Page 39 of Loving Lizzy

CHAPTER TWENTY

Leo, Saint, and Chase stood in the hallway while they admitted Lizzy to the oncology floor. Michael paced up and down, waiting for Dr. Safder to exit the room.

When Kassie pulled back the curtain and the other nurses filed out, he stopped and watched as Dr. Safder stood by the bedside. Lizzy sat up in the bed. Her cheeks held a bit more color since the IV medication halted the nausea. Lizzy gazed through the window until her eyes found him. She turned her head and said something to her friend. She nodded and walked into the hall.

“Dr. Safder wants to go over the findings. Lizzy’s asking for you.” She stepped into Chase’s arms, and they waited in the hall as he closed the door to the room and walked to Lizzy’s bedside.

“Hello, Dr. Harris, first I want to assure you the site appears clean and there’s no indication of an infection. We drew blood and we’ll wait to see what the tests show. I suspect you caught something viral. You show signs of slight dehydration, not uncommon with vomiting. We’ll keep fluids going for now and stave off the vomiting. I understand you removed the bandages yesterday and Kassie rewrapped you. I’ve checked the sites, and all is healing as it should. Please refrain from removing them until our office visit.” She pulled up information on her tablet. “The results from the lymph nodes came in. We extracted eleven nodes and four came back positive for cancer.”

Lizzy blanched. Michael took her hand and squeezed it. She nodded at him through watery eyes.

“Your tumor measured at four centimeters and since we found four lymph nodes, it puts you in stage two B breast cancer. It carries a ninety-five-percentile survival rate within a five-year period. I want to keep you overnight for observation. Before you’re discharged, I’ll order a PET scan to make sure it didn’t metastasize. When you come in for your post-op visit, we’ll go over your options. If the scans come back clear, we’ll talk about chemotherapy and possible radiation. Can I answer any questions for you right now? I know this feels overwhelming, and I’ll stop by this evening if you need some time to converse among yourselves.” Dr. Safder patiently waited.

“You said eleven lymph nodes were removed, but what if you missed any? How long will I need chemo?” Lizzy’s voice came out higher than usual.

“Each patient reacts differently to treatments. In the best-case scenario, chemo will destroy any remaining cancer cells and we can discuss adding radiation. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you still have a good prognosis. We caught it early, thanks to you doing monthly breast exams. When you come in, we’ll talk about when to start everything. You’re still in recovery from the mastectomy.”

“What about her getting ill now? Will it slow down her recovery or treatment?” Michael asked while he stroked Lizzy’s arm in comfort.

Dr. Safder shook her head, “We’ll wait to see what the bloodwork says. I’m guessing you caught a bug and the timing is terrible. If we can keep you comfortable, and your fever goes down, then we’ll proceed with doing the scan tomorrow and go from there.”

“How long will it take to get the results back from the scan? Or do we wait another week on pins and needles to discover something? We hoped to receive your call earlier,” Michael said, expressing his aggravation at having to wait for another test.

“Michael.” Lizzy stared at him.

“It’s fine, Elizabeth,” Dr. Safder reassured her. “The waiting is stressful on everyone. I planned to call you this morning as the results landed on my desk an hour before I got the call from Kassie. I tended to two patients and then met you in the ER. I can’t promise you a timeline, Dr. Harris. I’ll try to pull a couple of strings since Lizzy’s done it for all of us at one time or another to see if we can manage to get the results read by the radiologist before you’re discharged or by the end of the day, whichever comes first.” Dr. Safder smiled and nodded at them both before leaving the room.

“It’ll be close to the end of the day, we know how long it takes to get discharged around here,” Michael grumbled as he shifted his focus to Lizzy. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know, maybe a bit numb and scared. I hoped the mastectomy took care of everything,” her voice sounded defeated as she laid back against the pillow.

“She said the prognosis still remains good,” he reminded her.

Lizzy nodded as her eyes grew wet. “Yeah,” her voice seemed vacant.

“Kassie’s outside with Leo, Saint, and Chase. Do want me to tell them to go home?”

Lizzy shook her head. “No, I want to thank them for coming and taking care of us.”

Michael sighed as he opened the door. He gave them a slight nod asking them to enter.

Kassie rushed to the side of the bed. Chase stood behind her while the other two men stood against the wall.

“Thank you for helping out this morning, I hope we didn’t interrupt your day,” she told them.

“You’re family, you come first,” Kassie insisted as she fluffed the pillows behind Lizzy. “You already gained color in your cheeks and the fluids are doing their job. Did Dr. Safder say when you can come home?”

Lizzy squeezed Michael’s hand and glanced up at him as if asking him to tell the group.

He froze. The lump in his throat grew bigger as he opened his mouth to break the news. His chest refused to constrict, and the words refused to come.

Lizzy smiled tremulously at him before turning to their friends. “Dr. Safder told us the result of the lymph nodes. They removed eleven and four came back with cancer.” Kassie immediately wrapped her arms gently around her friend. Chase stared at Michael, still at a loss for words. Walking over to him, Chase placed a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of support. Leo and Saint sat up from the wall they leaned against as if called to action. The two warriors prepared to fight the invisible battle. All he managed to do was hold Lizzy’s hand.

“What did she recommend for treatment options?” Kassie asked. Michael already saw the wheels turning in her head. Chase continued to watch him.

Lizzy swiped at her eyes. Kassie passed her a tissue from the bedside table. “She says it’s a good prognosis. I’ll need a bit of chemo and maybe radiation.” She smiled tightly at her visitors to make them feel at ease. A ball of anger formed in the pit of Michael’s stomach. It rolled and rolled, growing in size while she put up such a brave front.

Kassie patted her hand. “Dr. Safder is one of the best. Do you want to get a second opinion? We can arrange it if you do. I think Dr. Perry works this evening. I cared for his niece when she stayed on the surgical ward. I can pop in and ask if he can read the scan for you as soon as possible.”

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