Chapter 12: Donor File

Hannah's photos came in at noon, one after another, while Kate and I sat at her kitchen counter with untouched coffee.

I opened the first one on my phone.

It was the manila folder from the safe, lying open on my parents' bed.

My sister had written under it: Mom went to church. I had twenty minutes. Don't be mad I opened it.

Kate leaned in beside me and I zoomed the picture.

The label on the folder read M.K. Donor File.

My mouth went dry.

The next photo was a lab report with a hospital letterhead and my name at the top.

Under it, in neat boxes, were blood type, tissue match scores and a line in bold.

Compatible living kidney donor. Match: 6 of 6. Only family match identified.

Underneath, in a doctor's careful hand, someone had written: Recipient T. Kettering. Donor M. Kettering. Candidate cleared pending consent.

I read it three times.

"Your annual physical," Kate said quietly.

"My mother booked it. Last month."

"She picked up the results herself."

"I thought she was being kind."

Kate put her hand over mine on the counter and didn't speak.

The third photo was a sheet of lined paper in my mother's handwriting.

I knew every loop of those letters. She had written my school permission slips with them.

I read it out loud, slowly, because I wanted to hear every word in the air.

"October fifteenth. Move the engagement party to Trevor."

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