Chapter 1 Chapter 1 âIâm so sorry for your loss. Try to stay strong,â said Dr. Mike, the attending physician.
He was also my husbandâs best friend since college.
I touched my faceâsmooth and unblemished.
In my previous life, the HIV had left it covered in lesions.
There was no doubt nowâIâd been given a second chance.
My husband, Dave, lay motionless on the hospital bed, covered by a white sheet.
I burst into tears and rushed over to yank it off.
âYou idiot! How many times did I tell you to lay off the bourbon?â
âBut you never listened! Now youâre gone, and Iâm left picking up the pieces.â
âHow am I supposed to go on?â
I slapped his face repeatedly, watching the color rise in his cheeks.
He must have been sedatedâparalyzed but conscious.
Seeing Daveâs face flush red, Dr. Mike quickly stepped between us.
After all, corpses donât blush.
âHey, hey, take it easy,â Dr. Mike said, blocking my access to the âbody.â
âI know youâre grieving, but this isnât helping anyone.â
Dr. Mike was in on it. He was the lynchpin of this whole scamâthe attending whoâd pronounced Dave dead and signed the death certificate.
âSome doctor you are,â I spat, pounding on his chest.
Chapter 1 âYou couldnât even save your best friend. How do you sleep at night?â
Dr. Mike winced in pain. âI did everything I could-â
âLiar!â I cut him off, shoving him backward.
The bastard had been in on it the whole time.
In my past life, Daveâs âdeathâ had left me drowning in medical bills and funeral costs, while he vanished without a trace.
Dr. Mike had played his part wellâhelping Dave fake his death and making sure I was the one left to suffer.
âYou swore at your frat initiation,â I snarled.
âBrothers for life, no matter what. Was that just bullshit?â
âThat was years ago,â he muttered, looking away.
I slapped him againâhard.
âWas it all a joke to you? My husband trusted you! And you let him down!â
Dr. Mike hesitated, his face dark with guilt. âI swear, I tried to save him. I gave it everything I had.â
I collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.
âDave, please... wake up... How could you leave me like this?â
Dr. Mike sighed and handed me a bottle of water.
âHere, drink this. Itâll help you calm down.â
I froze.
That bottle.
In my past life, I drank from itâand blacked out.
When I woke up, Dave was gone.
1 Pride of Velvet Nights 78.8%
Chapter 1 My motherâinâlaw was holding his urn.
Something was in that water.
1 grabbed the bottle and hurled it at his head.
âOw! What the hell?â he yelped.
âYou bastard.â I whispered.
He hadnât shed a single tear for his soâcalled best friend.
And that told me everything I needed to know.
âMike, Iâm sorry for losing it,â I said, wiping my tears and softening my tone.
âI shouldnât have taken it out on you.â
âDonât worry about it. I get it â youâre going through hell right now.â
âEven though Daveâs gone, I want him to help others,â I said quietly, looking at his âcorpse.â
Mikeâs brow furrowed.
âWhat do you mean?â
I pulled out my iPhone and called the Nevada Organ Donor Registry.
âHi, my husband just passed away. Iâd like to donate his organs to people who need them.â
Mikeâs face went white as a sheet.
They hadnât planned for this curveball.
âWhoa, hold up,â Mike stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.
âYou canât make that call without consulting the family.â
âIâm his wife. Itâs my legal right.â
âHeâs already gone. Why put his body through more trauma? Have some respect.â
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Chapter 1 I raised an eyebrow.
âSeriously? Youâre a doctor at one of the top hospitals in the state.â
âSince when are you against organ donation? Donât you take an oath to save lives?â
He stood there speechless, looking like he might pass out.
The transplant team arrived within minutes. The coordinator shook my hand warmly.
âMrs. Walker, thank you for considering donation.â
âYour husbandâs gift could save multiple lives. I just need you to sign these consent forms.â
I signed without hesitation.
Mike was practically hyperventilating.
âHis mom hasnât signed off on this.â
âThe hospital requires consent from all immediate family members.â
âCarolâs a reasonable woman. Besides, Dave and I talked about this.â
âHe always said he wanted to be an organ donor if anything happened.â
âHe had a big heart â when it wasnât failing him after too many martinis.â
âWhen did he ever say that?â Mike challenged.
âDo I need to give you a transcript of every private conversation I had with my husband?â
That shut him up.
âDoctor, except for his heart, you can take everythingâcorneas, kidneys, liver, whatever you need. Donate anything left to the medical school.â
âLet med students learn from him â God knows heâd love being the center of attention one last time.â
âYour generosity will help so many people,â the coordinator said.
Chapter 1 âWe have a teenage girl who needs a kidney transplant and a little boy waiting for corneas..
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Chapter 2