“I want to take care of you and Xavier. I want to relieve all of your financial responsibilities, baby. Y’all can move in with me. Taking care of you would be taking care of your family too. It would relieve stress and everything. I mean, I know I haven’t even met Xavier yet, but given my situation, I wouldn’t have the least problem with taking care of a child that isn’t biologically mine. I just want to do the most for you, baby.”
The tears fell down my cheeks as he parked. This was so damn fast. I knew he was financially capable of taking care of us, without a shadow of a doubt, simply because of who he was connected to, but the last thing I wanted to feel like or be perceived as was an opportunist. Once he parked, he turned to me and grabbed my hand, awaiting my response.
“This is so fast. I just don’t want to be perceived as a user. What would your family think of me? They would think it was too soon for something of this magnitude.”
“Is that your only worry?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Although it is soon, I trust you, Chozen. I know you have our best interests at heart. You’vebeen there for me from jump. You literally carried me in your arms to class. How could I not trust a man like you?”
He bit his bottom lip, then leaned over the seat and kissed me tenderly. As he was pulling away, I grabbed his braids and pulled him back to me. Sliding my tongue to his seemed to be his undoing because he grabbed my neck, tilting my head back, and licked me from the base of my neck to my ear, then brought his tongue back to mine. I couldn’t help but release a moan into his mouth. My pain wasn’t a priority anymore. All I could think about was him sliding his dick inside of me.
He slowly pulled away and released a guttural moan. That shit was so damn sexy. “Let’s get to your appointment before we both be orgasming in this car. Damn, Az. Your words did something to me. I swear I’m gon’ fall in love wit’chu . . . even sooner than I anticipated. Just knowing you’re so receptive to me got me on the mountain top.”
I smiled at him as he got out of the car and went to the trunk to get my scooter. I hated this shit. I wished I could walk next to him, hand in hand. Despite my physical limitations, this man wanted to love me and make love to me. I was so blessed to have him. Having him in my life only added to it. Like he said, his presence relieved so much stress for me, even before this conversation. His spirit was so light and joyful. I couldn’t be in a funk for long when he was around.
He opened my door, and I did my best to stand on my own, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and helped me. When I was standing, I puckered my lips, causing him to chuckle. He lowered his head and kissed me, then helped me to the scooter. I was hurting, but I knew I would manage as long as my mindset was right. I was the happiest I had ever been, and my soul was at peace in the midst of uncertainty. I knew it was because I knew that no matter what news I got, I had my family and Chozen.
When we got to the doctor’s office and I’d signed in, we sat in the waiting area. Chozen sat in the chair next to me and held my hand. “Chozen, I want you to know that I’m feeling so much peace right now. While I never like to base things of that nature on another person, I have to attribute that to you. You calm my spirit.”
He kissed my hand and smiled at me. “After our talk in the car, the last thing I’m feeling is peace. I’m antsy.”
I giggled. I almost didn’t recognize my laugh. My face was hot, so I was definitely blushing. He slid his thumb over my cheek and just stared into my soul until the nurse called us to the back. I swallowed hard and said, “Let’s get this over with.”
He stood from his seat and said, “Let’s.”
Once we were in the back and she got my weight, she took us to a room to get my blood pressure. Surprisingly, it was normal. Whenever I had doctor’s appointments, my blood pressure was usually high because my nerves would be worked up. Thanks to the conversation Chozen and I had earlier, I was relaxed enough to go to sleep. The nurse smiled at me and let me know the doctor would be in to talk to me.
I usually only saw him twice a year for them to check my blood to make sure the cancer wasn’t progressing. My scheduled appointment was for next month, about three weeks away. Just as I was about to let my nerves get kicked up, Chozen said, “So, since my family is your only concern, I will invite them out. I texted Aunt Candace to see if Uncle Carrington could come too.”
“What did he say?”
“He hadn’t responded yet. He’s probably still at the office.”
I nodded as the doctor knocked on the door then entered. “Hello, Miss Michaels. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m having joint pains, but it’s a little more manageable today. Usually, just sitting on this scooter is painful.”
“Okay. Well, you know I need you to get on the table if you can.”
“Yes.”
Before I could begin to stand, Chozen was at my side, practically lifting me from the scooter. Before he could lift me to the table, I could see Dr. Fleming smile slightly. Chozen tenderly scooped me in his arms and set me on the table. The man had gentleness down to a science.
“Who’s this young man?” Dr. Fleming asked.
“That’s my boyfriend, Chozen Scott. Chozen, this is Doctor Fleming.”
Chozen extended his hand and shook the doctor’s. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“It’s nice to meet you also, Mister Scott. It’s refreshing to see Miss Michaels has support that goes beyond what’s even necessary. I can see how much she means to you in your eyes.” Turning to me, he said, “I’m glad you have him. You’ve progressed to stage two, so we will have to start meds to make sure we keep this under control. There are options, though, and I want to make you aware of all of them before I tell you which one I think is best for you. Okay?”
“Yes, sir,” I said as I felt my heart sink a bit.
Chozen grabbed my hand and said, “Don’t start worrying, baby. We will get through whatever the devil throws your way. You believe that?”
I stared up at him and could see the hope in his eyes. “Yes, I believe that. In my heart, I knew it had gotten worse, but I suppose hearing the confirmation of that made it real.”
The doctor nodded slightly. “Because you are in stage two and having issues with your joints, we could do a bone marrow transplant. Before we can do that, you would have to endure high doses of chemotherapy to destroy the diseased bone marrow. We’d then put the stem cells into your body so it canbegin to travel to your bones and rebuild the bone marrow. We can also do immunotherapy, which would treat your immune system so it can find those cancer cells and kill them.”
