Alicia fastened her seat belt and took deep breaths to calm herself as John, her newly wedded husband pulled out onto the highway pushed the speed limit. Instead of heading north to start hiking part of the Appalachian trail, the honeymoon as they\u2019d planned for the past year, they drove south.<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes and remembered what her mother had told her so many years ago, \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing and a curse.\u201d
\nAlicia was only nine at the time and didn\u2019t understand. They were sitting together in the back of a police car, speeding to the local emergency room.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sick?\u201d She asked her mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, dear,\u201d was the response. She\u2019d heard that before and wanted to believe it was true. She only remembered going with her mother a couple of times, but not since she was six or so, in the afternoon on a weekend, her dad was there then. But this time Dad was away, an engineer advising on a new bridge construction in Brazil. It was 2:00am, and no sitter was available, and it was an emergency. She\u2019d awaken when the phone rang in the hallway. She\u2019d listened as her mother spoke quickly, \u201cOh, of course \u2026 I\u2019ll bring Alicia with me \u2026 fifteen minutes, we\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia wore her heavy coat over her pajamas. Her mother had quickly dressed in sweats.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might be able to get some sleep while you wait for me\u201d her mother said as both watched out the window as they passed the emergency vehicles and glimpsed the mangled cars and the over turned semi. The hospital was less than twenty miles away.<\/p>\n
The winter had been long and snowy and icy. Although her mom had regularly given blood, it turned out that the need was greater than usual, and tonight\u2019s accident was serious, Lucy, the familiar nurse, explained after they arrived.
\nAfter her mom had gone quickly through the doors that said \u201cauthorized personnel only.\u201d Lucy ushered Alicia into an empty office room, with a sofa, given a blanket and pillow and left to go back to sleep.<\/p>\n
But she didn\u2019t sleep.<\/p>\n
Alicia cracked open the door and peered out. Listening she only caught fractions of sentences, or maybe people weren\u2019t completing thoughts: \u201cprepping now, two dead, boy, seven we think, mother stable in ICU, direct transfusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nurses, doctors, rushed about, and then it was quieter.<\/p>\n
Alicia walked out to the desk where Lucy was stationed.<\/p>\n
There were a few people sitting quietly in the waiting room. One had a bandage on his hand, another in a wheelchair nursing an injured foot, or ankle, not life threatening. Alicia realized they would have to wait for attention as long as she would be waiting for her mother.<\/p>\n
Lucy looked up and smiled. \u201cYour mom is a life saver. You must be proud of her.\u201d Alicia nodded without really knowing what she thought about it. \u201cYou should probably try to rest \u2013 it might be a long night. Do you need anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA glass of water,\u201d Alicia said, and then added, \u201cplease.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll bring it too you, if you want to wait in the office. It\u2019s much more comfortable than out here.\u201d Alicia went back into the office and sat on the couch, crossed legged, and pulled the blanket around her.<\/p>\n
Lucy brought Alicia a paper cup of water, and an ice-cream cup with a plastic spoon. Alicia smiled. Lucy sat with her a few minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill everyone be okay?\u201d Alicia asked as she put a spoon of ice cream in her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t really talk about our patients,\u201d Lucy said, \u201csome people were seriously hurt, but it would have been worse if your mom couldn\u2019t come help.\u201d Lucy stood up to leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you leave the door open a little?\u201d Alicia asked her. Lucy nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and thanks for the ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n
That memory seemed a lifetime ago. But she still remembered the blue pajamas she was wearing that night, with the stars on them. She remembered thinking twinkle, twinkle little star, and making a wish that everyone would be okay.<\/p>\n
That night after Alicia put the empty ice cream container in the trash bin and got comfortable on the sofa, wrapping the blanket around her, she remembered saying the Angel prayer, asking them to watch over her mother, and everyone else.<\/p>\n
Alicia was pulled from her thoughts by her husband. \u201cWe\u2019re making good time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As he focused his concentration on the road and traffic Alicia slipped back into remembering.<\/p>\n
For years after that emergency run, Alicia didn\u2019t really think about the blood thing much. Her mom regularly gave blood. She thought all mothers did. \u201cit\u2019s for a very good cause,\u201d her mother said, \u201cmy contribution, doing something that helps others?\u201d<\/p>\n
When Alicia started high school, during a routine physical before the start of fall soccer season, the nurse greeted her with unexpected warmth. \u201cI know your mother. We\u2019ve met before.\u201d she said. And then in a strained casual way asked \u201cAre you RH-null also? It\u2019s not on your record.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she recognized Lucy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, we should get that information filled in. In case of an emergency,\u201d Lucy suggested.<\/p>\n
RH-null? At fourteen Alicia didn\u2019t like to let people know when she didn\u2019t know something they seemed to think she should.<\/p>\n
During American History, next period, she pulled out her laptop as her mind drifted from the discussion on the War of 1812 and typed the question: \u201cwhat is RH null?\u201d<\/p>\n
She scanned quickly: \u201c\u2026 rarest blood type is actually Rh-null \u2026 lack of antigens in the Rh system. Less than 1 in 1,000 people …<\/p>\n
Alicia\u2019s heart started to pound, and she glanced up quickly to mentally check in with her class for the moment and sensed no pressing need for attention. Back to her lap top, \u201c\u2026 this type can donate blood to just about every blood type.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nurse Lucy\u2019s question came back to her, \u201care you RH-null, also?\u201d Alicia stared straight ahead with out seeing anything as, for the first time, she realized her mother\u2019s contribution.<\/p>\n
She mentally checked back into the classroom. A student was reading his rather dull essay on Andrew Jackson\u2019s defeat of the British in New Orleans. Alicia, fingered the pages of her essay on the \u201cera of good feeling\u201d following the war and the demise of the Federalist party.<\/p>\n
Feeling confident about her preparation, she looked back at the information on RH-null. \u201cThe blood type is inherited and has been known to run in families.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was only when her teacher asked \u201cAlicia, are you okay?\u201d that she realized she had her mouth wide open with a surprised stare. Shaken back to reality she stammered, \u201coh, it\u2019s just all so interesting.\u201d A classmate snickered,
\n\u201cPerhaps your essay with be just as interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia, closed her laptop, picked up her paper and stood. By the time she\u2019d finished reading, the class was over. All afternoon the question nagged her. \u201cAre you RH-null, also?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t have time to continue her research until later that evening.<\/p>\n
What she read next was even more startling. There were maybe only ten persons with this rare blood type in the active donor pool for this rare and important life-saving blood. And that it was almost impossible for people to have it without a family history of the blood type. Why hadn\u2019t it been explained to her that children can inherit the rare condition from their parents or other direct relatives. And a person could be AB and RH- null at the same time \u2026 but AB wasn\u2019t a universal donor type. The information she found was detailed and confusing.<\/p>\n
Was she also RH-null?<\/p>\n
So, she asked her parents that weekend when she knew they would make time to talk to her.<\/p>\n
Then, the stories came out. The tragedies of miscarriages, the miracle of being able to help save someone\u2019s life. There were so many new treatments \u2013 ways to insure healthy babies.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not required to give blood, there is no pressure,\u201d her mother said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will always be your choice, honey,\u201d her father said. \u201cWhen you are older.\u201d<\/p>\n
She understood, and she tabled the information. Filed it away in her memory.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Alicia noticed that the traffic had picked up. They were getting closer to the turnoff for the hospital. She put her hand on her husband\u2019s thigh and they smiled at each other when he glanced over at her. As he continued to focus, both hands on the wheel, her mind drifted back again.<\/p>\n
Life was fun, and interesting and exciting. She enjoyed high school and college was better.<\/p>\n
Her sophomore year in a small liberal arts college, in a picturesque upstate small town, was as close to perfect as she thought she would ever experience. She was spending a lot of time with John. He was a tech genius, even his professors thought so.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not just a geeky nerd,\u201d he laughed when they met for a study lunch after the party where they\u2019d been introduced by a mutual friend. \u201cI\u2019m on the track team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turns out he still held his high school record for the 100 yard dash. He made her promise not to tell anyone. He actually blushed when he made this request.<\/p>\n
That spring she spent lovely afternoons multi-tasking \u2013 delving into her calculus assignments and other pre- engineering courses while keeping an eye open for John\u2019s events. She like his track friends. She was in love.<\/p>\n
And then one very rainy evening, when she was working on a major assignment that had to be emailed in by midnight, there was a scream in her residence hall, followed by loud voices. Alicia walked out of her room to see what the excitement was about.<\/p>\n
She heard pieces of the conversation. \u201caccident \u2026 bus involved in a multicar \u2026 track team\u2026 dead?\u201d<\/p>\n
She ran down the hall with her dorm mates to the television lounge. The local breaking new report had people on the scene. Emergency vehicles were gathering. They appealed for blood donors. Supplies were dangerously low.
\nAlicia felt faint. She scanned the screen for John. She could hardly breathe.<\/p>\n
She ran back to her room, she grabbed her coat, purse, phone and left without saving her assignment on the computer.<\/p>\n
She had to park a distance away from the emergency room entrance. So much activity, She felt panic, while all around she observed the competence of people doing their best.<\/p>\n
She paused to watch gurneys being gently lifted out of ambulances \u2013 the injured already attached to plasma bags. She thought she recognized one of John\u2019s team mates.<\/p>\n
She slipped inside the first opportunity she had and looked for someone to tell.<\/p>\n
The triage nurse supervisor, or so she appeared to be, caught her eye. In response to the hard look of \u201cI\u2019m busy, what do you want?\u201d Alicia went to her quickly \u201cI\u2019m RH-null.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nurse stared at her for a non-blinking moment and asked if she was a registered donor?<\/p>\n
\u201cNot, yet, but I will help if I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a long night. Word got out that Alicia was in the hospital and John, who had luckily sustained only superficial injuries was waiting for her when she was wheeled out of the emergency room. Exhausted from the ordeal of the direct transfusion, she opened her eyes when she heard his voice.<\/p>\n
She missed the midnight deadline to submit the assignment she\u2019d been working on. Her father told her not to worry. She could make it up. Her mother told her she was proud of her. They cried together.<\/p>\n
It became the new normal. She had a standing appointment to give blood. It was so routine that she hardly thought about it. She always felt happy afterward, maybe the chocolate malt she treated herself to after each session was the trigger.<\/p>\n
One Sunday morning during her senior year she was sleeping in while John hummed about the kitchen, preparing pecan pancakes and mimosas. In addition to being a tech geek and a track star, John knew his way around the kitchen, well, on weekends. He could make pancakes and scrambled eggs. And that was fine with Alicia.<\/p>\n
The television was on the local channel, John was waiting for the weather report \u2013 they were planning a bike ride later that day. As he poured a cup of freshly brewed coffee his attention was drawn to a breaking news story. Earlier that morning, there\u2019d been a head-on collision, next town over, a family of five and a car with three teens.<\/p>\n
John walked to the bedroom as Alicia\u2019s cell phone rang. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. The phone identified the caller as St. Luke\u2019s. She answered the call on speaker mode. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The voice on the other end said, “Alicia, we need you again.”<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Alicia responded as she looked in John\u2019s eyes. The call disconnected.<\/p>\n
John handed the fresh cup of coffee to Alicia as she sat up in bed. \u201cI\u2019ll drive you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d Alicia began.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
John drove as close to the emergency entrance as he could.<\/p>\n
They kissed, and John told her, \u201cI\u2019ll park and be right in. If I don\u2019t see you, you\u2019ll know where I am.<\/p>\n
Alicia said, \u201cI love you,\u201d and got out of the car rushing to the entrance.<\/p>\n
John watched with admiration as she disappeared inside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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