“I won’t prevent you from seeing or talking to her. The only thing I ask is that you call ahead to see how she is, and whether she has to have a chemotherapy treatment that day or not. I won’t tire her out with numerous visits.” He looked around, and even said, “If there’s a problem here at work and you want to talk it over with her, go ahead, but know if you show up and I see she’s overdoing it, I will ask you to leave.
“Now I want you to know this number. This is the number of the president of the motorcycle club I just retired from and his wife Mary’s number. They are coordinating meals to bring to her at the hospital to fatten her up, and I’m thinking, but they won’t admit it, to the house. If you want in, or can think of anything else, contact them.”
“So, you won’t keep us from her? Even if it’s a phone call to check up on her?” Brian asked.
“No. As a matter of fact, if you give me your number, as soon as we get the results and we either jump for joy or punch a hole in a wall, I’ll let you know.”
Brian automatically pulled one of his cards and handed it over. “You know, she never said anything about her tests or suspecting she was sick,” Beth said.
Lincoln stayed there for over an hour answering their questions, and it felt good to be able to talk with Addison’s friends. On the way back to the hospital, he realized what she’d been talking about, not feeling accepted by the club women. He had felt that way whenever he’d encounter a worker of hers. Since talking with them, he felt a hell of a lot better, and had a gigantic dose of understanding that it was a two-way street. At the last minute he remember to swing by their favorite restaurant and order the wings for his wife.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Mr. and Mrs. Murphy,” Dr. Knight said as he walked into the hospital room exactly thirty-six hours from the surgery. “I’ve got the test results.” He walked up to the bed and smiled when he saw the couple snuggled together.
“And?” Lincoln didn’t remove his arm from around his wife as they looked at the doctor. Nor did he make any move to get off the bed. He wanted to be there to hold Addison when she got the news.
“As we suspected. It is cancer. Stage two. But we can remove both tumors at the same time and begin chemo. I have to warn you, it’s going to be a long hard road. I believe we’ve caught it in time. Once the tumors are removed we’ll begin a rigorous regime of chemo. We should be able to get ahead of this and send you into remission.”
“Which is?”
“Cancer free. But that might not be until a year or so down the road.”
“When I’m under chemo, do I have any restrictions?”
“No, but your body will let you know how you feel. On the days you receive a treatment, and a couple days after you’ll feel like shit. Listen to your body, if it wants to lounge around all day, let it. There may be good days, but if you can, I’d recommend your day come to you, or have someone else drive you to wherever you need to be. You’ll be too weak to drive yourself for a while.”
“So, when does the chemo start?” Lincoln asked.
“First I’ll schedule Mrs. Murphy...”
“Stop, call me Addy. We’re going to be working together for a long time, Dr. Knight.”
“We are. Okay, Addy. We can schedule surgery for tomorrow morning and remove the tumors. But I got a close look when I did the biopsy. I hate to say this, but I may have to remove both breasts.”
“I can live without those for now, just get all the tumors on the first round and I’ll be a happy camper. After tomorrow’s surgery, how long before the chemo starts?”
“Not until you gain at least seven pounds.”
“Can I go home after tomorrow’s surgery and are there any diet restrictions?”
“Yes, you can go home probably two days after the surgery. And no diet restrictions.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Addy said, and leaned into Lincoln. It wasn’t until the doctor left that she turned into his chest and burst into tears. Lincoln only held her and let her cry. Several minutes later she sat back, and said, “I’m okay. I had to get that out. So, now that we know, are you still going to stick around?”
“Of course,” Lincoln said, then realized why she said it. He moved so that he was looking her directly in the eye. “I’m not your father, Addison. I hope you understand now what happened with that skank. Jackson called me yesterday and told me she was sentenced to fifteen years. We’ll never have to deal with her again.”
“I did notice one thing that night. I think the shock was so great as to why I reacted the way I did.”
“What did you notice?”
“The club footage didn’t have sound, but I heard her say that she would get you hard if it killed her. When I ripped her head away from you I noticed you weren’t hard. Like you always were when you were drinking too much. I know from experience, when you’re drunk that sucker isn’t going anywhere.” She giggled. “But on a serious note, I think I was sohurt and humiliated that’s why I filed for divorce. I acted before I thought.”
“That and the fact of what your father did to your mother. And I sure wasn’t any help when just days before that you were saying how you felt unaccepted by the club women. I never even talked to you about that. I blew it off, just like I always did. And then I basically flat-out told you that your services weren’t needed for the club pig roast. My god, how could you feel accepted if your own husband wouldn’t accept your help. I’m so sorry about that.”
“I’ve forgiven you for that. But do me a favor, if we’re about to face what’s coming, talk to me. Like we used to. Just before my first mammogram, I realized that I didn’t have any friends. I missed you so much.” She moved so that she looked him in the eye. “I’m not the only one this is affecting. You’re taking on the role of my caregiver, you’re going to want to vent, and get out there on the bike to clear your head. Don’t hold back on doing that because of me. As long as I know you’ll always come back to me, then I’m okay with you going for a ride. If it’s too much for you, talk.”
“And I missed you. I promise I will talk to you.” He settled down further into the bed and kissed her gently. He gathered her in his arms and stayed there until she fell asleep. When she was breathing deeply, he extracted himself from the bed, went into the bathroom, grabbed a towel to cover his face, and broke out into sobs. He stayed that way for a long time. He finally got himself under control, ran the water and washed his face. Back out in the room, he looked toward the bed and was surprised when Addison held her arms out to him.
