Page 70 of Free to Breathe
“Why?” Jason demands again. When Dr. Moser turns on him, he steps forward. “Dr. Jason Ross, emergency room trauma specialist.” The men shake hands briefly.
“Corinna’s tumor has grown to a critical point in the last few weeks. In the last MRI before the images became compromised, we observed it’s resting on both of her ICAs.”
Jason curses before he turns on his husband. “You didn’t mention that the other night.”
Phil blinks at him over Kalie’s head. “I honestly thought I did, Jace.”
Jason rounds on me. “Cori, you realize you have to have the surgery now before the tumor grows any further. It can stop your normal motor functions. You can literally…”
“I know!” she screams, shaking. “Do y’all think I don’t know this already? I’m the one who’s been living with this for so many years.” Corinna turns in my arms and lets loose a torrent of tears.
Corinna wipes her eyes and nose on my shirt, and I couldn’t care less. “Every time they slid me into those cylinders to be scanned, I prayed, Colby. I prayed so hard the results would just be the same. I could live with the monster in my head.” Her eyes fill with even more tears. “But what if I die because it has to come out?”
“This is why you have to see the psychologist, Cori. You’re not going to die,” Bryan interrupts.
“Shut up, Doctor,” I growl. I clasp her face between my hands and duck down so our eyes are level. “He’s not wrong though, baby. Even if he’s not the one you want performing the surgery anymore”—I ignore Moser’s gasp and continue—“we’ll find the right doctor for you. You’re not giving up. You’re not giving in.”
“Sometimes I feel like I deserve this.” Her head turns away from me. “If I’d just talked to you, maybe I wouldn’t be punished this way. Maybe I wouldn’t be this punished. Maybe I would be spared.”
Every word out of her mouth is a jagged-edged knife in my heart. Our separation is as much my fault as hers. It’s only because of the letters she’s blaming herself, but it was my selfish behavior that started it all. “No, princess, that’s not how this works. Cori, we’ve talked about this. Don’t let this set us back,” I plead.
“Why would you want to be with someone who you know could die?” she whispers, breaking away from my arms. Looking around the room frantically, she asks, “Why would any of you?” She stares at each of us a moment before bolting for the back door.
I’m less than a second after her.
Keene catches me around the waist. “Give her a few, man. Let her get some of it out.”
“Let me go, you asshole.” I wrench out of his hold. “You have no idea what’s happening between us.” Neither do I. All I know is that I have to be with her. Holding her. Touching her.
“Colby, she needs you to have the answers to the millions of unanswered questions going through her head. She doesn’t need another ‘I don’t know’ or platitude.” It pisses me off that he’s right.
I push out of his hold. “I’m fine. I’m okay.” I turn to a pale-faced Dr. Moser. “Hours ago, Cori was ready to start looking for a new doctor because of your attitude this week, and I can’t say I’m all that impressed right now. So, start talking about what we’re facing because we’re all in this with her.”
Keene’s hand clamps down on my shoulder in approval.
“Don’t you think we should wait for the patient?” Moser asks with a touch of superiority.
“Right now, you have a roomful of people who need their questions answered. Let’s start with the basic ones. What kind of procedure is she facing, and how long is it?”
As Dr. Moser begins discussing the type of craniotomy Corinna will need, I understand why she ran out of the room rather than face this.
I want to do the same.
* * *
An hour later,I drive back to Corinna’s, where the lights are blazing in every room of the house. I look up and see her moving back and forth in her bedroom carrying armloads of clothes.
Shit.
Jumping out of the Jeep, I walk up and try the door. Locked. Of course. I immediately ring the bell and wait. Then I ring it again. While I’m waiting, I send a ping to Keene.Should have let me come after her, you dick. Now I’m locked out.
His reply ofShitdoes nothing to ease my concern.
I call Corinna’s cell phone. Direct to voicemail.
Suddenly, I get pissed. We spent the afternoon mending the cracks between us, so why is she running scared? Why is she running at all?
I look for the simplest point of entry. I could quickly throw a rock through one of the massive windows in the back of her house. Effective, but a pain in the ass to clean up. Scanning the exterior, I glimpse the fixed awning covering her front door. Following its line over the metal roofing, I realize while the pitch is steep, the rivets will give me enough foothold to use the open segments in her clapboard to get to the Juliet balcony outside her bedroom.
