Page 76 of Reckless With You
She let out a shaky breath before walking past me, and unease settled in my gut.
“What’s up, Melinda? Are you okay?”
“You know, I had this whole speech prepared in my head about what I would say and what I needed to do, and now it’s all gone. I looked at you, and now I can’t see it anymore. I can’t think at all. I look at you and can only wonder how the hell I missed it. How in the hell I could have been so wrong.”
I fisted my hands at my sides, trying to calm my nerves. I had no idea what she was saying, she was just rambling at this point.
“What’s wrong, Melinda? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“You wouldn’t. You wouldn’t at all. I don’t even really know. I wish you would have answered your phone. Maybe it would have been easier to say if I wasn’t facing you. ‘Cause every time I look at you, I see what I should have seen before. But I can see it now.”
Tears filled her eyes, and I quickly moved toward her, grabbing the box of tissues from the table as I did. I handed one to her, and she gave me a watery smile before dabbing at her eyes.
“Thank you. You were always so sweet. Even though you were just fun, and it was supposed to only be a couple of nights, you were always so sweet. You weren’t one of those assholes that wanted to get in my pants because I had big boobs.”
I snorted then, setting the box on the coffee table. “I’d like to think I wasn’t an asshole. But it’s been a long time, Melinda. What, six years or so?”
“Oh, almost seven at this point.” She sucked in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. I swallowed hard, a tingling sense of fear sliding down my spine.
“I need you to listen to me and let me get out the facts.”
“Do you need to sit down?” I asked, my voice equally shaky at this point.
She shook her head vehemently. “No. I just need to get this out, and maybe I need to pace.”
“Okay. Talk to me, Melinda.”
“I have a son. His name is Evan. He’s the sweetest boy.”
I nodded, still a little confused. “Okay. Do you need money or something?”
“Or something. Just…just let me get this out.”
“Okay.”
“His name is Evan. He has acute lymphocytic leukemia.”
Dread rolled in my belly. “Oh, fuck. I’m sorry, Melinda. I’m so damn sorry.”
“Me, too. It’s been on and off for the past year or so. We went through all the treatments, at least the initial ones. But now, we need bone marrow.”
“Yeah, that’s a common treatment. And acute lymphocytic leukemia has a ninety percent five-year survival rate for children, right?”
“Yes. Ninety percent. It’s a great number. It’s those ten percent that’s so scary.”
“Because kids aren’t numbers. They aren’t specs on a scan. I get that.” I had to get that. It was my job. I had to think analytically most days. And I knew I needed to now, as well.
“That’s right, you’re a radiologist or something, right? You get that.”
“I do.” And I hated it. I hated percentages. Hated numbers. Hated the fact that kids got cancer, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. “What can I do for you? I know a few good doctors around here. Maybe I can get you into one. Is that what you need?”
“No, we’re with Dr. Bates at the Children’s Medical Hospital. We’re in good hands.”
“I know him. He’s a great physician, and a great guy.”
“The best. The thing is, Evan needs bone marrow. And he needs yours.”
I blinked, my blood thundering in my ears as I tried to understand what the fuck she was saying. “Excuse me?”