Defeated

Chapter 3

"Your biopsy has confirmed that you have stage 2 ovarian cancer. I'm so sorry." The doctor announces.

"...we all knew what the results would come back as. Hardly a bombshell, is it?" Carla replies, after a few minutes of silence.

"Car..." Peter whispers.

"What?" She turns to look at him, her voice breaking with emotion.

Seeing his look of devastation, she looks back down and let's out a small whimper.

"Come here." Peter cries, pulling her to his chest before they both break down. "I'm so sorry."

After cuddling for a while, Peter looks up at the doctor. "So, What now?"

"Unfortunately, The cancerous cells have spread to both ovaries and the womb. It's at grade 2 which means it's growing right now but not quickly to the point where we have to take urgent action as soon as possible."

"Right...what are you going to do then?" Peter questions, his lover to upset to even talk so instead she buries her head in his chest.

"Surgery is the best option because it'll remove all the cancerous cells. This means we'll have no other choice but to remove both ovaries and give you a hysterectomy." He explains.

"A hysterectomy?" Carla looks up.

"The cancer has spread there so to give the best outcome...to survive...we need to do a hysterectomy." He replies.

"But that means...she won't be able to conceive." Peter sighs, bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose and taking deep breaths.

"I'm afraid so."

"That's not fair though..." Carla cries. "There's got to be another way."

"We wanted to have a child." Peter says.

"We've not even been given a chance yet...look, I lost our baby a while back and all we want is a child together. Don't take that away from us." She sobs.

"I understand this is a lot to get your head around-..."

"No. No you don't understand because you're not me. You haven't had your child cruely took away from you and then to find out you can't even try again, have a second chance, because I've got this...thing killing me." Carla shouts.

"Calm down, baby." Peter mumbles.

"Why are you so calm, do you not care about the fact we won't be able to have kids." She replies.

"Of course I am. But what's this achieving? This is the only way to make you better, Carla." Peter says.

"But...it's just not fair." She repeats, putting her head in her hands.

"So...after the surgery, is she better?" Peter hesitantly asks.

"All the cancerous cells will be gone however she'll have to do a course of chemotherapy for 3-4 weeks to be on the safe side."

"This just gets worse..." Carla whispers. "I can't do this..."

"Yes you can, baby. We'll get through this together."

"We can discuss this more in depth another time when emotions aren't so high." The doctor suggests.

"I think that's best. Come on, love. And thanks, Doctor." Peter smiles, slightly.

"I can't believe it, Peter. How have our lives change so much over a couple of days." Carla shakes her head.

It'd now been a few hours since they got back from their hospital appointment. She was now sat on the sofa, looking forwards with tears in her eyes.