Chapter 2

I’m a simple woman. I like handsome, muscled, tattooed men with beards and donuts.

-Kennedy’s secret thoughts

Kennedy

I hoped that whatever news that we got today, that it wasn’t something detrimental.

But it has to be, my sister’s words from earlier still rang in my ears Why else would the doctor call me into his office if it wasn’t bad?

The other question was what if there was something seriously wrong with her? How the hell were they going to pay for it? She and I came from a family of farmers. Her husband was a fourth-generation farmer. There’d been a drought this year, and honestly, I was halfway convinced that they didn’t even have health insurance.

Not to mention they had four young kids.

And it wasn’t like I could help.

I was a farmer, too. I lived off my craft. I lived simply. I had insurance…what I did not have was insurance that was very good. I had the bronze plan—the lowest of the low.

But at least I had insurance…

Oh, God. This was going to be horrible.

“Are you ready, Freddy?” I asked my sister.

She turned her haunted eyes to me.

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

I offered her my hand, and we walked, holding on to each other into the hospital.

***

Shock resonated through me at hearing the doctor’s words.

“I have what?” my sister gasped.

The doctor looked at her with pity-filled eyes.

“Ovarian cancer,” he repeated. “Stage three.”

I looked around the room.

She’d gone to the doctor for a routine physical for work. Now we were here today facing a nightmare.

“What now?” I finally settled on, noticing that my sister was too surprised to talk.

“Now, you fight.”

“I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to live my life. I wanted to go to work and spend time with my family and friends. I wanted to freakin’ live!”

Fighting meant a whole lot of pain, and since she was a nurse—though she hadn’t worked in well over six years—she knew more than most.

Hell, even I knew that the debilitating pain that lay ahead for her. I knew that she’d wake up most days and not feel like getting out of bed.

I’d already witnessed our sister, and mother going through their own battles with cancer.

I knew that this was going to be tough.

So tough.

“Why not just take her ovaries?”

“No!” came my sister’s vehement denial.

“That would be why,” the doctor said. “When her endometriosis acted up, and I suggested having a hysterectomy, she refused. I knew that wasn’t something she’d want to do unless there was no other possible way to avoid it.”

I looked over at my sister.

“Trix,” I said carefully. “I realize that you want more kids, but…”

“I said no!”

Right.

“We’re going to run with this, Trixie. You don’t have time to waste.”

She didn’t have time to waste.

Right.

“I’ll expect you to start chemo on Monday,” he said. “I’m referring you to a doctor the next floor up.” He gestured with his hand. “Today. You have an appointment right after this one,” he sighed. “This is bad, yes, but it’s not completely the end of the world.”

Not the end of the world.

Right.

“Head on over there now. They’re expecting you.”

***

“If I’m being honest here, I realize that the best option would be to take the ovaries…”

The oncologist tried again.

I’d tried in the elevator. Hell, I was sure that her husband would try, too.

“Can I still go on our cruise?” she questioned. “It’s next week.”

He nodded, but I could tell that he wanted to start treatment right this second. Today, if possible.

“Yes, you can go as long as you feel up to it.” He stood up. “With your permission, we’ll schedule the procedure to implant your medical access port for tomorrow or the next day. Do you have any questions about that?”

He didn’t need to explain what that was or where it was going—at least not to me.

My brother had had one. My mom. My sister.

My stomach hurt.

My head was pounding, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and cry.

But I wouldn’t.

Not in front of Trixie.

“No,” she cleared her throat. “That’ll be fine.”

He nodded soberly. “All right. Millie, my nurse, will be outside waiting to take some of your information down. Once we have you scheduled, you’ll need to go into the hospital to register the day before. Now you can do that at any time, but I recommend you go either mid-afternoon or closer to closing time. They’ll take a sample of your blood, just in case, and then get you all set-up and ready-to-go insurance wise. Anything else?”

She shook her head. “No.”

He stood up and offered her his hand.

She took it, and shook it once before dropping it.

“We’ll get through this,” the doctor, Albertson his name badge said, promised. “I’ll see you in a few days. Millie will also schedule your next few appointments, okay?”

Trixie continued to nod.

“Trixie…”

She shook her head. “Let’s get this scheduled, and then you can take me home. I need to talk to Darren.”

I did as she asked, and the entire way down the elevator, out into the parking lot and to her house, she never said a word.

When I pulled up in front of her house, it was to see her youngest running toward us, a look of utter glee on his face to see that his mother was home.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Can you come pick DJ up in an hour and take him to baseball practice?”

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak.

Then she was gone, picking Jaxon up into the air and spinning him around, a happy smile on her face.

I continued to watch for a little longer, smiling slightly when Darren came out of the house and looped a muscular arm around her shoulders.

The moment they started talking, I pulled out of their driveway, and made it about halfway down the street before I couldn’t help it anymore, and started to cry.

Maybe if I just sat here for an hour and cried, then I could go pick him up and not have to drive all the way home.

With my master plan written, I shoved the door open and nearly fell out, bringing my hands up to my head and trying to breathe through the pain.

It didn’t help, so I started to walk.