My Mother Traded My Heart For A Headline Chapter 2

I tried to leave, but a lightning bolt of pain shot through my chest, and I doubled over, vomiting a torrent of dark blood.

When I woke again, a crushing weight was on my sternum. Each labored heartbeat felt like ripping through shattered glass.

Through the glass wall of the ICU, I could hear Dr. Ben Carter, Mom’s colleague, speaking in hushed, urgent tones.

“This syncope was a severe acute heart failure exacerbation. His dilated cardiomyopathy… even the most optimistic prognosis gives him less than six months. If he has another acute event like this…”

The door hissed open. My mother walked in, still in her white coat. Fitch, eyes red and puffy, stood nervously in the doorway clutching a bouquet.

“You’re awake?”

My mother stopped by my bedside. Her tone held no concern, only a brittle exhaustion and annoyance.

“I’ve managed to contain the reporters for now, but today’s stunt was extremely damaging. Fitch was surrounded, questioned, and almost had a panic attack.”

I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry.

“Cam, I’m so sorry…” Fitch took a tentative step forward, tears running down his face. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have accepted the surgery. I… I’ll give the heart back…”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” My mother instantly turned, pulling Fitch into a tight, comforting hug. “The surgery was a complete success. You’re recovering beautifully. Don't say such stupid things.”

She rubbed his back with a tender affection I had never once received in my memory.

Then she looked back at me, her expression instantly hardening. “Look at how mature Fitch is. He knows what a rare opportunity he was given, and he cooperates fully with his rehab. He never complains. And you? You created a public scene, embarrassed us all, and made things incredibly difficult for him!”

My father sighed from the doorway. “Cam, your mother’s been through a lot. Try to be considerate…”

“Considerate?” My cardiac monitor shrieked a warning. “I’ve been considerate for twenty-three years! Considerate of your demanding schedules, considerate of your sicker patients, considerate of your public selflessness!”

Dr. Carter rushed in. “Dr. Gilbert, the patient cannot be emotionally agitated!”

My mother ignored him and pressed on, her voice rising. “Do you know how hard Fitch’s life has been? An orphan, pulled himself through college, and even when he was sick, he kept it a secret because he was afraid of bothering anyone! And you? Privileged from birth, never wanting for anything! Just this one time…”

“One time?” I laughed, the tears streaming now. “The first time I was hospitalized with myocarditis, I was ten. You said your department had a critical patient and dumped me on a floor nurse.”

“I passed out in gym class at fifteen. The school nurse recommended a full cardiology workup, and you said studies were more important—we’d do it that summer.”

“I was diagnosed with my heart condition at nineteen, and you said I was young, I’d be fine with medication.” Each word was a new stab of pain in my chest. “But for Fitch, you arranged consultations with the top specialists in the country, a private, VIP room, and the heart I waited three goddamn years for!”

Fitch was sobbing harder. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… Dr. Gilbert, please give the heart to Cam. I… I can wait…”

“Wait for what?” I snapped at him. “Your heart is now functioning almost normally. Wait for what? For me to die so you can feel guilty?”

“Cameron!” My mother’s voice was a sharp command. “How dare you! Fitch has only the best intentions!”

“Intentions?” I fixed my gaze on my mother. “Mom, you are so selfless, so dedicated to your Hippocratic oath, so willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good…”

I sucked in a rattling breath. The pain was making the room spin, but I had to finish.

“Then why didn’t you donate? You were a match, too. You’re his godmother. Giving Fitch your heart would have made you a true martyr. Wouldn't that have been the truly great sacrifice?”