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Taylor has been battling stage-four breast cancer, and it nearly wiped Coach clean of all emotional strength. It’s a recent diagnosis that neither of them saw coming. Each thoughtful item in this basket is a necessity I would imagine someone would appreciate while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.
For Tenley to have only known Coach and Taylor for three months, Taylor hardly at all, given she’s rarely around,and to do something of this magnitude for them…well, I’m struggling to find the right words.
I can’t look away as Tenley ties a giant pink velvet bow and white card to the top handle of the basket before stepping away and taking it in.
Honest to God, I can feel her heavy exhale from here.
I may not know Tenley Abrams well, but I do know that she’s much more than she lets anyone see.
That’s enough for me. Enough that I can sacrifice the opinion I’m confident she has of me, likely because of my own doings, if it means she feels noticed, even just a little bit.
I notice her. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop now that I’ve seen a sliver of the woman behind the mask.
4
TENLEY
Present Day
“Hi, may I speak with Tenley Abrams, please?”
“Speaking,” I say, settling myself on the couch.
There’s a short pause on the line before the kind voice speaks again. “Great. This is Macie, calling from Dr. Travis’ office.”
I perk up, having been looking forward to this call all day.
“Oh, yes. It’s great to hear from you, Macie. I’m looking forward to my procedure.”
“That’s great to hear, Ms. Abrams. That’s why I’m calling, actually. I know Dr. Travis went over the procedure with you at your initial appointment, but I wanted to make sure you knew how to prepare beforehand.”
“Of course. Yes.”
I’ve already stopped taking birth control, knowing they would require me to, with hopes of getting pregnant. Butit’ll be helpful to know any other precautions or things I should do to hopefully make the process more successful.
“Wonderful. Nothing crazy needs to be done other than the obvious. Dr. Travis mentioned you’ve already gotten off birth control, which is the most important step.”
“Yes. I’ve been off for a few weeks now.”
“Great. We really just ask that between now and the procedure, you refrain from any strenuous activity and maintain a healthy diet. We have you on the schedule for your bloodwork and hormone injections for the next few weeks leading up to the procedure. Most importantly, listen to your body. Dr. Travis will provide you with all post-procedure aftercare instructions before he gets started.”
Excitement rushes through me. “I think I can do that.”
There’s no way to possibly mask my grin.
“Fabulous. In the meantime, I will email over the remainder of your paperwork to sign. Just get that sent back to me at your earliest convenience, and other than that, we will see you in a month, Ms. Abrams.”
“Thank you, Macie. Looking forward to it.”
I’m going to have a baby.
5
TENLEY
“Let’s level up the stakes.”
I’m on fire tonight. Ready to enjoy one last night out with my best friends before my life changes for the better in four weeks.
