The Body Thief (32 page)

Rohan closed his eyes and his shoulders
slumped. Slowly, he shook his head. Sam’s hand came up against her
mouth in an effort to hold back her shock.

“Oh, Rohan! Don’t tell me…”

“He didn’t make it, Sam. The doctors came
out a little while ago and told us. The bleed was left unchecked
for too long. There was nothing they could do.”

“Where’s your mom?” she asked quietly.

“She’s still in the waiting room with the
doctors. They asked us to consider organ donation.”

For the second time, Sam gasped and this
time she didn’t know what to say. After all that had happened with
her brother, having to contemplate donating his father’s organs
must be the last thing Rohan wanted to do. She understood why she’d
found him by himself, near the elevators.

“You don’t have to say anything, Samantha. I
know how you feel about it and that’s okay. Your mom’s facing
certain death if she doesn’t get a transplant. I get how important
organ donation is to you and your family.”

“It
is
important to me. I won’t
pretend it isn’t, but if there was a worst day to consider the
question seriously, today is probably it. My brother…” She shrugged
helplessly, unable to find the words. “All I ask is that you think
about how you felt about organ donation last month, last year…
Don’t base your decision on my brother and his actions. He… I don’t
know what he was thinking or why he went so far off course, but
there are so many other wonderful, dedicated medical staff working
in this area who make such a difference to people’s lives.” She
paused and then asked softly, “How did your father feel?”

He stared at her, his expression
inscrutable. “My father was a supporter of organ donation. Mom’s
going to consent to the recovery.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh, my goodness!
Are you sure?” She gazed up at him, searching his face for the
truth.

His eyes filled with tears, but his nod was
firm in response. “Yes. Mom told me tonight Dad was a registered
organ donor. I never knew. We talked about it. Mom’s sure it’s what
Dad would have wanted. He was the first to offer help to a friend,
or even to a stranger. If donating his organs can help someone
else, she’s certain she has his blessing.”

He dragged in a breath and continued.
“During the course of the investigation, I spoke to a lot of people
involved in the industry and I’m also convinced it’s the right
thing to do.”

Sam put her arms around him and hugged him
close. She was relieved to feel him relax against her. Resting his
chin on the top of her head, he sighed heavily. His arms tightened
around her—like he never wanted to let her go. She was content to
stay there for as long as he needed her.

So much had happened in such a short time.
She’d started the day on top of the world and had quickly come
crashing down. Phillip’s death had shocked and saddened her, but
discovering what her brother had done to him and countless others
had rocked her to the core. She could only imagine the distress
Alistair would no doubt cause to the grieving relatives when the
news got out. And through all that, a little voice in her head
reminded her that his actions had also saved many others.

That the increased number of people who’d
received lifesaving transplants was a direct result of what
Alistair had done, couldn’t be discounted. It didn’t mean she
condoned his actions, but neither would she judge him. Their mother
was one of the very people needing such a lifesaving gift.

How would Sam have felt if one of the
harvested organs had been a match? Would it have mattered that the
organ had been obtained illegally or did saving her mother’s life
trump everything? Sam didn’t know where the answer and the truth
was, and for now, she preferred it that way.

Eventually, Rohan’s hold loosened and he
lifted his head. “I need to go and be with Mom.”

Sam nodded and let him go. She went to step
away, but he reached for her hand. “Will you come with me when I
say good-bye?”

Her breath caught in her throat. She blinked
back a surge of tears. Squeezing his hand, she nodded. “Of
course.”

Hours later, surrounded by extended family,
Rohan and his mom took their time to say good-bye to a man they
obviously loved and held in high esteem. Sam didn’t have to meet
Bill Coleridge to know he’d been a great man. Though she kept in
the background, the love in the room was overwhelming and the
support Rohan showed his mom touched Sam like nothing else
could.

Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her
skirt and she surreptitiously glanced at the screen. It was Ava. A
wave of concern washed over Sam and she quietly removed herself
from the group. Moving out of the room, she quickly answered the
call.

“Ava, what is it? Is Mom okay?”

“She got the call, Sam! Mom finally got the
call!”

Sam frowned in confusion. “What are you
talking about?”

“The transplant unit at the hospital! They
think they’ve found a donor kidney!”

“Oh, my goodness!” Sam gasped in disbelief,
her heart pounding like a hammer against her chest. “Are you
sure?”

“Yes! I was sitting right next to Mom when
she answered the phone! It’s real, Sam and it’s happening! After
all these years, it’s finally happening!”

Sam heard the happiness and relief in Ava’s
voice and blinked back tears as she listened. She was in as much
shock as Ava was. She only wished she could call Alistair and let
him know the good news. He’d devoted his life to saving others,
including their mother. The day had finally arrived when she was to
be given another chance at life and he was locked up in a jail
cell, awaiting a fate that was as yet unknown.

“Where are you taking her?”

“They’re going to prep her for surgery at
Westmead. The donor kidney is apparently already on its way. We
have to get there as soon as possible. Mom’s in the car. I’ve
thrown a bag together for her and I’ll be leaving just as soon as
I’ve locked up. How long will it take for you to meet us
there?”

“Give me an hour. I’ll explain to Rohan
what’s happened. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Okay, sis. Drive safely. Oh, my goodness, I
can’t believe it’s finally happening!”

Dear Diary,

I can’t help but wonder as I lie on my
uncomfortable prison bed, smelling of body odor and sweat, whether
I would have done anything differently if I’d known I’d be caught
and tried. Would I have done it at all?

I might have quit sooner or gotten better at
covering my tracks… I’ll never know because I was outsmarted by a
cop and betrayed by my sister—between the two of them, my choices
were taken away.

I lie here and think about all the lives I
have saved. I helped the lame walk again; I helped blind people
see. I breathed new life into people who were facing certain death
and I couldn’t have done any of it without the sacrifice of the
dead.

But in the end,
I
was the
sacrifice. I gave my life, my freedom, my everything and I did it
all for them.

Or did I…?

* * *

Sam wasn’t at work when the police attended
the Glebe Morgue to arrest Richard Davis. She was sitting beside
her mother’s hospital bed in the ICU, waiting for her to wake up. A
television near the nurses’ station was on low and she looked up at
the screen in time to see her boss being led away by the police. A
suit jacket tossed over his face concealed his expression, but
reflected light from the news cameramen glinted off shiny, metal
handcuffs. Sam stifled a gasp of shock, even though the scene
didn’t come as a surprise. The argument she’d partially witnessed
between her brother and her boss had made it all too clear.

She shook her head, overwhelmed by the
tragedy of it. Two brilliant men, kind and compassionate, had
succumbed to the dark side and she wasn’t even sure what had
motivated them. No doubt it would be revealed in time as the whole
sordid mess played out in the courts and in the media. She
shuddered at the thought. Catching a movement out of the corner of
her eye, she saw Rohan walking toward her. She offered him a weak
smile.

“How is she?” he asked quietly, coming to a
halt beside her mother’s bed.

Sam lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug.
“The doctors are happy with how it all went. Now it’s a waiting
game. They’ll keep her in the ICU for the next several days until
they know the kidney’s going to take. Rejection’s more likely to
happen during that time. She’s taking a cocktail of
immunosuppression drugs to aid in her body’s acceptance, but of
course, there’s no guarantee.”

Rohan nodded and his attention turned to
Sam. “How are
you
?”

The concern and compassion in his eyes was
enough to undo her. Tears welled up and she stifled a sob, but the
stress and anxiety of the past few days had finally caught up.
Another sob escaped, followed quickly by more. Tenderly, Rohan drew
her into his arms and she leaned into him, grateful for his support
and the comfort only he could give.

He stroked her back and held her close and
whispered soft, soothing words against her hair. She cried quietly
against his shirt. A long while later, she lifted her head and gave
him a shaky smile.

“I got your shirt wet.” She hiccupped and
drew a deep breath.

“I have plenty of others.”

She tightened her arms about his waist and
once again rested her head against his chest. His heart beat slow
and steady and strong beneath her ear and made her feel safe and
secure and loved. She never wanted to leave. As if he could read
her mind, Rohan loosened his arms and tilted her chin up with his
fingers. His head came down and his lips found hers. The sweetness
of his kiss brought forth another rush of tears.

“I love you, Samantha Wolfe.”

She stared up at him. “I love you, too,
Rohan Coleridge.”

He kissed her again and Sam responded with
all the love in her heart. It was a kiss filled with gentleness,
kindness and compassion. It acknowledged wrongs and it offered
forgiveness and it promised a bright new start.

Rohan pulled over next to the curb outside
Samantha’s apartment building and swallowed the bundle of nerves
that threatened to block his throat. Wishing he’d bought a bottle
of water to ease the dryness in his mouth, he felt around in the
pocket of his jeans. His fingers closed around the jewelers’s box
and relief surged through him.
It was still there.
The
thought was immediately followed by another rush of nerves.

Samantha’s mom had undergone her transplant
a month ago and from all reports, she was doing fine. Tonight, Sam
had invited her family around to celebrate the milestone.
While Rohan had met Enid in the hospital, he had
yet to be introduced to the remaining two siblings who made up the
Wolfe family. The thought of meeting the sisters of Alistair Wolfe
only added to his nerves. While Samantha had shown remarkable
understanding and had accepted Rohan was only doing his job, he had
yet to see if the remaining Wolfe children would be as
forgiving.

Knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer,
he grabbed the six-pack of beer on the seat and collected the
bottle of wine. Samantha had told him her mom adored a glass of
Merlot at night and although she now limited herself to one or two
glasses a week, it was a habit she still indulged.

With the wine in one hand and the six-pack
in the other, he made his way into the building’s foyer and up the
short flight of stairs. With the back of his knuckles, he knocked
on Samantha’s door. It was opened almost immediately and she stood
before him, gorgeous in crimson silk. It floated around her body
like a living thing and set off her olive skin. Her black hair was
loose and curled around her lovely face.

“Rohan!” she exclaimed with a smile and
threw her arms around his neck. He stood a little awkwardly with
the alcohol in his hands and tried to maintain his balance.

“I’m sorry.” She laughed and pulled away. “I
almost bowled you over!”

“Oh, you bowled me over, all right. You
bowled me over the moment I saw you again.” He grinned and set the
bottles on the floor and swept her into his arms. Unmindful of
smudging her ruby-red lipstick, he kissed her thoroughly before
setting her aside.

“That’s a lovely way to say hello.” She
laughed a little breathlessly. “Come in and meet the rest of my
family.”

Rohan collected the bottles off the floor
and then Samantha took him by the arm. Depositing the beer on a
nearby counter, he followed her into the living room. He’d expected
a crowd, but there were only two other couples, along with Hannah
Langdon and Enid. Sam’s mother sat alone, a little ways apart from
the others in pride of place in a large armchair.

”Sam, can you help me with something in the
kitchen?”

The question had come from one of the women
who looked so much like Sam she had to be her sister. Sam flashed
him a quick smile of apology and turned away. Rohan moved toward
Enid and she smiled and waved him over when she saw him.

“Rohan! How lovely to see you again!” she
cried, reaching out to him.

Rohan stepped forward and took her hand and
then leaned in close to press a kiss against her cheek. “You’re
looking great, Enid. It’s fantastic to see you.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand. “I feel
like a new woman. I never imagined a donor kidney could make me
feel so good. The doctors are pleased with my progress. So far,
there haven’t been any signs of rejection.”

“That’s great news!” Rohan replied,
genuinely relieved. Samantha’s mother and her family had been
through enough over the past little while, and it wasn’t over yet,
not by a long shot.