by Sandi Lynn
I didn’t know what to think or what to expect. Her behavior had been so odd lately. I rented a car and drove to Venice Beach. L.A. traffic sucked just as bad as New York traffic. What should have taken me twenty-five minutes ended up taking almost an hour.
Chapter Nineteen
Laurel
As I waited for Wyatt, I sent Jamieson a text message.
“Wyatt is on his way here and I’m going to tell him. But, I know he’ll want to talk to you.”
“That’s fine. I think it’s best he does. Let’s meet for dinner tonight at Locanda Veneta by the hospital. How about eight o’clock?”
“We’ll be there. Thank you, Jamieson.”
“You’re welcome, Laurel. See you then.”
I looked up and saw Wyatt walking towards me with his hands tucked tightly into his pants pockets. Dread filled inside me while fear shrouded itself around me. I stood up and stared at him as he approached me. I needed to use every bit of strength I had in me to tell him.
He hugged me tight and I flinched as his arm brushed up against my tattoo. “What’s wrong?” He broke our embrace.
“Surprise! I got a tattoo.” I smiled as I turned around.
“Wow. I see. Why would you do that?” he asked, and I could sense the disappointment in his voice.
“Are you disappointed?” I asked.
“I’m disappointed by the fact that you left and couldn’t even tell me or leave a note. Do you have any idea what you put me through?”
“I know and I’m sorry.” I stared into his eyes. “I need to tell you something, Wyatt.”
“Well, I’m here, like you asked. So, tell me.”
“Let’s go find a quiet spot in the sand.”
We walked in the sand and found a quiet spot near the water. After spreading out the blanket I bought from one of the street vendors, we both took off our shoes and sat down.
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t just come home and tell me whatever it is you’re going to say. Unless you don’t plan on coming back to New York,” he spoke with an attitude.
“You’re angry with me. I can tell.”
“Of course I’m angry with you. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.” He got up, tucked his hands in the pockets of his pants, and faced the calm ocean water. “Did you sleep with someone? Is that what you need to tell me?”
“No. How can you even ask me something like that? My God, Wyatt,” I spoke in anger.
“How can I not with the way you’ve been acting lately? Are you not happy with me anymore? With us?” he shouted and turned around and faced me as I stared up at him.
“Yes, I’m happy! I love you, you idiot!”
“Then for fuck sakes, just tell me what the fuck is going on?” He threw his hands up.
“I have a brain tumor!” I shouted.
The anger in his face dissipated as he stood there in silence, standing over me. Suddenly, he fell to his knees and stared into my eyes.
“What did you say?”
“I have a brain tumor.”
“I don’t understand. Is this why you came to California?” His voice was calm.
“No. To be honest, I’m not sure why I even came here. When I left New York, Dr. Jamieson Finn was on my flight. Actually, his seat was next to mine. We got to talking. I had a really bad headache and I took out the Motrin and we started talking about how I was getting them every day. The more we talked, the more questions he asked me. He wrote me a script for some pain pills and told me that the only way he’d give it to me was if I came into the hospital this morning for an MRI. I told him it was just from all the stress I was under, but he said it was a good idea just to get it checked out. He scheduled it and I went. The MRI showed a tumor the size of a tennis ball in the right frontal lobe of my brain.”
He swallowed hard as he grabbed my hands and held them tight as fear swept across his face.
“It’s not cancer. He assured me of that. We’re actually meeting him for dinner at eight o’clock because I knew you’d have questions and would want to talk to him.”
Tears filled his eyes as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
“He’s going to remove the tumor at Mount Sinai in New York next Friday.”
Wyatt broke our embrace and placed his hands on each side of my face.
“Thank God for him.”
“He said the tumor had been growing for the past nine to ten years and now it’s pressing down on my brain, which is why I’ve been having symptoms that I thought were related to stress. But, then again, what stress was I under because I couldn’t honestly tell you. I think in the back of my mind, I knew something wasn’t right, and I needed to blame it on something.”
He pulled me into him and held my head with his hand.
“I love you so much. You’re going to get through this and I’m going to be by your side every step of the way. Have you told Craig yet?”
“No. After I left the hospital, I came straight here. I couldn’t tell anyone before I told you. We can tell him and Maddy tonight after our dinner with Jamieson.”
“Tell me about the tattoo,” he spoke. “Stars can’t shine without darkness.”
“One of the monks at the monastery said it to me. It means that even during our darkest days or hours, we will still shine brightly. Billy, the guy who did my tattoo, said that I should get it on my right side. Kind of like a big fuck you to the tumor.”
“I like it.” He broke our embrace as a small smile graced his lips. “You are a star and you’ve always shined brightly, and this will not change that. You’ve got this, Laurel.” He ran his thumb over my lips before leaning in and softly brushing his against them.
Chapter Twenty
Wyatt
Scared was a word that couldn’t even describe what I felt, and I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling, even though she seemed okay with it all. Tears never filled her eyes when she told me. She remained calm once the words fell from her mouth. She had to be scared. Any person who was told they had a brain tumor would be. I needed to be strong for her, even though I wanted to fall apart. The thought of losing her terrified me. She had quickly become my entire life and I couldn’t imagine my world without her.
We lay there, on the blanket, snuggled into each other as I held her tight and listened to the whispers of the ocean. I had so many questions, and they would get answered by Dr. Jamieson Finn. She told me she wasn’t worried because he was the best. But, even though he was the best, there were still risks involved.
We arrived at the restaurant promptly at eight o’clock and the hostess took us over to the booth where Jamieson was already sitting.
“Wyatt. Good to see you again.” He stood up and held out his hand.
“Hello, Dr. Finn.” I shook his hand with a firm grip.
“Please, call me Jamieson. Laurel, how are you?”
“I’m okay.” She smiled.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, Wyatt.”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Laurel told me that the tumor was responsible for a lot of her behavior the past few weeks.”
“Yes. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that controls cognitive skills. I’ll keep it in simple terms. It deals with emotions, coordination, memory, personality, and impulse control. There are many more things it deals with, but those are the ones that Laurel has been having trouble with.”
“So, you’re saying that she did some of the things she did because of the tumor?”
“That is correct. The tumor is the size of a tennis ball and it’s expanding, but there’s nowhere left for it to expand. So, it’s pressing down on her brain, which in turn is causing a lot of problems. Her fatigue, for instance, short-term memory loss, and her impulsive actions such as buying that cat when she knew you were allergic and didn’t like them. Her heightened anger and also her spilling the coffee on her arm.”
“He told me earlier that he felt like he didn’t know me anymore,” she
spoke, and I grabbed hold of her hand.
“That’s because you were doing things that you had no control over. Things you normally would never do.”
“How risky is the surgery?” I asked.
“There’s always a risk with any surgery. I know it’s easy for me to sit here and say don’t worry, but she’s in good hands. I’m going to go in and remove the tumor. The only problem I may face is if the tumor extended down towards the nerves of the brain. If that’s the case, I’ll remove as much of it as I can, and we will kill off the rest of it with radiation.”
“And you can’t tell that by the MRI or any other tests?”
“Unfortunately, no. I won’t know that until I get in there. After the surgery, she’ll go straight into ICU, and if all goes well, she’ll be out in a few days and she can recuperate at home.”
“What is the recovery time, Jamieson?” she asked.
“It depends on the patient, Laurel. I won’t lie to you, but it could take up to a year to fully recover. For the first few weeks, you aren’t going to want to do anything but eat and sleep. I cannot stress to you the importance of sleeping. Listen to your body and let your brain heal. You told me that you meditate, which is good, and I want you to do that every morning. You may still experience some memory loss for a while and coordination issues. It just all depends on the person. I’m going to give you a juicing recipe that you’re to drink every day and I want you to eat whole and natural foods. I’m also going to give you a list of vitamins I want you to take. I’m going to be very honest with you both. If you’re going to have a brain tumor, where yours is located is the best place to have one. Trust me when I tell you that I can perform this operation with my eyes closed. It’s the recovery that will be a bit challenging, but it’s only temporary.”
“What if you weren’t on that plane?” I asked.
“Well.” He sighed. “The headaches would have gotten to the point where she wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed and she would have started having seizures.”
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done and for your persistence in getting her to come in for the MRI. I will forever be in your debt,” I spoke.
“I’m just doing my job, Wyatt. Plus, Laurel’s my friend, so she’s going to get extra special treatment.” He winked. “So, I want you to go home, tell your family what’s going on, and prepare for surgery for next Friday. After you left my office, Laurel, I called the hospital and scheduled it. They’ll call you a few days before with all the details.”
“One more question,” Laurel spoke. “Are you going to have to shave my head?”
He let out a light laugh. “I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. That’s the first question women ask me, and the answer is no. I’ll only be shaving off a couple of strips. It’ll look like you just got a bad haircut. But don’t worry, because after surgery, your hair will grow back pretty fast.”
As soon as we left the restaurant, we climbed into the car and headed to Craig’s boat.
“I’m dreading telling people about this,” she spoke. “I don’t need anyone’s pity or sympathy.”
I reached over, took hold of her hand, and brought it up to my lips.
“I know, but we’ll do it together, and whether you want it or not, you’re going to get it from people. We need to get back to New York tomorrow.”
“I want to go home with you.” Her lips formed a small smile.
“Is Craig home already or is he still at the restaurant?” I asked.
“He told me he’d be home around ten thirty, so he should be home shortly.” She looked at the time on her phone.
We arrived at the boat and Maddy was on the deck sitting down when we walked up.
“Wyatt.” She smiled as she got up and hugged me. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too, Maddy. How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling really good. Thank you.”
She looked over at Laurel and gave her a hug.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m okay. Is Craig home yet? There’s something Wyatt and I need to tell you guys.”
“He just texted me. He’s on his way and should be home in about ten minutes. Everything okay with you two?” She smirked.
“Yes. Everything’s fine,” Laurel spoke as she grabbed my hand.
“Can I get you two some wine or a beer?”
“A beer would be good,” we both spoke at the same time.
Laurel, Maddy, and I took a seat on the deck and waited for Craig to arrive. I could tell Laurel was nervous, so I reached over and hooked my arm around her. I was still having a hard time absorbing the events of today, and I wasn’t fully sure that I would ever be able to.
Chapter Twenty-One
Laurel
“Hey, you two.” Craig smiled as he stepped up on the deck. “Good to see you, man.” He and Wyatt bro-hugged. “Glad you made it out.”
“Thanks. It’s good to see you, Craig,” Wyatt spoke.
“So, what’s going on? Everything good with the two of you?” He grinned.
Maddy walked over, handed him a beer, and he gave her a kiss.
“There’s something Wyatt and I need to tell the two of you,” I spoke.
“Okay. You sound a little serious here, Laurel,” Craig spoke as he sat down. “Why do I get the feeling that it’s not good news?”
“The MRI I had this morning showed that I have a brain tumor in the right frontal lobe of my brain.”
“What?” Craig cocked his head while Maddy covered her mouth with her hands.
“How serious is it? I mean, it’s just a small benign one, right?”
“It’s the size of a tennis ball. Apparently, that little bitch has been growing inside my head for the past nine to ten years.”
“Is it malignant?” Maddy asked.
“No. Fortunately, it’s not,” Wyatt answered.
“Dr. Finn is going to fly to New York and remove the tumor next Friday. Then after that, I’ll be good as new.” I smiled.
“I can’t fucking believe this,” Craig spoke as tears filled his eyes.
“Don’t.” I pointed at him. “There are no tears allowed. It’s not a big deal. Jamieson said he could perform this surgery with his eyes closed.”
“Laurel, you have a brain tumor and you have to have brain surgery. That’s a pretty big deal,” Craig spoke.
“And Dr. Jamieson Finn is the best in the country. I’m not worried and neither should any of you be.” I pointed to all three of them.
****
Wyatt
Laurel and Maddy went inside while Craig and I took our beers and stood against the railing of the boat.
“I’m so sorry, Wyatt. God, I can’t believe this. She seems to be taking it really well.”
“To be honest, I think she’s in shock. While she was waiting for me today, she got a tattoo.”
“She did? Where?”
“On her back. It says, ‘stars can’t shine without darkness.’ I guess it was something one of the monks in the monastery said to her. I swear to God, if anything happens to her...” I brought the beer bottle up to my lips.
“Nothing is going to happen to her. You need to keep positive. Jamieson is the best.”
“I know, but there’s always a risk. I’m scared, Craig. Really scared.”
“I am too. But you need to keep strong for her. Maddy and I will be there next Friday. There’s no way we can’t be.”
“I appreciate that, and Laurel will too. We’re going home tomorrow. I have things I need to do in order to prep for this. One being hiring a private care nurse to help out during the day. Plus, we have to tell her family,” I spoke as I finished off the last of my beer.
Craig and I went inside and the four of us went to our rooms for the night. Laurel looked exhausted and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms and keep her safe, but she had other plans as she climbed on top of me with a smile on her face.
“I have some
thing for you,” I spoke.
“You do?”
I reached under the pillow and took hold of her left hand, slipping her engagement ring on her finger and then bringing it up to my lips.
“How did you know I wasn’t wearing it?”
“I took my watch off and opened the drawer to put it away and saw it sitting there.”
“I’m sorry I took it off. I wasn’t thinking rationally. When you said to me that I was testing your love—”
“I shouldn’t have said that, and I’m the one who’s sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean it. I was just so frustrated.”
She leaned down and softly brushed her lips against mine.
“You had every reason to be frustrated with me.”
I stared into her beautiful eyes and brought my hand up to her face.
“I love you to the moon and back a thousand times over,” I whispered.
“I love you too.”
Our lips met once again as my cock grew at a rapid pace. She sat up, pulled her nightshirt over her head, and tossed it to the side. Her hands grabbed the waistband of my underwear and I lifted my hips as she pulled them down and released my throbbing cock. She eased herself down, inch by inch until I was buried deep inside her. Soft moans erupted from me as we quietly and gently made love.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Laurel
Wyatt and I flew back to New York the next day, and when I stepped off the elevator, Coco Chanel came running.
“Oh my god!” I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her. “Wyatt, I can’t—”
“Welcome home, Laurel.” He kissed my head. “I had Bella drop her off.”
“But you said she couldn’t stay.”
“I know how much she means to you, so I’ll have to get used to her. But she’s not allowed on the kitchen counters. Deal?”
“Deal.” I smiled with excitement. “Thank you. I love you.” I leaned in and kissed his lips.
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
“Coco Chanel loves you too.” I held her up to him.
“Let’s not do that.” He waved his finger and took my suitcase upstairs.