Married To The Mafia

57. Fear Brings Close Ones Closer

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It was just Xander and Joanne again. The rest of them had to go home after Gregory declared they were moving for one last time and taking security to the next level.

Joanne refused to talk about her past and Xander, though he wanted so bad to know whatever was happening, decided to give her space. She needed it. She was the one who was held at gunpoint twice this month, and she had no prior experience with such events, though Xander and his brothers were more than convinced this was not because of her marriage to the Kings family.

"Jo, can you just tell me one thing?" Xander asked.

"No." She said stubbornly as she switched through the channels on the TV and he was not surprised when she stopped at Paw Patrol. She was such a child.

There was a knock on the door and the nurse from earlier poked her head in. "Dr. Klein wants to talk to you."

Joanne looked over at her husband suspiciously while Xander put on a confused face. He had asked the doctor to do a routine check on her and her kidney function since she was already in the hospital. He knew it would be next to impossible to get her to do it once they had gone home, so he decided he should get it done while he had a chance.

"Did he say what it was about?" Xander asked, acting all oblivious.

"I think post-op patient care after discharge, Mr. King." The nurse recited the reason Dr. Klein had given her.

"Why can't he do it here?" Joanne asked, her eyes narrowed. "Isn't that how it's supposed to be?"

"I don't know, Mrs. King. I was just asked to relay the message." The nurse shrugged and left the room.

Xander quickly got up. "I will be right back." He said as he pressed his lips to her temple, catching her by surprise and making her face heat up. He knew it was wrong but making her flustered was the only way he could evade the hundred million questions a rational Joanne would ask in the situation.

He made his way to the doctor's cabin. Dr. Klein looked up with a grave look, and Xander knew that it was going to be bad news.

"Her kidney's failing." The doctor sighed as he opened the charge sheet. "Twenty-five percent of it is dead and majority of the remaining is inflamed."

Xander gulped. She only had one kidney. "So what do we do? Get a graft?"

"We will start with medications and hemodialysis twice a month. And also add her to the UNOS' candidate list for a kidney. Graft is the only solution. Though I do suggest one of her family members' come forth to donate a kidney. That will be quicker and more efficient."

Xander sighed. "I will talk to her about it."

Dr. Klein nodded. "I will brief you about the medications tomorrow before the discharge."

"Thank you, doctor." Xander said, though he felt zero thankful for the bad news that had been delivered. What was he supposed to do? He did not want anything to happen to her.

She was twenty-four years old. She did not drink. She ate healthy though she had her once in a blue moon junk food mood. She worked out and was in shape and she even restricted herself from even medications whenever possible. She did not deserve to be this sick.

Xander knew that Joanne was strong and she would take the news like a champ. But he also knew that she was scared of dying – the last thing she needed right now was the news that along with some unknown men, her own body was hellbent on killing her.