know what her question meant. As she pulled into the visitor carpark and parked sideways over three spaces, Molly made a decision. She would do whatever it took to save Sam, even donate her own kidney. As she rushed up the hospital steps, she saw a doctor coming out to tell a smoking woman that her husband hadn’t made it. She knew exactly how that felt. Then something occurred to Molly. If she didn’t make it through the surgery, who would be there to care? Frank was already gone and Sam wouldn’t be able to survive without the kidney she had been donating when she died. She couldn’t stand the thought and ran back, collapsing against her car. She couldn't even bring herself to go into the hospital, let alone be taken into theatre! But Sam would be so disappointed and, even if they did find him a new kidney, would probably never talk to her again anyway. She couldn't bear that.

She bravely walked up the stairs and into the ward, lip quivering. She spoke to the nurse on the desk who, since she was going to be the donor, let her into Sam's room. He was lying there, motionless and the only way Molly could tell he was still alive was the heart monitor, beeping next to him. Sam woke up as Molly entered, so she told him the good news. He didn’t react with ecstasy though, just motioned for the whiteboard and, when she passed it to him, wrote just one letter: ‘Y’. She explained to him her realisations and he accepted them, but as he did, Molly asked herself the same question.

After all, who was she really trying to save? Sam, the one lying in a hospital bed, or herself, from a long, lonely life?