Page 86 of Pucking the Team

“Hey,” I said, reaching over and touching his cheek. “Whatever happens, you’ve got good people around you, the medical staff and The Vipers.”

“And you?”

I hesitated. We hadn’t known each other long, yet I did feel close to him and couldn’t imagine not being there if he needed me. “Yes, you have me, too. Of course you do.”

He kind of smiled, but not quite, then hopped out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

I took a deep breath, and although I wasn’t prone to religious sentiment, I sent a quick prayer heavenward that all would be well.

“Theo, nice to see you.” Dr Thelwell shook Theo’s hand. “You have company today.”

“Yeah, this is Pippa.” Theo nodded my way.

“Nice to meet you, Pippa.”

“And you, Doctor.”

He shook my hand; his palm was dry and soft, and the deep wrinkles around his eyes assured me his smile was sincere.

“Now,” he said, “take a seat and let me bring up your file.”

We sat, side by side, on the opposite side of the doctor’s desk. Theo’s hands were fisted on his thighs, and I reached for the right one and held it in both of mine.

He glanced at me, his lips a tight straight line and a muscle jumping in his cheek.

My heart raced, and I had to stop from jigging my feet on the floor. My desire for everything to be all right was suddenly all-consuming and the only thing that mattered. If the doctor had bad news it didn’t bear thinking about what would happen, how the brothers would cope…how I would cope.

“Ah yes,” Doctor Thelwell said. He tapped his chin as he stared at the screen. “That’s good?”

“Good?” I said.

“Yes, good that they’re all back, the MRI results have just this minute been uploaded.” He rolled his eyes. “I had my PA chase them up this morning, they can be so slow down there. Honestly, I don’t know why, it doesn’t take that long these days, what with technology and all that.”

I wanted to scream at him to hurry up, to just get on with it. By the expression on Theo’s face he felt the same. He was biting on his bottom lip, holding in his frustration.

“Let me see…” The doctor drew out the last word and peered closer at the screen. “Bloods…yes…and…”

Theo drew his hand from mine and leaned forward with his hands on his knees. “What’s the white cell count?”

“Complete blood count…let me see…ah, here we go.” He picked up his pen and popped the clicker a few times, the sound grating on my nerves. “Yes, white cell count is normal, and so are platelets and red blood cells, very good. Very good.”

Theo seemed to deflate, the tension in his muscles had more than gone, and he’d sagged in on himself. He leaned back.

“That’s what you want, right?” I asked, unsure how to read the room. The tension was still knife-sharp.

“Yes, very good,” the doctor said. “Bloods are the biggest indicator of the cancer returning.”

“Great.” I nodded as warmth filled me. “That’s great, we can be happy then, yes?”

“Yes, yes…all good.” The doctor smiled at me and then at Theo. “But we like to do a full-body scan, too, you understand. We’d pick anything abnormal up with that at the very early stages. The sooner treatment is started for any reoccurrence the better.”

Theo stood and paced to the window. He stared out at the lot, hands on his hips.

“Let me just find that page.” Doctor Thelwell frowned, and he studied the screen. “Ah, yes, here it is.”

Tension had returned to Theo’s shoulders. They’d lifted toward his ears, the muscles bunching.

“Report from radiology, scan dated two days ago, full-body, signed off by Doctor Goodwin and…”