The next morning, Harry and Eva drove back to the hospital and were directed into an office. They sat in the chairs, across from a large desk, waiting for the doctor. Harry reached for her hand and she let him hold her, still feeling like she had to take care of him. She was still his wife. No papers had been signed. They'd been Harry and Eva for 10 years.
The doctor walked in, not smiling, and sat behind the desk. In front of him was a folder. He opened it, sighing. "Mr. Styles, I'm not going to sugar coat anything. Your results show that you do have penile cancer." Eva felt Harry shrink back into the chair. She squeezed his hand. The doctor continued, show them Harry's scan, pointing out the tumors in his penis. The scan also indicated that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. He was going to need surgery. Soon. Followed by chemotherapy and radiation. But, the first step was to remove the tumors and affected nodes, to keep it from spreading. Once it was in the lymph system, it could spread quickly.
"What stage?" Eva asked. "I read about stages. What stage is Harry in?"
The doctor looked at them seriously. "This isn't easy to say. We are looking at stage three, here. You said you've read about it, Mrs.Styles?" She nodded. "Then you know that he..."
"Around 50%. Right?"
The doctor nodded.
Eva started to hyperventilate. She couldn't breath. Harry could die. She stopped listening. Harry and the doctor kept talking. She was too deep inside her own head. She thinking over every moment she had with Harry. When they were first dating and he was so perfect, taking her out, making her feel like the luckiest girl on campus. When he asked her to marry him, the love in his eyes. How happy they were when Arden was born. It wasn't supposed to end like this, divorce, anger. Harry having cancer.
"Ready, Eva?" Harry asked.
She shook herself awake. "What? Don't you need surgery?"
"Yes, but I need to get a second opinion. And set up treatment closer to home. We have a date for the surgery, in two weeks. That gives me time to figure this out."
"Second opinion?" Eva asked.
The doctor nodded. "I already explained? It's standard?"
"I'm sorry. I was...thinking?" Eva explained.
"It's okay, Eva." Harry said, taking her hand again. They walked out, hand in hand. He took her to her car and put her inside. "Do you have the papers? I promised I'd sign. You kept up your part of the bargain. It's my turn."
Eva looked up it the visor of her car. She could see the papers. She reached for them. "Do you want to sign them?" she asked.
Harry looked surprised. "No. Of course I don't. I want to come home. I don't want to do this alone."
Eva's heart was breaking. He didn't deserve to be alone. She was the one who was doing the wrong thing. She should have stood up for herself years ago. She should have tried to save her marriage. Instead, she fell into the arms of the first man who paid attention to her. And she'd ruined his life, too. Ruined his marriage. Made him sell a house he loved. What was wrong with her? This wasn't the kind of person she'd been raised to be. "Come home, Harry. You don't have to this alone."
Harry opened the car door and grabbed her, holding her tight. "Thank you, Eva." he said. "You won't regret it, I swear. I'm going to be the best husband ever."
Eva started to cry. She loved Liam. She wanted Liam and his easy conversions. Liam and his laugh, his smile, the way he made her feel. But Harry needed her and she was going to do the right thing. The right thing for Harry and Arden.
Harry went to his own car, leaving her alone. She grabbed her phone, ready to finish doing what she had to do, for her family.
Eva: I can't see you anymore. Ever. I'm sorry. Please don't call or come over.
Liam: HaHa, Funny.
Liam: Eva? Stop with the jokes. When are you coming home?
Liam: Stop it. You love me. I love you. Did you go read something again?
Liam: Answer me.
Liam: You can't just say something like that and not answer me.
Liam: I deserve better.
Liam: I love you. I want to spend my life with you. I need you.
Liam: Please don't do this to me.
Liam: Please.