I press a kiss to her forehead.
“Don’t thank me for telling the truth.”
She hums, leaning into me for a second longer before pulling back.
“We gotta go,” she says. “Appointment.”
Right.
The appointment.
My chest tightens just a little.
Not fear.
Something else.
Something bigger.
“Yeah,” I nod. “Let’s go.”
—
The doctor’s office smells like antiseptic and something faintly floral.
Clean.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Esme’s hand is in mine the second we sit down, and I don’t let go.
Not for a second.
Not when the nurse comes in.
Not when they run the tests.
Not when they bring in the machine.
Because something in me knows?—
This matters.
This moment?
It’s going to change everything.
“Are you sure?” Esme asks, her voice soft but full of something I can’t quite name as she looks at the screen.
Her eyes are shining.
Hopeful.
Nervous.
All at once.
