Chapter 4 - The Heart that was not His

The ward had the look of an expensive hotel. The bed was wide and soft. 

He sat up slowly in bed like he had been observing the area. He moved up very carefully.

His hand moved to his chest again.

The bandage was still there.

He felt his new heart was beating.

Strong ... ..steady…alive.

Adrian closed his eyes for a while and listened to his heart rhythm inside him.

For the first time in years, his heart did not feel weak.

Before the surgery, breathing had been a thing of utmost difficulty for him. 

Anytime he tried climbing the stairs, he felt tired easily. 

He had already been told by his doctors that he may not live to see another year without a transplant.

Now everything was different.

He felt more powerful.

Full of life.

Yet something about it still felt strange.

The rhythm was steady, but it felt strange. Like it wasn't his own.

Adrian opened his eyes and looked towards the window.

The landscape of the city had a good view from the hospital. Cars moved along the busy streets. People walked along sidewalks, everyone focused on their own life.

Everything looked normal.

But inside his chest something felt very weird.

 A quiet whisper that sounded so strange to him.

The door opened softly.

Dr. Lewis, Adrian’s heart doctor for years, walked in.

Dr. Lewis was a tall man with glasses and grey hair.

" Mr. Wolfe," the doctor said with a small grin. “Good morning sir”

Adrian nodded."Morning."

Dr. Lewis came closer to him and looked at the monitor beside the bed.

The screen showed Adrian’s heart rate and breathing.

“Perfect!” Dr. Lewis exclaimed.

"How are you today sir?" the doctor asked.

Adrian thought a little about the question.

"If I'm being honest with myself, I think I'm stronger," he said.

That part was true. 

His body had not felt better in years.

Dr. Lewis nodded satisfactorily.

"That is exactly what we want. Your health is of high importance to us Mr. Wolfe.” The doctor said with pride.

The doctor took a look at the bandage on Adrian’s chest.

"The surgery was successful sir.Your body has no problem accepting the new heart.

I must say sir, you are a lucky one."

Adrian looked down at the bandage.

"My donor," he said slowly.

The doctor paused.

"What about them?"

Adrian leaned back against the pillows.

"I was wondering who they were."

Dr. Lewis gave the answer Adrian expected.

"I am afraid that information is private."

Of course it was.

Adrian had known the doctor would say that.

Still, the question bothered him.

“Who sacrificed his life for him to live?”

Adrian placed his hand on his chest with care. He felt his heart beating steadily under his palm. He wondered “who is the Messiah who laid down his or her life to save me?”

Meanwhile at Anna's home, she sat on the edge of her bed.

 The sunlight coming through her window was too bright.

She didn't have enough sleep.

Every time she tried sleeping, she heard the strange sound again.

Whirr…click…whirr

Anna felt her chest warmly.

Right now everything feels normal.

But anytime she remembered the sound, it made her feel very uncomfortable 

She sighed and stood up.

“Maybe, I'm just over reacting.” She thought.

The doctors had told her she would need time to recover after the surgery.

“Maybe this was just part of healing.” she comforted herself. But the thought would not leave her mind.

She eventually got up from the bed and made herself a cup of tea.

The apartment still echoed in silence.

She found herself looking towards the door, half-opened. It was like she was expecting her mother to walk in like she used to.

But the door remained closed.

She tried focusing on the bills that the hospital had sent her.

Even after everything that had happened, there were still some things left unpaid.

And now she didn't understand what was going on in her body.

A dull pain formed in her chest again.

Anna closed her eyes.

For a moment the feeling passed.

Then the sound returned.

Whirr…click…whirr

Her eyes flew open.

"Not again?" she whispered.

Her heart should not sound like that.

Something was wrong.

And she needed answers.

Back at the hospital, Adrian stood beside the window.

He felt stronger to be standing without feeling weak.

For years his life had been controlled by his heart sickness.

Meetings had been shortened because of it . Business trips had been canceled. Even walking across a large room sometimes felt exhausting.

But now his body felt different.

Strong…alive.

Adrian flexed his fingers slightly.

It felt like being given a second life.

The door opened again.

This time his assistant walked in.

Michael Carter had worked for Adrian for almost ten years.

He carried a tablet and a folder of papers.

"You are already standing?" Michael said with surprise.

Adrian turned slightly.

"I feel fine."

Michael looked relieved.

"Everybody will be happy to hear that."

Adrian walked back toward the bed and sat down.

"Is there any problem at the company?"

Michael handed him the tablet.

"Everything is under control. But people are waiting for your return."

Adrian nodded.

He glanced through a few business reports.

Then suddenly he stopped.

A strange feeling passed through his chest.

It was not painful.

It felt more like a wave of emotion.

He felt sad for no reason.

Adrian frowned.

He looked up at Michael.

"Did something happen?" Michael looked confused.

"No, sir."Adrian leaned back slightly.

The sad feeling faded just as quickly as it hadn't appeared.

Strange.

His life was finally improving.

So why had he suddenly felt that sadness?

He pressed his hand lightly against his chest again.

He began to see flashbacks of memories that were not his. He began to feel hurt inside. He couldn't shake off that feeling that this heart inside him belonged to someone alive.

Anna chose to go back to the same hospital where she had done the surgery.

Anna pushed open the glass door.

A nurse looked up from the desk.

"Good morning. How can I help you?"

Anna hesitated.

She wasn't sure how to express how she felt.

“I have been feeling pains…no hearing noises in my chest since I had a kidney transplant," she said finally.

The nurse nodded and handed her a form.

"Could you fill out this form? I'll let the doctor know he has a patient to attend to."

“Of course.” Anna sat down and began writing.

In the same hospital, at Adrian's ward, he stood near the window again. And at that exact moment something strange happened.

The rhythm skipped slightly.

Just once.

Adrian felt it immediately.

He narrowed his eyes.

Then the heartbeat returned back to normal.

Steady…perfect

Adrian slowly placed his hand over his chest.

A weird thought crossed his mind.

Somewhere out there was a living life connected to this heart. And for some reason he felt that he was connected to that life.

Anna waited at the examination room for the doctor. She placed her hand on her chest.

The weird sound had not returned again.

But she knew it would.

If not now, it will return later.

And when it did, she wanted the doctor to tell her what it meant.

She was still very unclear that the problem was as a result of the drugs she ha

d been taking since the surgery took place.

And within her, she had mixed feelings that the surgery she trusted had taken something far more important than a kidney.

“The doctor is ready to see you now.” The nurse said.