Chapter 8

Thomas

He. Is. Your. Son.
His words whirl around my head and ears, and I feel like I'm not in my own body. I look down at my hands and see all his blood on my gloves. My son's blood, and as I realize and think about the words, I start to hyperventilate and freak out. I had my son's heart in my hands. He could have died, and it would have been my fault. I slide down against the wall and sag there. I close my eyes for a second to help shut my mind off, and thoughts are just louder. I feel like I will be sick, and I jump up and make it just in time to the sink. I start to hyperventilate harder, and the room is spinning. I can hear everything going around me, but I can't respond. All I can do is stare at them.

"Shit, he's in shock. Penny, call his brother now." Dr. Kingsly orders.

"Yes, sir," she says, running out of the room.

"Dr. Orozco, Can you hear me?" Anthony says. He bends down to me and removes my gloves and my sterile gown. "I'm going to take off your srub shirt; you have blood on it." He takes off the shirt, and I feel something cold on my neck, and I cringe. "Sorry, Doc, just putting some ice on your neck."

"What the fuck happened to my brother?" I hear Toby say.

"He just found out the little boy he just did surgery on is his son," Anthony says quietly.

"Say what?"

"Yeah, he donated blood, and we had to do all the proper testing, and something flagged, and we ran the DNA." Dr. Kingsly says.

"Wait, is that why you asked me to donate blood?" Toby asked.

"Yes, we needed to make sure it was right."

"You know that I'm gay, right?" Toby laughs. Glad he thinks this is funny. "What do you need me to do?"

"Take him to the on-call room and get him in the shower, and we'll meet in my office conference room." Dr. Kingsly says.

"Okay, buddy, let's get you up and in the shower." Toby helps stand me up.

"Do you need any help?" Penny asks.

"Penny, give it a fucking rest, now," Toby snips at her. "Bro, why did you fuck with her? Esta Loca." We get into the on-call room bathroom. He sits me on the bench and undresses me. I start to shake in sobs, and I can't help it. "Hermano, talk to me."

"I have a son Toby a fucking son! I have missed four years of his life. When I found out that they had no medical history from his father because he wasn't in his life, I called the dad a piece of shit. Well, fuck, I'm the piece of shit." He turns on the shower, and I step in. "I don't even know who the mother is. I've only had two long-term relationships and only once had one nightstand."

"Wait, Mr. respect, all women had a one-night stand? When?"

"When I came down to visit you that weekend of the music festival when you ditched me."

"Hurry so we can find out who your baby mama is?"

I get dressed in the clothes I wore to the hospital: a UCSF t-shirt and Adidas sweat pants. I comb my dirty blonde hair, the hair my siblings and I inherited from our Cuban Papa. I feel a sense of calm over me. For the last few years, I have always thought I was missing something, and now it makes sense that it was himâ?"my son.

"How do I look?"

"Like a doctor that just operated for six hours. You look fine. Let's go." We went up the elevator and walked into the conference room.

"Sit down, Thomas. The mother will be up soon. Did you not know that you had a son?" Dr. Kingsly asks

"No, you think that I would leave my child? No, I wouldn't."

"Don't get worked up, Tommy," Toby says. The door opens, and Moriah walks in.

"Are you ready?" I haven't told her what is going on, but I think she'll figure it out once she sees you." She says, and I nod. She leaves the room again and enters again with two people. I look up, and all the air leaves my body. There stands the girl that got away. The girl that I think about all the time.

"Neveah," I say quietly, and she looks between Toby and me.

"Miss Villa, this is Dr. Thomas Orozco," Moriah says. Realization dawns on her face.

"Wait, you did the surgery on my son?"

"Our son," I correct her. "But, yes, I did."

"Please sit down, Miss Villa," Dr. Kinsly says, and she sits down.

"I wish I knew that I had a son," I say quietly as I get emotional. "Do you think I can speak to you alone?"

"I think that would be best if we did," she says. Everyone nods, and they leave the room.

"I feel cheated. I missed out on four years of my son's life." I say.

"I have something to tell you, Tj, or would you like me to call you Thomas?"

"Either is fine, or you can call me Tommy. What do you want to tell me?" I ask.

"It's not only Noah. He has a twin sister. You have a daughter too."