Page 112 of Don't Go
I sat with them for some hours.
I came home that evening to Cade on my couch.
He had let himself in with the key he had had since I had moved into the apartment, and he was on my couch with two beers on my coffee table.
"Cade."
"Beau."
He held one of the beers out to me.
I took it and sat down on the couch beside him.
"I heard about what happened. The company kept me informed. You’re doing the right thing now. It doesn't undo what you did, but you are doing the right thing."
"I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Tell me what happened from the top.”
I told him everything — the directive, Simon and his son, and Lily — everything. A moment passed, and then he looked at me as if he'd already known I was in love.
“I wanted to take all her burdens and make it mine, Cade. She’s gone through enough."
He turned to me and said, "I get it. It’s a risk to do it without the board’s acknowledgment, but you’re doing the best you think of, and what you did is something I admire about you.”
We stayed silent for a few minutes.
He continued, “By the way, Mom asks how you are. I told her you are working and all, and she knows what that means."
We drank until the cans ran dry, and Cade left.
The next morning, I went to Langone Health again.
Lily’s mother was waiting for me in the family room.
She was alone.
"My husband and I talked last night. We have been holding her because we didn't know how to let her go. We are going to sign the papers today. We want her to be the reason another child gets to live. Please make sure he gets it. The boy."
"Thank you. I really appreciate you two for the decisions you two have taken. It wasn't easy. I’ll ensure Dylan gets it."
"Will you be there with us when we sign?"
"If you want me to be."
"Please."
I stayed.
The father came.
The papers were brought in. The hospital coordinator explained each one. The mother signed three papers. She signed each one in the same careful hand.
The last paper was the consent for organ recovery. Her hand was shaking.
I placed my hand over hers and held it while she signed.
That afternoon, I drove the Kesslers to the airport.
