Shady Bay

by Casey L. Bond

  “Hey! I need to show you something!”

  “What’s up?”

  “Remember the photo shoot?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course.”

  “Well, check it out! Here are my proofs and he’s even using one shot to build a book cover for some gothic romance book!”

  She sat the portfolio down on the kitchen table and I started flipping through. The pictures were amazing. June was so beautiful. The photos were taken inland in a forest and on the shore itself, at dusk. They were stunning. In some, she wore an old-fashioned black dress that blew in the sea breeze. In the woods, she wore a red cloak and looked the part of fairytale princess. “These are so amazing!”

  “I know, right?”

  She cleared her throat. “So, I sort of told Simon, the photographer, about you.”

  I looked up at her. “What about me?”

  “About your battle with cancer and about how beautiful you are. He wants to photograph you. He would like to take shots of you now, during your fight and then take some again after you’ve beat this bitch into the ground.”

  I was taken aback. “Seriously? I don’t know.” My fingers drifted to my bald head on their own.

  “Mercy. You are beautiful. With or without hair. With or without cancer. But just think about it. No pressure. I just thought that you might be able to inspire others who are going through battles of their own.” She smiled slightly.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  She nodded.

  “Okay. Enough heavy. Let’s shop.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the townhouse to her car.

  Several hours later, I was exhausted and excited. I’d taken some of the money I’d made on my crocheted sandal line and spent a little bit on a pair of new jeans that June had dubbed my ‘booty’ jeans and a few shirts. I’d bought one dress that had a nude shell underneath a black lace overlay. It was so beautiful and fit so well. Then there was the lingerie. June had helped me pick out a few things; a chemise, a pink baby doll nightie, and some new panties. I knew Jaxon would love those. He was definitely a panty man.

  When we got home, I collapsed into the house and went straight upstairs for a long, hot bath. It was beyond refreshing. I knew Jaxon would be home from work soon and he’d texted to say he was bringing home dinner. I was gonna see if I could provide the dessert with one of my new little numbers.

  Jaxon came through the front door with two large plastic bags, one in each hand. “Hey, baby.” He kissed my cheek and set the bags on the counter in the kitchen. My surprise was hidden under yoga pants and a zip-up hoodie.

  “Hey. How was your day, big guy?”

  I hugged him tight. He chuckled. “Big guy? I like it.”

  “Better than little guy.”

  “True. Very true. You hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  He surprised me with a very passionate kiss. “Me too, baby.”

  I could feel my cheeks heat up. Holy hell, he’s amazing.

  Jaxon brought dinner from Shady. It was delicious. Two giant burgers, fries, and onion rings. We ate and laughed over the crazy adventures we’d had that day. He told me about a drunken customer he had to calm down with the promise of a chocolate milkshake. I told him about June’s new jewelry fetish and how she’d talked me into joining her. I’d bought several necklaces and new earrings. I loved the whimsical, bohemian charms, especially the feathers. It seemed I liked feathers. Who knew?

  They would look awesome with all of my maxi dresses, sun dresses, and jeans. Oh, heck. They’d look good with everything. After dinner, I stood up and rinsed my plate. He joined me at the sink, rinsing his own. I nudged him and he nudged me back. That was as innocent as it got. He turned the water off, pinned me against the counter and kissed his way from just below my ear to my throat and back. I gripped the counter just to remain standing.

  Before I knew it, he’d lifted me up onto the same counter. I caught his eyes and then made sure he saw my hands as they unzipped the hoodie, very slowly. He apparently liked what lay beneath. A chemise of soft, pale blue silk.

  “June needs to take you shopping more often. My God, Mercy.”

  I swept my lips over his, slowly, and raked my fingernails over the dark stubble hair on his head.

  “I need these off. Now.”

  He helped me off the countertop and I slid my pants off. Walking past him, I headed upstairs.

  Jaxon growled. “You and your damn panties, Mercy.” Before I got halfway up the staircase, he lifted me into his arms and rushed to the bedroom.

  Shopping trip successful.

  Sitting in the Grand Strand Regional Medical Center was the last thing I wanted to be doing today. But this was it. Today, I hoped and prayed, was my last chemo treatment and Dr. Golden said it would be the toughest of them all. So I had been admitted. He wanted to keep close tabs on me and help manage the symptoms.

  He didn’t sugar coat anything. That’s one thing I liked about him. “This one’s going to be a bitch. But with you here, I can at least help you. If you hurt, you have to tell the nurse. If you feel sick, please ask for help. We can’t help you unless you tell us what’s going on. There’s going to be an enormous amount of medicine pumped into your body in a short period of time. You are going to be sick, probably to the point you’ll think you’re dying. You aren’t going to die. You are going to feel like you might. I’m here all day today and will stay all night to help you if that’s what you need.”

  Jaxon had squeezed my left hand, while Celeste had squeezed the other. June had petted my head. I could do this.

  My cell phone rang. Only one person who wasn’t in this room with me now would be calling. “Daddy?”

  “Hey, Mercy-girl. You ready for this?”

  “As ready as I’m going to be.”

  “I’m thinking about you. I wish I could be there.”

  “It’s okay. Jaxon, June, Brody, and Celeste are all here.”

  He blew out a breath. “Thank God for them.”

  “I know.”

  Silence stretched over the distance between us before he finally asked, “Can you ask Jaxon to pick up the phone tomorrow when I call?”

  “I will. I love you, Daddy.”

  “You’re strong, baby. Just remember that. You’re stronger than anyone I know, okay?”

  “Okay.” A tear slid down my cheek.

  He cleared his throat. “I love you, baby girl.”

  “I love you, too, Daddy.” Tears clogged my throat.

  “I’ll call tomorrow. My time’s up. Gotta go.”

  “Bye, Daddy.”

  “Bye, Mercy-girl.”

  I pushed the end call button and swiped away my tears.

  Twelve hours later and the tears and screams flowed freely from my eyes and mouth. The pain was damn near unbearable. Dr. Golden was doing his best to try something, anything to ease it. So far, nothing had worked. He had been right. I truly did believe that I was dying. Remember that scene in the Twilight Saga movies when Bella finally turned into a vampire, ripped apart from the inside out. That’s what I felt like. I was pretty sure I looked nearly as scary, too. I just prayed that this medicine was kicking the cancer cells out of my body, leaving bloody little cancer cell trails in their wake. I hoped I looked as good as Bella on the flip side of this process.

  Two hours later, something finally worked. An experimental pain medicine that I couldn’t spell, let alone pronounce had finally eased the pain and gave me the rest I needed and that my body craved. I was exhausted.

  To the petite, middle-aged male nurse, Doc Golden said, “Keep her comfortable. This works. Let’s go with it for now. We can ease her off of it in a day or so.”

  Jaxon pulled his chair up next to mine. He’d gone to use the bathroom. I think he just needed a breather, really. He’d been wound tight watching me pant and thrash around. Celeste just kept shuffling her tarot cards and reading them over and over. I wasn’t sure what she found in those things or how they worked for her. I thoug
ht they only worked to read someone else’s fortune. Maybe she was shuffling for me, who knew. But it kept her relaxed now that things had calmed down. Brody and June had left to seek out the cafeteria and find some sustenance. Celeste had refused to leave, so they promised to bring her and Jaxon back something edible.

  “Something’s wrong! Please help her!” That was Jaxon.

  The intercom chirped. “Code Blue in room 16.”

  What was a code blue? Why couldn’t they just say, hey someone’s puking, or someone’s not breathing or someone just died. It would be simpler and the other patients might be more understanding. Everyone thinks they are in the worst shape, never considering that others a room down from them might be even worse off.

  Celeste’s bracelets tinkled as she squeezed my hand. “Stay with us, Mercy. You’re gonna pull through. It’s all I’ve seen in the cards for days.”

  “Where the fuck are they?” Jaxon roared. I couldn’t open my eyes. I was so tired.

  “Fuck!” A door slammed. Footsteps. Beeps. Darkness.

  “Mercy, can you hear me?”

  Of course I could hear him. My ears were fine. But everything was dark and something was jammed down my throat. Damn, that hurt! I started to struggle.

  “Calm down. You’re okay. We had to help you breathe a little bit, sweetie. You have a tube in your throat.”

  Duh.

  “You had a reaction to the pain medicine. It made your blood pressure bottom out. We’ve taken you off of the medicine, but I think you’ll be fine without it anyway. We just need to monitor you for a few more hours and then the tube can come out.”

  Doc Golden squeezed my hand. “If you understand, squeeze back.”

  With everything in me, I did. “Good girl.”

  I was so damn glad to be pushing Mercy out the front door of that place. She’d almost died in that place. Well, technically she did. I didn’t even want to think about that. I almost lost her. The automatic doors opened and we were greeted with the fall sunshine. Mercy shielded her eyes with her hands. The nurse handed me her discharge paperwork and I helped Mercy into the passenger side of the car. She was so weak and so tiny now. I hoped and prayed this had gotten rid of the cancer. Fucking Cha-Cha.

  I buckled her belt and rushed around to my side of the car. Before long, we were parked in front of the townhouses. Celeste rushed out to meet us. I helped Mercy climb the staircase and into my place. She’d been staying with me for a while again, but every time she stepped foot in those doors, I wanted to lock her in and never let her leave.

  Celeste had made manicotti and a broccoli casserole, two of Mercy’s favorites. She sat the dishes on the counter and helped Mercy into the bathroom to freshen up. It wasn’t long before Mercy came down the steps with Celeste, dressed in her own clothes, smelling like her lavender lotion again. She wore a bandana on her head. Celeste saw that I’d notice and mouthed the word ‘cold.’

  I turned the thermostat up and grabbed some dishes and glasses. “I’m not staying. I’ve got an appointment and I’ve already eaten. You two enjoy and I’ll come over when Jaxon leaves for work in the morning.”

  I nodded and walked Celeste to the door. “Is she going to be okay?”

  She smiled and patted my cheek. “She’s going to be fine.”

  “You sure.”

  “Yes. As sure as I am that you love that girl in there.”

  I exhaled. “I do love her.”

  “I know you do. Now, go feed her.”

  With that, she stepped outside and crossed the road, bare-footed as usual. I waited until I saw she’d unlocked the door and stepped inside before I returned to Mercy. She hadn’t wasted any time. Her plate was full and mine was, too. I poured water into each of our glasses and we devoured that home-cooked meal. Cafeteria food was okay, but nothing like Celeste’s cooking.

  The phone vibrating on the nightstand beside my head woke me up. I hit the answer key and rasped, “Hello.”

  “Mercy?”

  “Daddy. Hey.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Just tired, but okay.”

  Tired was an understatement. I hadn’t been further than the bathroom in three days. “Did I wake you up?”

  “I was napping, but I needed to get up. I’m glad you called.”

  “Have you seen the doctor?”

  “Yesterday. He said everything seems okay so far. I have my final tests in a few weeks. He said my strength should start coming back soon.”

  “Good. I’m worried about you.”

  “Don’t worry. Everyone’s taking good care of me.”

  Daddy paused. “Mercy, have you talked to Jaxon?”

  “About what?”

  “About what’s going to happen after you get your results? If they’re good, are you going to stay married or move on with a divorce?”

  I stiffened. I’d been avoiding that conversation like the plague. “No. I haven’t talked to him. I...I know he has feelings for me, but I also know Jax. I don’t think he’s the settle down and get married type. I mean, I know we’re technically already married, but he just did that so I could get treatment.”

  “Mmm.”

  “Daddy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you think he’ll do?”

  “I don’t know. You know him better than I do, but I can’t imagine him letting you go. He’d be a fool to, I know that much.”

  I giggled. “You’re biased.”

  “Just a little. Listen, I’ve gotta go. Talk to you soon?”

  “Definitely. Love you, Daddy.”

  “Love you, Mercy.”

  Three days later, I was feeling better. I had more energy and was about to climb the walls I’d been staring at for too long. Jax was working, so Celeste and I had made plans. Pancake plans. We sat across from one another at Pam’s Pancake Palace. I was glad I’d worn a maxi dress. My legs would have stuck to the navy blue vinyl for sure. This place was busy. Servers buzzed around delivering billowy eggs, savory-smelling bacon and sausage, and mountains of pancakes, topped with anything a person could dream up.

  I ordered mine plain, but Celeste ordered the S’more Stack, which would be riddled with chunks of Hershey chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers.

  “I’m so hungry I could eat two stacks.”

  “No way.” She was too small. Celeste was a big talker.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. Today, her eyelids were coated in bright pink and lined thickly with black liquid liner. I’d tried to wear that stuff once, but washed it off when I looked like an insane clown.

  “You’re gonna have to talk to him, you know.”

  I blew out a breath. The waitress came over and delivered our stacks of fluffy goodness, along with fresh maple syrup and topped off our coffees. She was an efficient little thing. I’d been okay as a server, but nothing like her. She was a whirlwind of awesome.

  “Jax?”

  Celeste rolled her eyes. “Yes. Who else?”

  “I know. But what do I say, ‘Jax, time for our divorce,’ it’s awkward.”

  She laughed. “He isn’t going to divorce you, sweetheart.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  “No.”

  Damn.

  “But he didn’t have to. He loves you. He’s loved you for a long time, even before you two married.”

  My brows scrunched up. I could feel them almost touching. “I know he likes me, but love? I don’t know.”

  Slamming her fork down, she looked directly at me. “It’s a damn shame, Mercy, that you don’t know what love looks like. I know you love your Daddy and I know that no matter how hard you fight it, you love your Mama, too, but damn if I don’t want to ring both of their necks. Jaxon loves you. He’s in love with you. You are not divorcing. You’re parts of the same whole. But,” she waved her butter knife in my direction, “you need to talk it out. Make sure you’re both on the same page. He probably wonders what your take on the whole thing is, too.”

  “I’ll w
ait until I get my results. If I need more treatment, then it doesn’t matter. We’d stay married anyway.”

  Celeste shook her head and pursed her mouth, wrinkles radiating out from it. “Can we stop by the shop for a minute on the way home? I need you to sign a few things for me.”

  “Sure.”

  We ate until our stomachs couldn’t take another bite of pancake or another drop of syrup. We walked back to the shop and after she unlocked the door, stepped inside. The rounder in the corner was almost empty. I had some work to do. Celeste motioned to the rounder. “I owe you some money, sweetheart.”

  I grinned. “The sandals are popular.”

  “And the cover-ups, bathing suits, and dresses.” She laughed.

  Shuffling through papers on the counter beside the register, Celeste apparently hit pay dirt. “Finally. Here it is.”

  She held up a thick manila envelope. “What’s that?”

  “Some legal papers. Can you come here, Mercy?”

  “Sure.”

  “Look. I’m not getting any younger. I have no children, but if I had been blessed with a daughter, I think she would have been very much like you. I want to add you to my will, my bank accounts and all of my finances in case something should happen to me. I want my estate, the store, everything to go to you.”

  My mouth was gaping open. “You’ll catch flies, Mercy.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t you dare overthink this! It’s mine to do with what I will and I want it to be yours, so don’t even think about sassing me, young lady.”

  Her bangle bracelets jangled, punctuating every point of her finger.

  “Thank you, Celeste.” I threw my arms around her neck and hugged her.

  “You’re welcome, Mercy-girl.”

  I gulped down the tears that clogged up my throat.

  That weekend, June showed up to help me get ready. We were going to Shady and having a girls’ night. Summer was meeting us there. She curled my lashes until they brushed my lid and then applied a thick coat of mascara. The foundation she’d used had helped my coloring. I wasn’t as ghostly anymore.