replied, and paused for an awkward moment before adding, “Hey, you know how every cancer has a different-colored ribbon that represents it?” Chase nodded, probably not sure where this was going, though Katie knew. “What color do you think is for colon cancer?”
Chase looked perplexed for a moment before answering, “Brown?”
“Exactly! That makes sense, right?”
“I was right? I was just joking.”
“No, you weren’t right.” Katie sighed as she cut her mom off from keeping the joke running. “It’s dark blue, not brown.”
Katie’s mom scowled at her before jumping right back in the conversation. “Well, it should be brown because everyone has to admit, colon cancer is pretty crappy!”
Chase laughed, and Katie tried to give him a “Don’t encourage her”look, but either he didn’t notice it or he didn’t care. “Yeah, like giving each cancer a pretty color is going to make it better. Instead of spending money on marketing campaigns, they should just cure cancer already!”
“They won’t do that,” Shirley jumped in. “Cancer makes too much money. Do you know how much money Duchess has put into cancer research already? Not to mention all the treatments. No way—cancer is its own big money-making industry now.”
Katie shook her head. It was the same old conversation.
“How’s my favorite patient doing?” A nurse came in holding a clipboard.
“Half left,” her mother replied. Katie rolled her eyes. She didn’t know how many times she’d heard that one.
“Half left?” the nurse asked quizzically.
“Yes. I’m not all right, so I must be half left, right?”
The nurse gave a mercy laugh. They always did. Nobody really knew how to take that joke—or many of her mother’s other jokes, for that matter.
“I’m sorry to break up the party,” the nurse said, “but you need to get some rest.”
Katie didn’t want to leave. She was about to argue when Chase walked up next to her.
“Come on—let Shirley get her beauty sleep. We wouldn’t want to delay her recovery. I need my favorite date to get better soon.” Chase picked up the hand that didn’t have all the tubes and wires attached and kissed the back of it.
Katie bent down and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’re still going to beat this. I’ll find all the newest research available, and we’ll kick cancer’s butt!”
Her mother just gave a tired smile. “I love you, Katie Bug. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t, Mom. I love you too.”
She turned to the nurse and pulled her aside. “What did the doctors say happened?”
“The cancer spots that attached to your mother’s lungs are getting bigger and making it harder for her to breathe. Unfortunately, as you know, the spots are inoperable, so this could become a more common occurrence.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled as she let Chase pull her into the hallway.
She walked numbly as he called the taxi company on his cell phone. She tried to stop from swaying. It had been a long night—it felt like weeks instead of hours since she’d sung on the stage at Roderick’s bar. Her leaden feet didn’t want to move, and her head started to ache. Maybe she did need to go home for a little while, but would she really be able to sleep, knowing her mother was here? Her mind said it wasn’t possible. Her body had a different theory altogether.
Chase ended his call and slowed down to match her pace. They walked in silence for a bit before he finally spoke.
“Are you doing all right?” She heard concern in his voice.
“What?” She tried to focus. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I need to get to my computer and make some more lists. I told her the latest doctor wasn’t doing enough. There’s a new treatment I heard about recently, and a couple of medical trials that she might qualify for. I need to get her signed up.”
“Katie, you know that all of it might not be enough, right?” His voice was gentle and soft, but his words
Chase looked perplexed for a moment before answering, “Brown?”
“Exactly! That makes sense, right?”
“I was right? I was just joking.”
“No, you weren’t right.” Katie sighed as she cut her mom off from keeping the joke running. “It’s dark blue, not brown.”
Katie’s mom scowled at her before jumping right back in the conversation. “Well, it should be brown because everyone has to admit, colon cancer is pretty crappy!”
Chase laughed, and Katie tried to give him a “Don’t encourage her”look, but either he didn’t notice it or he didn’t care. “Yeah, like giving each cancer a pretty color is going to make it better. Instead of spending money on marketing campaigns, they should just cure cancer already!”
“They won’t do that,” Shirley jumped in. “Cancer makes too much money. Do you know how much money Duchess has put into cancer research already? Not to mention all the treatments. No way—cancer is its own big money-making industry now.”
Katie shook her head. It was the same old conversation.
“How’s my favorite patient doing?” A nurse came in holding a clipboard.
“Half left,” her mother replied. Katie rolled her eyes. She didn’t know how many times she’d heard that one.
“Half left?” the nurse asked quizzically.
“Yes. I’m not all right, so I must be half left, right?”
The nurse gave a mercy laugh. They always did. Nobody really knew how to take that joke—or many of her mother’s other jokes, for that matter.
“I’m sorry to break up the party,” the nurse said, “but you need to get some rest.”
Katie didn’t want to leave. She was about to argue when Chase walked up next to her.
“Come on—let Shirley get her beauty sleep. We wouldn’t want to delay her recovery. I need my favorite date to get better soon.” Chase picked up the hand that didn’t have all the tubes and wires attached and kissed the back of it.
Katie bent down and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, Mom. We’re still going to beat this. I’ll find all the newest research available, and we’ll kick cancer’s butt!”
Her mother just gave a tired smile. “I love you, Katie Bug. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t, Mom. I love you too.”
She turned to the nurse and pulled her aside. “What did the doctors say happened?”
“The cancer spots that attached to your mother’s lungs are getting bigger and making it harder for her to breathe. Unfortunately, as you know, the spots are inoperable, so this could become a more common occurrence.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled as she let Chase pull her into the hallway.
She walked numbly as he called the taxi company on his cell phone. She tried to stop from swaying. It had been a long night—it felt like weeks instead of hours since she’d sung on the stage at Roderick’s bar. Her leaden feet didn’t want to move, and her head started to ache. Maybe she did need to go home for a little while, but would she really be able to sleep, knowing her mother was here? Her mind said it wasn’t possible. Her body had a different theory altogether.
Chase ended his call and slowed down to match her pace. They walked in silence for a bit before he finally spoke.
“Are you doing all right?” She heard concern in his voice.
“What?” She tried to focus. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I need to get to my computer and make some more lists. I told her the latest doctor wasn’t doing enough. There’s a new treatment I heard about recently, and a couple of medical trials that she might qualify for. I need to get her signed up.”
“Katie, you know that all of it might not be enough, right?” His voice was gentle and soft, but his words
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