“Hey,” she whispers, her face unnaturally pale.
As I watch Easton move closer to her, it feels as if my heart is shattering to smithereens all over again. I know it’s going to kill him to hear Rachel is dying.
Dying.
I lift my palm to my neck, my throat straining as tears burn my eyes.
He presses a quick kiss to her temple, then asks, “What’s the problem?”
Suddenly, she bursts out in tears and slams into Easton’s chest while sobs shudder through her body.
Oh, God.
My hand moves up to cover my mouth, sadness ripping through me like a destructive storm. Unable to stop my tears, they begin to roll down my cheeks, and I quickly wipe them away.
“Christ, are you pregnant again?” he asks as he pulls back from his sister so he can look at her face.
When she doesn’t answer fast enough, his eyes flick to me, and I shake my head while sucking in a shuddering breath.
Noticing I’m crying, Easton’s features grow tenser with worry, and his eyes snap back to Rachel. “What the fuck happened?”
Rachel gasps through her sobs, then she reaches for my arm and yanks me to her side while whimpering, “You tell him.”
Crap.
I glance between them, my tongue darting out to wet my lips. “I think it would be better if he heard it from you.” Hoping to give her strength, I rub my hand over her lower back. “I’m here, Rach. You can do it.”
“Fuck, will someone just tell me what’s going on?” Easton growls as he begins to lose his temper, making fear grip my insides.
Rachel shakes her head but manages to squeeze the words out with a strained voice, “I have cancer.”
A frown forms on Easton’s forehead as he stares at his sister, and a long, tense moment passes before he asks, “Did you see a doctor?”
She nods. “I also got a second opinion. I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure.”
Easton seems weirdly calm as he asks, “What did the doctors say?”
Rachel looks up at him, her face torn with fear. “It’s glioblastoma. There’s nothing they can do. They’ve given me meds to help with the headaches.”
As the blow hits Easton, he takes a step backward, and shock ripples over his features. This time, his voice is filled with alarm as he snaps, “What do you mean there’s nothing they can do?”
Her face crumbles as she replies, “I have a few weeks at most. It’s too far along to treat, and it’s growing at a rapid pace.”
“Weeks,” he whispers, intense devastation carving hard lines on his forehead and around his mouth.
A few seconds pass before he shakes his head in disbelief. “But you look healthy.” Shaking his head again, he takes another step backward. “When I left two months ago, you were fine.”
“Remember the headaches? They started getting really bad after you left, and I thought it was something stupid like a hormone imbalance. The doctor says the symptoms can get worse at any time.”
Once again, my heart cracks right down the middle as I watch the shock hit Easton. I try to smother a soft sob as tears continue to roll over my cheeks.
Jesus, this is too much for any of us to handle.
Easton turns around and walks a few steps away from us while lifting a hand and gripping the back of his neck.
God. I wish I could take the heartache from him.
Silence falls heavy in the air until Rachel lets out a sob. Her voice is hoarse as she whimpers, “Easton?”
