I’m still confused, though. Dr. Velia had mentioned to me that it could potentially be cured with a bone-marrow transplant. He gave that information to me, almost like someone giving a starving dog a bone. This was right after he explained to me what a median life expectancy was.
“What about a bone-marrow transplant?” I blurt out, seeking something positive for him to give Olivia.
“A stem-cell transplant is an option…if it comes back in her marrow,” he says. “Long-term studies on that look promising as a cure.”
I turn to Olivia and give her a bright smile. See…even better news, and I’m proud of myself and even more thankful I called in sick so I could come with her. But Olivia doesn’t look relieved by that news, and her lips pull downward in a frown.
Her eyes cast down to the floor and she says quietly, “I read an article online…it reiterated what you’ve told me all along…that this isn’t generally a curable disease.”
“But that’s not all you read,” Dr. Yoffman hazards a guess.
She shakes her head and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying at it. When she raises her eyes she says, “It said that this type of cancer is a life-limiting disease. You even told me that once before…used that same exact term, but I’ve been too afraid to ask you more about it.”
My stomach bottoms out, drops, falls through the floor. The fear in Olivia’s voice, the fear I’m feeling over hearing that again…it makes me sick at heart that Olivia has been worried about this and yet too fearful to find out what that really means.
“Olivia,” Dr. Yoffman says kindly, but slightly chastising. “Stop reading stuff online. Some of it’s good, but some of it isn’t. How you choose to talk about this cancer is very subjective. Yes, I’ve said that this cancer is a life-limiting illness. But I never gave you any hard numbers as to what that meant. Want to know why?”
Olivia nods at him with wide eyes, almost begging for him to make this all better.
“Because what does life-limiting mean, anyway? Does it mean that possibly you could live to be ninety years old, but then it comes back one day and you die at age eighty-five? Yes, it could mean that. Does it mean that it could come back within three months of your last treatment? Yes, it could mean that. We just don’t know. There’s too much to speculate on. But what I can tell you is that we have ways to fight this. There is new research being done…new medications. Five years from now, we may have a cure. We just don’t know. So I need you to stop focusing on the what-ifs and when something might happen, and concentrate on the fact that you are responding very well. If I was a betting man, I’m going to bet that you are going to lead a long and healthy life.”
Man, this doctor is the shit. He’s managed to verify Olivia’s fears but put it in terms that are relatable and positive. Olivia even lets out a gust of breath over her lips that I recognize as a relieved sigh. I lean over and put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her over to me so I can kiss her temple.
“You got this, baby. I just know it.”
Olivia nods and whispers, “Yeah…I got this.”
Chapter 26
Olivia
I unlock the back door of Fleurish and walk in, hanging the delivery van keys on the wall hook just below the alarm panel. Our delivery guy is out sick today, so I made the midday runs for Stevie, leaving him and Garrett at the shop to continue their incessant talking about my cancer.
After my appointment with Dr. Yoffman, Garrett tagged along with me to work, knowing that Stevie wouldn’t care, because he’s enamored with Garrett. Which was fine. It’s never a hardship to have Garrett around me.
But when we got to the shop, Stevie wanted the lowdown on how the appointment went, and Garrett jumped right in with a dissertation on everything Dr. Yoffman said. Then they started in on speculating and postulating, making plans on who would cover my next treatment cycle and arguing over who would go with me to the next bone-marrow biopsy. Garrett even suggested they duke it out with rock, paper, scissors, and I knew that was my cue to leave.
It was enough to drive any woman insane, so I gladly grabbed the delivery van keys and hauled my ass out of there.
I can hear them both in the back area, talking quietly, and I pray they’ve moved on to something more interesting than my cancer. As I walk down the hallway, I get a peek into the design room and see Garrett sitting next to Stevie while he works on an arrangement. Garrett is leaning one hip on a stool, his elbow resting on the worktable. He looks so damn gorgeous, he steals my breath away. I suppress a giggle as I watch him reach out, pushing a piece of greenery down into the foam base, and Stevie slaps at his hand.