Knockout

Chapter 22

"What are you gonna tell him?" Thatcher asks, letting us in to the house.

"The truth." I say, hearing the sadness in my own voice.

"Sugar don't worry about this." He tries, giving me a side hug before leading us both into the kitchen. "I'll make dinner and you think of something you want to watch."

"I can't have kids Thatcher." I tell him, sitting down at our bar stools. "It's going to crush him."

"He loves you." He tells me. "He will still love you after you tell him."

I sigh and put my face in my hands. He's going to be home soon, and I have no idea how to even start this conversation. This is going to put a big dent in whatever our future was. And a surgery? Do I even want a surgery? I have no clue what I want and I have no clue what he wants, fantastic.

"What do you think?" I ask. "Should I get the surgery?"

"I think you should go put on your pajamas and leave me out of that. This is not an us conversation." He says, heating up a pan for something. "Seriously Hun go, we still have a few hours before he gets back and I don't want you to just sit here."

I sigh again and then walk out of the kitchen, trudging up the stairs to my bedroom. Once inside I start changing. I get down to my underwear and then turn to my mirror. On the outside, no one would ever know there was something wrong with me. I start to feel my heart getting heavy and turn away from the mirror, pulling on some pajama shorts and shirt. Reluctantly, I go back downstairs. I just want Marshall back.

***

After dinner, we talked for a while. One of those crappy lifetime movies served as backtrack. Once it was over, he left. I didn't really want him to go but I didn't exactly want him to stay either. But I need to be alone when Marshall gets here, he should be close now. I'm watching the window waiting to see his car. I just want him to hug me and tell me everything is gonna be okay.
I wait for about another ten minutes before I hear his car outside. I look out the window and see him faintly in the dark getting out. My chest jumps with a surge of impulse and I open the front door, running to him. He's halfway up my drive way and raises his head, smiling while seeing me come to him.
I throw my arms around him and immediately feel better. I bury my face in his neck, closing my eyes and breathing. His hands hold me against his body, I revel in his warmth. It's comforting, I've never been happier to see him.

"I missed you so much Marshall." I tell him, and he squeezes me once in response.

"I missed you to baby." He laughs. "Even though I was only gone for a day."

I stay holding him for a while and he begins to catch on that something isn't right. Slowly and against my wishes he separates our embrace, and knits his eyebrows at me. He tilts his head to the side a little and his eyes zero in on me, and trigger my tears. He puts his hand on my cheek and looks at me, confused.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" He asks, folding his arm around my waist.

I shake my head and take his hand, turning around to lead us up to the house. We get up to the house and I close the door behind us. Once we're inside I instantly start crying. In a second he's beside me, holding me against his body.

"Rachel, please." He says, and it forces another wave of tears out of my eyes. "What is it?"

"I went to get that test." I tell him, unable to say the rest.

"And?" He tilts my chin up, worry in his eyes. "Are you?"

"No." I shake my head, leaning into him. "I can't..."