Page 9 of Greater than the Heart
He turned to the woman and smiled. “We’re just a little on edge. We’ve been waiting for this news for two weeks now. Surely you can understand how difficult it must be,” Jax said.
She led them to an exam room and told Ford to take a seat on the table, instructing, “The doctor will be in shortly.”
After she left, Ford pulled Cade to sit next to him on the examination table, taking his hand. Cade could feel Ford’s hand shaking, so he held it tighter.
Jax sat on a little rolling stool and rolled next to them, taking Ford’s other hand. “Take some deep breaths and don’t take the guy’s head off when he comes in, okay? We’ll get the news and then you can find another doctor if there’s any follow-up. You should seek a second opinion anyway,” Jax said, which Cade agreed with wholeheartedly.
Since the surgery, Cade nor Jax had seen Ford naked. He seemed embarrassed about having an implant, but Cade couldn’t imagine why.
They loved him and didn’t give a rat’s ass about him having a fake testicle. Cade knew it wasn’t easy for someone like Ford to accept his body being less than perfect, but he and Jax certainly had no problem with his body. As long as they had him, that was the only thing that mattered.
The doctor breezed in with Ford’s chart in his hand. “Ah, Branford. How are we feeling?”
Ford squeezed Cade’s hand very hard and he had to jerk away. “He, uh, he’s been on edge. See, we hoped someone would call us within a few days after the surgery to tell us if there was a problem with the lymph node dissection, but we didn’t hear anything. We’ve been on pins and needles.” Cade shook his hand to abate the sting.
The doctor leafed through the chart. “Damn, I’m so sorry about this. My wife went into labor here at the office, and the delivery was dicey. I haven’t been in the office since the day after your surgery, and I couldn’t find anyone to cover my patients. Okay, well, the news is good. As you know, it was…” the doctor explained the type of cancer it was and reiterated the fact they’d caught it very early, which was good.
“As far as the pathology of the lymph node dissection, it came back negative for metastases. I want you to come back in three months for more blood work. When was the last time you three had your blood tests?” the doctor asked.
Cade was ready to cry at the good news. It was the best thing he’d ever heard in his life.
“Two months ago, before our anniversary,” Jax answered as stood to wrap an arm around Ford, who hadn’t said anything.
“Hey, should that blood work have picked up on this cancer thing?” Cade asked. It seemed logical.
“Not if the doctor only did a regular screening. I didn’t request the lab screen for STDs when I sent his sample before his surgery. Insurance companies get rather sticky about catch-all testing, so we don’t do it. Anyway, Ford, I’d like to check the incisions and see how your implant’s doing. They can stay or…” the doctor offered.
“Actually, can I have privacy, guys?” Ford asked.
Cade looked at Jax who smiled and winked. “One question. How long before he’s back in the lineup?”
Cade giggled, seeing the doctor chuckling too. “Another two weeks if there’s no tenderness or swelling, and six weeks for anything athletic. Let’s let Branford get undressed from the waist down,” the doctor said as he handed Ford a sheet from a cabinet.
Cade and Jax followed him out, after kissing Ford on the lips in relief. The doctor led them down the hall to his office and closed the door. “It’s none of my business, of course, but I’m assuming the three of you are together?”
“Yes, we are. Does it matter?” Jax’s voice was tense.
Cade could see the man was about to fly into theragingpart of being the “Ragin’ Cajun.” No good would come of a bloody altercation with the doctor.
“No, Mr. Delacroix. It doesn’t matter to me at all. I just wanted to give you a spousal head’s up. I see it all the time with my male patients. They are hesitant to undress in front of their spouses for fear of looking different. They worry about potency, and some psych themselves into erectile issues because they feel less manly due to the type of surgery they’ve endured.
“In my hetero patients, it’s an issue if the couple is considering starting a family, not that it couldn’t be an issue for the three of you, as well. I just wanted to warn you in advance so you can proactively support him, and if you start to see signs of depression, you might want to find a good counselor to help him work through it. I can tell him his body will work just the same until I’m blue in the face, but until he believes it, he might have some performance anxieties. I can give you a referral. Just call the office,” the doctor told them.
The two men shook the doctor’s hand and thanked him for his understanding. They went to the waiting room and sat holding each other’s hands. Of course, Cade was crying, but he felt safe having Jax’s hand in his. “It’s okay, chére. He’s not going anywhere.
“Now, who was the hot little blond you were dancing with at the club last Friday night? Cleve sent me a picture and a text on Saturday,” Jax stated as he pulled out his phone and found the text.
Cade laughed. “That’s the Norse God’s boyfriend, Andy Booker. He’s a sweet kid. I was bummed because I didn’t want to go to work and leave the two of you, so we danced a little to get me through my foul mood. Trust me, Hans was right there with us,” Cade told Jax, ensuring the man had most of the story. There was no need for Marcus Drury to come up. It had been handled. Plain and simple.
Chapter Five
Jax
Jax was in the office he shared with Ford and Cade when his cell rang. He saw it was Colby Napier, and he was sure it was just to catch up. Ford was downstairs watching something on television, so Jax had a few minutes to shoot the shit with an old friend. Cade was at the club because it was his night to close, so Jax answered. “QB! How ya doin’ brotha?”
“Hey, man. You see the news tonight? Channel eight.” Colby asked.
“No, hang on,” Jax told him as he dug for the remote to the large television on the wall in the office, switching it on. He turned on channel eight and watched in stunned amazement as the police dragged a handcuffed Hans Linder out of a car at the local precinct, not far from the club.
