Heart of Gold (Anthony Rizzo)

Nine

Isabella

I sit in the room of the hospital I was quite frankly tired of being in bouncing my leg up and down rapidly. It was freezing in here even though it was like 100 degrees outside and way too depressing for my taste. I swear ten people has cried in the hour I've been here.

Anthony places a large hand on my knee so it would stop fidgeting and I look up to him. He gives me one of those "I'm sorry this is happening" looks I know all too well and I sigh.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous" I admit.

"Don't be sorry. It's okay to be nervous, but I'm right here. I got you" he says and I nod. I trusted him.

Twenty minutes later we get called back to talk to a heart doctor. We sit across from the guy and I look around. He had a lot of degrees and plaques and awards which made me feel better. I've gotten a lot of opinions from a lot of doctors but they all pointed me towards this guy, and I can see why.

"Hello, you must be Isabella Wilson" he says sticking his hand out and I shake it.

"That is me. And this is my..." I trail off looking to Anthony.

"Boyfriend. I'm Anthony" he says and I smile. Nice to know.

"Hello Anthony. I'm Dr. Mueller and I've been looking over Nicholas' case" he starts. "After running a bunch of tests and MRIs I hate to say that it's not looking good. The pneumonia is gone but I'm afraid the damage is done. The normal heart has four major valves and one of those control everything. That major one in Nicholas' heart is deformed and is close to closing all the way up with is why it's so important to keep a eye on him. The scar tissue from the pneumonia is acting as inflammation making the blood flow erratic. If too much blood gets sent to the wrong places he can basically stop his own heart from functioning. If he's short of breath or coughing it's easy to pass it to the side as a side effect of the heart disease, but it can always be something more.

In Nicks case, he will need a heart transplant sooner than originally thought. I give him one to two more good years with the heart he has before that valve is completely dysfunctional. We can try to remove the scar tissue but his heart is weak and most likely wouldn't restart after we stop it so I've pretty much negated that possibility. I have put out a request to get Nick a new heart but who knows if or when we will get one" he explains.

"Is there anything we can do until we can find another heart" I ask.

"Unfortunately not. We can go in and try to re construct the valve but it can progress the closing after it's opened or close it entirely. He needs that heart valve to send blood to where it needs to be. Without it the blood goes where've it wants and the heart stops beating. It is extremely risky to mess with it in its condition, especially after the pneumonia" he says.

"And what if we can't find a heart in time" I wonder.

"I'm afraid our only option is to do a heart transplant. That would be the safest and most effective way to help him life a full and healthy life" he insists.

"Will he ever be able to be a kid? You know, run around with his friends or play a simple game of baseball" I sniffle.

"There's no way to tell. It's always risky when it comes to predicting how a heart will react. If his body accepts the donor heart then there isn't much he can't do. He'll never be able to play competitively but he won't have to worry about dying if he was to do something to elevate his heart rate. He will have a bit of a longer life but the risks will still be there" he nods.

"Okay, is there anything else we need to know" I question.

"Just watch him carefully. He can still go to school but if someone in his class is sick have him wear a mask. Keep him on the medicine and check his heart rate as much as possible. I know you're just 22 and this is a lot but you're doing a great job. He shouldn't have made it past three with that heart but your heart is keeping his going. Just really keep a close eye on him and keep his heart rate down" he says and we nod.

"Thank you so much" I sigh.

"Of course. I'm so sorry this is happening to you guys, but we will do whatever it takes for Nick to get a new heart and get to be a kid again. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call. If you think something is wrong take him to the hospital immediately" he insists.

We say our goodbyes and we leave the hospital. We make it to the car before I totally break down. I felt it coming but it still broke my heart to hear that. I throw my face in my hands and Anthony was kind of clueless of what to do.

Anthony scoots his seat back and pulls me over the council to his lap. He wraps his arms around me tight as I let out all the pain I was holding back. I don't like to cry in front of Nicholas so there wasn't much time for me to cry since I was always with him. He just wanted to comfort me and let me know I was here for me.

"What am I going to do" I sniffle.

"We're going to find him a heart" he says.

"How though? We have to find a perfect match, it has to match his needs 100% and that's so hard. Even if we find a match I can't afford that. A total heart transplant is hundreds of thousands of dollars, there's no way I can do that on top of what I'm already paying. I can't get a job because I have to watch over him. I can't do this" I sob.

"You can and you will. You are going to do everything in your power to keep him alive and I'm going to help too. We will do a fundraiser and raise awareness. We can make sure he is in the best of situations to fight this. He can't do this without you" he explains.

"I can't let that little boy down. He's all I have left" I claim.

"I know baby, I know. We're going to do this" he insists and I nod. He pulls my head on his chest as the tears continue to fall. Eventually they stop and I look up at him. He moves a piece of hair out of my face as my eyes search him.

"What should I tell him. If he thinks there's only 1-2 years left he's going to freak" I groan.

"Don't tell him anything. He shouldn't have to live knowing this" he says.

"I wish it was the same way for me" I mumble.

"I know... I'm sorry" he says.

"Please stop apologizing. None of this is your fault" I reply.

"But I still feel bad" he sighs.

"Me too" I agree.

We drive back to my place and wait for Nick to get out of school. I set out a outfit for the game today and Anthony joins me on the couch. He lays down and pulls me on top of him. I rest my head on his chest as he runs his fingers through my hair.

"You have such a nice heart beat" I admit.

"I didn't know a heart beat can sound nice" he claims.

"Your heart beat is strong and consistent. It's going a little fast though" I notice.

"That's your fault" he says and I smile.

"Thank you so much for being here for us" I sigh.

"There's no place I would rather be."