Cross My Heart (The Devil's Riders 8.50)

“You don’t need that today. Today we are relaxing.”

I sighed.

“Hand me my phone, Jack.”

He frowned and pulled it out. He gave my phone a suspicious look. Then he shook his head.

“No can do.”

“Who is it, Jack?”

“Doc,” he muttered. “Bad news bear.”

“Answer it,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest. “You know how hard it is to get her on the phone.”

I had him there. He answered.

“Put it on speaker,” I asked, my voice sounding smaller already. Our pleasant morning interrupted by the scariest sound in the world. I held my breath.

“Hi Janet,” my doctor’s friendly voice didn’t sound guilty or sorrowful. That was the first thing I noticed.

Jack took my hand and squeezed.

“Hi Doc,” he said.

“We’re both here,” I added.

“That’s good. I have news,” she said, and took a breath. It was just a second delay, if that. But that one second felt like a year. It really did. “The tumor is shrinking. Or rather, it shrank.”

My eyes met Jacks and held them. We were afraid to hope. We were afraid to breath.

“In fact, it’s nearly gone. That’s why the last scan was inconclusive. They weren’t sure what they were looking at, because there wasn’t anything to look at. I don’t see a reason to even consider surgery if this continues.”

“Really?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. I didn’t need a mastectomy? I was going to live?

“Really. I want you to finish the chemo though. You have… let’s see. It looks like… two more sessions. Then we will scan again in a month or so. But I expect the tumor to be completely gone by then. And no signs of anything in the lymph nodes.”

A wave crashed over me. Not a wave. Jack. He was holding me so tightly I could barely breath.

“Oh my God,” I said as I started to cry. He was already wrapped around me, the phone dropped to the bed as we both started to leak tears. The big guy was shaking as he squeezed me.

“I’ll let you guys celebrate,” the disembodied voice continued. “I just wanted to tell you right away. Janet, Jack, I am so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” I said through my tears. “Thank you so much.”

I scrambled to free one arm and turn the phone off before Jack shoved it off the bed and curled his entire big body around me.

Jack was always the big spoon.

“I’m going to be okay,” I said, my voice full of wonder.

“You are.”

“I thought… I thought I was going to have to leave you, Jack.”

“I know.”

“Oh my God, Jack. We have to tell everyone.”

He squeezed me harder.

“Not yet.”

We didn’t move for the longest time. Just whispered and laughed and cried. Then I finally pulled myself away.

“I guess my coffee is cold.”

“Fuck the coffee. You feeling up to getting your pussy eaten?”

I laughed and nodded.

“Yes. I am. But shouldn’t we go tell the kids? Tell everyone?”

“We will. I just need to take care of you real quick first.”

“You are crazy. Crazy smart,” I amended when he looked offended.

“That is obvious. I married you, didn’t I?”

He pushed me gently back onto the bed and slid my nightgown up around my arm pits. Neither of us spoke for a long time. He tasted, nibbled, and stroked me until I came to the first of many shuddering orgasms. We spent the next hour devouring each other, tearing each others clothes off, getting closer and closer until we were nearly the same person.

Until we were one.

I was going to live.

I didn’t have to leave behind my husband.

I didn’t have to leave behind my kids.

I didn’t have to leave behind my friends.

I would be here.

I would exist.

I would live.

Everything was going to be okay.

I spent the rest of the day telling everyone the news. They responded with a parade of visitors, hugs, eating, laughing and dancing around the kitchen.

It was a very, very good day indeed.