Page 90 of When You're Home
“Hi, Everhett,” she replied.
“Hey, Mom, thanks for calling.”
“Is everything all right?”
Rhett let her question sink in. How much did he want to tell her?
“No, it’s not.” His response surprised him, and it also answered his own question: he really was going to lay it all out for her now.
“Oh, honey, what’s wrong? I saw your text about the cabin. Maddie said you were there with Tori?”
“Yeah, yeah, I am,” he confirmed, exhaling and running his free hand up through his hair. He knew Tori would be okay with him telling his mom the details about her bloodwork. “Tori got bad news this week. She went for one of her regular scans a few weeks ago, and the results came back abnormal. Her blood work is off, so now she has to get more testing done. She thinks it’s ovarian cancer.”
His mom let out a soft gasp on the other end of the line. Rhett hated gutting her like this, especially over the phone.
“She called me on Wednesday when she got the news. I came home yesterday and brought her up to the cabin. You know how much she loves it up here. I wanted to help take her mind off everything. We’re just here for the weekend. We have to come home on Monday so she can go get more tests done.”
“Oh, Everhett.” His mom exhaled softly. “I am so, so sorry. Is Tori with you now? Can I talk to her?”
“No. She’s back at the cabin napping. I just ran out to pick up a few things.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I don’t even know what to say. Carla didn’t have ovarian cancer until she was in her late thirties… I can’t imagine how Tori’s feeling right now.”
“It’s not good,” Rhett confessed, letting his head sink back against the headrest. “She had a panic attack when they called her with the results. Jake had to go pick her up and bring her home. I hated not being there.”
“Everhett, didn’t you have finals this week?” his mother questioned.
“I did, and I got them all done before I came home. That’s one of the reasons I couldn’t come back until Thursday. Jake really helped me out.”
“He is such a good friend. You’re lucky to have people like him and Tori in your life.” She paused. “I know you and Tori have a special connection, so I understand you wanting to be there for her, but what does Chandler think about all this?”
It was a fair question, but he still didn’t feel prepared for it. His mom rarely brought up Chandler. He used to think it was because she loved Tori and would always hold a flame for their relationship. But lately, as he neared graduation, he felt her curiosity begin to peek through more often. It felt like she was watching him for hints about what would happen when he moved to Virginia.
“I broke up with Chandler before I came back to Hampton yesterday. Honestly, it was long overdue…” Rhett trailed off, not wanting to get into the details about his relationship with his ex right now.
“My heart is just breaking for you both right now.” He knew she meant him and Tori, and he was grateful for the quick pivot away from the topic of Chandler. “Does Tori know you called me? Would it be okay if I texted her?”
“I’ll tell her we talked when I get back to the cabin. Just give it a few hours, then you can text her. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”
“Everhett, do you think you need to call your grandad?”
Another loaded question. Rhett knew that his plans may very well need to change in the next few weeks. He was going to be there for Tori whatever came next. There was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t be going through any of this alone. Not anymore and not ever again.
“Not yet,” he decided as he answered her question. “There’s nothing to tell yet. I feel like I need to have more information and to come up with a concrete game plan before I call him.”
“You put a lot of pressure on yourself, honey. You don’t have to carry the burden of all of this alone, you know. I’m sure if you just talk to your granddad, he’ll be okay with whatever you need to do to support Tori.”
“I know he will. I just want to have more answers than questions ready when I call,” he explained.
“I understand. I hate that you are going through this, Everhett. I hate it for both of you.”
Rhett stayed silent for a few breaths.
“Mom?” he asked softly, closing his eyes as he felt the first hints of moisture starting to form behind them.
“Yes, honey?”
“I don’t know what to do,” he confessed. The tears fell quietly down his face, but he knew his mom could hear them in his voice. “You know I love her. I think she’s finally ready to love me back. All I want to do is take care of her. But now it feels like I could lose her right as we’re finally about to be together.”
