“—Hey now.” He sits straighter. “You know very well that my dick is in good condition.”

“Should I leave?” Quinn asks.

I needed the comedic relief; for whatever reason, it gives me strength, seeing them together, seeing the smiles despite the grief he’s about to undergo.

“Nah…” Ambrose says. “Stay.”

The word feels final between all of us; I try to regain composure and then realize that maybe it was always supposed to be like this.

The three of us.

Together.

But not forever.

I smile over at Ambrose, his eyes search mine, and then he suddenly starts to pale even more. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I lie and kiss his forehead. “I’m just going to step out really quick.” A tear slides down my cheek. “I love you.”

He frowns. “You’re coming back, right?”

One day. “Sure.” I wink. “I’m just super tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Oh.” He frowns over at Quinn. Quinn gives him a confident smile. I haven’t told him yet either.

The doctor in charge chooses the worst possible moment to walk in. He takes one look at Ambrose and says nothing, then grabs his chart. “You’re one lucky man.”

Ambrose looks at me, then Quinn. “I am.”

“How’s the back feeling?”

“My body?” Ambrose seems to think about it. “It feels fine, why?”

“Morphine.” The doctor smiles, “I’m glad it’s working. At first, you woke up screaming mid-surgery; some patients do that.”

“What, surgery?”

The doctor clears his throat, which is never a good sign. I start to back away toward the door. “You were in a very serious accident once the car hit the water…” His voice lowers. “A woman jumped in to save you. According to the EMTs, you were trapped, and something was stabbing both of your kidneys, we think maybe metal from the dock. An investigation is ongoing, but you were in full kidney failure.”

Ambrose sits up and groans. “But you fixed it? Right? Who was the woman who saved me? I need to thank her, am I going on dialysis or—“

The doctor holds up his hand. “The woman has sadly passed.”

I suck in my tears and try to keep strong.

“But…” The doctor looks over his shoulder. “She was an organ donor, so you’ll make it through perfectly fine. We were able to give you her kidneys at her request before she passed.”

Ambrose squeezes his eyes shut and leans back against the hospital bed. “Can I at least ask who made that sacrifice?”

The doctor looks over at me in confusion; I give him one silent nod. The tears spill down my cheeks.

The doctor sighs. “You were her next of kin—it was your mother. This young lady back here called her before you crashed, and she happened to see the accident. She was able to save you in your last moments but sadly lost her life in the process.”

“M-my mom?” Ambrose stares at the doctor, it looks like he’s going to puke. “I have my mom’s kidneys? She saved my life?” He’s quiet and then whispers, “She’s dead.”