A Matte Of Heart

A Matter of Heart - By Cynthia Jones

Anna Kalb barely acknowledged Dr. Bureš as he entered her hospital room and checked her pulse and listened to her heart.

Putting away the stethoscope, said, “I have news, Mrs. Kalb. We have a donor.”

A light flickered in her sunken eyes. “Oh, thank god, when?”

“The heart is being couriered here now. We'll get you prepped and be ready for when it arrives.”

“Please call Tim and tell him.”

Timothy Kalb was in his office when the call came. When he heard the doctor's news he collapsed back into his chair.

“Just when it was almost too late. Thank you, doctor. Tell her I'm on my way.”

He dropped the phone and rushed out, calling to the receptionist. “Finally she got a donor. I'll phone you.”

Hurrying out of the parking garage, he grazed the back corner of a red Celica leaving a long blue streak on it and peeling red paint down to the metal. He stopped, then muttered, “I don't have time for this.”

 “Besides, they have insurance and it can't hurt this old crate anymore,” he thought as he stomped on the accelerator and wove around two cars squeezing back in while barely missing the delivery truck in the next lane. At the last second, he hit the brakes and squealed into a turn, whipping the protesting Chrysler onto a one-way street just ahead of the oncoming traffic.

They had both become resigned to the likelihood that no donor would be found in time to help Anna, now they suddenly had the possibility of a future together. Tim's only thought was to see her eyes just one more time before she entered the operating room. They had to step into their new lives together.

The instant the traffic light turned green he hammered on the horn.

 “Come on, come on. What are you waiting for? It's green. Move!” He passed the offending car and groaned to see that the next light had already turned yellow. He sped up and his old clunker coasted through just as it turned red.

“I'm coming. I'll be there,” he thought as he planned for them to take that cruise they had always wanted to go on. It would be the perfect way for Anna to regain her strength, relaxing in the sun and fresh air.

The engine roared as he accomplished another tight maneuver around an SUV with a boat trailer. “Maybe it's time we even got a new car.”

The next light also turned yellow, but emboldened by his last success, he sped up and prepared to whiz through it too. The light changed sooner than he anticipated but he couldn't stop in time so he took the other option and jammed his foot all the way to the floor and tried to squeak through. As he sped into the crossing, it seemed he was going to make it until he saw a yellow pick-up coming from his left.

Tim couldn't react but the driver of the truck slammed on his brakes and, screaming black marks onto the pavement, stopped just in time for Tim to speed by, mouth and eyes wide, staring at the shining grill just outside his own window.

The first thing Tim realized was that he was still alive. The second was that he was still holding his breath.

“Calm down, idiot,” he thought, breathing deeply and deliberately. “It's only three blocks. Better get there alive. You've got a future now; don't lose it by being stupid.”

The traffic near the hospital finally forced him into a more cautious pace but was rocking with frustration. He was more cautious of the parking garage, jerked the car into the first available parking space, and sprinted for the hospital.

Dr. Bureš greeted Tim in the hall. “Mr. Kalb, I was just going to phone you.”

Tim's heart was thumping. “She's ok, isn't she? Did they take her in already? Can I see her?”

The doctor took a steadying breath. “Yes, she's in her room. I wanted to talk to you first.”

“What is it?”

“Mr. Kalb, there's a problem with the donor heart.”

“Problem? What kind of problem?”

“There was an accident,” he said flatly. “I'm sorry Mr. Kalb, but the heart was destroyed.”

“What? How? By who?”

“The police are looking for the one responsible. All I can tell you is that a car pulled out in front of the courier van causing it to swerve into a semi. The police are looking for a blue Chrysler Imperial with a dented passenger side and a red streak of paint.”

~The End~