Page 40 of Roaring Fork Rockstar (Roaring Fork Ranch #3)
“Luna’s response to treatment isn’t as strong as we’d hoped. Her latest blood work shows higher numbers than we’d like to see at this stage.”
The air got thicker, and Keltie’s face went pale, but her voice remained steady. “What does that mean for her overall plan?”
“I’ve pushed the lab to process the bone marrow compatibility tests faster. At this point, I believe a transplant is Luna’s best option for achieving remission.”
“How soon would that be?” I asked.
“The preliminary results should be available tomorrow.”
When the call ended, Keltie sat motionless, staring at her phone. “I thought she was doing so well,” she whispered.
I moved my chair beside hers, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “She still is. This is just the next step.”
Keltie nodded mechanically, but her fear was palpable. We’d both allowed ourselves to hope that the initial protocols would be enough. Now, we faced a new, more challenging phase.
The second call from Dr. Robbins came the following afternoon. Keltie and I were at the Goat; she was going over the books while I sat at a nearby table with Luna as she drew pictures.
“Hello, Dr. Robbins,” Keltie answered, her voice tight with anticipation. I stood, telling Luna I’d be right back. On our way into the office, I caught Miguel’s eye and he walked over and sat with her.
“Keltie, I have the bone marrow compatibility results,” the doctor said once the door was closed and Keltie let her know she was on speaker. “Neither you nor your father is a full match.”
Keltie’s face fell, and I put my arm around her.
“However,” Dr. Robbins continued, “Remi Gilbert is.”
The irony wasn’t lost on either of us. The man who had abandoned Luna before she was born was now her best hope for recovery.
“He never called me,” Keltie said after thanking the doctor and hanging up. “After seeing Luna that day, realizing she was his daughter, he never called .” By the time she finished the sentence, she was in tears.
I fought to keep my anger in check. “We need to reach out to him.”
Keltie scrolled through her contacts until she found Remi’s number. She hit the speaker button, and we both held our breath as it rang.
“I was wondering when you’d call.” Remi’s voice came through, unnervingly calm.
She shook her head. “Misunderstanding, I guess. I was waiting for you to call me.”
“Right,” he muttered as if Keltie was lying. It made me want to reach through the phone and punch the guy in the face a second time.
“We received the test results,” Keltie said, her voice firm. “You’re a full match for Luna’s bone marrow transplant.”
“Ah, so that’s why you finally called.”
I rested my hand on Keltie’s arm when her body visibly tensed. “You’re her only full match, Remi.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“It means you could save her life.” Keltie’s knuckles whitened as she clenched her fists. “The doctors need to harvest your bone marrow for the transplant. Without it…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to.
The silence stretched for several seconds.
“Will you do it?” Keltie finally asked, desperation creeping into her voice. “Please, Remi. She’s just a little girl.”
He exhaled heavily. “Yes.”
His straight answer caught us both off guard. I’d expected resistance, negotiation, or flat-out refusal. Keltie’s eyes met mine, cautious hope flickering in their depths.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice softer. “I’ll have Dr. Robbins contact you with the details.”
“There’s something we should discuss first,” Remi said, his tone shifting.
“What?”
“I want to be acknowledged as Luna’s father.”
And there it was. The catch.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘acknowledged’?” Keltie asked.
“I want my name on her birth certificate, and I want visitation rights.” His voice hardened. “I’m the reason she’ll survive this, Keltie. I think that entitles me to be part of her life.”
Keltie’s face flushed with anger. “You denied she was yours when I told you I was pregnant.”
“People change,” Remi replied smoothly. “Seeing her the other day… affected me. She looks like my mother, you know. Same eyes.”
I bit back a retort. The manipulation was so transparent it made my skin crawl.
“We can discuss arrangements after the transplant,” Keltie said, her tone making it clear the conversation was over. “Luna’s health comes first.”
“Of course,” Remi agreed too quickly. “I’ll be waiting for the doctor’s call.”
When Keltie hung up, she sagged against me. “He’s using her illness as leverage. Except, if he cared so much about her, why didn’t he get in touch with me like he said he would?”
“Let Remi do or say whatever he wants,” I said, keeping my voice low. “It doesn’t mean it’ll happen. Luna needs this transplant. That’s the first step.”
Keltie squared her shoulders. “I need to call Dr. Robbins.”
“I’ll check on Luna.”
She studied the screen of her phone.
“You’ll be okay?” I asked.
“With this part, yes.”
I drew her into my arms, and she rested her head against my chest. “We’re gonna make it through this, darlin’. You, me, and Luna,” I said, watching as she dialed the number before stepping out and returning to the room.
When I sat beside her bed, the sweet little girl who’d captured my heart looked up with a smile, pushing a crayon toward me.
“Want to color with me, Mr. Holt?”
“Absolutely,” I replied, picking up the blue crayon. “What are we drawing?”
“Space adventures,” she said matter-of-factly. “We’re exploring the moon.”
I smiled, adding stars to her galaxy. “That sounds like fun.”
Luna’s expression was so serious I had to cover my mouth to keep her from seeing my smile. “They can jump super high there because there’s no grabity .”
“Gravity,” I gently corrected.
“That’s what I said,” she replied with the confidence only a four-year-old could muster.
Keltie returned, her expression a mixture of relief and anxiety. “We’re all set.”
Luna looked up from her drawing. “Why do you look sad?”
Keltie forced a smile. “We’re not sad, sweetheart. We were talking about the medicine you need to take soon.”
Luna wrinkled her nose. “The yucky kind?”
“I’m afraid so,” Keltie replied honestly. “But it’s going to help you feel better.”
“Do we have to go to Denver again?”
“We do.”
“Can my toys come with me?” she asked.
“Of course they can,” I said, watching as relief washed over Keltie’s face at Luna’s easy agreement.
“And will you come too, Mr. Holt?”
My heart swelled with love for this child who had somehow become as essential to me as breathing. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away, Unicorn Girl.”
Luna smiled and kept coloring. I watched her small hands carefully select each crayon, oblivious to the storm gathering around her.
“Dr. Robbins is scheduling the transplant,” Keltie said once we were at the house and upstairs in the bedroom while Luna stayed in the kitchen with Victor.
“It will be done at Children’s Hospital in Denver.
Luna will need to undergo something called conditioning first—a process that lasts seven to ten days to prepare her body. ”
“What is it?” I asked.
“High-dose chemotherapy, possibly radiation,” Keltie explained, her voice dropping. “It destroys the cancer cells and suppresses her immune system to prevent rejection of the donated cells.”
The reality of what Luna would face hit me anew. More hospital rooms. More discomfort. More fear masked as bravery from a child too young to understand why this was happening to her.
“When do we need to go?” I asked quietly.
“They want to begin next week,” Keltie replied. “Dr. Robbins says moving quickly gives Luna the best chance.”
I reached for her hand. “Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
We were on our way downstairs when my phone vibrated with a text. I swiped the screen and saw it was from Ben.
“I’ll catch up with you in a sec,” I said.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
Saying yes aloud would’ve meant I’d be breaking my promise never to lie to her, so I nodded once.
I reread the message. Remi told Phil that he lawyered up. Wants full paternity rights and primary custody post transplant. Says getting tested proves he’s committed to being a father.
I deleted the message, my heart hammering against my ribs. The battle for Luna’s life had begun. The battle for her future loomed right behind it.