Debra Cowan - Witness Undercover

Farther south and east than their destination was Bricktown, a bustling area of downtown that boasted restaurants, a ballpark and the arena for Oklahoma City’s NBA team, the Thunder.

Everything might look mostly the same, but it didn’t feel the same. Thirty minutes after leaving Sundance Airpark, she found herself at OU Medical Center. Griffin whipped his SUV into a parking spot in the lot of the hospital where her father had been admitted.

The temperature here was about the same as it had been in Pueblo and Laura snuggled her face into the collar of her heavy coat. Neither she nor her companion spoke as they rode the elevator to the seventh-floor oncology ward. Even though she didn’t know Griffin, Laura was glad not to be alone. His quiet steadiness helped settle her somewhat.

They got off the elevator and turned left, passing an open family waiting area. Another bank of elevators sat at the opposite end of the long hallway. A second nurse’s station served visitors in that area. Several yards away, Laura hesitated and Griffin stopped beside her.

“Are you nervous?” he asked.

“I— Yes.” She hadn’t faced her father in years. Though she intended to see him—she had come out of WitSec for this—she had no idea what kind of reception she would get.

The area was quiet, the only sounds the occasional beep of machines and the heave of a heater. After asking about Nolan Prentiss’s location, she explained she was a family friend who had been asked to come. In answer, the pretty red-haired nurse at the desk gestured down the hall toward a patient room.

“Mr. Prentiss has already started his conditioning,” the woman explained. “Before you go in, you’ll need to put on this mask and gown.”

“Conditioning?” Laura asked.

“He’s undergoing chemo to kill his bad cells.”

The tap-tap of a pair of heels interrupted them. Laura turned to see her aunt coming down the hall, shedding a mask and gown.

Looking smart in a pink sweater and dark slacks, the older woman rushed toward her and grabbed her in a big hug.

“Thanks for coming,” Joy said thickly, her blue eyes bright with emotion. She lowered her voice. “I didn’t know if I would ever see you again.”

Laura had wondered, too. Tears burned her throat and she returned the embrace.

Joy stepped back. “You look beautiful. Your hair’s grown.”

She put an arm around Laura’s shoulders. “You can see Nolan if you’d like, but he’s heavily drugged and unresponsive.”

“I won’t go inside, but I would like to look in on him.” She peeked inside the room, taking in the hospital bed flanked by an IV bag and a blood-pressure-and-heart monitor. Her gaze went to the man lying motionless under a light blanket.

Her breath caught. Nolan Prentiss, always trim and fit, looked emaciated. His normally ruddy coloring was gray, his blue eyes closed, his brow furrowed as if in pain. He didn’t stir.

Laura sent a questioning glance to her aunt.

“He’s on morphine for pain. He hasn’t been conscious since we arrived earlier, but it’s for the best.”

“What pain?”

“In his back and stomach. His back started hurting about two weeks ago and his oncologist confirmed it was a relapse of the lymphoma. Nolan called me today when the pain became so severe he couldn’t even stand up. I brought him straight here and they admitted him.”

Laura swallowed hard, keeping her voice quiet. “Mr. Devaney said Dad was diagnosed nine months ago for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

“Yes, a type called diffuse large B-cell.”

She had no idea what it was, but it sounded bad. Laura’s stomach knotted. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her father like this. She wanted him to open his eyes and look at her even though her emotions were a mix of love, regret and shame.

Torn between going in or leaving her father in peace, Laura shifted beside her aunt. Nolan’s raven hair had turned completely white. He was frail. For the first time in her life, she thought of her father as something other than strong and unyielding. Life had taken its toll on him, just as it had on her.

“Let’s come back later.” Her aunt closed the door and steered her away.

Devaney fell into step on Joy’s other side. The older woman gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for bringing Laura.”

Griffin smiled, his hard features softening, his blue-green eyes warming.

The change in his face made Laura a little weak in the knees, which completely shocked her. She jerked her gaze away. Oh, please. She was tired. That was why she’d felt that little wobble.

Retracing their steps, they made their way to the waiting area they’d seen when they stepped off the elevator. Among the groupings of chairs, there was a television on the wall. One section of chairs was broken up with a small table and phone in the middle. A long couch sat on the adjacent wall.

People clustered in groups of two or three along the near wall. Laura walked across to the less populated side of the room with her aunt and took a chair. Griffin eased down onto the gray sofa.

Joy dabbed at her damp eyes, lowering her voice. “The person who originally volunteered to be Nolan’s donor is ill. Thank goodness your blood sample was on file with the register. I was tested, too. Siblings have the best chance of having the same HLA molecules, but I wasn’t a match at all.”

“HLA molecules?”

“Antibodies that are proteins in the blood and could interfere with the success of the transplant. There’s only a twenty-five percent chance that I would be a perfect match. The chances are even more slim that the parents or children of a patient will match.”

Laura frowned. “But I’m a match?”

“Yes, praise the Lord.” A determined look crossed Joy’s face. “I’ve been praying that you would be able to help your father and now you are. God doesn’t pay attention to percentages.”

Still shaken by seeing her larger-than-life father in such a feeble state, Laura was hit with a sense of urgency. “What do I need to do? Shouldn’t we get started?”

“You’ll undergo some tests to make sure you’re healthy enough to donate.”

“What kind of tests?”

“Joy?” The red-haired nurse who had directed them earlier appeared in the doorway. Her name tag read Cheryl. “Sorry to interrupt, but I understand this is the visitor you want to be tested.”

“Yes.” Joy introduced Laura. “I told her she would need to be examined.”

Cheryl smiled, her brown eyes warm. “It’s just to make sure you have no issues. Even something that seems as inconsequential as a tooth infection can cause problems. Whenever you’re ready, we can get started.”

Laura recalled her father’s fragile appearance. “I’m ready now. How soon will you know if I’m healthy enough?”

“Pretty quickly. The lab processes donor candidates ASAP in case we need to continue searching for a match.”

Joy squeezed her hand and Laura met her aunt’s sober blue gaze. “I hope this works.”

“I have faith,” Joy said.

Laura should, too.

The nurse walked out and Laura followed with Griffin right behind her. An hour later, she and her bodyguard returned to the waiting area to meet her aunt. Once Laura explained about the tests she’d undergone, Joy patted her hand.

“I imagine you’re exhausted,” the other woman said. “We can visit on the way to my house. I fixed you a room.”

“No,” Griffin said. “She’s coming home with me.”

Laura jolted in surprise. “With you?”

“Yes. The one place I can guarantee your safety is my house.”

Though Laura didn’t like it, he had a point. She turned to her aunt. “He’s right. I don’t want to put you in danger.”