Her father looked surprised. “Really? You and Jess have made peace?”
“We’re trying,” she said, not sure if the fragile truce would hold. Years of bitterness and resentments couldn’t be cured in a day, no matter how well-meaning both parties were.
“I’m glad. You need Jess and the rest of Mick’s girls in your life. They’re strong women. They’ll provide good backup. Just because Mick and I don’t always see eye to eye doesn’t mean you should keep some kind of distance between you and them on my behalf. If I’ve ever given you the impression I expect that, I’m sorry.”
“You haven’t done that. I held myself aloof out of some misguided sense of loyalty, but I know it was unnecessary. And I think I’m finally realizing how important women friends and family are. We’ve always been a strong family but it was at Gram’s insistence. I’m just starting to figure out why she was so determined to keep us close-knit despite all the issues between you, Mick and Thomas.”
“It took me a while to get that myself,” Jeff admitted. “But when this cancer thing came up, it felt mighty good to walk into that hospital waiting room and find my brothers there.”
Susie pulled up a chair. “So, tell me what’s going on around here. What do you need me to do first?”
Her father frowned. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”
“I need to be here, Dad. At home all I do is sit around and worry about whether the chemo is working.”
“Okay, but here’s the deal. You stay until you get tired. Then you go home. I don’t care if you’re here an hour or six hours, okay?”
“Got it. I’ll pace myself, I promise.”
“Okay, then, why don’t you go over that new lease for a pet boutique on the corner of Main and Shore Road.”
Susie regarded him with admiration. The space was large and, therefore, pricey. In this economy it had been a tough sell for start-up businesses. “You leased that space? Fantastic. And we need a fancy pet store in town. From what I can see around here, people pamper their pets more than they do themselves.” She paused, frowning. “They’re not selling puppies or other pets, are they? I hate those puppy mill operations.”
“No, though they will offer connections to all of the legitimate breeders in the region. And they’ve already worked something out with the rescue shelters so they can post pictures of the pets they have up for adoption. I think they plan on having regular adoption days, too.”
At the mention of adoption, Susie felt a tug at her heart. “If only it were that easy to adopt a baby,” she said.
Her father regarded her worriedly. “Isn’t it too soon for you to be thinking about that?”
She nodded. “I know. Mack and I agreed to wait until we know—well, until the future’s a little clearer.”
“You could always take in a puppy in the meantime,” Jeff suggested in an attempt to be helpful.
She shook her head. “Not in the apartment. That’ll have to wait for the house, and who knows when we’ll get that built.”
“I told you I’d front you the money, and I know Mick would put a crew on it the second you ask. Matthew told me he’d drawn up the plans.”
Susie shook her hear. “Thanks, Dad, but Mack would never hear of it.”
“Have you mentioned to him how much it would mean to you?”
“No. Right now it would amount to the kind of manipulation I hate. If I mention wanting anything, he’ll move heaven and earth to get it for me, whether he thinks we can afford it or not. I don’t want him to go against his principles to pay for our house. Besides, right now he’s totally focused on getting the paper up and running. We can discuss the house again once the launch is behind us.”
“There’s a lot of buzz around town about the paper, that’s for sure.”
“Are people excited?”
“They can’t wait. I’ve bought quite a few ads myself for the properties we’re handling. I think the online component has attracted a lot of businesses. That woman he has creating the website seems to know what she’s doing.”
“Have you met her?” Susie asked curiously.
“I’ve seen her a time or two in Sally’s. She turns heads, that’s for sure.” As soon as he said the words he looked vaguely guilty, as if they’d been some kind of betrayal.
“So I hear,” Susie said neutrally, determined not to let the offhand comment throw her. “I’d better get to work. Right now I feel as if I could tackle the world, but it won’t last.”
“You call it quits whenever you need to,” he reminded her.
“Will do, Dad.”
She went to her desk, viewed the daunting pile of folders awaiting her attention and dug in. She found the pet store lease, went over it, checked for any loopholes, then called the prospective renter to let him know it was ready to be signed.
Though her energy was flagging by lunchtime, she felt ecstatic over making it through an entire morning. She knew she needed to call it a day, and was organizing her files when Mack walked in the door. He gave her a chiding look.
“I thought the reports of you being back at work had to be all wrong. What’d you do, sneak out of the apartment as soon as I left?”
She grinned. “Something like that. It feels so good to be back. I almost feel like the old me again.”
“Except more exhausted,” he guessed. “You look tired.”
“I am a little,” she admitted. “I was just getting ready to head home.” She regarded him hopefully. “Unless my handsome husband would like to buy me lunch before I go. What do you say? Panini Bistro? Sally’s? Anything that doesn’t involve a can of soup in our kitchen.”
“Are you sure you feel up to it?”
“I think I can keep my eyes open for another half hour, especially if you’ll fill me in on the plans for the launch party. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I just want you there by my side, since you’re the inspiration for this. You can bask in all the glory and take all the credit.”
She laughed. “That’ll be fun, but it hardly seems fair, since you’ve done all the hard work.”
“Let’s go to Sally’s and I’ll tell you all about it. Will and Jake will be there. Mind if we join them? I’ve bailed on them a few times too many lately.”
“Of course not. I’d never interfere with tradition.”
When they walked into Sally’s, Susie tried to ignore the shocked expressions she glimpsed on the faces of people she hadn’t seen in a while. When she reached the booth in back, Jake and Will both stood and gave her resounding kisses. To their credit, whatever their reactions to her appearance, there was no outward evidence of anything more than delight at seeing her out and about.
“You look good,” Will said. “Jess told me about the new hairdo. She felt honored that you asked her to help.”
“Did she tell you why I thought she was the perfect choice?” Susie asked, grinning.
Will laughed. “She did. Now, tell me how you’re feeling.”
“Better than the times when I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus,” she said candidly. “But I do not want to talk about me. I want to hear about you guys. Jake, how’s the baby?”
His face lit up. “Trying to walk. As cute as she is when she pulls herself up and then falls back on her little padded butt, the thought of trying to keep up with her once she can actually walk scares the dickens out of me.”
“You’re not the one who’ll be trying to keep up with her,” Susie reminded him. “Bree will.”
“That’s what you think. She’s told me she can barely contain her in her playpen at the flower shop now. Once the baby’s walking, Bree says she’s going to work with me on my landscaping jobs so she can roam the wide open spaces. I almost think my wife is totally serious.”
“She probably is,” Will confirmed.
Sally came over to take their order. Her only acknowledgment that anything was wrong with Susie was the reassuring squeeze she gave her shoulder. “Okay, hurry up, you guys. I don’t have a
ll day to stand around while you make up your minds,” she said with her usual brisk manner.
When they’d all placed their orders, she winked at Susie. “You’re a brave woman for taking on these three at the same time. I have no idea how Bree and Jess put up with them.”
“We’re very lovable,” Jake told her.
“Couldn’t prove it by me,” Sally said.
Their meals came within minutes. By the time Susie had finished half of her tuna salad sandwich, she was too tired to lift another bite to her mouth. Mack took one look at her and stood up.
“I need to get this beautiful woman home. She’s been out gallivanting too long.”
“I’ll drive myself,” she protested.
He leveled a stern look into her eyes. “Not a chance.”
“Let the man pamper you,” Will advised. “It doesn’t come naturally to him, so he needs the practice.”
“Bite me,” Mack said. “And you can pay for lunch while you’re at it.”
“My pleasure,” Will called after them as Mack guided Susie out of the restaurant.
“That felt almost normal,” she said as she sank gratefully into the passenger seat of Mack’s car. “Almost?”
“Didn’t you see the way some people were staring when we walked in? I felt as if I were on display, the poster child for cancer or something.”
“You handled it well. You didn’t let on that it bothered you.”
“I guess because I understood. I’ve reacted the same way when I’ve run into someone who’s obviously undergoing treatment. I felt tongue-tied. I mean, what are you supposed to say?”
“‘Hello’ seems like a good place to start,” Mack said.
“But ‘hello’ can start a conversation, and then what? Do you avoid the subject or talk about it? It’s tricky.” She sighed. “I suppose I need to get used to it. Otherwise the launch party is going to be pretty awkward.”
“I’ll be right there with you every second,” Mack assured her. “And it’s going to be packed with family and friends. You don’t have a thing to worry about.”
“Right,” she said. “Besides, it’s your night. It’s not about me.”
“It wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for you,” he corrected as he pulled up at their apartment.
“Don’t park. I’ll be fine going in,” she told him. She leaned across the console and kissed him. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Thank Will.”
“Yes, but you were my very sexy escort. Maybe all those people at Sally’s were staring at you, rather than me, after all.”
“I’m sure that’s it,” he said drily. “Love you. See you around six.”
Susie stood on the curb, then bent to lean in through the passenger window. “It’s been a good day, Mack. Who knew I could be so grateful for getting to spend a few hours at work and having lunch at Sally’s?”
“Maybe it’s a good reminder to all of us to count our blessings when they’re happening,” he said. “You’re at the top of my list.”
“And you’re at the top of mine,” she said, then watched him drive off.
Her good mood lasted all the way inside and up to the bedroom and then her head began to swim. The dizziness washed over her in nauseating waves.
Struggling, she barely made it to the bed before her knees gave way. She was reaching for the phone to call for help when the walls seemed to close in, the light seemed to fade. And then nothing.
When Mack walked into the darkened apartment at six o’clock and heard not a single sound, his pulse started to race and his heart began to thud.
“Susie!”
He ran to the bedroom, switched on the light and saw her sprawled half in and half out of the bed, still wearing the coat she’d had on earlier.
“Oh, dear God,” he murmured, rushing to her side and feeling for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. “Susie!” he said again, giving her a gentle shake, even as he dialed 9-1-1 with a hand that shook so badly he could barely clasp the phone.
The next half hour passed in a blur as the paramedics tried to revive Susie, then settled for stabilizing her so she could be transported to the hospital. Mack called Jeff and Jo, then followed the ambulance.
By the time he reached the emergency room, Susie was already in a cubicle surrounded by doctors and nurses.
“You need to wait outside,” a nurse told him. “Let the doctors figure out what’s going on.”
“She’s recovering from ovarian cancer,” he told her. “She’s on chemo. Has anyone called Dr. Kinnear or the oncologist?”
“We will if we need them. We have all of her records,” the nurse informed him gently. “We’ll take good care of her.”
Mack was pacing the waiting room when Jo and Jeff arrived, followed quickly by Nell, Mick and Megan.
“Abby and Bree are on their way,” Megan told him. “So are Will and Jess.”
“Has there been any news?” Nell asked.
Mack shook his head. His gaze kept being drawn to the closed doors behind which they were doing who knows what to his wife. Could their life together end like this, so unexpectedly? Surely fate wouldn’t be that cruel.
“I knew she was overdoing it today,” Jeff lamented. “I should have sent her straight home.”
Mack understood the regret he was feeling. He was carrying a load of it himself for taking Susie to lunch, rather than home. Still, he kept hearing her words echoing in his head.
“She needed to be at work today,” he reassured Jeff. “When I dropped her off at home, she kept telling me what a great day it had been, and that she’d almost felt like her old self.”
Jeff wasn’t consoled. “Still, it was too much for her. I should have insisted that she leave.”
Jo gave him a chiding look. “Do you imagine our daughter would have listened to a word you said? Her mind was made up. Mack’s right. She did exactly what she wanted to do today.”
“But if something happens because of it…” Jeff argued.
They all knew what he was trying so hard not to say—if Susie died—but no one dared to utter those words. Surely death was too high a price for having one day doing what she enjoyed.
“Stop it, all of you!” Nell commanded. “Susie will be just fine. This is a little setback, nothing more.”
Mack hoped that was the case, but his faith wasn’t as strong as hers. As if she understood that, Nell crossed the room and pulled him down beside her.
“She’s going to be okay,” she assured him. “Believe that. Hold on to it.”
He regarded her bleakly. “I’m trying.”
She patted his hand. “Well, fortunately I have enough faith for the both of us. Susie’s a strong woman, and she loves you too much to leave you now when your life together is just getting started.”
Mack heard the words, absorbed the confidence with which they were spoken as a thirsty man soaked up rain. He struggled to match Nell’s belief. He believed in Susie. He believed in them. He hoped that was enough.
18
“Susie’s white blood count has fallen dangerously low,” Dr. Kinnear explained to the assembled O’Briens a couple of endless hours after Susie had been brought into the hospital. Her oncologist was by his side, nodding. “We need to keep her in here for a few days, try to build her blood back up.”
Though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know, Mack forced himself to ask, “What about the treatments?”
“Everything stops for now,” the oncologist said, his tone firm.
Charles Price might not have Dr. Kinnear’s comforting demeanor or his charm, but his professional skills were excellent. Mack had researched his credentials thoroughly. He had to trust the oncologist now.
“But isn’t that risky?” Jo inquired hesitantly, her eyes filled with worry.
“It would be riskier to continue before we know she’s able to tolerate another round,” Dr. Price insisted. Dr. Kinnear concurred.
“It’s a setback, but there’s no reason for panic,” Dr. Kinnear a
ssured them. “This happens.”
“Is she awake now?” Mack asked. “Does she know about this?”
Both doctors nodded. “We’ve talked to her and explained things,” her gynecologist said. “As you can imagine, she’s not happy about delaying treatment. Try to convince her this isn’t a death sentence. She’s scared it could be.”
“So am I,” Jo admitted, looking increasingly shaken. Nell and Jeff moved to put their arms around her.
“Nobody’s allowed to think like that, or at least to say anything remotely like that around Susie,” Mack said fiercely. “She needs us to believe she’s going to beat this. It’s up to us to keep her spirits strong.”
“That’s absolutely right,” Dr. Kinnear said. “Mack, why don’t you spend a little time with your wife. Jo, if you and Jeff want to pop in after that for a minute, go ahead, but the rest of you should wait for tomorrow. And keep the visits brief. Susie needs rest. I imagine I don’t need to remind you not to visit at all if you have a cold or anything else contagious. She’s highly susceptible to infection right now. The nurse will explain all the necessary precautions to you.”
Mack took off down the hall, but when he reached the door to Susie’s room, he halted in his tracks. He was leaning against the wall, trying to gather his composure, when Will arrived.
“You want to talk a minute before you go in there?” Will asked.
Mack shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. “What is there to say?”
“Exactly what you said not five minutes ago, that everyone needs to believe Susie’s going to beat this. She needs you to believe it most of all.”
“I’m scared, Will.” It was not an admission he’d made often, not even when he’d been a kid and his mother had vanished for days at a time. Instead, back then he’d focused on keeping the authorities from finding out, because he’d known intuitively they’d have taken him away from her if they’d known. Only Will and Jake had guessed about those terrifying incidents and somehow had found a way to get him invited to their homes for extended visits. He’d always wondered how they’d known, or why their parents had gone along with those visits without questions.
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