Page 112 of Never Stop
Cheyenne came back with three plates, three sodas, and pepper flakes.
“Did you tell her?” Brooke whispered.
I shook my head.
“Tell me what?” Cheyenne asked, throwing a slice of pepperoni pizza on her plate.
I looked down at Brooke, and she shrugged, shaking her head as if she didn’t care if I told her. A lump formed in my throat. Not wanting to show Brooke or Cheyenne how scared I was, I fought my tears. “Remember when I told you Brooke was sick?”
The slice of pizza Cheyenne was eating stopped right in front of her mouth. “Yeah, but she had surgery and radiation. You’re better now, right?” She asked Brooke.
Brooke turned her head and stared off, not answering her.
“Peanut, the tumor Brooke had is known to grow back.”
She took a bite of the pizza. “Okay.”
“And the other day she went to have a scan done and they… fuck,” I whispered under my breath. “The doctors found another mass.”
Cheyenne set her plate on the table and moved to Brooke, wrapping her arms around her neck as she hugged her. Brooke started to cry, and I took a deep breath, still trying to hold back my emotions. “I’ll bring you red roses again,” Cheyenne declared.
That was when we all lost it.
I wrapped my girls in my arms and we each cried. It didn’t matter if we didn’t know if Brooke really did have another tumor or if it were only scar tissue. The fact of the matter was Brooke wasn’t alone, and I was going to do everything possible to take her pain away.
