Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Does this mean the cancer has spread?” I ask him.
“Not at all. Just means there’s a pesky germ out there and you caught it. You’ll be good to go in no time.” While he’s talking, the nurse comes in and adds a bag to my IV, and just like that, they start mending me. Before Dr. Wilder can leave, an orderly comes and moves us to a private room. It’s nice and dark, but the blinds are open and from this floor, there’s a beautiful view of the city.
Elle goes to close the curtains, but I tell her to leave them open. “Come lie with me.”
She does as I ask and makes sure there’s an extra layer of blanket between us. The last thing I want to do is expose her to the chemo drugs.
We lie there, looking out the window.
“From here, the city looks peaceful.”
“That’s because most people are sleeping,” she says.
“You should go back home.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not leaving your side.”
I hug her a little tighter. “You’d rather be here than with my mother. I can’t say I don’t blame you. She really needs to go.”
“It’s your call.”
“Brad and her talk about money all the time. I think they’re going to ask you for a loan.” Elle stiffens in my arms. “If either of them does, you tell them no. Don’t give them a single cent. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I want to go home, Elle.”
“I know, Ben. You won’t be here long.”
“No, I want to go back to Beaumont. I want to be away from the city, and just be home.”
Elle sits up and looks at me. “What are you saying?”
I play with a long strand of her hair. “Will you take me back to Beaumont?”
She nods. “Of course. I’ll arrange for everything.”
17
ELLE
In the morning, while Ben waits for his discharge papers, his oncologist comes in and discusses moving his treatment to Beaumont. It’s not ideal, but Ben wants to be there, and frankly, so do I. I like the idea of being where no one cares who I am, or who my parents are. Where we can walk the streets, go to the park, and eat out without someone shoving a camera in our faces or asking about my family. The people in Beaumont are different. They don’t care about the fact Liam Page lives there or that they’ll find him drinking coffee in Whimsicality. To them, he’s Liam Westbury, local teen hero turned family man. He’s the one they count on to volunteer or organize a fundraiser for a family in need.
“Here’s what we can do,” Dr. Dowling says. “I’ll fly out to Beaumont every third week for a checkup, and we’ll run your scans at that time, check your progress, everything you would’ve done here. I’ll conference with the staff at Beaumont General and let them know what we’re doing with our aggressive treatment plan. I’ll also make sure they have my cell phone number for any emergencies. Any changes to your treatment will have to be approved by me as well.”
“Thank you, Dr. Dowling” Ben says. “I know this is a big inconvenience for you, but I need to get out of town, and away from this place.”
“I wish I could say I understand, but I don’t,” he says as he stands and shakes his head. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
I give Ben a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder and when the door closes, he looks at me. “Am I making a mistake?”
“I don’t believe so, but if we get to Beaumont and it’s not working, we’ll come back. It’s as easy as that. Besides, this will work. I think you’ll be happier, and we have friends there.”
“I don’t want to hang out with anyone outside of our family.” He meets my gaze and I smile at him softly. I love that he’s finally saying “our” family instead of “your” family. I’ve told him repeatedly, throughout so many years, my family is his. My parents have said it as well. It’s time he starts recognizing this.
It takes the nursing staff a couple of hours to get Ben’s discharge papers ready to go. Of course, he has to have a couple more tests, and we have to wait for the lab to read the results before the nurses even begin to start the process.
“Did you call your grandpa?”
“I did. He’s excited for us to come visit.”
“I still can’t believe he lives in that big house by himself.”
“I know. I thought for sure he would’ve moved to be near us or at least moved to a condo. Mom has offered many times, but he always says no. I worry about him being alone.”
“Doesn’t Josie check on him every day?”
I nod. “Or Liam. Mom says Mack has been going over, mowing the lawn, and helping Liam with maintenance on the house.”