Page 80 of Stolen Kisses

I press the buzzer as the nurse requested, then sit back down. “I’m not going anywhere, Peaches.”

She grits her teeth, fire in her eyes. “Go home. Leave me alone.”

Before I can respond, the nurse breezes in, giving Emma a warm smile. “Good evening, Mrs. Miller. How are you feeling after your nap?”

“Hi. I’m a bit sore actually.” She looks at me, then back to the nurse. “Uhm, I thought only family were allowed to visit?”

“Yes, that’s right.” The nurse slows, looking across at me with eyes full of accusation. My gut sinks, because Emma’sgonnaget me kicked out of her room.

Emma looks at me, steely determination in her eyes. “He’s not family. Can you please have him removed?”

The nurse looks at me, her features drawn tight. “You heard Mrs. Miller. Please leave, or I’ll call security and have you escorted off the premises.”

I nod once. Standing, I kiss Emma on the forehead, my lips lingering on her soft skin. “I’ll see you at home, Peaches.” I leave the room,knowingthis will be the last time I walk away from her.

–emma–

Iblow outthe breath I was holding.

Crinkles form between the nurse’s brows as she looks me over. “I’m so sorry. Your parents told me he was your boyfriend, that’s why I allowed him to stay.” I’m not surprised my parents told her thathe’smy boyfriend. Ever since Mom met Theo at the beach, she’s been harping on about how wonderful he is and that I should forgive him. She was always reminding me that everyone makes mistakes and should be allowed second chances.

“That’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

She nods, then does what she needs to do before leaving me alone with my thoughts. My heart broke for Theo. For the little boy who lost his mom. For the man who then lost his sister. His reaction to my sore breast was completely understandable given his experiences. God, how would he react if he knew what surgery I’d just had done; he certainly wouldn’t be asking for a second chance.

Not with me.

My breasts are scarred now. So different from before. I know I should be thankful that the cancer wasn’t worse, but I’m not sure how I’ll manage to look at myself in the mirror. I look down at the offending part of me.Tightlywrapped up, I can’t tell there’s any difference, and the area feels numb at the moment. I’m sure I’ll feel different over the coming weeks and months as I heal and the doctor reconstructs my breasts. He was going to operate in such a way as to save my nipples, so there’s minimal visual impact.

Footsteps sound outside of my doorway and I wonder if Theo’s come back. Half of me hopes that he has, the other half wants him to stay away. My stomach sinks and I’m disappointed when Dr. Barnes, my breast cancer surgeon, breaches the doorway with a smile.

“Hello, Mrs. Miller. Good to see you awake and alert. How is your level of pain?”he asks, coming to a stop at the edge of my bed.

“I think the pain medicine is doing its job. I’m okay at the moment. Feeling a bit sleepy though.”

“Good. Good. That’s to be expected.” He looks down at his tablet, then back to me. “Now,the surgerywent well. As we discussed, we were able to perform a nipple-sparing bilateral mastectomy. We made sure toremove all of the breast tissue. As you know, the results from the sentinel node test came back negative, so we didn’t have to touch the lymph nodes.Dr. Corriganhas also put the expanders and drains in place while we wait for you to heal, then she’ll go ahead with the reconstruction of the breasts for you.”

“Soyou managed to get all of the cancerous cells?”

“I’m confident that we have. The sections of breast we removedhave beensent to pathology. Once they take a look, we’ll know for sure. The best-case scenario will be that the cancer was definitely contained within the ductsto ensure that you won’t require any radiation or chemotherapy. You’ve been extraordinarily lucky, Mrs. Miller. I know you probably don’t feel that way right now, but you are very lucky indeed.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” I give him what I hope is an appreciative smile.

“I’ll be back to check on you again tomorrow. We’ll unwrap those bandages and take a look.” He tilts his head toward my breasts, then leaves me to my thoughts.

* * *

I’m goingcrazy, coopedup in here. A girl can only read so much and I miss my boys terribly. I’ve never been away from them for this long. Even though the plan was to keep them away from the hospital, I caved and asked Mom and Dad to bring them up this afternoon after they’ve had their afternoon snack. They should be here any minute, I carefully climb out of bed and step into the bathroom to brush my hair and tidy myself up.

As Istep out of the bathroom, Mom, Dad, and the boysenterthrough the doorway of my room. My heart instantly feels lighter as my eyes land on Lachlan and Austin. God, I’ve missed them so much. I step forward, urgently. I need them in my arms. Carefully, both boys wrap their arms around me, snuggling into my body. Moisture wells in my eyes and I know I won’t be able to hold the tears at bay. Bending forward, I kiss the top of each boy’s head, mussing their hair. The surgery was tough, but being away from my boys is tougher. I breathe in their little boy smell and I feel brighter than I have in days. I’ve spoken to them over the phone and used FaceTime to communicate with them, but it’s not the same.

“Hey, guys. I’ve missed you so much!” I tuck them in tight to my body, careful to avoid my breasts. Kissing them again, I close my eyes, absorbing them. They snuggle me back and it feels fantastic to have them with me again.

“Emmmmaaa!” My head snaps up at Kenny’s sweet voice. I didn’t notice her with my parents and now I understand why. She’s here with her uncle. My hand automatically goes to my hair, smoothing it down. Why I still care how I look in front of him, I’ll never know.

Lachlan moves out of the way to allow the little dynamo to get in close enough for a hug. I keep my eyes on the kids and Mom and Dad, doing my best to ignore Theo’s presence, but it’s hard. He looks so freaking good. After carefully hugging Mom and Dad, I sit on my bed, encouraging the kids to join me. Mom and Dad take the guest chairs while Theo stands in the corner, as though he has every right to be here.

“Hey, Emma. It’s good to see you up and about.” His deep voice catches me off-guard. I thought maybe he would stand in the corner and not participate in the visit.

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