Page 126 of Finding Hayes
What kind of mother would I be if I couldn’t even have a conversation with my husband? Yes, it would be a difficult one, but running from it wasn’t going to make things better.
I made my way into my father’s room just as Dr. Dorsey stepped in behind me.
“How’s everyone doing this morning?” he asked.
“I actually kept breakfast down, so that’s a good thing.” My father was sitting up, his bald head shiny from the cream that Nadia liked to rub on his head to keep the skin from flaking off.
“That’s great news. But even better news is the latest numbers. Your body is responding to the combination of the two drugs being used together. These are the best numbers you’ve had since you were diagnosed, Billy.”
My mouth fell open, and I clapped my hands together.
Good news.
How long had it been since we’d had good news? Yes, getting into the trial was huge, but it had been years since we’d had any positive feedback regarding my father’s illness.
He was responding to the treatment.
He was freaking responding to the treatment.
He might actually be around to know his grandchildren.
I covered my face with my hands and cried.
But for the first time in a while, these were happy tears.
Nadia was on her feet, pulling me into her arms as tears streamed down her face.
“He’s responding to the treatment,” she said. “This is really happening, Savvy.”
“Well, hot damn. I’m happy about the good news, but seeing my two girls all lit up like this would be reason enough for treatment,” my father said.
“I don’t want to give you false hope. We still have a ways to go. But yes, this is good news, and I think it’s fine to celebrate that. The hope is that things just keep getting better, and at this point, there’s no reason to believe that won’t happen,” Dr. Dorsey said.
“Thank you. Sometimes just having some good news is enough to help you keep fighting,” I said.
“So, Dr. Dorsey, can you tell my daughter that she can goback to her life? You know she’s newly married,” Dad said. “She married the boy next door. I always knew they had a thing for each other.”
“Oh, my gosh, Dad.” I shook my head and chuckled. “Dr. Dorsey doesn’t need all this information.”
“Well, I wasn’t done.” My father raised a brow and smirked at me. “She’s a very talented interior designer, and she’s opening her own business back home. She can’t be sitting in a hospital all day with me. She needs to be out there living her life.”
“I agree. I’ve got things covered here, and I think you should just come back once a month for a visit. It’s going to take time, Savvy. And you should be home with your husband, opening your business and calling us with all the exciting news every day,” Nadia said. “Your father lives for those calls. They help him feel like he’s out there living his life, too.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I nodded as I took his hand. “You will be, Dad. I can feel it in my gut. You’re going to get through this.”
“I have to side with your family on this one, Savannah,” Dr. Dorsey said. “You can come visit often. But sitting around watching him fight this disease is not going to help him get better. And as a parent myself, there’s a lot of joy in seeing your children shine. So go out there and make your dad proud.”
“I was actually coming to talk to you just now, because I booked a flight home today. But I’ll come back in a week.” I swiped at the tears falling down my cheeks.
“How about we meet in the middle, and you come back in two weeks?” Dad said.
“Well, I could come relieve Nadia sooner.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t have a life I want to live that doesn’t include my fiancé right now. And I’m sure if Hayes was in this position, this is where you’d want to be. Where you’d need to be.But I’ve got this. He’s stuck with me,” Nadia said with a chuckle. My father was lucky to have found a woman who loved him so fiercely.
“Wait. Did you just say fiancé?” I gaped at them as Dr. Dorsey chuckled and excused himself from the room.
“Yep. He asked me last night. We’ve been talking about making it official for a while,” she said, flashing me the ring.
