AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“These are Iris’s people,” I tell him. “You can give us all the report.” I have no doubt she would approve.
“She did great. It was very routine, as expected. We did sentinel node biopsies on the lymph nodes to check for spread, and we should have those results in a week or so. She’ll be in recovery for about an hour to an hour and a half, and then you should be able to take her home. The nurse will come find you when you can see her.”
“Thanks, Doc.” I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that it’s over and she did so well. Not that there was any doubt. My Iris is a trouper.
“Well, that’s a fucking relief,” Wynter says, summing it up for all of us.
Indeed, it is.
29
IRIS
I’m loopy from the anesthesia, but other than an ache in my breast, I feel surprisingly fine after the surgery. More than anything, I’m relieved to hear it went so well. I’ve spent some time online in recent weeks, reading breast cancer forums, and from what I’ve seen, the radiation is worse than the surgery. I’m not looking forward to that, but I’ve got two weeks before that starts, and I’m determined not to obsess about it.
The kids are downstairs doing homework, with my parents supervising. They gave me gentle hugs and kisses when I got home and had lots of questions about my boo-boo, which I answered with as little information as possible.
I couldn’t believe it when Gage told me the Wild Widows took the day off to be with him in the waiting room. They asked if they could bring dinner over, and we gratefully accepted.
I’m in my room, trying to nap before they come, but my mind is racing with so many thoughts. Chief among them is an overabundance of gratitude.
Gage tiptoes in to check on me, and when he sees I’m awake, he sits on the edge of the bed. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“My brain won’t shut down.” I hold out a hand to him. “Come lie with me.”
He moves carefully to stretch out on the bed, keeping my hand tucked into his. “What’re you thinking about?”
“How funny life can be.”
“How so?”
“If I hadn’t crawled naked into bed with you—accidentally, of course…”
“Of course,” he says with a chuckle.
“You might never have found that lump in time to stop it from turning into something far more serious. I’d like to say I was diligent about the breast self-exams but being the single mom to three kids means a lot of things get overlooked. That’s one of them.”
“I’m so thankful it was found early.”
“I’m thankful toyoufor finding it.”
“I’m thankful toyoufor crawling accidentally naked into my bed.”
“The naked part wasn’t accidental.”
“Whatever you say, love. I’m thankful for all of it.”
“How about the Wild Widows showing up in force today?”
“And they say it wasn’t even planned.”
“They’re the best friends I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
“Same.”
“They know how fragile life can be, so they show up for the people they love. They show up, and they bring all the love and comfort you need to get through anything.”
“And the scones. I couldn’t believe when they came in one after the other, as if it was no big deal to rearrange their schedules to be with us.”
