Tess Gerritsen - Harvest

"He could be getting that heart right now," she said. Vivian was standing by the tray table of Joshua's trophies. She picked up the Cub Scout ribbon. Pinewood Derby, third grade. "He could've gone to the OR this morning. Had the transplant by ten o'clock. If we lose him, it's your fault, Aaron."Vivian looked at Aaron Levi, whose pen had frozen in the midst of signing the code sheet.

"Dr. Chao," said Aaron quietly. "Would you care to talk about this in private?"

"I don't care who's listening!The match is perfect.! wanted Josh on the table this morning. But you wouldn't give me a decision. You just delayed. And delayed. And fucking delayed." She took a deep breath and looked down at the award ribbon she was holding. '! don't know what the hell you think you're doing. Any of you."

"Until you calm down, I'm not going to discuss this with you," said Aaron. He turned and walked out.

"You are.You are going to," said Vivian, following him out of the cubicle.

Through the open doorway, Abby could hear Vivian's pursuit of Aaron across the MICU. Her angry questions. Her demands for an explanation.

Abby bent down and picked up the Pinewood Derby ribbon that Vivian had dropped on the floor. It was green — not a winner's ribbon, but merely an honourable mention for the hours spent labouring over a small block of wood, sanding it, painting it, greasing the axles, pounding in the lead fishing weights to make it tumble faster. All that effort must be rewarded. Little boys need their tender egos soothed.

Vivian came back into the cubicle. She was white-faced, silent. She stood at the foot of Josh's bed, staring down at the boy, watching his chest rise and fall with each whoosh of the ventilator.

"I'm transferring him," she said.

"What?" Abby looked at her in disbelief. "Where?"

"Massachusetts General. Transplant Service. Get Josh ready for the ambulance. I'm going to make the calls."

The two nurses didn't move. They were staring at Vivian. Hannah protested, "He's ha no condition to be moved."

"If he stays here, we're going to lose him," said Vivian. ' We are going to lose him. Are you willing to let that happen?"

Hannah looked down, at the frail chest rising and falling beneath her washcloth. "No," she said. "No. I want him to live."

"Ivan Tarasoft was my professor at Harvard Med," said Vivian. "He's head of their transplant team. If our team won't do it, then Tarasoffwill."

"Even if Josh survives the transfer," said Abby, 'he still needs a donor heart."

"Then we'll have to get him one." Vivian looked straight at Abby. "Karen Terrio's."

That's when Abby understood exactly what she had to do. She nodded. "I'll talk to Joe Terrio now."

"It has to be in writing. Make sure he signs it."

"What about the harvest? We can't use the Bayside team."

"Tarasoft likes to send his own man for the harvest. We'll assist. We'll even deliver to his doorstep. There can't be any delay. We have to do it fast, before anyone here can stop us."

"Wait a minute," said the other nurse. "You can't authorize a transfer to Mass Gen."

"Yes I can," saidVivian. "Josh O" Day is on teaching service. Which means the Chief Residents are in charge. I'll take full responsibility. Just follow my orders and get him ready for ambulance transfer."

"Absolutely, Dr. Chao," said Hannah. "In fact, I'll ride with him."

"You do that." Vivian looked at Abby. "OK, DiMatteo," she snapped. "Go get us a heart."

Ninety minutes later, Abby was scrubbing in. She completed her final rinse and, elbows bent, backed through the swinging door into OR 3.

The donor lay on the table, her pale body washed in fluorescent light. A nurse-anaesthetist was changing IV bottles. No need for anaesthesia on this patient; Karen Terrio could feel no pain.

Vivian, gowned and gloved, stood at one side of the table. Dr. Lima kidney surgeon, stood on the other. Abby had worked with Lim on previous cases. A man of few words, he was known for his swift, silent work.

"Signed and sealed?" asked Vivian.

"In triplicate. It's in the chart." She herself had typed up the directed-donation consent, a statement specifying that Karen Terrio's heart be given to Josh O" Day, age seventeen.

It was the boy's age that had swayed JoeTerrio. He'd been sitting at his wife's bedside, holding her hand, and had listened to silence as Abby told him about a seventeen-year-old boy who loved baseball. Without saying a word, Joe had signed the paper.

And then he'd kissed his wife goodbye.

Abby was helped into a sterile gown and size six and a half gloves. "Who's doing the harvest?" she asked.

"Dr. Frobisher, from Tarasoff's team. I've worked with him before,"

said Vivian. "He's on his way now."

"Any word about Josh?"

"Tarasoft called ten minutes ago. They've got his blood typed and crossed and an OR cleared. They're standing by." She looked down impatiently at KarenTerrio. "Jesus, I could do the heart myself. Where the hell's Frobisher?"

They waited. Ten minutes, fifteen. The intercom buzzed with a call from Tarasoft at Mass Gert. Was the harvest proceeding? "Not yet," said Vivian. "Any minute now."

Again the intercom buzzed. "Dr. Frobisher's arrived," said the nurse. "He's scrubbing now."

Five minutes later, the OR door swung open and Frobisher pushed in, his hefty arms dripping water. "Size nine gloves," he snapped.

At once the atmosphere in the room stretched taut. No one except Vivian had ever worked with Frobisher before, and his fierce expression did not invite any conversation. With silent efficiency, the nurses helped him gown and glove.

He stepped to the table and critically eyed the prepped operative site. "Causing trouble again, Dr. Chao?" he said.

"As usual," saidVivian. She gestured to the others standing at the table. "Dr. Lim will do the kidneys. Dr. DiMatteo and I will assist as needed."

"History on this patient?"

"Head injury. Brain dead, donor forms all signed. She's thirty-four, previously healthy, and her blood's been screened."

He picked up a scalpel and paused over the chest. "Anything else I should know?"

"Not a thing. NEOB confirms it's a perfect match. Trust me."

"I hate it when people tell me that," muttered Frobisher. "OK, let's take a quick look at our heart, make sure it's in good shape. Then we'll move aside and let Dr. Lira do his thing first." He touched the scalpel blade to KarenTerrio's chest. In one swift slice, he cut straight down the centre, exposing the breastbone. "Sternal saw."

The scrub nurse handed him the electric saw. Abby took hold of the retractor. As Frobisher cut through the sternum, Abby couldn't help turning away. She felt vaguely nauseated by the whine of the blade, the smell of bone dust, neither of which seemed to bother Frobisher, whose hands moved with swift skill. In moments he was in the chest cavity, his scalpel poised over the pericardial sac.

Cutting through the sternum had seemed an act of brute force. What lay ahead was a far more delicate task. He slit open the membrane.

At his first glance at the beating heart, he gave a soft murmur of satisfaction. Glancing across at Vivian, he asked: "Opinion, Dr. Chao?"

With almost reverential silence, Vivian reached deep into the chest cavity. She seemed to caress the heart, her fingers stroking the walls, tracing the course of each coronary artery. The organ pulsed vigorously in her hands. "It's beautiful," she said softly. Eyes shining, she looked across at Abby. "It's just the heart for Josh."

The intercom buzzed. A nurse's voice said: "DrTarasoff's on the line."

"Tell him the heart looks free," said Frobisher. "We're just starting the kidney harvest."

"He wants to talk to one of the doctors. He says it's extremely urgent."

Vivian glanced at Abby. "Go ahead and break scrub. Take the call."