Page 10 of With You Forever

Seth sits quiet, tense as Luke and Sal talk. His brother’s voice is hushed and concerned in the low rumble of the bar. Then, Luke ends the call, saying, “We’ll be right there.”

Seth swallows. “Sal okay?”

Luke hangs his head a moment, a muscle working in his jaw. Then, slowly, he nods. “She is.”

A beat. Then—

“Seth,” Luke says slowly, his face a worrisome shade of pale. “We need to go to the hospital.”

“What?” Seth grabs his brother’s arm as Luke slides off the stool. Now it’s his panic that’s building. “What the hell are you talkin’ about? What is it?”

That’s when Luke says the worst words Seth’s ever heard. Words that cause Seth’s heart to flatline. “Seth. It’s Lacey.”

The tick of the clock matches the tick of Lacey’s heart. Slow. Agonizing.

Hands clasped together, she and Sal are settled into a plush office couch. Dr. Mayr sits at his desk. The radiologist, a woman with short black hair who goes by the name Dr. Vee, is perched on a stool. Lacey’s mammogram images glow bright on the screen.

It feels like every part of Lacey is spread open and on display. Like she’s floating far above her world, watching everything play out.

The radiologist makes a sound. Gestures at the screen. “Should we begin—”

Lacey opens her mouth, wanting to tell them they’re waiting for Seth, for the man who is her absolute calm and center, but before she can do that, the door swings open and Seth walks in.

Lacey’s heart leaps in her chest.

“Hey,” he says, moving straight for her. “Sorry I’m late.” He sits beside her, promptly pulling her into his arms. “You okay?” His voice is soft, but his eyes are pained. He looks uncertain but steady. Determined. Determined to be strong for her.

She gives a small nod, simply melting into the warm safety of his body. “I’m okay.” She’s never been so happy to see him. He’s her home in human form.

Sal leans forward, giving Seth a small smile. “We were just getting ready to talk with the radiologist.”

He swallows thickly, his eyes flicking briefly to Dr. Vee. “Then let’s talk.”

Relief fills Lacey. Seth’s determined to get answers, to fix. She couldn’t love him more.

“This is Seth,” she says to Dr. Mayr and the radiologist. “My fiancé.”

The radiologist smiles. “Heard you on the radio.”

Seth doesn’t smile.

“As we were explaining to Lacey,” Dr. Mayr says, picking up the conversation, “Lacey’s mammogram came back with abnormal results. There’s an irregular area, which you can see resembles a shadow. Naturally, that’s cause for concern.”

“Christ,” Seth grits out, looking like he’s been stuck in the face.

“It may or may not have the potential to be malignant. It could also be benign. Either way, it is cause for concern, which means in a few minutes we’ll do a biopsy under live ultrasound guidance.”

A muscle clenches in Seth’s jaw. “What’s that?”

Dr. Vee speaks up. “It’s where we insert a needle into the breast to obtain a tissue sample.”

Lacey flinches.

Seth hisses an unhappy breath. “Jesus. You put a needle in her?” He regards Lacey with a pale face, then looks at the radiologist.

“It’s standard procedure.”

Sal leans in. “It doesn’t hurt, Seth.”

---