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“Yes, thank you,” Max said in a gruff, chastened voice. “I’ve got this now. Nothing but the best doctors will touch her.”
Jon could only hope Max didn’t find out money couldn’t buy everything. “Thank Milo. He’s the real hero here.”
Anu put her hand on his arm. “I will give him some peanut butter as a thank-you.” She glanced at Annie. “I have a journey ahead of me. But while my flesh is weak, I know my God is strong and will carry me through whatever the future holds. If it’s my time, I am ready.” She looked up at Jon again. “What would be the best outcome if it is cancer?”
“If it’s localized inside that right ovary, it would be stage 1A.The survival rate at five years out is very high. I’m no oncologist, but I think it’s around 94 percent. If it’s outside the ovary, that drops a bit to maybe 90 percent, but still very good. I’m hopeful it’s in a very early stage.”
He didn’t try to reassure her that it wasn’t cancer. The papillary structures indicated the likelihood, and he didn’t want her to face the shock all over again.
Annie embraced her. “I wish you didn’t have this challenge, my friend. You’ve already had so much heartache in your life.”
“Life brings good and bad, Annie. We grow our faith through those heartaches. You know this as well as I do, for heartbreak has not passed over you. God has walked with me through those dark times, and his presence has never left me, even when I have not sensed him there. I can look back through every valley to see where he carried me. He will carry me through this. Whether it is into his arms at the end or whether he gives me more days here on this earth, I am content.”
Tears spilled down Annie’s cheeks. Max moved to embrace them both, and luckily, his arms were long. After a slight hesitation, Jon joined the group hug. They stood together for a long moment until Anu sniffled and stepped away.
She gazed toward Bree’s lighthouse home. “I must tell my dear Bree. She will be most distressed at this news.” Anu’s smile was genuine this time. “I must help her realize once again that as trials come, God is more than sufficient. It is a lesson none of us seem to master.”
She patted Jon’s arm. “Thank you again. I put you on my HIPAA document so Ben feels free to discuss anything with you, though since you are a doctor, perhaps it was unnecessary. But I want you on my side.”
He laid his hand over hers. “I’m always on your side.”
She withdrew her hand and went with Max toward the porch. “Pray for Bree and the children.”
“Of course,” Annie and Jon said in unison.
His heart ached for what was facing the whole family. Mason’s family too. The entire town would be pulling for her. Anu was a fixture in town, much beloved by everyone. The residents had watched her pull through the loss of a husband and a son as well. She’d made a success of her shop in the face of almost impossible odds.
Annie stepped closer, and Jon put his arm around her. “I hate this,” she said.
“Me too. Ovarian cancer can be a beast, but we have to pray we found it early.”
“Thanks to you and Milo. I still can’t believe the puppy has that skill. How do we hone it and use it for good? I know nothing about dogs and their medical uses. How did you know about this?”
“Just something I heard at a convention. Milo was acting so weird, and it finally came to me. I wish the ultrasound had proven me wrong, though.”
Annie hugged him even tighter around the waist. “You talked about how I cared about people, but look what you did here? Breaking that news couldn’t have been easy, but you did it.”
“Love faces hard situations. It doesn’t run away when circumstances get hard. I know I ran once and regretted it. You can trust me not to do it again. I promise.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “I trust you, Jon. Our breakup wasn’t all your fault. We both were young and stupid. I’m not running either.”
He kissed her, then inhaled the sweetness of her hair and skin. As long as he lived, he never wanted to take moments like this for granted. The challenge Anu faced was a reminder of the way life could change in an instant.
Twenty-Three
A pile of pictures lay strewn on the floor around Annie. It had been heartbreaking and yet somehow wonderful to take a trip down memory lane after lunch. They’d had some good times in the years before Sarah was kidnapped.
She showed Jon a picture of the family. Her sister was about two and was sitting on Mom’s lap. She wore a goofy grin and had one arm looped around Cocoa, her stuffed kitty. Dad stood behind Mom, and Annie was leaning against him.
Jon studied it. “You all seem so happy. Even your dad. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him looking so relaxed and content.”
“He changed after Sarah was taken.”
“I can understand why. A dad feels responsible for his children. He’s supposed to be their protector, the strong one. Yet he’d been unable to find her. It had to wear on him with every year that went by.”
“I can see where that would be true. I’d do anything for Kylie.”
In spite of his daughter’s standoffish attitude, she was his flesh and blood. His child. Love for her had crept into his heart despite the circumstances. Nate had loved her like that, too, and that thought made Jon a little jealous. He wasn’t sure Kylie would ever love him as much as she did Nate.
