“That’s unbelievable,” Anna sighed, listening to Zack summarizing his life story. “How long did it take you to finally get your heart?”
“About two years,” Zack answered, having to think for a second. “It was a couple of months after my sixteenth birthday. I remember how excited we all were when we finally got the phone call.” Of course, I also remember how terrified I was when I was lying in the hospital bed. “I’ve had this new heart for two years now. Kind of ironic when you think about it: I’m embracing a second chance at life, and then the entire world decides to just fall apart around me.”
Anna pretended to laugh at Zack’s attempt at dark humor. She could tell that he didn’t want pity from anyone, which was probably why he seemed to have kept this secret from her. He was obviously strong, which she had found very admirable. He proved that he did deserve his second chance at life, but he shouldn’t have to that during times like this.
“So, that was why you were at the Walgreen’s today,” Anna inferred.
“Yep,” Zack answered, now digging through the other bags of food. It was mostly canned food that probably wouldn’t go bad for at least a year. The sodium in the canned food was dangerous for his heart, but he also didn’t want to die of starvation. If it was all in moderation, he figured that it would all be okay. “I was looking for some of the medicines I need. If I don’t find the right pills that suppress my immune system, my body will start rejecting my heart.”
“That’s scary,” Anna said in genuine shock. “Did you have any luck?”
“Sort of,” Zack said. “There were two specific medications that I was looking for today: Bactrim and Myfortic.” He went on to tell of his adventure in the pharmacy, only finding a small bit that would keep things running smoothly for now. “I know that one day, there’s going to be no way to find any more of these pills, but I’m going to fight on as long as I can.”
Zack was doing his best to keep a straight, courageous face in front of his new companion. He was very much afraid of death, probably due to the doctors telling him that he was supposed to have died ever since he was a kid. It was why he practiced kendo during the later stages of recover after the transplant, to help keep himself in shape and avoid any other kinds of diseases. He didn’t imagine that his skills in martial arts as well as with a sword would come in handy one day.
After picking out a can of microwavable ravioli, he turned his attention to Anna. He could read the worry in her face; he could barely tell that her eyes were a bit watery because she seemed to be avoiding any kind of eye contact. He was wearing his mask much stronger than she was.
“Thanks for helping me out today,” Zack said to her, trying to defuse the sobering atmosphere. “I’ll warm you up dinner; why don’t you go pick out a movie to put in the DVD player?”
With that, there was no more talk on the subject. Quickly, Zack pulled out his pills for the night and took them down with a swig of water. Anna spied him downing his medication out of the corner of her eye. She was surprised by how much medication he was taking as well as the fact he took it all in one gulp.