Soon more people are appearing at the accident site and helping out.  The ambulance and police cars arrive and the boys and the couple are immediately sent to the hospital.

Outside the operation theatre, Michael is pale and pacing up and down too restless and worried to sit.  Nikita is on the phone talking to Jason.

“Make this a priority scan, rake it backwards and forwards.  Make sure you don’t miss out anything.  If anyone is even slightly involved, I want to know about it,” Nikita tells Jason with steel in her tone.  She snaps her phone shut, turns to see Michael slump into a chair with despair in his eyes.  He closes his eyes and puts his head in his hands.  Nikita walks over to him and pulls him into her embrace.

The surgeon steps out and speaks to them, “We have stabilised Adam, but I am afraid I have bad news.  Both kidneys are injured beyond repair, we need to find him a kidney.”

“Use mine,” Michael volunteers.  The surgeon turns to the nurse and tells her to test Michael for compatibility.  Michael is having his blood drawn and tissue sample taken for tests.  As he sits in the chair, Nikita receives a call.  She turns away to answer the call.  Michael watches her like a hawk and reads her body language.  When she hangs up, she turns back to Michael.

“It was an accident.  No hit,” she quietly tells him.  Michael is happy and sad at the same time.  Happy that he was still under the radar of any hit and sad that he now has no one to lay the blame on.  He nods.

The surgeon walks in, “Sir, I am afraid you are not a match to your stepson.”  His words sends a shock wave down Michael and Nikita’s spine.  Stepson? 

“No!  He’s my son!”

“But, sir, his DNA is different from yours.”

Nikita pulls the surgeon aside and tells him to look for the kidney, she will deal with Michael.  Michael is shaking his head in disbelieve.  Nikita pulls out her phone again.

“Walter, I am going to send you some tissue samples.  I need you to run some DNA tests.”

Michael is standing in Adam’s room and tenderly stroking his hair when Nikita walks in.  She hugs him from behind and lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.  “I’m sorry, Michael.  Your DNA doesn’t match Adam’s.  Walter ran the tests three times using different machines.  There’s no mistake.”

Michael closes his eyes as pain fills his heart.  As they are standing there absorbing the implication of this news, suddenly the machine monitoring Adam fills the room with a loud shrill.  Doctors and nurses rush in as Michael and Nikita are ushered out of the room.

The doctor steps out of Adam’s room, Michael looks at him and breaks down crying.  “I’m so sorry.  We tried our best, but Adam developed some complications that his body could not cope,” the surgeon explained.

Nikita’s heart is breaking when she sees Michael so broken.  She pulls him tightly in her embrace as tears roll down her cheeks.  How can a day so perfect, end up like this?  It seems to be a life time ago, that day on the beach.

At the cemetery, Michal and Nikita are wearing all black with dark shades to cover their bloodshot eyes.  They are both standing with arms around each other, pale faced.

As the funeral draws to an end, the neighbours each come forward to pay their respects to Adam and offer words of comfort to Michael and Nikita.  Michael is standing there looking as if carved out of stone.  Nikita is thanking the people for coming and showing their support.  Nikita and Michael are the last to leave.

Nikita turns to Michael, staring at him intently “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes,” Michael quietly replies.

The end