Chapter 29 Eric's Heart Donor Died

Skylar's hand tightened abruptly around his phone. He felt as if something was stuck in his throat and he couldn't get a word out. On the other end of the call, Reuben Sutton continued, "Heart transplants are best performed within 12 hours after the donor passes away. I'm really sorry, but it's been too long now. It's definitely too late." Skylar turned to the side and saw Elaine sitting on the bed, watching him with a look of expectation in her eyes that she couldn't hide. He couldn't bring himself to admit the truth—that he had destroyed the heart that was the perfect match for Eric. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. When he finally opened his mouth, his first instinct was to push the blame onto the hospital. "Even if the donor had passed away, why didn't you preserve the heart in cold storage?" Reuben sounded a little puzzled. Skylar seemed to be implying that now that the heart was gone, he suddenly wanted it back. Reuben could only try to explain carefully, "Mr. Fr