The Brightness Duet: Complete Series Boxset

by Bri Stone

  Chapter Thirty-Seven: Perrier

  Thom has to do the test after a fast, so we leave very early at five am. Melinda is half there, but once we get him checked in and get our waiting room coffee, she is good to go.

  “How do you feel?”

  I lay my head on her shoulder and take a deep breath. She smells like coconuts and honey. I’m surprised her hair is the same, it usually changes but it has remained the long, jet black style. We are both in sweats and hoodies, both from UCSF. But I’m stalling to answer the question.

  “I don’t know.” I twirl the ring on my finger like I used to. It doesn’t feel heavy or out of place. It just feels right.

  Everything feels right except this, the waiting around in oncology. I know how long an MRI, blood test, and biopsy will take. But we decided not to stop there... every test was going to be run so we would be sure.

  The last few months of treatment led up to this. Remission, or... no realistic hope. It’s daunting and I can barely breathe but I have to hold it together. For Thom.

  “Thom will be fine, I have a feeling.” She nudges her head on mine. I look up at her funny and she smiles softly.

  “A feeling?” I ask.

  Before she answers, Stan strolls in.

  With everything out and in the clear, he looks even more like Thom now. With his jeans and long-sleeved sweater on, how he is wearing his hair all lax, and the look of his gray eyes, they look exactly alike.

  “Good morning.” I stand to hug him, intending it to be brief but it turns into me holding onto him for dear life. His hug is comforting and gets me to calm down a little.

  “Good morning.” He smiles warmly when I release him and squeezes my arms before I sit back down.

  Him and Melinda greet each other before he sits on the couch in front of us. The gray tables and pale brown chairs don’t do much for the ambiance already in the wing of the hospital. I didn’t notice he had coffee until he hands me a chai tea latte, and what I assume is regular coffee to Melinda.

  “How long has he been in?” Stan asks.

  “An hour. You don’t have to be at work or anything?” I ask him. He has been here for quite a while, flying back out when he needed to. But he was mostly permanently here at the Plaza.

  “Nothing that I can’t delegate.” He smirks.

  His whole empire was nothing short of impressive, the way he built it from the ground up. The charity itself became a breeding ground for medical research and financial hedge funds for medical diagnostics and research facilities. I still didn’t know the ins and outs of what he did, only that his entire career as a medical doctor was so much more than surgery or his practice; it was actual patient care. An empire built on helping people.

  “So, do people know about Thom? I mean, that has to be gossip mill for your peers right now.” Melinda asks.

  “I don’t think so. I never kept people closer than contracts and fundraiser planning. Why, did people talk about it over at Memorial?”

  “No. Just curious. It’s very Lifetime-y.”

  Stan laughs once. “I told important people like the courts and the banks. Even still, I never wanted it to end up to where I died and all of a sudden Thom finds out. I was going to tell him eventually.” He says to both of us but looks at me.

  “Now he officially gets to inherit millions of dollars.” Melinda rolls her eyes. Her front of being indifferent to Thom has died away, but I’m glad for it in the moment. It’s distracting me from wondering what’s going on in that room.

  “Well, he already had his trust fund. Nothing has really changed except he knows now. And it’s billions.” Stan sighs, and I visibly see how different he is. How much it was really weighing on him all these years.

  “You feel better?” I ask him.

  “Yeah. Now that we’ve talked. I just hope... we have more time.” He rubs down his thighs and lets out a breath.

  We all go silent for a long while. The latte calms my insides a little, but my head is still running a hundred miles a minute. Work would help me calm down, but I want to stay in the moment with Melinda and Stan and be here when Thom gets out.

  His doctor comes by with an update and for the life of me, his name escapes me. Walters is his last name, I think. They have sent off the tissue sample and blood work to path and are moving him for the MRI and Pet scan. It’s another step in the process and may just be the longest.

  It reaches noon before we hear anything. Melinda took a short nap, but I stay wide awake, listening to old case files on my phone. Sometimes my name would still come up in newspaper articles about the triple homicide case, it was the biggest step into the career for anyone and it was still on my tail. But it wasn’t enough of a distraction, neither were the calls I was getting from the board or from award committees wanting to award me.

  The way I felt about work had completely changed once everything happened with Thom. Things that I thought were important, things I used to bend over backwards for just weren’t front and center anymore. Like a few days ago, when D.C. county reached out to me about an opening for deputy medical examiner. It would be a direct line to chief, my dream job. Even after my break down in court, they still saw something in me.

  But I didn’t even bring it up to Thom because I knew he would want me to take it. And I would be damned if I was leaving him again for anything. I’m young, and in the start of my career. There would be another opening, another day.

  Today I find out if Thom is cancer free.

  “The ring is beautiful.” Stan says to me.

  He must have noticed I was going out of my mind.

  “Thanks.” I take a shaky breath. “It is.” I fiddle with it with my other hand. I don’t notice I’m smiling down at it for a moment.

  “I’ll pay for the wedding if you name your first kid after me.” Stan teases, and it does make me laugh a little bit.

  “Deal.” I sigh nervously.

  Thom should be walking in any minute. But the doctor comes by first and only invites family into his office with him. Stan gets up and does some whispering before the doctor nods. He seems nice enough, with streaks of gray and his hair and out of date clothing, I know he has been doing this for a while but has probably heard every excuse. But whatever Stan says works.

  “We can wait in my office.” He gives a tight smile and I get up nervously.

  Melinda takes my hand, “I’ll be here. Or getting coffee. Call me once... you know.” She hugs me tight before I follow Stan and the doctor away.

  We cross a long hall and go down a narrower one, after the nurses’ station before we get to his office. The oval shape is welcoming, with deep, plush chairs and a smaller couch on one side of the wall. Two arm chairs sit in front of his desk, and we sit at the couch.

  “Thom is just coming out of the MRI. The lab results should be back now, so it will just be a moment.” He nods before leaving.

  I take deep breaths and try to stop my leg from shaking, but it’s no use. Stan takes my hand and scoots closer to rub my arm. I lean into him, he doesn’t have to say anything. I manage to breathe a little easier with each breath, but my heart still patters with all the unknown.

  When the door creaks open I find Thom’s eyes immediately. We hug, and he sits down between Stan and I once they greet with a hug as well. He has changed back into his jeans and white Henley and put his beanie back on too. My hand gets sandwiched between his and my body presses to his side. I inhale his scent for comfort, and I can’t read his face for any clues. But he doesn’t know yet either.

  “Dr. Walters should be back in a minute.” Thom finally says.

  “You feel okay?” Stan asks him.

  “Yeah. A little sore from the biopsy.” He gestures to his throat, and chuckles once.

  I wish I could be as laid back as Thom. Learn to take things in stride. This whole process made me a little better at it, but I’m still sitting mute by his side as he holds a whole conversation with Thom before the doctor comes back.

  He sits do
wn at his desk and lays out the file before he says anything.

  “As expected, the scans came back clear.”

  I stare back at him as my body freezes. I am aware of every nerve in my body because they have gone cold. Time freezes as I replay his words.

  “Okay, what does that mean?” I snap, and I don’t mean to. But it comes out more urgent than I imagined it to.

  I apologize with my eyes and he nods.

  “The biopsy was clear, as well as your blood work.”

  I sink into the chair as I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Thom squeezes my hand and I blink away tears that fall down my cheeks. I wipe them away and keep listening, waiting for the catch.

  In my life, there is always a catch. Perfect job and amazing opportunity, catch is my fiancé faked cheating because he has cancer. Fiancé comes back, all is well until I find out the truth behind it all and wait to hear if he is going to die from said cancer.

  Where is the catch?

  “So, what does that mean for his diagnosis?” Stan’s tone is even, collected.

  The doctor clears his throat first. “Well, since Thom was in the five-year diagnosis window, he has already gone past that thirty-two percent survival rate. Now, he’s in remission.”

  I exhale like I am trying to memorize every ounce of worry and pain I ever had before I let it leave me. Remission. Letters I never thought would mean so much to me in that order.

  Thom is going to live. He is going to be okay. It’s...

  “Are you sure?” I practically squeak.

  Stan fully laughs as Thom laughs with him.

  “Yes, in my professional opinion.”

  I hug Thom and he kisses me quickly before hugging Stan. Our celebration is short lived before the doctor chimes back in.

  “With new medical advances, there is one thing I want to do. That you might consider.”

  Oh no, I knew it. I knew there would be a catch.

  “What is it?” Stan asks. He is usually on the up about a lot of new break throughs.

  “Targeted therapy. It would give you that much more assurance that the cancer won’t come back. Now, judging from your numbers and scans, I am certain it won’t. It would just be something else to block further cancer growth.”

  I relax a little bit. Thom really is going to be okay. We were one of the lucky people that made it out of the horrible disease. It would take a long time to sink in, and even longer to believe. But it’s true.

  Written in plain sight, with numbers and charts the doctor side of me will digest and believe. The part of me whose mom died suddenly and spent the last ten years wading through a tough first love and seperation would take a bit longer to believe too.

  “What does it entail?” I ask.

  “It’s an oral drug that works to interfere with specific molecules involved in cancer growth.”

  “I suppose it can’t hurt, can it?” Thom asks.

  I don’t know how it would be, him being on that medication for who knows how long. But it would be proactive, and I can separate it from preparing for the worst.

  “No, it can’t. I can get you set up on that. Once you get good rest and do some therapy for coming back after chemo, you can even get back to work too.”

  Thom smiles softly. “Maci won’t like that.” He chuckles.

  We stand and thank him, I even give him an awkward long hug because I’m just so grateful to him. As we leave I have half a mind to do the same to all the nurses. Because it’s been such a long journey that they came on with us, never complaining. Sure, it’s their job, but still.

  Once we tell Melinda the good news, she hugs Thom for maybe the first time ever. It’s sweet to watch. I’m sure we all wanted to do more, but we are just so tired, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else but sleeping. Melinda has to catch the red eye back home, so we head straight home with Stan on our coattail.

  “I told you it would be fine.” Thom hugs me from behind in his bedroom when we finally get a moment alone.

  I smile softly and hold my arms over his, looking at my ring.

  “Yeah, you did.” I laugh.

  I turn and kiss him, soft and slow before he deepens the kiss and holds me tighter. I kiss him over and over because it’s just so hard to believe that everything worked out okay. That he has a life to live, that he doesn’t share the same fate with his mother as he feared.

  “I love you.” He smiles against my lips. I cup his face, running my fingers over his shaven face. I actually miss the beard.

  “I love you too.” I kiss him. “I love you.” I kiss him again.

  His lips coax over mine once more before he grips me in a hug. I inhale his scent and feel his heart beat against my cheek as I hold him to me. For once in my life there is no catch. For once in my life, I truly know where I stand.

  I’m Thom’s woman. And he’s my man. We made it past medical school, residency, lung cancer, and everything in between. All the things that are important to me are still here, and I find myself fearless towards the future for the first time.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight: Thom

  We wake up early to see Melinda off to the airport. Both of us always had our differences, but it was just the uniqueness of our friendship. We would never say it out loud, but we both appreciated each other. Even when she was still under the impression I had cheated on Perrie, the fact that she forgave me was enough for Melinda. And since I’ve been sick, she has been coming to visit a lot.

  We both play it off as her just coming to see Perrie. Now that I’m in the clear, I don’t know when we’ll see each other again. Her and Perrie make lose plans for a visit, but both their schedules are unpredictable.

  I wasn’t planning on going back to work yet, but Perrie had gone today. It’s just passing seven when she knocks on my door.

  “Hey, Sparks.” She steps into my arms and I shut the door behind her.

  “Hey.” She sighs into my chest, exhaustion laced in her voice.

  “Long day?” I chuckle.

  My hand goes to smooth down her hair as she tightens her arms around me.

  “The longest. How was your day?”

  Perrie moves around me, sets her bag down and starts the kettle to make tea.

  “Fine. I went over some case files. I’m not sure when I’ll be operating again though.” I say honestly.

  Still in her scrubs, she sits cross legged on the couch with her tea. “Why?”

  I scratch my jaw as I sit next to her. “I don’t know. I still have to talk to the chief about it. Which I might do tomorrow.”

  She sips her tea quietly. “Hmm. I’m sure it will be fine. What about Maci? Does she miss you?” Her laugh is sweet.

  “Possibly.”

  She tucks into my side and we sit in silence as she finishes her tea. “Aren’t you hungry?” I ask her.

  “Not really. I did a pretty nasty tops today. I’ve lost my appetite.” She reaches forward to set her empty cup on the table.

  “We can go out if you want.” I catch her gaze as she turns to me.

  Her yawn is loud as she lays her head against my shoulder. I lean down, wrapping my arms around her and inhale her scent. There is a tinge of formaldehyde in her hair, but otherwise it’s her usual aroma.

  “I’m sure I smell like the morgue. I’m going to shower.” She pecks my cheek before sauntering to the bathroom.

  Hours later, we lay in my bed with the television on in the background. “It’s weird... I almost don’t know what to do now.” Perrie breaks the silence.

  Her fingers trace down my lower stomach, running over the seam of my boxers.

  “What do you mean?”

  She leans up on one elbow to hover over me. Her hair is damp, and her cheeks still flushed from her shower, her eyes glistening. It still amazes me how beautiful she is.

  “I mean... since we met there has always been something looming over us. Match day, residency; our break up. And then cancer. But that’s all over now. We’re just here, together.” Sh
e wets her lips and I cup her face in my hand.

  “Something will come up, don’t worry.” I chuckle.

  She rolls her eyes. “Yeah. I guess we start planning our wedding now.”

  “I’ll have to hope you don’t walk away from me at the altar.” I take her left hand and kiss her palm just under her ring.

  “I promise I won’t. Do you want to wait until your hair grows back?” She rubs my buzzed cut.

  “I suppose. Do I look better with hair?”

  “You look good either way, because you’re gorgeous.” She giggles and nuzzles my nose with hers.

  “You’re pretty damned gorgeous too.” I quick kiss her lips.

  She smiles, takes my face in her hands as she kisses me back. “I guess there is one thing.” She murmurs against me. I kiss her again before pulling away.

  “What’s that?” I tuck her hair behind her ear.

  Her sigh is uneasy as she chews her bottom lip. “I got offered a job in Washington a few days ago. Deputy ME. But I declined it already.” She blinks rapidly.

  “What? Why? That’s your dream job, Sparks.” I say incredulously.

  “I don’t know. I just... like how things are here. With you. I wasn’t going to leave you again, and I couldn’t ask you to leave your life here. It was just bad timing.”

  I laugh, mostly out of shock. “But Perrie, that’s the job for you. It’s everything you ever wanted.” I shake my head in surprise, and awe too.

  Because I know how hard that must have been for her, and how much it truly means.

  “Well, my priorities changed a long time ago.” She purses her lips as she thinks. “When I found out you were sick, actually. Even now that you’re better, I’m still so afraid to lose you. And I know it’s because I just love you so much.” She laughs to hold back a sob.

  I smile softly and bring her closer to kiss her. I suckle her lips softly, the sweet flesh sings to me and my eyes drift closed as I feel her melt against me. The softness of her against me lulls me out of my head and plants me in the moment with her. Her lips part and my tongue makes way with hers. Her taste brings me to life, makes me crazy for her.

  She pulls away and looks into my eyes.