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3
Ally
Ipull up to Ashlyn and Dillon’s house, shut my car off, then lean my head back against the headrest. Closing my eyes, I let out a tired sigh. Thoughts swirl in my mind about what I’m about to face. I’ve already been through it twice before, so I know the trials ahead. Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. Especially because I won’t have Trent or my family to lean on. Thank goodness for Ashlyn and Dillon. I don’t know what I would have done had Ashlyn not offered for me to stay with her and her family.
Pulling the key from the ignition, I grab my purse, phone, and one of the smaller travel bags, then get out of the car. I called Trent ten minutes ago to let him know I was almost there. I about broke down in tears when I heard the misery in his voice. I hate lying to him. I hate even more that I’m hurting him. But I know if he knew my leukemia was back, he’d be hurting more.
Before I reach the front door, it’s thrown open, and I’m bombarded by a blonde throwing her arms around me.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re finally here!” Ashlyn screeches against my ear.
I wince at the loud sound, but smile when she pulls back. Her eyes run over my face, quietly assessing me.
“How are you doing?” she asks, her voice full of concern.
“Like crap because I’m lying,” I tell her truthfully.
She leads me into the house and to the living room, where we sit on a comfortable-looking couch.
My hand is engulfed into hers. “Are you finally going to tell me why you don’t want Trent to know?”
A sharp pain stabs at my chest just thinking about her question.
I swallow past the prickly barb in my throat. “This is the third time my leukemia has come back. He wasn’t there for most of the first time. But I watched how it affected him the last time, and he was only thirteen then. Trent is…,” I pause, trying to come up with the right word. “Protective. I know he loves me and only wants to keep me safe, but I need time to come to grips with my illness coming back. When he finds out, that protectiveness will triple. I want to keep him from hurting for as long as possible, and in the meantime, give me breathing space before he becomes all papa bear on me.”
Ashlyn’s fingers tighten in mine and her brows crease with a frown. “What do you think it will do to him knowing he’s not here for you? And do you really think he’s just going to stay away for two months? From what you’ve said about him, there’s no way he will.”
I nod, swiping away a tear trickling down my cheek. “I know. He’s going to be angry and upset. No, I don’t expect him to stay away. I’m giving him a month at the most before he shows up at your door. But at least I’ll be halfway through my treatments by then and will save him a month of heartache and worry and myself from his overprotectiveness.” I sniff, willing my tears to subside. “I only have the abnormal cells in my leg, so my treatment won’t be as extensive as it has been in the past.”
“And you already have an appointment with a doctor in Nashville, right?”
“Yes. I go the day after tomorrow.”
“I still think you need to tell Trent,” she says quietly. “Does anyone else know?”
“No.” I drop my eyes to our clasped hands. “In a perfect world, they would never find out, but I know that’s not possible.”
“Ally—”
I cut her off before she can tell me what I already know. “Please, please just drop this, Ash. I can’t deal with this on top of everything else right now.”
I should tell Trent and my family. They have a right to know. But I just can’t deal with Trent’s overprotective nature yet. And I’ve put everyone through so much already. I can’t stand to think about them sad and scared for me again. The leukemia isn’t nearly as bad this time, so I can do it on my own for the time being.
I can tell she wants to say more, but thankfully, Ashlyn nods. “Okay. Just promise if it becomes worse than you initially thought, you’ll call your family.”
“I promise.”
I look around the living room, expecting to hear little patters of feet.
“Where’s Destiny and Dillon?”
She touches the screen on the phone sitting on the coffee table to bring it to life. After looking at the time, she says, “They should be here soon. We were out of toilet paper and Destiny conned Dillon into stopping for ice cream.”
Unfortunately, it’s been years since I’ve seen Ashlyn. The last time was a couple of years after we graduated. We’ve kept in touch over phone calls, but they’ve trickled down to only two or three times a year. I had just left my doctor’s office after having been told my leukemia was back and was sitting in my car crying when I got an unexpected call from her. I almost let the call go to voicemail, but something had my finger pressing the Accept button instead. I word vomited what was going on and how much I dreaded telling Trent and my family. Ashlyn offered to help in any way she could. It was that evening I came up with the idea to keep my leukemia a secret and asked Ashlyn the next day about coming for a visit. Thankfully, my doctor recommended a highly-respected doctor in Nashville.
“How old is she now?”
“Seven, going on thirty,” Ashlyn replies with a twist of her lips. “The girl is a handful, especially when she’s with her daddy, but I love her to bits.”
