While we were there, the team decided it made sense to harvest Mercs’ stem cells immediately since we were fully informed and ready to proceed. Mercs had fasted and prepared in case the procedure moved forward. So Kiera, Gran, and I sat in the waiting area while Mercs was taken into the operating room to have a giant needle inserted into his spine.
I swear I have never been more nervous in my life.
The thought of one slip, one miscalculation, and him being permanently injured had my heart racing the entire time. But Gran and Kiera kept me steady while we waited. The procedure lasted around an hour and a half, and afterward, he was placed in recovery while the anesthesia wore off.
When we were finally allowed to see him, he looked pale and tired, clearly in discomfort. They administered pain relief, and we stayed by his side until he was released later that evening. We stayed overnight in Pittsburgh, close to the hospital just in case, and I drove us home the following morning.
He’s had lingering lower back and hip pain ever since, but he insists it’s easing day by day. The upside is that his stem cells are now frozen and ready for Kiera. She must undergo high-intensity chemotherapy first, to destroy any remaining cancer cells, before the frozen stem cells are thawed and infused back into her bloodstream. Those cells will travel to her bone marrow, fuse, and begin producing new blood cells. Over six to eight weeks, she should feel noticeable improvement, and after six months, she should regain her full strength.
I cannot wait for that day.
But right now, Kiera is in the thick of her chemotherapy, and it’s brutal. Watching her fight through nausea, fatigue, and weakness is heartbreaking, but we all know it’s part of the journey toward healing.
That was six days ago.
It’s Saturday morning, and we have been back in Ligonier just over a week. We’ve kept mostly to ourselves, trying not to disrupt the town’s rhythm. But every Saturday from late May through early October, The Country Market runs at Loyalhanna Watershed Farm, where they sell fresh produce, handmade jewelry, country crafts, pastries, and hot food.
Andcandles.
A girl can never have enough candles, and I am going to overindulge.
We travel in a convoy of black sedans rather than the Hummer, hoping to avoid attention. Raoul and the drivers park toward the back so we can enter quietly.
When we step out, the market is already buzzing.
“You ready?” Mercs asks as townsfolk smile and wave.
“Hi, Mrs. Foster! Good to see you again,” Alana calls out, and I arch a brow. She really has embedded herself here.
Jay joins us, looking around skeptically. “So what are we expecting? There won’t be people with no teeth here, will there?”
Mercs snorts. “It’s a market, Jay. Not a damn horror film.”
Kristy glances around. “How come Gran and Kiera didn’t come?”
“Kiera’s feeling flat after chemo,” Mercs replies quietly. “Walking around would’ve been too much.” The softness in his tone hits me. She was pale this morning, so rest is what she needs right now.
Raoul steps forward. “Stay together. No disappearing.”
“Yes, sir,” I salute playfully, then quickly drop my hand when he frowns.
We head in, and the place is alive with color, chatter, music, and laughter. I immediately stop at a booth selling pierogi.
“Oh, I need this,” I declare, buying enough for everyone.
Eventually, we reach the candle stands, and the girls and I drift into our element while the guys hang back. There are calming candles, healing candles, energy candles, so many candles that I buy one of everything.
Mercs laughs as I continue handing over cash.
Then…
It hits.
A violent wave of heat floods my body.
Not gradual.
Instant.
