The creak of the door.
Fuck.
I bounce in my seat. Pressing my palms into my quads does nothing to help. I'm crawling out of my skin.
I need to know.
I need it to be okay. But even more than that, I need to know.
Dr. Nyguen's eyes meet mine. "You're going to be okay, Chloe." His voice lifts. "It's a lipoma, a fatty tumor. Benign."
Benign.
"You don't have cancer."
That's…
I…
Fuck.
I jump out of my seat and crawl into Dean's lap.
"You don't have cancer." He reaches up. Rests his palm against my cheek.
I blink back a happy tear. "I…" I force myself to turn back to the doctor. "Is everything else okay?"
He nods. "We'll still need to do a scan every year, but it's just a precaution."
For once, I feel the truth behind his words.
It is just a precaution.
It's not a death sentence.
I…
"I'll give you two a minute." Dr. Nguyen laughs. "We'll call to schedule next year's MRI."
"Okay." I turn back to my boyfriend. "I…"
He catches a tear on his thumb. "Me too."
"Fuck. This is…" I press my forehead to his. "This is so good."
He nods. "Yeah."
"I'm really going to be okay."
"You're gonna be better than okay, sunshine. At least if I have any say in the matter." He brings his hands to my hips. Straightens my body so I'm perched on his thighs. "Gotta show you something."
"Yeah?"
He nods as he unbuttons his jeans.
"Dean, I-"
"Trust me."