SUMMERTIME

it's not the end of the road

It's been thirteen hours since the operation, yet Calum still hasn't woken up yet.

"We performed the orthotropic procedure on him and it's a great relief that we succeeded. It seems that your prayers were heard." The doctor gave a small smile at the family and friends now gathered around him. Then his face turned serious again. "The reason why I paid a visit here in the room is mainly to inform you about what will happen and what should be done for Mr. Hood to be normal again, which will take time."

"Is he awake right now?" Michael asked. The hope in his voice was slightly evident but it was obvious that he's trying not to let it show because of his neutral face. He still can't be 100% sure that calum is okay now.

The doctor slowly shook his head, causing deep sighs to come out. "He needs a lot of rest from the long operation we did to him. It's expected. Give him one day or two and maybe he'll finally regain consciousness."

"But what happens now?"

"We just have to wait and wait. Once Mr. Hood finally wakes up, he must undergo emotional, psychological, and physical tests to verify mental health and ability to make good use of a new heart. Since the transplanted heart originates from another organism, the recipient's immune system typically attempts to reject it. As a result, the immune system detects the new tissue as "foreign", and attempts to remove it by attacking it with recipient white blood cells, resulting in the death of the donated tissue. That's why immunosuppressants are given as an attempt to prevent this rejection. It's a medicine given so his immune system does not reject the new heart, but the side-effect is that the body becomes more vulnerable to infections and malignancy."

"In short calum will always be sick for the rest of his life?" Mali hesitantly spoke up. She looks terrified because what if her little brother gets another sickness because of his immune system being weak? She doesn't know whether she should've been more thankful calum was dead in peace, rather than alive now but sick.

Were they selfish to proceed with the operation? But Luke told them that calum wanted a family with him, so that means he still wanted to live.

Yeah, they made the right decision.

"The risk of rejection never fully goes away, and the patient will be on immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of his life, but yes it may cause unwanted side effects such as increased likelihood of infections or development of certain cancers. We don't know if he will "always" get sick, though. Let's hope not." The doctor pursed his lips.

Everyone remained silent.

"Mal!" Luke suddenly whined and buried his head in Mali's arm. The two have gotten close ever since she hugged him during his breakdown outside the emergency room.

Mali patted Luke's back and whispered comfortingly, "It's gonna get better, Luke. You don't have to worry. Remember what we keep on telling you?"

"C-calum's a fighter." He mumbled. His blue eyes were still swimming in tears and he slowly wiped them. Crying is a sign of weakness. Crying is a sign of weakness. Crying-

"He is." Calvin smiled at them. "We don't have to be so paranoid all the time. After all, his operation succeeded and all that's left to do is to believe that calum will wake up soon."

"When Mr. Hood is finally stable, he may move to a special recovery unit for rehabilitation. The duration of post-transplant care depends on his general health, how well the heart is working, and his ability to look after the new heart."

"For how long will Calum stay in here then?" Ashton asked out of curiosity.

"We usually prefer that patients leave the hospital 1-2 weeks after surgery. After release, he must return for regular check-ups and rehabilitation. Patients may also require emotional support. The frequency of hospital visits decreases as the patient adjusts to the transplant. The patient is regularly monitored to detect rejection of the organ and he should also stick with the meds."