Have a Heart

It had never occurred to Mark that Tyler wasn’t his son. He thought back to the day Michelle first told him she was pregnant. The joy he felt at that moment was second only to the bliss of hearing the ultrasound technician announce, “It’s a boy!” To Mark’s surprise, his life was made complete by the birth of a son. A boy who soon became his whole life.

Tyler was everything he could have asked for in a son. He learned to read and write before he started school. He excelled in both academics and sports. He was as generous as he was handsome. Mark knew he could never love anyone as much as he loved his beautiful boy.

He definitely didn’t love Michelle, not anymore. But, if she wanted to fight a divorce and custody arrangement, the law was on her side. She would simply produce the DNA testing and prove that Tyler was not his son. She could stop Mark from seeing Ty. Worse, she might tell Tyler the truth.

Michelle’s revenge was not the only way Mark might lose his son. At 16, Tyler was Porter High’s most talented quarterback. But when he collapsed on the football field during the big game, his doctors discovered a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect. They explained that his heart was severely damaged and without a transplant, Tyler would probably not see his 18th birthday.

Mark knew what he had to do.

He knew Michelle had a lead foot, and he counted on a leaking brake line to prevent her from making the sharp turn off the highway onto the hospital access road. She would be found quickly, her organs in good shape.

“Don’t worry, Ty.” Mark held his son’s hand. “You’re going to get that new heart.”

Word Count: 297