Heart of Gold (Anthony Rizzo)

Twenty Three

Isabella

"Nicholas Carter Wilson" I yell as silence fall over the house. Dang, that usually works. This is the quietest this house has been in years.

Nicholas, Anthony and I were playing hide
and go seek in the house to pass time and I have to admit, Nicky was doing really good. I found Anthony because he tried to hide in the tub but he slipped when I went in there. Once we got done laughing he went to check the first floor and I checked the second floor for the rest of our clan. But as for Nicky, I wouldn't find him. He and Charlie had been hiding for a good ten minutes now. Usually when I use his full name he yells "WHAT" because he thinks he is in trouble. He usually is but I've found him a few times using that trick.

I go into the spare room and look around. Some of Anthony's baseball and extra things from him moving were in the room and we usually don't go in there. I tip toe around everything so if he was in there he wouldn't know I was.

There's a little bark and a "shhhh" and I knew I found him. I stand there and look around and see a pile of clothes in the corner move. I quietly make my way over and stick my hands in the pile.

"Ahhh" he screams and I pick him up. Charlie runs away barking and I throw my brother over my shoulder.

"Found you" I yell and he laughs.

"Down! Put me down" he screams and I do so.

"Hey Izzy, I see you found Houdini. But I wanted to let you know that your phone was going off" Anthony says peaking his head in the room.

"Oh, is it important" I ask.

"I didn't answer but it was the hospital" he says. I look down at Nick who looks back up to me. Those big eyes grow bigger because he knows that's probably important.

"Why don't you play with Anthony then we can go to portillos for dinner" I say and his face softens.

"Alright" he cheers running out of the room.

"Are you sure you don't want me with you right now" Anthony asks.

"No, Nicky needs you right now. Please keep his mind busy and make sure he's happy" I instruct.

"Okay, I love you" he says kissing me.

"Love you too" I smile.

I go downstairs and pick my phone up. The doctors office left a message and I thought that was weird because they usually don't. I listen to it and become more confused. All it said was to call back as soon as possible. I press call back and it rings twice before someone picks up.

"Hello, is this Isabella Wilson" the man asks.

"Yes, this is her" I nod sitting down on the couch.

"Awesome. This is Dr. Mueller and I called because I have amazing news. We found a heart donor for Nicholas and we have less than 12 hours to get it into him before it falls flat" he explains. The tears were instant as a smile appears big on my face.

"Really, there's a match" I gasp.

"A perfect one. He should be able to keep it for the rest of his life" he tells me as the tears become more constant.

"This is incredible. I... don't even know what to say. Wow. When should we get to the hospital" I ask.

"As soon as possible. The sooner he gets here the sooner we can prep him and get him his heart in" he says.

"Okay, we should be there in a hour tops" I nod.

"Amazing, see you soon" he says.

"Thank you so much" I whisper.

"Thank you for never giving up" he replies and I smile. I hang up the phone and set it on the counter. I let out a long breath as the weight of the world of lifted off my chest.

"Nicky, Anthony, get down here" I yell. The two stand up from behind the kitchen island and I cross my arms. "Were you two spying on me" I ask.

"Yes, but that's not important because we have to get little man to the hospital" Anthony says and I shake my head.

"I'm getting a new heart" Nick asks with so much hope in his eyes.

"Yes baby, you're getting a new heart" I nod.

"Then am I not going to have a heart of gold anymore" he asks.

"No baby, you are. The heart is gold because you are. You're what makes the heart special, not the other way around" I explain.

"Ohhhhh" he nods.

We each pack a bag to stay at the children's hospital for a little and we were ready to go. We drive straight over to the childrens hospital without getting Portillos much to Nicks dismay. We get checked into the cardiology wing and Nick gets changed into the surgery gown.

Finally the doctor comes in smiling as bright as ever. He shakes Anthony and I's hand then gives Nick a high five.

"Hey Nicholas, good to see you again" he says.

"That's what people keep telling me" he shrugs and I laugh. Only my boy.

"Well the heart will be here pretty soon so I was thinking that we can perform a complete heart transplant first thing in the morning, probably around 3 am. My team is here and ready to help you guys do this quickly and efficiently. Any questions" he asks.

"What happens next" Anthony wonders.

"He is going to give blood and a urine sample then we'll do tests to make sure we have everything we need to match him. He'll be hooked up to intravenous lines and a catheter to help us monitor him throughout the surgery. Then by 2 in the morning we'll give him medication that allows his body to accept the new heart. Then he gets put under for surgery" he explains.

"And how does the surgery work" Anthony wonders.

"Since Nicholas is getting a complete heart transplant there's a incision from the top of his breast bone to the bottom. His heart will be stopped and he will be living off a machine for a few moments. We separate his ribs and remove the faulty heart then transfer the frozen heart into his chest. We sew the valves to his and we let nature take over the rest. His body should accept the new heart and start pumping blood to the rest of his body as soon as we put it on" he explains.

"Cool" Nick whispers.

"Are there risks" I ask.

"There's always risks, especially when it comes to the heart. I mean we are removing his heart and putting in a new one, it doesn't get much riskier than that. But the best doctors and nurses are in this hospital to help out. We've rehearsed and trained and he is in the best hands. We can't promise anything but I can assure you we're going to do our best and that's pretty damn good" he assures us.

"That sounds great" I admit.

He gives us some time alone before they get Nicky prepped for surgery. He was a little nervous but we assured him he was going to be okay.

"Are you guys going to be here when I wake up" he asks.

"Of course, we're not leaving until you do" Anthony says.

"Good. Because I have to admit I'm nervous" he sighs.

"Don't be. Some other little girl or boy died so you can have their heart. You are beyond blessed. We're going to do this" I say and he smiles.

"You know, I've waited my whole life for this" he says and I laugh.

"Yeah, what a long six years" I tease.

"Hey, that's forever to me" he argues.

"And now I'm going to have forever with you by my side" I smile.

"Good, because I don't think I could leave you" he admits.

"And I could never live without you."