A Gift to Last Page 0,53

frowned. Without asking any questions, he followed Edward to a room at the end of the corridor.

"This is Tanner Westley," Edward whispered, nodding toward the sleeping youngster.

From the tubes and other medical equipment linked to the emaciated body, Greg could tell the boy was gravely ill.

"Should I know him?" Greg asked, also in a whisper.

Edward shook his head. "Let's return to my office and I'll explain the procedure."

Procedure? Greg wasn't sure he understood, but he accompanied Edward back to his office.

When they entered the room and resumed their seats, Edward said, "I can't tell you how delighted I was that you proved to be a match for Tanner."

"Match?"

"Bone-marrow match," he said, eyeing Greg closely. "I assumed you understood the reason for my call."

"No. No way." Before he knew it, Greg was on his feet, emphatically shaking his head. "You want me to be a bone-marrow donor? This is a joke, right? You saw for yourself what happens any time I have blood taken."

"But you did come into the hospital for the test. Surely you realized - "

"There's no way in hell you're going to get me to agree to this!"

"Please, sit down." Edward motioned calmly to the chair.

He made an effort to fight back his disappointment. This meeting had nothing to do with Edward wanting to know his birth father - it was all about what he could do to help some stranger. Greg continued to shake his head. No amount of talk, even from his son, would convince him to let someone stick another needle in his arm. Or anyplace else, for that matter.

"Before you refuse, let me explain the procedure."

"You have a snowball's chance in hell of talking me into this," Greg felt obliged to tell him. He sat down, crossing his arms defensively.

"Two weeks from now, Tanner will be placed in an aseptic room where all his bone-marrow cells, both the good ones and the bad ones, will be destroyed by high doses of chemicals and radiation. This is the only way we have of completely eradicating the malignant cells."

"Doc, listen - "

"Let me finish, please, and if you still feel the same way after that, then...well, then we can talk."

Greg groaned silently and saw that he had no choice but to listen. Once Edward was finished, he would make some excuse and leave by the fastest route possible.

"This will be a dangerous time for Tanner, when he's most susceptible to infection.

"On the day of the transplant, the bone marrow will be extracted from you and stored in a blood bag, then intravenously transfused into Tanner over the course of several hours." He paused and studied Greg, who sat quietly, without moving. "Do you want to ask me about the pain or how the marrow is extracted?"

"Not particularly." He didn't need to know, didn't care to know, seeing that it wasn't going to happen.

"Most people are curious about the pain, and rightly so. I won't deny that there is some discomfort involved in this process, but I like to tell my donors that it never hurts to save a life."

Apparently Edward hadn't heard him correctly the first time. Greg wasn't doing this. Couldn't do this.

"I want to schedule the procedure as quickly as possible. As you can see, Tanner's health is failing."

Greg stared at him, wondering why Edward refused to understand. "Don't schedule anything for me. You'll just have to find another donor."

Now it was Edward's turn to wear a shocked disbelieving look. "You really won't do it?"

"Not on your life."

"It isn't my life or your life you're sacrificing. It's that young boy's. He'll die without a bone-marrow transplant."

"You'll find another donor." Greg stood, desperate to escape.

"No, we won't." Edward stood, too. "Do you think just anyone can supply the bone marrow for Tanner? If that was the case, I'd give him my own - but it's not. There has to be a match. You're that match."

"Don't see how I can be," Greg said stubbornly. He wasn't any relation to the boy.

"Why did you sign the release and agree to have your blood tested if you weren't willing to be a donor?" Edward raised his voice.

Greg dared not tell him the truth, dared not announce the real reason he'd come to the hospital.

"Did you take a good look at Tanner?" Edward asked. "He's only ten. He could be your son or even mine, and he's only got a very small chance of living without your bone marrow."

"And with my marrow?" Greg couldn't believe he'd even asked.

"There's a