Don't Hold Back (Love Hurts 4)

“Did I? Huh.” He shakes his head. “I was remembering it differently.” He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me in the direction of the Eye.

“Fine,” I grumble, giving in. I’m secretly happy to let him to plan the day, because I know he’ll do everything he can to distract me. “I’ll do London your way. But then you owe me.”

We arrive at the Eye to find that even though it’s early on a Wednesday morning, the line is huge. It’s like everyone in London woke up with the urge to ride

it today.

“We can leave it and find something else?” Cade offers, seeing my pained expression.

“It’s not that long,” I say, pulling him onto the back of the line. “I’ll be fine.”

It takes about half an hour to reach the front, where we are loaded into the car with a handful of other people. They shut the door and we are jolted up so they can load the next car. I’ve never understood the attraction to Ferris wheels. They’re so slow. It’s like a sloth created a roller coaster. I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable. I’m sore everywhere today, which tells me I’ve been overdoing things. Will that slow me down? No.

After what feels like forever, the last car is filled and we start moving. I gaze out over the London skyline, mildly impressed. I have to admit, the view from up here is amazing.

“Okay so this is pretty good,” I begrudgingly admit.

Cade grins like a little schoolgirl.

I roll my eyes. “Calm down, I still say we could be doing something more fun.”

“Not with our clothes on,” he quips.

I snort as his comment earns him a glare from the elderly woman sitting next to him.

His face reddens. “Sorry,” he mumbles to her.

We leave the Eye and go in search of a pub to fulfil Cade’s second wish. The thought of any food makes me feel sick, but I’m so thirsty. We choose a friendly looking place with lots of outdoor seating. It’s one of the rare days in England’s winter where the weather is bearable.

I sit down while Cade goes inside to order. My phone sits on the table in front of me, set to vibrate, ready and waiting for the call. Honestly, the wait is killing me. How long does it take to look over a few tests? The damn thing starts vibrating its way towards the edge of the table, causing me to nearly jump out of my chair. I pick it up, my heart skipping a beat when I see the local number. This is it. The moment of truth.

“Hello?” I say.

“Erin, this is Sally Watson, Doctor Penderson’s assistant. He asked me to give you a call to see if you can come in again today?”

“Sure,” I say. My heart races, trying to decrypt what that means.

I end the call and place my phone back on the table. Suddenly everything feels so real. Cade returns with our drinks. He eyes me curiously as he sits down.

“Are you okay? You look kind of green.”

“The doctor’s office called. He wants to see me again today.”

“That’s great news, right? He wouldn’t call you in if it wasn’t good news,” Cade says. “When does he want to see you?”

“Now.”

“Thanks for coming down at such short notice,” Doctor Penderson says, ushering me and Cade inside. “Firstly, I’m happy to give this surgery my best shot if that’s still what you want.”

Holy shit. He is going to operate. I feel sick, nervous, terrified, and excited at the same time. I can’t believe this. I had convinced myself that he wasn’t going to do it.

“Has the tumour grown?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says, his voice grave. “The rate that it is growing, I’d estimate you have maybe a month left at most, without surgery.”

Wow. One month.

It’s a catch-22. If I take a chance, I might die, but if I don’t take a chance I will die.