Page 50 of Claimed by Him

Twenty-Three

The nurse hadn’t toldme anything other than the fact that my boss was in the hospital and was asking for me, but that had been enough to get my brain working overtime, thinking of all the possible things that could be wrong. I was no doctor, but even I could come up with plenty of reasons why she’d be in the hospital, and each one was worse than the last.

“Rona?” Jalen reached over and took my hand. “I know you’re worried about Adare, but don’t get caught up in trying to figure out what’s going on. It’ll just drive you crazy. We’re only a few minutes away.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything. He was right, I knew, and I appreciated all he’d done for me since I’d gotten the call. Found me something appropriate to wear. He hadn’t asked a question other than wanting to know which hospital, and that had been because he’d insisted on driving. Not that I’d protested much. Or at all. I wasn’t safe to be on the road right then.

“I mean it, Rona.” He squeezed my hand. “We’re almost there.”

“Thank you,” I managed. “For everything.”

“I’m not going to cut and run again,” he said. “I promise.”

Neither one of us spoke again until we reached the hospital. He pulled up in front of the doors and told me to go on in. He’d follow after he parked the car. Once I was inside, it didn’t take me long to get the room information. She was up on the sixth floor, but I didn’t realize what that meant until I made it to the elevator and saw the sign.

Oncology, sixth floor.

My stomach dropped, and all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears. Cancer. She was here because of cancer.

Sure, there were kinds of cancer that didn’t have as high mortality rates as others, and there was treatment, but my gut told me things weren’t going to be that simple. This was bad. Really bad.

“Rona?” Jalen’s arm slipped around my shoulders. “I got the room number. We can go now. Sixth floor…shit, Rona…”

His voice trailed off, and I knew he’d seen the same thing I had. His arm tightened around me, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he led me on to the elevator and pushed the right button. Less than a couple minutes later, we walked onto the sixth floor and down the hallway until we got to the right room.

I wanted to tell him that I could take it from here, that he didn’t need to stay, but as I stood in the doorway of that room, I found that I couldn’t send him away. Not yet.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I won’t go until you’re ready.”

I nodded.

“Rona.”

Adare’s voice was weaker than I’d ever heard it. I took a few steps into the room and my stomach twisted. She wasn’t a big woman, but she’d been solid when I’d first met her. A former athlete, a woman who’d always done things on her own, for herself. I’d seen her a week ago, and she’d been fine.

Except…she hadn’t been. Looking back, I could see the extra lines on her face. The weight loss I’d taken for a normal reaction to stress or being overworked. The numerous absences.

“Have a seat,” she said. “There are some things I need to tell you.”

I didn’t want to hear what she had to say, but this wasn’t about me. It was about her. What she needed.

“Mr. Larsen, would you go ask a nurse for some water?”

I felt Jalen looking at me, and I nodded. “I’ll be back in a bit.” His lips brushed the top of my head, and then he was gone.

I sat down, scooting the chair closer to the bed. She pushed herself up against the pillows, grimacing as she shifted. I would’ve told her not to strain herself, but I knew her better than that. No point in arguing with her about something she’d do anyway.

“When we first met, I told you that I didn’t sugarcoat things, and that hasn’t changed.” She gave me a smile that didn’t quite take the pain out of her eyes. “As I’m sure you figured out, I have cancer. Pancreatic. Terminal.”

“Then why aren’t you–”

“My chances weren’t good from the first,” she cut me off. “Any treatment would’ve maybe given me some extra weeks. A couple months if I was lucky. And they probably wouldn’t have been great months. I decided that I wanted to leave things on my terms. Mostly good days, and then just a few bad ones.”

She was dying. One of the few people I’d actually let get close to me since I lost Anton, and she was dying.

And soon, if I understood correctly.

“Why–” I croaked, then cleared my throat before I tried again. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

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