Undisputed by A.S. Teague Read Free Book Online Page B

health. I’ve even gone so far as to Google kidneys on the black market. Sad but true. After a few disturbing websites popped up, I quickly erased my history and said a prayer that the feds aren’t monitoring my Internet usage. So far, the door hasn’t been kicked in by a SWAT team, so I think my search history is just that—history.
    Even though I haven’t found much in the way of restoring Connor’s kidney function, I’ve read hundreds of success stories of people who haven’t received a new kidney but still go on to live long, happy lives. It gives me hope that Connor will have the same outcomes as these other people, and it’s the only reason I’m able to sleep most nights.
    Abby’s had multiple interviews all over the world, so she’s been away for the last week. I’ve tried convincing her to stay and at least take Connor to some appointments, but she refuses, saying she works too hard to get sit-downs with these world leaders. If she has to reschedule, she may never get another chance.
    And, in her words, “Sidney, there’s a major shitstorm brewing and the people deserve to know what’s going on.”
    Like I give two shits about what the people deserve.
    What about what Connor deserves?
    A few days after that talk, it was a story she had to cover in India, which kept her away until earlier in the week. She was home long enough to take Connor to his appointment Wednesday, and then she had to rush off again. Of course, she made sure to bring him back several souvenirs, including an intricately carved horn with images of animals. Connor loved it and immediately set it on display next to his prized baseball, which was autographed by the entire Atlanta Braves organization. Abby brought that gift home after covering the World Series they’d won two years ago.
    The horn was a beautiful authentic buffalo piece I’m sure she paid dearly for, but all it did was piss me off further. While her son’s kidney was failing, she was out shopping for a trinket she hoped would make him forget what a shitty mother she could be. When she announced that she would be leaving again, I didn’t even bother asking where she was going this time. It didn’t matter to me. She could have been out saving the world as Batman and I wouldn’t have cared. The only place she truly needed to be was here, with her son, taking care of him and comforting him. But it was the one place she wouldn’t stay.
    It’s obvious she loves Connor. Her face lights up when she talks about him, and she will talk about him to anyone who will listen. But she was never meant to be a mother. She was meant to have a career. Abby has always been quick to run off and cover a major news story, but since we received Connor’s diagnosis, she’s been avoiding being home more than usual. I’m beginning to think she is avoiding the truth about his condition instead of trying to find a way to fight it.
    When we arrive at the dialysis center, the nurses greet us warmly. With a megawatt smile always plastered to his face, Connor is easy to love. Judging from their reaction to him, he has already charmed them as well.
    Bringing over a cinnamon bun and a bottle of orange juice, Margaret says, “Hey, Connor. How are you today?”
    It’s clear she has a soft spot for my nephew by the way she talks him through the process even though it’s nothing new. She reminds me of my mother, and my heart aches that Connor never got to know her, because she would have been charmed as well.
    “I’m great. Never been better, actually. Feeling so good, in fact, I think it’s just about time to put a stop to these treatments. But don’t worry, Ms. Margaret. I won’t forget about you. I was planning on taking you out on a date when I get my driver’s license. Which is only, like, three years away,” Connor jokes, a silly grin on his face.
    She smiles back at him, but it’s forced. I know exactly what she’s thinking, but thankfully, she’s able to mask the thoughts and