Ryan
It was a Monday, almost six weeks after Mira’s mom was just settling into the hospital, and we had reached our three-month anniversary. We were at the halfway point in our stay in the reality show, and it was starting to feel more like real life and less like TV to me. Things between Mira and I had been going really well. We slept in the same bed every night, we had hot raging sex all the time, and we didn’t bicker or fight about anything. Our days were spent visiting Carolyn in the hospital, doing our planned date nights, and spending time just relaxing together at our temporary home. We had cooked some great meals, watched some amazing movies, and had some good, in-depth talks. I was starting to feel like I really knew Mira and I was letting her into a part of my life that I hadn’t ever let anyone access before. It wasn’t scary though, it just felt right.
Carolyn was doing about the same, except she had forced them to cut back on her pain medication. She got tired of being a zombie and was getting antsy looking at the four walls of her hospital room. We tried to do things to take her mind off it, like strolls through the hospital grounds, board games and reading books to her, but I could understand why she was struggling with it. We’d received word just this morning that she was to be transferred to a hospice facility in the next few days. Her doctor had managed to keep her at the hospital two weeks longer than he’d thought he’d be able to, but even he wasn’t able to keep her there now. A donor hadn’t been found, though there had been a couple close calls, but they turned out to be incompatible. I could see the frustration on Mira’s face every time the subject came up.
I was hoping that I could help the situation all around, though. I’d been working on a surprise for Carolyn and Mira that I knew would really brighten their moods. I still had a couple of loose ends to tie up, but I was pretty sure I would be able to tell them about it later that day. I hadn’t ever been that excited about anything before, and it really wouldn’t do anything positive for me at all, but it would be a lifesaver for Carolyn and Mira. I just hoped that they took the news with the enthusiasm I felt about it, otherwise it might be a bit of a letdown.
“You go on up to your mom’s room,” I said, standing in the lobby of the hospital. “I just have something I have to take care of really fast.”
“Okay,” she said suspiciously. “Are you okay?”
“Better than okay,” I smiled, kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll be up in a little while.”
“All right,” she said, getting into the elevator. “Don’t forget that Scrabble game we have scheduled for later.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said, waving.
When the elevator doors were closed, I walked through the halls of the hospital down to the surgery center. I checked in at the desk and waited for them to call me back. I had been working with Carolyn’s general surgeon for a couple of weeks on the sly. Mira didn’t know, and Harrison agreed to stay away from those times altogether.
“Mr. Ryan,” the surgeon called from the doorway. “Come on back.”
I nodded and followed the doctor down to his office. I sat down, waiting for him to pull out my file. He opened it up and read for a couple of seconds before looking up at me.
“So, the final results came back as a match,” he said. “You are eligible to donate one of your kidneys to Ms. Dixon.”
“I knew it! That is fantastic news,” I said, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
“We can schedule the surgery as soon as Friday,” he said, closing the file. “Now, before we do that though, obviously we’ll want to talk to the patient, but I want to go over just a couple of things with you. There isn’t a lot of difference in how you will function with just one kidney, though we recommend a healthy low-fat diet, exercise, of course, and regular check-ups. The surgery can be a bit painful afterward, and some bed rest will be necessary in order to recover fully.”
“Understood,” I said, nodding my head.
“I just want to be sure that this is absolutely something you want to do,” he said.
“One hundred percent sure.” There really wasn’t a doubt in my mind.
“All right, then let’s go down and tell Ms. Dixon the excellent news,” he said.
Arriving at Carolyn’s hospital room, we entered together, looking over at Mira as she stood up and frowned, glancing back and forth between the two of us. The doctor looked at Carolyn’s chart and I walked over next to Mira, reaching down and taking her hand.
“Well, we have some good news,” the doctor said. “We have found you a kidney.”
“What?” Carolyn said, reaching for Mira’s hand, both of them immediately breaking into tears. “From the transplant list? But I—”
“No. Actually, it’s a private donor,” the surgeon said.
“Who?” Mira asked, pulling her brows together.
“Mr. Carson,” the doctor replied, looking over at me.
“Oh my God,” Carolyn said, covering her mouth. She started sobbing.
Mira looked at me, tear-filled eyes wide with curiosity and gratitude. I smiled at her and could feel the burn of tears threatening. I really wanted to do this for both of them.
“Are you sure, Ryan?” Carolyn asked, reaching for my hand.
“I’ve never been surer about anything,” I said, taking her hand and holding it between mine. “I want you to have that second chance at life. Besides, this way, you can never get rid of me.”
“Like I would want to,” she laughed. “Thank you. So much. I don’t even know what to say. You are the answer to my prayers.”
“Thank you,” Mira said, clearly still in shock. “Thank you so much.”
We spent the next couple of hours going over the details. Finalizing the date, getting the information on pre- and post-op surgery, and just settling into the idea that this was all really going to happen on Friday. I could see the hope and life in Carolyn’s face just flood back to her, and honestly it was the most powerful feeling I had ever experienced. When we left that night, it was a joyous parting full of happiness and hugs. Euphoric, but exhausted, we went home on a really strong note.
During dinner back at the house, Mira sat quietly with a little smile on her face. I knew she wanted to say something but didn’t quite know what it was. The phone rang, and I put it on speaker, knowing it was no one other than Evelyn, since she was the only person who called the house phone.
“Hello, my lovelies,” she said.
“Hey,” I replied. “We’ve got you on speaker.”
“Good,” she sighed. “So, the show is going great, and they just called me to tell me about the surgery on Friday. That is fantastic, but I need you to do something for me. I need drama. That’s just the meat and potatoes of it all. I need some material that will bring in the ratings, and nothing does that better than some really good drama.”
“But things are going so well for the both of us,” I said, with irritation. “You want us to just muster up some bullshit to make people want to watch more?”
“Unfortunately, carnage sells, which is why news stations have the highest ratings in TV,” she said. “Harrison, I want you to turn on the cameras.”
Harrison looked up at the phone and sighed, flipping on the switch. “It’s a go, ma’am.”
“Good,” she said. “Now, I want to ask the two of you a very serious question. Do you love each other?”
“Gosh, I mean that’s a really private question,” Mira said, shaking her head. “It’s not really pertinent is it?”
“I agree,” I replied. “I think that is something she and I should discuss before blabbing it all over the world.”
“I understand that this might be an unnatural way to come about it,” she said. “But for the sake of your places there in that house, I think you should answer. Honestly, of course.”
Mira looked down at her plate, disappointment in her eyes. I understood it though, it wasn’t quite the way I wanted to tell someone my feelings. It was uncomfortable, and the first time in a while that I actually noticed the cameras again.
“How do you feel?” Mira asked, looking up at me.
“Uh, how do you feel?” I replied.
“I asked you first,” she said. “If we are going to do this all the way, I suppose she is right, we should talk to each other.”
“I still think this is a conversation better left in private,” I chuckled, uncomfortably.
“Why can’t you just answer the question?” she asked.
“Because it’s not the time nor the place,” I replied, putting down my fork. “And definitely not with cameras shoved in my face like this.”
“They have been here this entire time,” Mira said, obviously getting upset. “That hasn’t stopped any show of emotion. I don’t understand why this is different. You have held back and held back since day one, and I don’t want to hear it’s because you’re a man of few words. You are capable of talking, I have seen it. I just wish you would open up and talk about your feelings for once. Screw the cameras, just talk to me.”
“Why are you pressuring me on this?” I asked, standing up from the table and taking my plate to the sink. “We still have months left in this house and there is no reason to just go blurting out feelings on a whim because the network wants us to. They should be thought about carefully, and reserved for intimate moments, not discussed like the shopping list at the kitchen table.”
“You’re skirting the issue,” Mira replied, throwing her napkin on her plate. “Just as you always end up doing, you skirt around talking about the important stuff. I have noticed, I’m not blind. I get half of you, half of the stories, half of the explanations. Unless your best friend is here, he has no problem airing all your dirty laundry out.”
“Of course, you have to bring that back up,” I sighed. “I thought you had finally let that go.”
“It’s just an example,” she snipped. “An example of how everyone around you is open, but you keep yourself in this closed-off bubble. Well, it’s no way to have a marriage.”
“Right,” I scoffed, wanting to say it but keeping my mouth shut.
She swung her head in my direction, as if she knew exactly what I was going to say. Her eyes began to water, and her face got red, but she held it back, balling her hands into fists at her sides. She grabbed her purse on the counter and walked to the hallway.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m going to bed, in the guest room. Away from you,” she snorted, before stomping down the hall and out of sight.
I groaned and leaned against the counter, running my hands through my hair. I looked down at the phone where Evelyn was still sitting, absolutely silent. I walked over and leaned in.
“There’s your drama. I hope you’re happy. Nobody else is.”
I hit the button and hung up the phone, turning away from the camera and heading to bed.