Page 30 of Choosing Happily Ever After

Becky nodded. They discussed a few more details and then she left so Hope could finish the preparations.

It was only after she was alone that Hope allowed herself to think once more about what Doctor Friesen’s words had really meant.

Cancer.

Hysterectomy.

Both of which meant one thing—no chance at children.

And what didthatmean for her? Her future? Her—

“Hope?”

She spun at her name and her body responded with a reflexive warm flush at the sight of Levi. But the warmth didn’t last long as the reality of what she was now facing would no doubt affect him and what she had allowed herself to think for even a minute could be something special.

ChapterNine

Hope

“I wishyou would have told me about this earlier. You shouldn’t have had to worry about this on your own. Not for even one second.” Her sister gave her a hug the moment she saw her, and instantly Hope felt better. Faith was right; sheshouldhave told her earlier. And maybe she should feel guilty about not telling her twin sister about the health scare that had brought her into the city previously, or even about the tests she’d been waiting for results on. And maybe there was part of her that did feel a little guilty about that. But truthfully, she really hadn’t actually believed there was anything to get worked up about, so she hadn’t said anything.

Until the night before when she’d called her sister and asked her to take the afternoon off work to be with her for a very important doctor’s appointment. More specifically, the oncologist appointment that was without a doubt going to change her life.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled into her sister’s shoulder.

“Don’t be. I’m here now and you arenotgoing to face any of this alone. I’ve got you.” She pulled back and stared Hope in the eyes. “For everything. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

The tears that had been threatening to spill for the last twenty-four hours couldn’t be held back any longer. Hot, wet tears streamed down Hope’s cheeks. Faith gathered her up in another hug and squeezed again, holding on until Hope’s tears dried up. At least temporarily.

“Are you ready to do this?”

Hope nodded. “The sooner I know what’s up, the better it will be.”

“I agree.”

Together they walked through the glass doors into the clean, and almost cold, office of Doctor Barrett, where an overly cheerful receptionist greeted them in a singsong voice and small talk about how beautiful the weather was before telling them to have a seat and help themselves to coffee or water while they waited. Hope bit back a sarcastic comment about how it was far from a beautiful day considering she was there in the office where she was about to hear all about hercancerand certainly there could be nothingbeautifulabout that at all, but Faith led her across the room and sat her down before she could say anything.

“Someone should probably remind that woman where she works,” Faith said before rolling her eyes.

It made Hope laugh out loud and she was actually smiling a moment later when a nurse called her name.

She wasn’t smiling ten minutes later, however, when Doctor Barrett, who turned out to be a lovely woman in her forties with a kind but no-nonsense approach, told her the specifics of the type of cancer that Hope had. Most of what she said was a blur. Thankfully, Faith was taking notes on her phone next to her because Hope didn’t have a prayer to remember everything.

Finally, they got to the nitty-gritty. “Because the cancer was caught early, there are a few choices on how you would like to proceed now.”

“Choices?” Hope sat up straight. “I assumed that you’d have to…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. Not yet.

“A hysterectomy?”

Hope nodded.

“Itisan option,” the doctor said. “And honestly, in my opinion, it’s a very good one. With a hysterectomy, we can remove the cancerous cells in their entirety and because you’re still in an early stage, hopefully that will be enough for a long term, possibly permanent remission.”

“That sounds good.” Faith looked between Hope and the doctor. “Why not just sign up for that? I mean, if it can get rid of the cancer…there’s no other choice.”

“There is,” Doctor Barrett said kindly. She looked to Hope, who was trying as hard as she could not to break down in front of her. “You’re quite young still and often younger patients like to consider another option. One that will allow them the possibility of having children.”

Hope’s stomach clenched and she nodded slowly.

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