Pretty Pink Ribbons (A Touch of Fate 2)

I pat her back awkwardly. I’m not sure it’s doing any good, but I really don’t know what else to do. It’s one thing to comfort Laney, but trying to comfort her best friend is something entirely different.

“She’s almost done. Only a few treatments left,” I remind her.

“I know. But then she has radiation every single day for six weeks. What in the hell is that going to do to her?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. She’s a fighter, Mia.”

“Trust me, I know that better than most.” She sniffs, grabbing a Kleenex to wipe her nose. My phone buzzes with a text and I look down.

Mason: I’ll be there in 30 minutes.

“Shit,” I hiss, running a hand along the back of my neck. “There’s no way I can go to Nashville.”

“You have to.” Mia smiles at me, her eyes still watery. “I have strict instructions from your woman that you are not allowed to bail on Mason.”

I shake my head and chuckle. “Of course you do. When did she tell you that?”

“She got out of bed last night to get a drink and I heard her stumbling around in the kitchen. We stayed up and talked for a couple of minutes.”

“I don’t know, Mia. What if something happens? What if she needs me and I’m not here?”

“I’ll be with her, and so will Luke. I promise that I’ll call you right after she sees the doctor, and then as soon as she gets done with her chemo, I’ll call you again.” She pauses, her eyes softening. “She wants this for you, Levi. So even if you don’t want to go for you . . . you should go for her. You know,” she continues, a nostalgic look on her face, “she used to talk about you all the time. I felt lik

e I knew you long before we actually met. She was always so proud of you. Luke would call, and the first thing out of her mouth was always, ‘How’s Levi?’ followed by her begging him for information. She told me once what happened between the two of you, but I always had the feeling she wasn’t giving me the whole story. But I never pushed her or questioned it because I knew it wasn’t important. She loved you, and that was all that mattered.”

My heart is jammed in the middle of my throat and I swallow hard, trying to push past it. There is no way I’m going to lose my shit in front of a chick, but just hearing Mia say that does something to me. It touches me in a way that I can’t even explain.

“Okay, I’ll go,” I concede, although a sick feeling in my gut is telling me to stay. “But you promise to call constantly?”

“I promise.” She gives me a friendly push toward the bedroom. “Now go get ready.”

Laney is still asleep when Mason pulls up thirty minutes later. “I don’t want to wake her up,” I whisper, looking over at Mia, who’s hovering over Laney right along beside me.

Mia places her hand gently on the top of Laney’s head. “She doesn’t feel warm. Maybe just let her sleep and I’ll have her call you as soon as she wakes up?”

“Sure,” I say with a massive amount of hesitation. Bending forward, I place a soft kiss on Laney’s cheek, but it’s not enough so I do it a couple more times and then whisper, “I love you, pretty girl.” She doesn’t move or make a sound as Mia and I head out of the room.

“Will you sleep in here with her while I’m gone?” I don’t want Laney to be by herself.

“I was already planning on it.” She gives me a quick hug, and after I double and triple check that she has my phone number programmed correctly into my phone, I finally make my way out to Mason.

The second I close the car door, I officially begin the countdown of when I’ll get to come back. Mason is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and it takes everything I have not to slap that damn smile off of his face. I know he’s excited but I’m cranky and tired, and this is the last thing I want to be doing right now.

The drive is long and boring, and despite Mason’s multiple attempts to start up a conversation, I just don’t have it in me. He finally gives up, and about two hours into our drive—after our first and only bathroom break—I manage to actually fall asleep.

Mason shakes me awake when we hit the city limits of Nashville, and the first thing I do is check my phone. There’s a text from Mia waiting for me. I’m a little concerned that Laney didn’t call, but given the circumstances, I really didn’t expect her to.

Mia: We’re heading to treatment center.

That text came in about an hour ago. Since there’s nothing after it, I assume that Laney is still going through the usual pre-chemo blood work and doctor visit.

As Mason pulls up to Mark and Brady’s office, I turn my phone on vibrate and shove it in my coat pocket. Then I give my brother a congratulatory fist bump and step out of the car. “Let’s do this.”

MY LUNGS ARE BEING ripped from my chest—that’s the only explanation for the way I feel. I heard Levi tell me goodbye a little while ago, but I pretended to be asleep because if I’d opened my eyes and told him that I felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck, then I’m certain he would’ve stayed. I’ve screwed with his life enough in the past and there is no way I’m going to screw with it now.

Speaking of being screwed, my head is pounding, I’m freezing cold and I’m short of breath. My entire body aches, and it hurts to even think about getting out of bed.

“Mia,” I croak, attempting to suck in a deep breath, which causes me to cough. She comes running into the room.