Page 92 of Indiscretion

Oh God. When he’d mentioned her, he said she’d died. I looked over at the photo before turning back to Dawson. “How old was she when she passed away?”

“Sixteen. She died the day before her seventeenth birthday.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He nodded.

“Do you mind if I asked what happened?”

“Cancer.”

His answers were short and very matter-of-fact. Bailey might’ve died a long time ago, but clearly it still wasn’t an easy subject. So I let it be. Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie. “Thank you for sharing.”

Chapter 25

DAWSON

14 years ago

“What does it feel like?”

After knowing each other a year, Bailey and I had become inseparable. I even went with her to the hospital for her treatments when I didn’t have football practice, which was where we were currently. An IV dripped into her chest as we sat side by side on plush reclining seats.

“What? Chemo?”

I shook my head. “No, the thing that’s under your skin. The port. Does it hurt?”

Bailey had a rubber tube attached to her chest where her medicines were delivered. Supposedly it was easier than sticking her with needles all the time.

She shrugged. “It hurt for a few days after they put it in. It was sore like a cut. But I don’t feel it anymore really. Just a little pressure when they connect the IV to put medicine and stuff in.”

I grinned and lifted my drink. “What do you think would happen if we put this coconut milk in?”

Bailey chuckled. “I don’t know, but I think I’ll pass on trying.”

“Boring.”

“Do you want to touch it?”

“What? The port?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, my left knee, Dawson. Of course I meant the port.”

I’d been slouching in the chair next to her, but jumped up at the opportunity. “Hell yeah.”

Bailey leaned forward and tugged her blue hospital gown down a bit. Chemo was one of the few times she didn’t wear a hat and sweatshirt, and I noticed her collarbone jutting out. She’d definitely lost some weight, and her patchy hair was all gone now. It made her look more like ten than fourteen.

“Go for it,” she said.

The port was implanted under her skin, with clear tape all around it and a lone tube that stuck out. I ran my fingers around the raised bump, feeling where it started and ended. “It’s a triangle?”

“Yep.”

Bailey watched me as I felt around. When my eyes lifted to meet hers, the moment turned weird. At least it did for me. She looked down at my lips, and I pulled back sort of abruptly.

“It’s pretty cool,” I said. “Thanks for letting me touch it.”

Bailey nodded and picked up her phone, but the awkwardness continued for the next few minutes while she scrolled—or at least in my head it did.

---