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“There’s more good news… Dr. Stockbridge was able to remove what was needed, and the lab results so far suggest there are no suspicious cells in the surrounding margins.”
Novah bounces on her toes. “So what does this mean? Is she clear?”
Aubree smiles. “It’s the best news we could hope for. All her other scans indicate that the ADH hasn’t turned malignant, and therefore there are no metastases.”
“English, doc!” Hurricane grunts.
“It’s not cancerous and therefore hasn’t spread. She won’t need radiotherapy or chemotherapy, but Ingrid must be monitored closely every six months for the next three years. Then, if everything looks okay, we can extend her visits to yearly for seven years.”
We all let out a celebratory laugh in excitement.
This is the best news we could have hoped for.
“When can we see her?” I ask the question I’m dying to know the answer to.
“She’s in recovery now. Once she’s taken back to her room, you can all see her. Maybe an hour or two. For now, she’s doing great. Go take a break, grab a coffee and something to eat. You guys deserve to unwind a little. I’ve seen how stressed y’all have been since Ingrid went in.”
Hurricane places his hand out, shaking Aubree’s. “Thanks, doc, for takin’ the time to come tell us what’s happenin’. We appreciate havin’ you on our side.”
She shrugs with a warm smile. “I’ve never told you guys this, but when I was young, maybe seven or eight, I was riding my bike on the path, and some guy was driving along slowly beside me. I was so naïve that I didn’t know he was casing to snatch me. Long story short, the guy stopped his car at a set of lights, jumped out and grabbed me, tried to put me in his car.”
“Holy shit!” we all say in unison, but she continues, “Luckily, a biker was riding past and saw what was happening. He pulled over, beat the shit out of the guy, and took me home to my parents. He also stayed with us until the police arrived…” She sighs. “I never forgot that day or that man. So I have had respect for the patch ever since.”
“Do you remember the club?” Hurricane asks.
Her face lights up, and she nods. “I do, vividly.” Her hand gently touches the Defiance logo on Hurricane’s chest. “NOLA Defiance… he’d only just gotten his Road Name at the time, but it was Reaper. I think you might know him.” She smirks.
The name is so familiar to us all.
Hurricane and Bayou nod their heads like they kind of knew that was coming.
“Our father, always doin’ the right thing,” Hurricane adds.
Bayou chuckles, rolling his shoulders. “Why haven’t you told us until now?”
Aubree exhales. “I didn’t want it to be a conflict of interest at work. I don’t want the people here to know I have a vested interest in Defiance MC and might be playing favorites.”
We nod in understanding, but I think the favoritism cat was let out of the bag a long time ago. Aubree has been giving us handouts for a couple of years now. But we’re certainly not going to be outing her secret to anyone here at the hospital. If anything, it just means we will protect her even closer. She’s a part of our inner circle, but now we know more, we can safely say she is a part of Defiance.
“We got your back, Aubree. You’ve had ours for so long. The least we can do is stand by you whenever you need us,” Hurricane reiterates exactly what I was already thinking.
“Thanks… but I mean it. Take a break. Go get some food and coffee. Y’all look like shit.” She chuckles, turning and walking for the exit.
Hurricane dips his chin. “Let’s go eat. Then we’ll be ready when Ingrid’s back in her room.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ve been starving for the last two hours,” Bayou states.
“You’re always starving.” Novah chuckles, cuddling into him.
“Yeah, so let’s go!” he demands.
***
With a huge bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates, and a stuffed teddy bear in my hands, I walk with the others toward Ingrid’s room. The others laugh at me as we go.
“Little overkill, don’t you think?” Nash asks.
“Leave him alone. I think it is sweet,” Novah defends me.
