happened to old people, and it had happened to him.
â Youâre going to be okay ,â someone had said at some point, and he wasnât sure he believed it.
He put a hand over his heart. According to the monitor, it was loping along just fine, but he didnât really believe it was still in his chest until he felt its thrum with his own fingers.
His mouth tasted stale. Gummy. He couldnât reach the bedside tray, where a pitcher and glass rested tantalizingly, mockingly.
The door to his room opened, and to his surprise Dr. Campbell entered, followed by his parents. Mom and Dad had bags under their eyes and looked so much older than usual.
He couldnât quite believe his eyesâthey were holding hands. Mom had obviously been crying, and Dad wore beard stubble.
How long have I been here?
Dr. Campbell stood at the foot of his bed. Mom and Dad split and took seats on either side of him; Mom took his hand, and Dad rested a palm on Zakâs shoulder. It was creepy that no one said anything.
âDo you need anything?â Dr. Campbell asked.
âThirsty.â His voice croaked and cracked. His throat hurt.
Dr. Campbell poured a glass of water and handed it to him. He drank it as quickly as his sore throat would allow, then held it up, signaling for more. She refilled and he sipped at it this time.
âZak, Iâve been speaking with your parents, and Iâve asked them to talk to you. Iâve asked them to be very honest with you, and theyâve agreed. Theyâre not going to talk about your ⦠walkabout. Or anything like that. They just want to tell you some things. And I think maybeâ¦â She cut her eyes left and right, taking in both of them. âI think maybe they might even want to apologize.â
His parents nodded in miserable synchronization.
Dr. Campbell settled into a seat in the corner of the room. Zak looked from Mom to Dad, then back. They both stared down at the floor, neither one willing to speak.
âSomeone has to talk,â Zak said at last.
Bobbing his head, Dad said, âI donât know what you saw or readââ
âI know about my brother.â
Dad blew out a trembly, shuddering sigh. âYeah. Okay. Look, weâ¦â
âYou were sick,â Mom said abruptly. âWhen you were in the womb. Both of you. You had something called TTTS.â
âTwin-to-twin transfusion syndrome,â Dr. Campbell chimed in quietly. âIt affects identical twins. Very rare.â
âI donât know how to explain this,â Mom said helplessly. âItâs likeâ¦â She drifted off and gave Dad the You take over look.
âYou and your brother shared everything in the womb,â Dad said. âAnd there was a connection between the two of you. A very special one. But what happened wasâ¦â
âOne twin begins to take blood from the other,â Dr. Campbell said very calmly. âYou know about blood transfusions, right? This is similar, except itâs accidental. One twin absorbs blood from the other.â
Zak had a mental image of two babies in a belly, one of them drawing blood from the other, growing larger as the other shrank.
âI sucked out his blood?â he exclaimed, horrified. âLike a vampire?â
âNo!â Mom shouted, and flung her arms around him. âNo, never think that! You didnât do anything. â
âThis is why we didnât tell you,â Dad explained. âWe were worried you would blame yourself. It was an accident of nature. No one did anything. It just happened .â
âNever, ever blame yourself for this,â Mom whispered in his ear.
âYou both had health problems when you were born,â Dad said. âYour heart condition, from too much blood in the womb. And Tommy had kidney problems from too little blood. We thought we might lose one of you, or even both of you, but we got lucky.â He looked away, his
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