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The doctor smirks, "Helena is also a bitch." I snort again before his eyes turn serious, and I brace myself. "I'm not her oncologist, but I was in the room when she was re-diagnosed. It is highly unlikely that she will beat it this time. I'm so sorry, but it's spread to the frontal lobe in her brain; she's now undergoing tests to determine where else it's spread."
I let out a sob; my tears fell, but I nodded. I take a few deep breaths as he stands with me before I speak again, "The children's ward?" he nods, "Okay, thank you."
He gives me another nod, then squeezes my arm before I walk past him, ignoring the nurse who didn't walk off far. As soon as I got to the ward, the nurse at the desk pointed me to the room where my parents were while my sister had more scans. As I reach the door, I notice it's been left ajar; my father's voice floats through.
"I know this will be hard, but we can't let Sarah burn herself out. You didn't hear her on the phone. Hailey, one minute she was about to fall apart, and the next, when I rasped her name, pleading with her to take a breath because I knew she'd pass out, she changed. Her tone was different. She hardened herself, then closed off."
My mother lets out a sob, and I flinch. They shouldn't be worrying about me. Have I not been hiding it well enough?
"What do we do then, Gerry?"
My father sighs, "I don't know Hails; I really don't. It doesn't feel like we could potentially lose just one daughter right now; it feels like we're about to lose both of them. She, fuck baby, she missed out on her teenage years; she missed out on a descent college where she got to make friends and make mistakes. She's been working herself hard to help pay our bills while we pay the medical ones. Did you know she sold my dad's car, which he left her in the will?"
My mother gasps, and I flinch again—crap, they weren't supposed to know about that.
"She can't do that, Gerry. God, what have we done? We've neglected our daughter. NO, NO, NO, NO." My dad starts to try to calm my mother as her voice raises. The nurse at the desk gave me a sad smile, and I shrugged.
Guess the cats out of the bag.
With a shake of my head, I decide now is the time to walk in before I fall apart. I don't want them worrying about me.
I clear my throat as I walk through the door and ask, "Where's Mary?" like I didn't overhear them berating themselves as bad parents when they've tried their hardest.
My mother's tears fall before she walks over to me, taking me into her arms. I squeeze her tightly as my father joins us, wrapping us up before the door opens and my sister is wheeled in. She smiles a sad smile at seeing me. "Don't I get to be involved in this group hug?"
I snort and walk over to her. The next thing I know, we're all huddled together in each other's arms before my sister whispers, "It's going to be okay, but if it isn't, then know I'll always be with you."
We pull apart, and I shake my head, hating that she already sounds defeated like she's accepted her fate because I haven't, and I rasp, "You're going to pull through this; you're our Tiny Dancer," then I lean down and whisper, "I can't lose you, Mary; you're my best friend."
She grins a watery smile before kissing my cheek as my mother sobs a little. I pull back as my phone rings. I press ignore, and it goes silent but rings again. Mary raises a brow, and I growl before getting it out to see a withheld number. Furrowing my brows, I answer it.
"Hello?"
A deep voice sounds on the other end: "Is this Sarah Reynolds?"
I clear my throat, "It is."
He hums, "Ah, good. I've just received your application. We're not hiring any new mechanics yet, but I really like your resume with your degree, and I have a proposition for you."
I put the phone on loudspeaker and said, "Okay, I'm listening, sir."
He chuckles, "Less of the sir, I'm only 3 years older than you. My name is Sniper, and I'm part of the Devils MC here in town. I now run Devils Motor Garage, and I believe we've looked after your dad's cars for years. I know you're looking for the mechanical field, but it says here you've also done reception work."
My dad grins, obviously knowing who it is, and nods for me to continue the call. I clear my throat, "Uh, yes, I've been working weekends as a receptionist at the fire station while also working at Brendan's diner in the evenings, which I plan to still do."
My parents stand straighter, unhappy with the news, but we need all the extra money we can get. Sniper hums, "Okay. I'm willing to offer you an 8 a.m.–4 p.m. job as our receptionist while also working with you on your knowledge and helping you gain more experience with us. Once we're happy with your car and bike standards, we'll offer you a full-time mechanic role within four months. What do you say?"
My sister silently claps while my parents plead with me with their eyes to take it. After hearing their conversation, I knew they needed to see me doing something for them. I nodded and said, "That would be amazing. Thank you so much."
My dad grins as my mother dances happily, causing the nurse to giggle and high-five my sister as Sniper speaks again.
"Excellent. Come in tomorrow to review the paperwork, and I'll show you around."
After thanking him again, I hung up before my mother and sister squealed, which soon became a coughing fit for Mary, panicking me. Still, she just waved me off as I rushed over to her. After taking a sip of water as the nurse helps her climb into bed, she says, "S-sorry, air went down the wrong way."
I snort because that's a very Mary way of explaining before climbing into bed with her, holding her tightly as my Momma climbs on the other side. My dad sits on the chair near me and grips my calf as the nurse puts on an old Western movie for us. Hopefully, the garage won't need me all day on weekends. Three jobs should cover half of her medical bills.
I won't lose her; I can't.
