“Destiny,” Dr. Adams said. “Are you okay with everyone being in here for your results?” She looked at Paul skeptically.
“Yeah, of course,” I said, but knew the results considering her having to ask.
“Destiny, I regret to inform you,” Dr. Adams spoke. I squeezed Paul's hand tighter, and his thumb moved across the back of my hand. I could tell he was still hopeful, but I was not.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You have Osteosarcoma again. It's back in your left hip. We caught it very early on and believe a round or two of chemo is all you need. If, of course, your sister signs off on it,” she said.
“Why do you say it like that?” I asked.
“Your father wouldn't sign off on chemo when you were younger. He only allowed us to amputate your leg,” she said.
“Did he ever say why?” I asked. Paul was tense beside me, and I could see Alex's anger with our father from across the room.
“No, he did not,” she said. “I know this is going to be a big decision for you, but I just wanted to show you your scans so you can see the option of surgery.” She turned to the screen and pulled up the images. Paul was holding my hand against his lips in attempt to calm himself.
“So, you can see the tumor right here she said, pointing it out. “We can perform another surgery to remove the tumor itself and couple that with chemo. Or, we can remove the rest of your leg and increase the length of your prosthetic.”
“Can we have a few days to think about it?” Emily asked.
“Of course. We don’t believe that it’s metastasized at this point in time, so you can have a few days. If you return with an answer on Monday, we can begin treatment,” Dr. Adams said.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“Why don’t you guys head out to the car?” Emily held the keys up for Alex to take. “I’m going to schedule an appointment for Monday.”
We walked out to the car, Paul’s arm around my waist the whole time. Alex got into the front seat and Paul and I got in the back. I broke down and started crying, causing Alex to grab my hand and attempt to reassure me.
“Dest, it’s all gonna be okay,” Alex said.
“Thanks, Xander, but I’m not so sure anymore,” I said.
“You’ve gotta be. We have a show to put on,” Alex said.
“What?” I asked.
“I got the email ten minutes ago. We were approved for Rome and Jules,” he said.
“Highlight of my day,” I said softly.
“Babe,” Paul mumbled after a few minutes of dead silence.
“What?” I asked.
“You’ve gotta get better. We have a life to live together,” Paul said.
“Babe, Dr. Adams is amazing,” I said. “I’m sure I’m going to be fine.”
“If you say so,” he said, kissing my temple gently as Emily got into the car. It was quiet as Emily drove back to the pack house.
“How’d,” Sam started to ask, but saw the looks on our faces and knew all he needed to. “Paul, come here.”
“Hey, Em,” I said softly. “Can I go lay down while you make lunch?”
“Yeah of course. We’ll talk about it later when the pack is all gone,” she said.
“Thanks, Em,” I said, heading upstairs to my bed and crashing into it.
“Baby,” Paul said, opening my bedroom door.
“Yeah,” I said, rolling over to look at him. He joined me on the bed and pulled me into his arms.
“Sam gave me as much time as we need unless a major fight comes up,” Paul said.
“I’ll be sure to thank him,” I said sarcastically.
“Babe, you’re my life now. I need you to be the center of my attention whether you like it or not,” Paul said. “I love you and want to be here for you for whatever you need.”
“Thanks, babe. I love you too, but right now, I just want some sleep,” I said.
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” Paul said, holding me close to him to help lull me to sleep.