One more day:

The weak woman sat patiently in the doctor’s surgery waiting for her test results. She had waited almost 3 weeks balancing on a knife’s edge wishing for the phone to ring, but it hadn’t. Negative thoughts bombarded her waking moment and though she had told her precious to count sheep, her herd never seemed to evade her at the hour of her need.

“Mrs. Chasez would you like to come in?” Her stomach dropped hearing her name. Trying to read the older doctor’s expression was a task that she was not prepared to take and she had failed miserably on other occasion waiting for tests.

“Kristy, please take a seat.” The practitioner lowered her glasses and touched her leg before looking at the piece of paper again.

“Dr. Romano please just tell me, I’ve put my life on hold waiting.”

“Where is your husband, I think he should be here for this.” She took a deep breath and tucked a loose strand of her silky smooth hair behind her ear.

“Josh is away- Dr. Romano please.” Desperation filled her voice.

“Right so let’s start with your blood work, your white cells count is lower that we expected and your lymph nodes are working over time to make more. You were finding it difficult to digest solids- so um we did an ultra sound of the digestive system to find nodules that we’d like to do some further tests to see if they’re cancerous.”

“Oh God.” She lost her breath.

“Now at the moment we don’t know Kristy if it is even anything to worry about we just want to be on the safe side.” She nodded trying to compose herself.

“Right its probably nothing, I’m 31 I eat healthy, I work out, I go to church.”

“Kristy the sooner we do this test the better, I can call the department to fit you in now if you want.”

“Um this is going so fast- I have to pick up my daughter from my friend’s house.”

“It’ll take about an hour tops.” She agreed frantically jumping into her Lexus RX on autopilot to the hospital.

“Hey Hun I’m driving now but can Lisia stay a bit longer, I just have a few errands before I can pick her up.”

“Yeah sure, she can stay over the night she and Jade are having a ball.” Said the male voice on the other end of the phone.

“No that won’t be necessary, it’ll only take an hour. I have to go, but thanks.” She quickly slid the phone down and switched the engine off before saying a quick prayer.

“Right Mrs. Chasez are you ok? Do you want to follow me?” Why ask her that question? The truth was that she was neither ok, because she wouldn’t need to be in the hospital and secondly she didn’t want to follow him she wanted to be at work, home with her family any where but here at this moment.

“We’re just going to numb this area- and scrape some tissue off to test.”

“Yeah I know.” After letting a few tears escape and roll down her cheeks Kristy tried composing herself. The junior doctor knocked on the door after returning from the pathology department.

“Mrs Chasez we will let you know when we get your results.”

“Ok.” She could tell the young doctor was new to this.

“Um- has your GP given you anything for the symptoms?”

“No.” The doctor pulled out a brown bottle of tablets from his short coat.

“Are you allowed to do that?”

“It’s a herbal remedy that can help with your digestion, till we know what’s wrong.” He put a reassuring hand on her and shook his head.

“Thanks.” She pulled down her top holding her stomach where a thick piece of gauze and micro pore protected the wound.

“Mommy!” Shouted the little girl running into her mother’s arms.

“Hey sweetie did you miss me?” Asked the mother swooping the child into her arms and placed a gentle kiss in the messy mass of curly hair on her head.

“Yup, we made cookies. I saved one for you but I eated it.”

“Oh did you- so daddy doesn’t have one either.” The child jumped from her mother’s arms and gave a toothy grin.

“Nope this one is for daddy.” Kristy picked up the child’s bag walking further into the large house.

“Drake?”

“In here K!” Shouted the voice coming from the living room. Kristy knew that he was watching football and knew that he’d be in no mood to talk to her.

“D I’m gonna go thank Steffi for me please?” She ran back to the door where her daughter was waiting for her to go.

“Ok kiddo let’s go home.” Kristy ran to the car clutching her daughter in her hands trying to avoid the droplets of rain falling on her head. Safely buckling the child into the car seat and herself in the driver’s side before moving off.

“Alicia what do you want for dinner?” The child beamed.

“Um sutchi.”

“I think you mean sushi sweetie.” She laughed at her daughter’s blunder.

“Yeah swat I said.”

“Hmm no I don’t think you’d like sushi, you can’t eat it till you’re a bit older.”

“Mac and cheese then. Mommy can you turn on the radio please.”

“Sure Hun.” The remainder of the journey was silent as Alicia soaked up the music filling the car. She swore that her daughter had inherited her father’s fascination with music glancing back through the rear view mirror she saw the contentment on Alicia’s face and hardly realised that she was almost home- she had been driving that way for over 10 years it didn’t surprise her in the least her heart was set on auto pilot programmed for that course, this was their home.

“Licia can you see daddy’s car?” She teased her daughter who kicked the back of her seat.

“Mommy daddy parks in the garage. We’re not in the garage.” She said matter fact confident her father would be there to welcome her home.

Alicia waited for the child lock to be released before darting to the door and pounding her tiny fists on the door.

“Daddy!” She bounced up and down willing her mother to move faster and open the door.

The tall man opened the door instantly scooping the child in one hand and the phone attached to the other hand. Swiftly brushing her fringe to the side he plastered a huge kiss on the top of her head.

“Yeah thanks Toby.” Kristy could only hear one side of the conversation but knew all too well the familiarity.

“Daddy sat Toby? Toby!” His daughter sang the older gentleman’s name her father could hear the man’s voice turn brighter.

“Family time…Ok um yeah we’ll be there. She already has the dress sorted.” He put the child down choosing to help his wife with the bags. “No way- do you know how long I’ve been trying to convince her? Toby I have to go man- I haven’t seen the kid for 3 weeks, sorry. Thanks…yeah give Mace my regards. I’m sure.” Kristy was sure that he spoke on the phone more than her but she didn’t mind, his voice did something to her.

“Toby- give me my husband and check on your wife.” She said grabbing the phone from her husband laughing.

“Thanks- yeah she’s growing…oh gosh I know just wait.” This guy was good he could talk both of them under the table. 15 minutes later she was still on the phone her husband and daughter in the kitchen starting the dinner.

“Omg he didn’t tell me- he likes to keep secrets. I’m going to have to give him something for that… Pepper should do the trick- should fly right out of there…we wouldn’t miss it for the world. Ok T I really have to go…yeah you too. Bye.” She just wanted to be quiet, no noise no movement nothing. The thought was short lived when he heard her husband swearing under his breath.

“Aw mama daddy said shit!” The 3 year old jumped and giggled as she watched her father turn 3 shades of red.

“Alicia what did I say about using those words.” She straightened up.

“Not to…sowi.” She broke into a smile hearing her baby struggling with her R’s.

“Baby Einstein is on you can watch it if you want.” She knew she just had to say the word and the child would be sitting in front of the TV singing.

“Sorry Hun I just burnt my hand on the pot.” She kissed his scolded hand better and sat down on the island. In an instant he knew something was wrong with his wife, he didn’t know why but he felt sick.

“Chasez we need to talk.” He knew it was serious she only used their last name to try make light of an important situation. He remembered the last time she used that tone was to tell him that she was pregnant. He relished at the thought.

“You pregnant?” She wandered where that came from.

“No-I mean huh. No you want another baby?”

“Yeah Licia has been pestering me for a little brother ever day I call, like Tommy from the rug rats.” She shook her head there was proof if any that TV was a bad influence on children.

“Yeah I tried to brush that off. You think its time for another baby?”

“It’d be nice to have another baby, sleepless nights and all. We did plan on having a soccer team. What do you think?” He bit his lip grinning at the thought of another life.

“Yeah it’d be nice.” He still noticed the dark cloud looming over her head.

“K what aren’t you telling me?” She looked up at him and knew her cover was blown.

“You know how I was finding it hard to digest food?” He stopped steering.

“Yeah, the doctor’s appointment was today?” He scolded himself wanting to make it to the consultation but his flight had been delayed.

“I had to go in for a scan because my white blood cells were too low.”

“Shit- K.”

“They think it might be.” He shook his head and beads of sweat started form on his forehead.

“Don’t say it.” He stopped her hoping it would ease the blow.

“We just have to be prepared for the worst.”

When the house was quiet, and all were gone to bed he wrapped his arms around the woman that brought so much joy into his life, watching as her stomach rose and fell. Fear gripping his heart he did the only thing her knew.

God I know I don’t speak to you as much as I should but I need you to hear me tonight. You gave me this woman, don’t take her away from me-not yet-not ever- Just give me one more day, to hold her hand, to have our baby, to fall in love. I promise I’ll love her like it was her last day everyday.