Page 112 of Misery and Ecstasy

“Kins helped me, a lot, after my mom passed.” Turning, I look at her. “I wanted to try to help the two of you with your relationship… But Kins is a tough cookie.”

We both laugh, knowing just how stubborn she is.

“I see how good you are with her. How well you treat her.”

She pauses, and I wait for the but. Only, it doesn’t come.

“She gives in to you, which … is something I’ve never witnessed before. Olivia told me only a few details about you the other day before bringing us to your house. When she told me you’re part of a biker gang, it … shocked me. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand your lifestyle.” Her eyebrows shoot up into her hairline. “Part of me thinks the less I know the better.”

“That’s probably smart.” I agree with her.

“I won’t lie and say I’m not angry you brought her into this world. I can’t even begin to fathom how dangerous it surely is. But Iwouldbe lying if I said she’s better off without you.”

Chewing over her words, I stare intently at her, in disbelief.

“She makes me better. In every way that matters.”

“You do that for her, too. I can see it.” She chuckles again. “Even with brain cancer, McKinsey seems happier, almost … lighter than I’ve ever seen her before.”

Blinking my eyes, I work to dry the tears in them before they fall. I’ve never cried as much in my life as I have since finding out Kins was sick.

God, if Cheryl can come over here and admit to me what she just did … I think any miracle could happen.

Before I can respond, Dr. Faust walks into the waiting room. I grab Cheryl’s hand, then the two of us walk over to meet him.

“Is she out? When can we see her?” I fire two questions at him before getting cut off.

“She’s out.” Dr. Faust rubs his eyebrow, looking intently at Cheryl and I carefully.

“How did she do?”

“The good news is, I was able to remove everything. Once we got in there and we were able to get a better look at the tumor, we discovered it was encapsulated. As far as the removal, that’s the best possible scenario that could have happened here today.”

“Encapsulated?” My eyes narrow. “What… What does that mean?”

“Think of it like medicine, for example. Everything is tucked safely inside of a capsule, so none of it can get out.” He locks his hands together, trying to illustrate his point.

“So it didn’t bleed into her brain, like you mentioned the other day?”

“Likely not…”

Holy shit.

This is the kind of miracle I was just talking about. My hand flies to my mouth in disbelief. This is better than any of us were expecting.

But the frown on his face forces my mind to rewind the conversation a little before I get too excited.

“Wait… You said, “the good news,” as if there’s also bad news.”

My chest pounds as the doc’s tongue darts out, licking his lips in preparation for whatever he’s about to deliver.

“The reason for the increased pressure she’s been experiencing the past few days is due to swelling of her brain from the growth of the tumor. Throughout the surgery, including once we removed the mass, McKinsey’s brain activity wasn’t functioning at the normal levels we’d expect.”

Oh, fuck.

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Dr. Faust breaks eye contact with me as he shifts his weight to his other foot. I follow his eyes as they meet those of everyone else in this room. Each one of them is now crowded around me and Cheryl as we await the most important news we’ll ever receive.

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