Gabrielle
I gently run my hands over the soft fur of the orange tabby curled up on my exam table, feeling his purr vibrating against my fingertips. He’s here for surgery—a tumor removal. It’s small, and his odds are good, but still, I hate seeing cases like this.
I adjust the stethoscope around my neck, trying to focus. “We’ll take good care of him,” I reassure Milo’s owner, giving him a soft smile. “Dr. Parker is one of the best when it comes to these procedures. We’ll call you as soon as he’s in recovery.”
Milo’s owner nods, and after I give a run down of aftercare, I step out of the exam room, exhaling slowly.
Cancer.
The word alone makes me feel uneasy. I try to shake it off, but my mind refuses to let it go. I don’t know wrong with me lately. Actually, that’s a lie. I know exactly what’s wrong. Cam is what’s wrong.
The way he’s been lately. The exhaustion, the fever, the way he nearly collapsed at the game—every single warning sign is gnawing at me.
I keep telling myself it’s nothing, though.
He’s fine.
He’s probably fine.
He’s definitely fine.
But what if he’s not?
I’ve spent too many nights now staring at the ceiling, thinking about worst-case scenarios.
Thinking about the fact that we’ve been through this before, that just because so many years have passed cancer-free for us, doesn’t mean relapse is impossible.
As many as he’s had before, it’s not out of the question.
If something is wrong…
I stop that train of thought before it can completely unravel me. I easily spiral when it comes to health, so I try to distract myself. I shake my head, straighten my shoulders, and push through the rest of my work day, using it as my distraction.
When I finally get a break, I head to the back room, where Kinsley is perched on the counter, eating her breakfast.
“You look like you’ve been deep in existential dread for the last hour,” she says with a mouth full as she points her spoon at me.
I roll my eyes, opening the fridge to grab some water. “I have not been in existential dread.”
She raises an eyebrow.
I sigh. “I’ve just been…thinking.”
“About?”
I hesitate, wanting to tell her. I probably should tell her about my spiraling thoughts. But I don’t know how to even put them into words without ending up in a full-blown panic attack. So instead, I force a casual shrug. “Nothing important.”
Kinsley eyes me for a long second, but thankfully, lets it go. “Well, we’ll circle back to that eventually, but…” she says, hopping off the counter, “there’s a live band playing at our favorite bar in Manhattan coming up. I saw a post about. We should go.”
I take a sip of my water. “Sounds fun.”
“It will be. Especially if we find some hot guys to buy us drinks.”
I snort. “I don’t think Cam would love that idea.”
Kinsley gasps dramatically, and I can see the light bulb appear above her head. “Oh, my bad.” Then she points at me. “Your hot guy can buy us both drinks, then.”
I roll my eyes, laughing at her, but before I can respond, the door to the break room swings open, and in walks William and…Ashley.
I don’t know why I still have a visceral reaction to them.
It’s not jealousy—it’s just irritation. William is already the worst. Watching him and his new girlfriend giggling and touching all over each other like they don’t know other people are in the room is just…
exhausting, and not something I want to watch.
The second they see us, they both stiffen.
She clears her throat and tucks herself under William’s arm. “Hey, guys.”
Kinsley stares blankly at her, not responding.
She shifts, glancing between us, and I can feel the awkwardness in the room. “So, um…are you coming to the fundraiser event coming up in a couple of weeks?”
“I have to,” I say like it’s obvious. “Since you know, I’m the other lead vet here and helped organize it.”
“Right, yeah, of course,” she says, laughing awkwardly.
William clears his throat. “It’ll be a good time. And you’ll have Kinsley to keep you company.”
I give him a tight smile. “Oh, I doubt it’ll just be Kinsley and me.”
His brows furrow slightly. “What do you mean?”
Kinsley smirks, already catching on.
“I mean, we’ll both probably be bringing dates.” I take another sip of my water, watching William’s jaw tighten. He tries to play it cool, though, flashing an small forced smirk.
“Well, that’s…great. Glad to hear it.”
His girlfriend shifts beside him, looking even more uncomfortable now.
Kinsley hums with pure amusement. “Yeah. Should be a really fun night.”
William nods stiffly, clearing his throat. “Well, we should, uh—get back.”
“Yeah, you do that,” Kinsley says, snarling her nose up at them like a child.
They shuffle out quickly, and the second the door swings shut, Kinsley bursts out laughing. “Well, that was fun.” She tilts her head. “Remind me again why you ever dated him?”
I exhale dramatically. “Bad decisions, low self-worth, I don’t know—”
“Tragic,” she replies.
Eventually, Kinsley and I wrap up our conversation, and I check my schedule for the rest of the day. “I’ve got a couple more appointments left, then I’m catching the train home. I’ll call you later tonight, okay?”
She waves me off, still grinning. “Yeah, yeah. Love ya.”
* * *
The second I get out at my stop, I dial Cam’s number and put it on speaker as I walk towards my apartment. He picks up after two rings, and I can hear the hospital background noise immediately.
“Hey, trouble,” he says, his voice warm.
“If you’re busy, you can call me back,” I say quickly. “I didn’t mean to bother you at work. Just wanted to check in and see how you were feeling.”
Cam chuckles. “Gabrielle, I always want to hear from you. I don’t care what I’m doing.”
I smile. “So? How are you?”
“Better,” he says. “Got some actual sleep yesterday, so I’ve had a lot more energy today. Focusing better for sure.”
“That’s good,” I say, relief washing over me.
“I like it when you worry about me,” he adds, smugly.
I scoff. “You would.”
He laughs, and it’s easily becoming my favorite sound again.
After a beat, he asks, “So, do I get to see my girl soon?”
I could just melt right here on the sidewalk.
I hesitate for half a second before teasing him, “Oh, so I’m your girl now?”
Cam doesn’t even miss a beat. “You are.”
I can’t to stop my smile right now even if I tried. “I mean…we never really put a label on this.”
“If you want one, that’s what you are.” His voice is softer now. “But you should know it’s the simplest term for what you are to me, Gabrielle. I’ll call you anything you want me to if it means I get to keep you to myself and not have to share you.”
My stomach is full of stupid butterflies now, and it’s annoying how he does that.
I clear my throat, trying to act normal. “So…there’s this fundraiser event the clinic is having in a couple of weeks—”
“Oh my gosh—are you asking me on a date, Gabrielle?”
I instantly groan even though I’m still smiling. “I swear, Cam—”
“I accept,” he says smoothly.
I roll my eyes. “Good, I’ll send you all the details. Also, don’t forget to tell me how your check-up goes next week. I want to finally stop worrying about it.”
“Me too,” he murmurs. “But I’ll keep you posted.”
We say our goodbyes, and as I walk into my building, the exhaustion from work and my spiraling thoughts start to hit me.
I really need some sleep.