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“You know, for a sick guy, you’re being a little sassy,” she teased. “And for the record, I would not rat you out.”
“Same,” he told her. “It’s not my place to tell them about your current condition, but I am going to encourage you to do what the doctors are suggesting. Of course, you should wait until everyone gets back so you can recover at home in your own bed, but…I’m serious, Lily. You need to do this. Don’t make the same mistakes your father did.”
She couldn’t help but sigh. “The only difference is that no amount of surgery was going to let him play football again. According to the doctors—and Wendy—there’s a good chance that I’ll be able to go back to dancing after a lengthy recovery. Maybe not the way I’ve always danced, but at least I’d still be dancing.”
And that was the first time she said it without the tightness in her chest.
“I know it’s a hard decision to make; just promise me you are thinking about it.”
“I am,” she told him before resting her cheek on his hand. “And promise me you’re going to be okay.” Tears stung her eyes and she let them fall. “Because we all need you. You’re the glue that holds us all together, and if anything happened to you…” Her voice cracked and she couldn’t speak.
“Lily,” he whispered and waited for her to lift her head and look at him. “I don’t plan on going anywhere for a very long time. And I want you to know that I am very optimistic about whatever they find. I’ll do everything the doctors want me to do because I’m not ready to go anywhere yet either. I’ve got a lot of life left in me, so don’t you worry.”
She knew his words were meant to reassure her, but it just made her cry a little harder. He was a little too frail for her to crawl into his lap like she wanted to, but that didn’t stop her from getting up, wrapping her arms around him, and hugging him tight.
And it was a long time before she wanted to let go.
* * *
On Friday evening, Noah found himself on the treadmill at the gym in his building. It wasn’t actually something he wanted to be doing, but he was bored and a little tired of his own company. Lily had gone to Chapel Hill and her appointment was delayed. She texted an hour ago to say she was finally on her way home but was exhausted and just going straight to her place and to crash.
Not that he could blame her. It sounded like a hellish day.
This doctor seemed to do a lot more than the other two and then insisted on bringing in a second doctor to examine her and even a physical therapist to work with her. If nothing else, they were being extremely thorough. Unfortunately, it didn’t yield any different conclusions. If she ever wanted to dance again, she needed the surgery.
And apparently, she didn’t want to talk about it.
He upped his incline on the machine and picked up speed as his mind wandered to what he could do or say to encourage her. He’d never been in her position and wasn’t sure how he’d feel if he was. What he did know was that he wished she were coming over tonight just so he could comfort and distract her. Her entire world was a little out of control at the moment, and he wasn’t sure which was upsetting her more—her own medical issues or William’s.
She’d told him everything once William got home and no one else in the office knew any of it. Part of him felt a little guilty about it, and he had to pretend that he was just as oblivious as everyone else.
William had come into the office earlier today and came into Noah’s office to see how things were going and he simply had to overlook the fact that his boss looked tired and not his usual, larger-than-life self. If he was honest, it was a little upsetting. And if he was feeling this way, he knew Lily was feeling it a thousand times worse.
Deep down, there was a part of him that not only looked at William as his boss and mentor, but a little like the grandfather he never had. Neither of his had taken an interest in Noah and his brothers, so he didn’t have much to compare it to, but from everything he witnessed that Christmas he spent with the Montgomerys, William was the best example of unconditional love.
Particularly for his family.
For several minutes, he let his mind go blank and simply ran. Sweat was pouring off of him, his heart was racing, and if nothing else, he was going to sleep well tonight. But when his phone vibrated and he looked down and saw Jax’s name on the screen, he was a little relieved to have an excuse to stop.
“Hey!” he said breathlessly as the treadmill came to a stop.
“Hey! Did I call at a bad time?”
“Not at all. Just finishing up a run. What’s up?” He grabbed his towel and wiped his face before picking up his water and taking a long drink.
“I’m flying out to you Sunday night but have to leave Tuesday morning,” his brother was saying. “I really wanted to stay longer, but my agent has some meetings set up for me that I need to be at.”
“If stopping here is going to mess with your schedule…”
“No, it’s not that at all,” Jax replied. “Like I said, I just hate that we’re not going to get as much time to hang out as I thought.”
“I totally understand. What time are you landing on Sunday?”
“Eight. So maybe we can grab a late dinner or even just get some takeout and go back to your place?”
“Are you staying with me or going to a hotel? Because the last time we talked…”
“Staying with you on your sad sleeper sofa,” Jax said with a laugh. “It’s only for two nights, so it’ll be fine. Any chance you can take off on Monday?”
