Chapter 38
Now
“Good morning, Taevin.” Dr. Prescott smiles at me from the door of my treatment room before turning to Jackson and Ryan on either side of me and greeting them as well.
“How have you been feeling?” Dr. Prescott asks.
“I’ve been feeling much better each day since the surgery in Nashville. I’m hoping that if I get nausea from this round of chemo, it’ll be milder than the last one though; that was a rough few days.”
She nods in understanding before looking down at the tablet in her hands. “Well, I not only wanted to come by to check on how you were feeling, but I’m happy to inform you that today will be your last chemotherapy session. After today’s treatment, you’ll get to ring the bell.”
Jackson’s hand reaches for mine at the same as a gasp leaves Ryan.
To say I’m shocked by her words is an understatement. “Wait, what?”
With a soft smile, she explains, “After reviewing your labs from your visit last week, as well as your bloodwork from this morning, we’re confident that you won’t be needing additional treatment at this time.
We’ll get the rest of the results back from your scans in about a week, and we will discuss the next steps of your care plan once those results are in. Do you have any questions for me?”
I’m somewhat stunned at this turn of events, so much that it takes me a moment to process my thoughts.
“Yes.” I hesitate, wondering if she’s going to think I’m a weirdo for asking her this, but ultimately decide to say fuck it and just go for it.
“Can I hug you?” I ask, standing from my treatment chair, wobbling slightly until Jackson shoots to his feet and rights me.
After giving Dr. Prescott the biggest hug I can muster, Jax helps me back into my chair. For the remainder of my treatment, we play Cribbage and Sequence, two games that have quickly become my favorite ways to pass time during chemo.
And once my final treatment is complete, Jax and Ryan help me stand and walk me out into the hallway where nurses and doctors have crowded around the renowned bell.
“I’m so glad I’m here to witness this,” Jax tells me, a contagious smile lighting up his face as he guides me toward it.
“Me too!” Ryan agrees, clapping in excitement.
I turn to give her a hug, and while we’re still embracing, I murmur, “I’m so happy you were able to fly in for this, Ry. I can’t believe we get to spend Christmas together.”
“And another two weeks after that,” she adds.
I smile at her. “I can’t even remember the last time we had two whole weeks together. After my surgery doesn’t count because I was barely a functioning human being.”
She rubs my back and gives me a big squeeze.
“Well, if it weren’t for your hockey boy, I wouldn’t have been able to convince my asshole boss to let me off.
But as soon as the almighty winger from the Minnesota Wolverines called in a favor and gifted him tickets on the glass to their upcoming game in Boston, my work responsibilities were suddenly delegated to other team members and my time off was approved. ”
I turn to look at a sheepish Jackson. “I didn’t know you did that.”
“It’s not a big deal—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“You’re right. It’s a huge deal. You knew that it’d mean everything to me to have Ry here, and you made it happen. Thank you so much.”
“And the best husband of the year award goes to—” Ryan does a drumroll against her thighs. “Mr. Hockey Boy himself, Jackson Wilson!”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”
“Why? I think it’s a cute nickname.”
“I was referring to my last name. Maybe I’ll take a page out of Bennett’s book and take your last name.”
My eyes widen. “Are you serious? I love your name.”
Jax takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it before running his thumb over my wedding ring. “Yeah, but you’ve built your entire career around yours. We’re a family, we should have the same last name.”
“If you’re serious, why don’t we just hyphenate our last names? We could do Wilson-Gray,” I suggest, still unable to detect if he’s fucking with me or not.
“How about you ring this bell and then we discuss our last names after we celebrate?” he counters, a soft smile he reserves just for me lighting up his face. My stomach swoops, and I’ve learned by now that I couldn’t stop the songbirds from taking flight even if I tried.
Stepping forward, I don’t hesitate at all as I grab the rope hanging from the bell.
Pride, relief, and hope combine to spur me on as I ring it with all my might.
As chimes echo off the walls of the hallway, I’m unable to keep the tears from streaming down my cheeks.
The only sound I hear over the ringing is my husband’s cheering.
Looking back over my shoulder, I shoot him a watery smile before turning and crashing into him. With his arms wrapped around me, I feel safe and secure and, above all, optimistic.
Jackson has been my rock through this journey and getting to share this moment together means the world to me. I take his face in my hands and give him a far more chaste kiss than I’d like, hoping that it conveys all of my gratitude and love for what he’s done for me.
“Ready to go home, baby?”
I pull back to look into those sea glass eyes that have held me captive since the very beginning. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”
I once thought not all stories have their happily ever after, and while there has been beauty in the breakdown, I’m looking forward to what our future holds with Jackson by my side.
Not every love story is eternal but I damn sure pray ours is.