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I swallow around the lump of fear that’s been lodged in my airways since arriving at the hospital. “I told her we were working late.”

Hands clasped between his knees, Tanner nods soberly, but he doesn’t reply.

“You can leave,” I tell him.

He looks up from his clasped hands. He’s pale and there’s worry I don’t like in his eyes. “I’m not leaving.”

I don’t expect the relief I feel until it rushes through me with the violence of a wave. I nod, because I can’t speak.

The curtain shifts and the same doctor I saw hours earlier enters the space. He’s holding a clipboard stacked with papers, wearing pale green scrubs topped with a white lab coat. I don’t know why I’m so struck by the red rim of the glasses he wears, but I am.

My eyes drop to the clipboard he carries, and lock on the faded, partially washed off pink heart tattoo that once read Be Mine, and now reads 3 min. I wonder if he has a little girl, too.

He pulls a breath into his chest, his eyes moving to Tanner and back to me again. “I have some news. Would you prefer to speak in private?”

“No,” I croak.

Tanner stiffens.

“Very well.” The doctor—Doctor Jameson—dips his chin. “The CT has shown a suspicious, large mass.”

“A large mass?” I wheeze. “You mean—cancer?”

He shakes his head. “We can’t be certain yet. The CT was the first line of investigation. I’ve ordered an MRI, which will give us a much clearer image of what we’re dealing with.”

“O—okay. When am I doing that?”

“Soon. I’ve already put in the order. Someone will be here shortly to take you for imaging.”

“What—what do I do—” I stuffer. “If⁠—”

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there.” He offers me a kind but firm smile. “We need to know what we’re battling before we go to war.”

True to the Doc’s word, someone from imaging comes for me promptly. It’s not the tatted guy, this time, but a small woman twice my age with a penchant for laughing hysterically at her own silly jokes. It’s almost impossible not to laugh with her, even as I face the possibility I face.

The MRI is nothing like the CT. And it’s not quick.

It’s also loud. Very loud.

It’s—truly torture.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I can feel Tanner’s eyes as I hold the phone close. In all the years I’ve been with Faye, I’ve never lied to her. Until now.

I’m just not ready to put her through this…

“You on your way home?”

“Actually, would you mind if I went into the city to hit up eighteen holes? Tanner’s got a two-for-one coupon.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Pots clang in the background. “I’m just getting dinner wrapped up here before we jet off to soccer practice.”

The sound of the faucet running calls emotion I refuse to let loose in my eyes. “Tell Owen to go hard.”

She laughs a breathless laugh. “You know he will.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

“Oh, hey, are you popping by quick for your clubs?”