The Grace Card Page #5

- Has he left before?

- Yeah.

But this one's different.

Say something you regret?

I have a tendency to do that.

I haven't talked to my dad

in 12 years, Mac.

- Still alive?

- I guess.

I don't know where he is.

Say something you regret?

We both did.

Don't ever

let it come to that, Mac.

A boy needs his daddy.

No matter what

he says to him.

Three-two-three.

Three-two-three.

- Possible prowler, 7844 Kirby.

- Why do I know that address?

Three-two-three en route.

- So you heard a noise at the window?

- Tapping.

Tap, tap, tap. And voices.

Sounded like Chinese

or Japanese maybe.

We've had a lot of Mexicans

moving in around here

with lowriders

and hopped-up pickup trucks.

I wish they'd drive them all back

to Mexico, is what.

I like the coloreds used to live here.

They were like you.

Friendly.

You could talk to them.

Officer McDonald,

you see anything?

No, I didn't. No sign of trouble.

Wanna come in for some iced tea?

I made some fudge too.

No, no, thank you.

The last officer was here

took a full report.

- He came in and...

- Yes, I was here a few weeks back.

Oh, really? I don't recall.

We'll make another drive past

before we change shifts, and if...

2714 Exeter, Germantown

Office Supply, silent alarm, 7-1.

Three-two-three.

Show us taking that call.

- Thank you. We have to get going.

- Okay, good night.

Lonely lady.

She just needs somebody

to talk to, that's all.

It could be our

big-screen boys.

Or another low battery in a motion

detector like the last 10 of these calls.

Come out, come out,

wherever you are.

Don't they usually leave

the lights on in this store?

Yeah.

Might just be a power outage.

Let's pull around back.

Three-two-three on site.

Zone 1 is clear.

Power is apparently out,

possible false alarm.

Checking the rear.

- Ten-four.

- I don't know, Mac.

All the lights are out on the block.

They might have cut the power.

Movement.

- Police, freeze.

- Police, freeze.

Mac, wait.

Freeze! Gun!

Three-two-three.

Shots fired, suspect down.

Show me your weapon.

Oh, Lord.

- No.

- Dad.

- Blake, what are you...?

- I'm so sorry, Dad.

We need an ambulance!

- Three-two-three, be advised:

- Hurry!

The injured suspect

is Officer McDonald's son. Over.

Blake!

No, no, no!

- Yes?

- Mrs. McDonald?

I'm Sam Wright.

I'm your husband's partner.

Oh, no.

What is it?

What's happened to Mac?

I need you to come

with me, okay?

- What's happened to Mac?

- It isn't Mac.

Gunshot wound

to his right abdomen.

- Single gunshot?

- Yeah, single. No exit wound.

I've got a 14-gauge

in both right arm...

- One, two, three.

- Okay, what do we have here?

Gunshot wound

to the right abdomen.

- Give me that bag.

- Yeah.

- Tell me your name.

- Blake.

Okay, let's get him some anesthesia.

I need Dr. Duncan here, stat.

- Right away.

- Know where you are?

Get him a chest and abdomen x-ray.

Let's prep this kid for surgery.

Hi, Blake, you with me, buddy?

I'm Dr. Curry.

- Where's Mom?

- She'll be here before you know it.

You got one thing to do for me.

Relax and go to sleep and think

good thoughts for both of us.

Okay, let's go, folks.

Let's move it.

- What have you done?

- Sara, no.

Sara, no.

No, it was an accident, Sara.

- Sara, I didn't know.

- What happened?

Why was he there?

Sara, no.

He didn't mean to do it.

He's all I have left, Mac.

Do you understand me?

- He's all I have left.

- Sara.

Sara.

Have a seat, sir.

Well, the good news is we're

stable for the time being.

He's a strong boy.

Many would not have

survived that surgery.

Bad news is

we're not out of the woods yet.

That was a high-velocity bullet,

and it left quite a trail of damage.

We've patched him up

beautifully,

but we had to take

the damaged kidney.

- But can he function with one kidney?

- One healthy kidney, yes.

But there's your issue.

It's not a healthy kidney.

It might as well not even be there.

What do you mean?

Blake has a relatively uncommon

congenital condition

known as

atrophic renal syndrome.

What that means is one of

his kidneys is not functioning

and the other

has been carrying the load.

Unfortunately, it was the

good kidney that took the hit.

Blake is stable now,

but that won't last long.

He is in 100 percent

kidney failure.

Are you saying

we're gonna lose Blake?

What I'm saying is

to survive,

Blake needs a kidney transplant

immediately.

Give him mine.

- It's not that simple, I'm afraid.

- I'm the father.

I took the liberty of pulling

both your medical records.

You do have type A positive blood,

as does your son, Blake.

The problem is

you've also got hypertension,

and that keeps you

from being a donor.

Mrs. McDonald, unfortunately,

you have type O positive blood.

We're searching

the donor networks now,

but so far we've come up

empty-handed.

We're on the clock here.

Look at you.

You've grown into

a handsome young man.

Mac.

Hey, Mac.

Nurse said he did okay.

He's gonna make it.

I thought I'd wait around and take

you two home to get some rest.

Where's Sara?

She's with Blake.

You wanna go home?

I'm a really good shot.

Do you know that?

Fifteen years.

Fired my weapon three times.

I'm three for three.

You couldn't have known.

You were just doing your job.

I did it wrong.

I shouldn't have run

into that building.

I didn't have to.

He wasn't going anywhere.

I don't even know the boy.

My own son,

and I don't know the first thing

about him.

- It isn't too late for that.

- He may not make it, Sam.

What? I thought they said...

I could stay with you.

Or would you rather be alone?

I am alone.

Been alone

since I buried my first boy.

I think I died right with him.

I'm just too dumb to know it.

Doesn't matter anymore.

Thanks for the ride.

Stop.

Now, you listen to me.

You're at the bottom.

You ain't going no lower

than right here, right now.

You got two options.

Curse God and die

or give up fighting him.

I appreciate that. Really, I do.

I choose option A, preacher man.

Mac, he's not giving up on you.

I know things are bad now,

but there's always a reason...

Stop it.

That stuff

doesn't work on me, okay?

If believing in this fairy tale

gives you comfort

and a side job on Sunday morning,

bully for you, Sergeant Wright.

But if you think I'm gonna go

all gooseflesh and fall on my knees

before your God,

who lets a 5-year-old get run over

and killed by some

Southside drug-dealing nig...

Still wanna stay with me, Sam?

I didn't think so.

The old ones say

that the cruelest prison

is the one of our own making,

and solitary confinement

may be the cruelest of all.

Hell itself may be nothing more

than eternity all alone.

It is also said

that our father will never give up

searching or calling for us.

Many is the man

who cannot or will not hear that call

until he is completely broken.

...feel your comfort, Lord.

Thank you for watching over him.

We know you're the ultimate physician

and you can heal him if you want to...

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