Mr. Clarke - COMPLETE

27

V I N C E N T

"You should really go after your girl man. I'll be fine for a few minutes." Damien tells me as I walk back into my home.

I really should go after her. It was wrong for me to yell at her the way I did but after what Damien just told me, I need to be there for him.

"I'll call her later." I say and walk to my kitchen to pour a glass of water for him.

He thanks me when I give him the glass and we both head over to my living room to sit down.

"When did you find out?" I ask, watching the way his face contorts in pain and his cheeks puff out to hold back a cough.

He starts to chuckle humorlessly and chugs the entire glass of water.

"Two days ago. My assistant found me past out in my office and called an ambulance." He scoffs and leans his head back against the couch. "I did everything right in life and this shit happens to me!"

I cant even imagine the shit he's going through. Being told that he has a rare heart disease that could potentially be terminal if not treated probably. And by treated probably, I mean being able to find someone with a healthy heart who's willingly enough for a transplant.

I sit up straighter on the couch and place my forearms on my legs. "Have the doctors said anything else? Do they have a plan to move forward with a transplant?"

Damien looks at me like I just said the most ridiculous thing and laughs. He fucking laughs like he isn't slowly dying.

"I have a rare heart disease, cousin. So rare that I need a transplant from someone who's never drank or smoked a day in their life. It's the 21st fucking century! It'd be a miracle to find someone who's that fucking innocent." He stands up to fill his glass with more water and I just sit there trying to hold in my emotions.

Damien and I basically grew up together. He's like a brother to me and has taught me some many things as a child. Hell, we run Clarke Industries together. I can't do that shit on my own.

I need him.

"We'll find someone." I declare, getting up from the couch to follow him in the kitchen.

I pause when I see the dinning table still filled with me and Nina's dinner.

Fuck.

Everything is going to shit right now. I wanted tonight with Nina to be special. I had plans for us. I wanted to talk to her about our arrangement and see if she's willing to cancel the contract and be with me officially.

And I fucking ruined it by raising my voice at her.

But now is not the time to duel on my mistakes.

Damien needs me right now.

"We'll call up every doctor we can find and hopefully they'll have more answers for us. There has to be someone out there who's a organ donor and who's never done any substance or drank a sip of alcohol."

There has to be. There are seven billion people in the world and at least one person has to be a willing organ donor.

Damien chuckles and decides to push away the glass of water and grabs the bottle of red wine I kept out for me and Nina.