Jenna was buzzing from the moment she hung up the phone. She actually talked to her brother. And, he might be coming to Seattle! With A.J., Trent and Roland away, she had no one to share the news with. She anticipated a more tepid, if not mixed, response from them, so she opted to wait and tell them in person. They were expected at the apartment just before dinner, so she would tell them then.
In the meantime, she capitalized on the adrenaline to tackle some projects she’d been putting off. Final approvals were made for the wedding. She cleared out the refrigerator. She also got a long run in for the first time in two weeks. Jenna then enjoyed a late lunch and lounged around the apartment the rest of the afternoon. She laid on the couch and watch a marathon of home-buying shows.
In the late afternoon, her phone dinged, indicating a text message. She looked at her phone, the first realization in 90 minutes that it was not by her, and sighed. She rose, kept her eyes fixed on the TV and crossed to the counter where her phone was. She held her phone by her side. She waited for a couple to make their decision on a three-bedroom colonial in the Toronto suburbs. She cursed out loud when the show cut to a commercial. She then looked at her phone and her breath stopped.
“I’ll try.”
The simple two-word text took a while to sink in. She was confused for a split second. She did a double-take on the sender and squealed in delight. She was hopping in place as she responded, oblivious to the tears forming in her eyes when she responded.
“Thank you thank you thank you 🙏🙏”
There was no one to share the update with, so she returned to the couch. She was too distracted. She didn't notice the couple chose the semi-detached fixer-up near a vibrant nightlife. Had she been paying attention, she would have been yelling at the TV. "Night life? What about the kids you want and the yard that was so important?!?" As it was, she didn’t register anything on the screen until midway through the next episode. At that point the television was more sedating than entertaining her ahead of the big news she’d have to share.
Trent was the first to enter the apartment, in mid-conversation with A.J. and Roland, who followed.
“When you’re right, you’re right,” he said, before seeing his fiancé. “Jennie,” he called when seeing her. He was obviously still amped from a fun weekend.
Jenna was excited they’d returned and got up from the couch to greet Trent. He quickly met her swept her up with a movie-style spin and kiss.
“You must have had fun,” she said, smiling. “Are you, are you drunk?”
“No,” Trent said, still smiling broadly. “Just had a great time.”
A.J. beamed as the architect of the weekend. He interjected, “There were some surprises, most of which we can tell you about over dinner.”
Jenna smiled widely from her brother to her fiancé.
“Actually,” she said, changing the subject. “I have something to tell you before we eat.”
A.J. and Roland joined Jenna and Trent in the living room area. Roland took a seat in a chair and A.J. sat on the arm. Jenna and Trent lowered themselves to the edge of the couch.
Feeling everyone’s attention on her, Jenna started.
“So, I did a little digging the other day and found Deuce’s number.”
On the mention of that name, the mood in the room went from excited to apprehensive. Roland preemptively put his hand on his husband’s knee for support. Trent shifted in his seat to better see Jenna. He alternated his gaze between his soon-to-be wife and her brother. For his part, A.J. tried to keep the same expression, but there was a distinct tension creeping into his eyes.
Sensing the tension building in the room, and not in a good way, Jenna proceeded.
“I talked to him this morning,” she started. “I told him the situation and he might be coming to Seattle next weekend.”
She realized the relative vagueness of the statement, she continued. “I told him about Derrick and how we have been unable to find a matching donor. The whole call was a lot to take in, understandably, for both of us, but he said he’d try.”
A.J. rose and started pacing the space behind the chair, rubbing his two-day chin stubble. The short hairs provided the perfect amount of resistance as he rubbed his chin in deep thought.
“That’s great,” said Roland, looking from Jenna to A.J. “It’ll likely be awkward, sure, but, for Derrick, it’ll be worth it.”
All eyes were now on A.J., who turned to face the group. He flinched as he was startled by the intensity all three sets of eyes were now trained on him.
“You guys are right, this is good news,” he said, forcing a half-smile. “I think,” he paused, “I think this will be good. And, Jenna, you wanted him at the wedding, so…”
He realized that the last part sounded a little petty. He tried to convince her their estranged brother’s presence would do more harm than good. He was quick to clarify.
“I mean, if he’s going to donate a kidney to save Derrick, our aunts and uncles can be happy or pound sand for all I care.”
“Will you be the one to Aunt Caroline to ‘pound sand?’” Jenna asked, stifling laughter.
“My man will do it for me,” he responded, patting a stunned Roland on the shoulder.
They all laughed.
After a short while, a question lingered in the air.
“Who is going to tell Derrick?” asked Jenna.
An exaggerated exhale caught everyone’s attention and they looked at Trent. He adopted a serious tone as he looked from face to face.
“I think it would be most appropriate," he started. "I think he would be able to process the information best,” he paused ridiculously for effect. “If it came from,” he paused again, “me.”
He nodded his head, performatively, as if to accept the weighty responsibility. Everyone laughed again and thanked him for stepping up. When the kidding died down, A.J. rose and pulled out his phone.
“I think we knew how this was going to go,” he offered in a mock resignation. His expression transitioned more serious and he left the room.
Jenna, Trent and Roland remained seated. The conversation shifted to a light recap of the weekend, while A.J. called Derrick.
The ringing phone woke Derrick. He'd nodded off in the seventh inning of the Seattle Mariners’ 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. When he stirred, the broadcasters were talking to the "Player of the Game." It took him a moment to gather his thoughts and then his phone.
“Hello,” he answered groggily, not bothering to look at the caller ID in advance.
“Hey man,” A.J. started, casually, “did I wake you up?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry about it,” responded Derrick. “Eat, sleep and watch TV. That’s what I do. I’ll make it up later.”
“Well, I was going to joke and say, ‘are you sitting down for this,’ but in light of your mood I’ll cut to the chase.”
“Sorry,” Derrick interjected. “I’m tired and in a shitty mood today. How was the bachelor party?”
A.J. was reminded that his brother was forced to miss the trip and felt bad.
“No, I’m sorry,” he replied. “I was trying to lighten the mood and I have news. The trip was fun, I wish you could’ve made it.”
“Don’t worry about it. What’s up?”
“Well, we have a line on a donor that may be able to do it this weekend?”
“What, really? How is that possible?”
“Had you given any consideration to a natural donor? I mean, someone who might be a perfect fit?”
“Everyone got tested. Did someone from out of town get tested too?” Derrick asked, having quickly dismissed the suggestion of Davis from last week. At this point, his twin brother occupied his typical position—well off Derrick’s radar.
Derrick was now sitting up in bed, wide awake. He was wracking his brain trying to think of all the relatives that had moved out of state. He knew it was not a large list.
“Sort of,” A.J. said. “Jenna tracked down,” he paused and took a deep breath, “Deuce.”
“What?!?”
There was no anger in his voice, but he was beyond surprised. He never considered him a viable option. He’d been so far removed from the family picture, so he was not "front of mind" very often. He’d also occasionally tried finding him online. There was no real digital footprint, so he thought he was either in prison or dead.
“Jenna found him. She talked to him this morning and he said he’d try.”
Derrick was speechless.
“I don’t know much else,” A.J. offered. “I wanted to make sure you knew ASAP.”
“I appreciate it, thanks.”
“I’ll get whatever information I can, and I can stop by before work in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Thanks for calling.”
“Derrick,” he started. “I love you. We all do, and this is really promising news.”
“I know. I love you, too. Say ‘hi’ to everyone for me.”
“Will do.”