Page 22 of Love Under Review

“She woke up just a few minutes before you arrived. I’ll check to find out if she’s up to seeing you, but the sooner we make decisions in regards to her treatments, the better our chances are of prolonging some part of her life, even if we only add a few more weeks to it.”

Liam stood and shook the doctor’s hand, ready to take Cari to see her mother. A thought struck him as he moved to the door, and he turned around. “Are the treatments rough? I mean, will they make her sick?”

Dr. Marcy’s face softened, and she nodded. “Usually sick days follow the treatments. The number of treatments and how close together they will be will determine whether she has any good days left.”

Biting his bottom lip, he nodded. They both left the room, and Liam pasted a smile on his face before walking into the space next door. “Hey, Cari. Are you ready to see your mom?”

The girl’s light brown hair fell into her face, and she moved it with her hand. “Is she awake?” Her eyes were wide beneath her glasses, and a big grin spread across her face as she waited for his answer.

“The doctor said she’s going to go check on her. She must have known you were coming and wanted to be awake for it.” Liam smiled, trying to mask the emotions of all the information he’d just been given.

When Kara received her diagnosis, Liam had just assumed that her mother-in-law in the next town over would be able to care for Cari, should anything happen. But as the weeks had gone on and Cari spent more and more time with him, he didn’t know if he would be able to let go of her. And with the information he’d just received, he probably needed to plan to take care of her full time, or at least make arrangements to be in her life.

A nurse came for them, leading them through a long hallway and stopping before a door. “She’s a little tired, but she was excited when I said you were here,” the woman said, addressing Cari.

Her words made Cari bounce on her heels and clap her hands together. “Can I open the door?”

The nurse nodded, and Cari burst through. Liam waited in the hall for a few more seconds, not wanting to intrude on the mother-daughter moment.

As he crossed the threshold, he tried not to gasp as he saw his sister’s face, so gaunt and pale. He’d seen her in person only a week earlier, but now she seemed like a different person. If he hadn’t recognized her weak smile, he would’ve walked back out to check the name of the patient on the door. Lines pulled around her eyes as she listened to Cari talking a mile a minute, spilling all about everything that had happened since the last time they’d seen her.

Liam took a seat against the wall, knowing he’d have to talk about the options with his sister soon enough. None of them came with the guarantee he wanted.

He wouldn’t be able to sit and watch his sister come home and slowly waste away. What would that do to Cari? But he also didn’t want to see her go through any more pain or sickness. In all reality, that was the final conclusion. She would have to go through pain and sickness no matter what they did for her.

Rubbing his hands over his face, he took in a few breaths.

Cari had finished talking, and Kara was looking at him out of the corner of her eyes. “What’s eating you?” she asked, her voice sounding like she hadn’t spoken in years, cracking and soft.

“Life. Cari, why don’t you take my tablet and go out to the nurses’ station for a minute. I need to talk to your mom about a few things.”

“I can’t stay?” Cari turned to him with her big brown eyes, and as much as Liam wanted to give in and let her stay, he knew it would haunt the both of them forever if she started to have nightmares.

Kara moved her head a few inches and said, “Baby, just go out for a minute, and then you can come back in and tell me all about school. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mommy. I hope you can come home soon. I miss you. Liam only makes mac and cheese and cereal.”

“I made you pancakes yesterday, and the day before that.” He tilted his head and gave her a side-eye, causing Cari to grin.

Kara tried to laugh, which turned into a cough, the movement shaking her whole body. Liam rushed forward with his hands out, ready to help with whatever was needed. When the coughing fit ended, she said, “We should probably teach him how to cook something else, huh? And do it without burning the house down.”

Liam smiled at that, knowing full well what she meant. “That was one time, and nothing burned down. The wall was just black behind the stove.” It had happened when they were teenagers and their parents had gone out for dinner. Liam had tried to cook some kind of meat but forgot about it, and the whole thing caught on fire.

Cari looked interested in that, but Liam gently guided her to the door and then watched as she walked over to a chair by the nurses’ station. Shutting the door with a click, the sound made it seem like he was closing one part of his life, even though he wasn’t quite ready for that chapter to be done.

“You look like someone took your puppy. What is it?”

“Doctor Marcy said the cancer has already spread throughout the rest of your body.”

Kara nodded. “I figured that’s what happened. I haven’t felt much different after the surgery than I did before.”

Liam looked at her, wondering how to tell her which way to choose. “We have a few options. We can do treatments, put you into some trials, or have you come home where chances are high that you’ll only have a couple of weeks.”

Kara was silent, and her gaze turned to the ceiling. The machines beeping in the background told him she was stable for the minute. Things were so quiet, and he wasn’t sure whether he should keep talking or not. After a bit, he opened his mouth to speak, but Kara beat him to it.

“Let’s do the treatments. If I don’t respond, we’ll do the trials.”

Liam moved the chair next to her bed and took her hand in his. “The doctor said you might not have many good days, depending on how many treatments you have.”

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