The end of the week arrived in the blink of an eye as the family returned to their luxurious Manhattan apartment that they called home. The weekend was spent catching up on much needed sleep and when Monday morning came, Regina was back at work.
It felt good to sit behind her desk, allowing the busy day to unravel before her. There were no worries in the office, aside from the occasional mistake made by the interns, so she was free to do what she did best in the comfort of her quiet space. That was until her office phone rang and she was interrupted by what she believed to be a disgruntled client or a publisher wishing to further negotiate a contract.
"Regina Mills," she announced into the receiver with a sigh.
But when she heard the voice on the other end, her heart nearly exploded from her chest. She'd rather it be a client or publisher because she certainly hadn't prepared herself for what really happened, "Hello Regina, this is Doctor Whale."
She remained silent, unable to respond and unsure if she really had to. The man continued to speak, "We received the results from the ultrasound and your biopsy. Would you be willing to come by this evening on your way home from the office?"
He wanted her there that day. It was urgent. It had to be. She cleared her throat and tried her best to cover the way her voice shook with nerves, "I won't be leaving here until five and I thought that's when your office closes as well."
"It does, but my wife won't be too disheartened if I'm a few minutes late for dinner," he joked, trying to lighten the mood, but Regina was not amused. He coughed, "Anyway, it's important that we discuss the results in person. And please, tell Robin to come along as well."
"We'll see you then," she replied before hanging up the phone. She immediately reached into her purse for her cell phone and clicked Robin's name from her speed dial.
"Hello, my sweet," he said pleasantly.
"They're in."
It was all she had to say for him to understand what she meant. He said, "When do we have to go back?"
"Tonight. Meet me here at 5. I'll have a pizza delivered for the boys or something," she thought ahead to all the arrangements she had to make for their children for the evening.
"Henry, can you come in here please?" She heard Robin shout before he returned his attention to her, "I'll tell him we have a date or something. Don't worry about the children. I'll be sure to take care of everything before I leave."
"Thank you," she whispered, resting her forehead in the palm of her free hand.
"I love you, Regina," he said.
There was a fairly long pause as she was hit with a wave of emotion. She took a deep breath before ending the conversation with, "I love you too."
***********************************
"Thank you for coming by on such short notice," Doctor Whale said as he gestured for the couple to sit in the seats across from his desk. He sat down, opening her file to the results. That agitated Regina greatly; surely he knew what was wrong with her off the top of his head and was opening the file to waste time.
"Of course," Robin began as he took Regina's hand in his, "We'd like to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible so we can fix the problem in a timely manner."
"I agree, which is why I asked you to come by this evening," he paused, as if his words should have elicited a response, but the couple remained silent. He looked from Regina's brown eyes, full of well-tamed terror, and Robin's blue ones, more obviously showing his anxiety and worry. He took a deep breath in and held his hands together, "Both the ultrasound and the biopsy showed evidence of cancer in your uterus. There is a small mass, perhaps the size of a quarter, in the organ, but the biopsy returned signs of cancer cells to confirm that's what is."
Robin squeezed her hand tight as she shut her eyes, hoping when she opened them this would all have been a nightmare. She couldn't speak. There were no words she could possibly think to say in that moment. Luckily, that's why she had Robin, "What stage is it? When will she begin treatment?"
"It's very early, which is better than expected due to her symptoms. Regina, with your family history of cancer, I would like to be safe and do a complete hysterectomy," he said, directing his attention to the woman who was now staring blankly at the edge of his desk.
"Fine," she answered immediately.
"And there is one other thing I'd like for us to do to ensure that, once you're in remission, you'll never have to worry again."
"What's that?" Robin asked curiously.
Regina looked up at the doctor as he said, "One round of chemotherapy."
"No," she said instantly, "No way."
"Regina," Robin tried to reason with her, "I think we should hear him out."
"Regina, you had good reason to refuse treatment last time; your child was your first priority and I completely understand that. But this time around, you only have yourself to worry about and the best thing you can do is to take my advice. Chemotherapy could be the difference between life and death."
His words hit her hard and nearly knocked the wind right out of her. This was it. This was the problem and these were her options. She looked at Robin who was staring back at her with pleading eyes. This could kill her; this could be the beginning of the end of her life. No. She'd promised herself she would fight; for more nights spent dancing with Robin, for archery lessons, for horseback rides through Essex with her sons, for weddings and graduations and anniversaries and grandchildren...
"Okay," she said through a raspy, tired voice, "When will I start?"
***********************************
They chose to walk back to Enchanted Plaza after leaving Doctor Whale's office. He held her hand, whether she wanted him to or not, as they strolled along in the first uncomfortable silence they ever shared in their relationship. Regina's mind was wandering, replaying everything she'd just been told, while Robin was merely in a state of shock. Neither of them had cried; the reality of the situation hadn't hit them yet.
She turned to him suddenly and asked, "How are we supposed to tell the kids?"
"I don't know," he confessed, worried about how Henry and Roland would react to the news that their mother was in fact sick.
"If I start treatment this week, they need to know. Henry will notice something is wrong and just be angry that we didn't tell him sooner," she stated.
"You want to tell them tonight?" He asked, terrified of facing that conversation only moments after hearing the news for themselves.
She nodded as they approached their apartment building, "We might as well get it over with."
The rest of their trek to the top floor was spent without any words spoken between them. Robin took out his keys and opened the door, greeted happily by his youngest son.
"Go get your brother," was all the man could say as he watched Regina pull out a chair at the dining room table for her to sit in. He poured them each a glass of wine and took the seat beside her while they waited for their children to join them.
Henry and Roland sat across from them, the little boy giggling and going on about something exciting he did with his brother while the teenager noticed the solemn expressions on his parents' faces. He clenched his jaw, "What's going on?"
Robin looked at Regina who took a deep breath, taking his hand for support as she said, "We didn't have a date tonight."
"Yeah, I got that much," her son snapped back, his voice riddled with sarcasm.
"Henry, this is serious," Robin scolded the boy. He'd never taken it upon himself to reprimand her son, but his instincts took over in the spur of the moment. It took both children by surprise as they settled down to listen intently to their mother.
Regina looked from Henry's blue eyes to Roland's dark brown ones before stating in a soft voice, "We met with my doctor today to go over some tests I had done before our trip and-- it turns out I'm sick."
"What do you mean you're sick?" Her son questioned, worried now more than ever before in his life.
She looked at him and felt her chest tightening as she finally, for the first time, spoke the words aloud, "I have cancer."
"Cancer?" Henry repeated, realizing the magnitude of the situation and feeling his head spin with disbelief.
"It's the early stages of uterine cancer and the doctor can almost guarantee that I'll have a full recovery," she tried to reassure him, but barely believed the words herself as they left her mouth.
"So what now?"
"I start chemo this week and I'll go for surgery to remove it in August. After that, it should all be over," she said, hoping that was the truth.
"I don't get it," Roland spoke up finally, "Is Mommy dying?"
Henry put his arm around his brother as Robin did the same for Regina when he noticed her lips press together to suppress her tears. He reached his other hand forward to take his son's as he said, "Regina is the strongest person we've ever met. Can we all agree on that?"
The children nodded and Regina looked up at the ceiling to regain her composure as he continued, "Well, we need to be strong for her now. With all of us fighting together, I know your mother will be just fine."
He spoke with such hope and confidence, it took her by surprise. She looked at their boys, "I'm sorry."
They stood up simultaneously and came around the table to hug her tight. She held them close to her, Roland crawling into her lap as Henry rested his head atop his mother's. When they'd settled, she escorted them both to bed, telling Roland his story until he fell asleep before sitting with Henry. He'd cried to her, hugging her and asking her not to let go. He'd cried himself to sleep for the first time since he was small and it broke Regina's heart to see him like that.
With their children tucked in, she retired to the master bedroom to join Robin who was sitting up waiting for her. She didn't bother with pajamas as she stripped herself down to her undergarments and crawled into the bed beside him. His arms were ready for her as she made herself comfortable in his embrace. Once again they were silent until Robin heard the sound of her muffled sobs against his chest. He pulled her closer, sinking down so he could wrap his other arm around her. It finally hit her and as he listened to the painful realization she was going through, it finally hit him as well. They cried together that night, unable to find the words that they so desperately needed in order to comfort one another.
***********************************
"Henry," Roland whispered in the quiet of the night as he entered the teenager's bedroom, "Are you sleeping?"
"Not anymore," the older boy grunted as he sat up, "Are you okay?"
"No," he admitted as he approached the bed, "I had a nightmare."
Henry gestured for Roland to crawl into bed beside him as he asked, "About what?"
"It was about mommy. She died and I was really scared," he sniffled, trying to be strong and keep himself from crying in front of his big brother.
"It's okay, kid," he held the boy in his arms for comfort, "She's not going to die."
"But how do you know?"
"Because if there's one thing I know about my mom," he began, his voice in a soft whisper, but poignant in the delivery of his words, "It's that she never gives up."
***********************************
"Regina, have a seat," Leopold Blanchard pointed to the chair across from his desk as she entered his office the following day, "How is everything, my dear?"
She observed the way her boss greeted her with genuine kindness and she felt herself growing nervous with what she knew she had to reveal to him, "Leo, I have something I need to discuss with you."
"Problem with a case?" He questioned, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his desk.
She shook her head, "No. It's a personal matter actually."
"I see," he changed his demeanor immediately; he was no longer her boss, but the kind father figure she always knew as a child, "What's wrong?"
"I--" she paused, still pained by the fresh wound the news had created only hours ago. She sighed, "I have uterine cancer."
"Oh my-- Regina," he reached across the desk and took her hand.
"I have to start chemotherapy this week and I know the treatment will cause me to be too weak to come into the office--"
"Say no more. Take as much time as you need," he urged.
"No, Leo, it's okay. I would still work from home and I'm going to arrange for my clients to meet with my mother if there are any problems," she assured him.
He shook his head, "You're so much like Cora. Please promise me you won't push yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. If it becomes too much for you, I'll handle your cases myself until you feel well enough to return."
"Thanks, Leo," she forced a smile and stood from her chair.
"Regina," she turned upon hearing the sound of his voice just before she was through the door, "Please take care of yourself."
She thought about the struggle that awaited her in the days ahead and nodded, knowing how grateful she was to have a strong support system in her life, "I will."
***********************************
"Uterine cancer?" Cora repeated her daughter as they sat together on the couch in her living room. Regina had decided to visit her mother for lunch after leaving the office early upon Leopold's insistence.
The younger woman nodded as her mother took her hand and said, "You made it this far. It's just a bump in the road."
"I know," she replied in a whisper, "But I have to do chemo this time; I'll be weak."
"And we Mills women despise weakness," she teased her daughter. Regina smirked and Cora placed her hand on her daughter's cheek, "You're worried about Robin seeing you at your lowest."
It wasn't a question, but Regina nodded anyway, "This is a lot to ask him to deal with."
"You didn't ask him to do anything, Regina. Knowing him, he was ready to face this even before you were."