“I’m not a specialist, but I’ve called one in to come see you.”
“What’s his name and how good is he?” I asked.
“He’s one of the best neurosurgeons we have on staff. He’s very reputable. His name is Dr. William Armstrong and he’ll be in tonight to see you. Until then, we’re going to keep you here overnight, and after Dr. Armstrong consults with you, then we’ll have a better understanding on how to proceed.”
Denny’s expression never changed as he listened intently to every word the doctor spoke to him.
“Is the food here any good?” he asked.
Ellery laughed as she squeezed his hand. “It’s not that bad,” she said.
“Okay then, I’ll stay.”
The doctor smiled as he walked out of the room. Denny looked over at Dana and squeezed her hand. “Stop crying, woman. Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll be all right.”
“Of course you will be.” Ellery smiled at him.
Hearing the news that Denny had a brain tumor sickened my stomach. I didn’t know much about them, but what I did know was that they weren’t good. As I stepped out of the room to make a phone call, Ellery followed me. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Bernie.
“Bernie, it’s Connor. I need you to dig up everything you can on a Dr. William Armstrong. He’s a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital here in the city. I want everything; do you understand me? This is important.”
“Yes, Mr. Black, I’ll get on it right away and get back with you.”
“Thank you,” I said as I ended the call.
Ellery grabbed my hand. “What’s that all about?”
“I need to make sure he’s the best, because if he isn’t, then I’m flying in the best.”
Ellery and I left the hospital to go home and be with Julia for a while, before coming back later when Dr. Armstrong was going to be there. As I set Julia in her highchair to eat and, while Ellery was getting her food ready, my phone rang. It was Bernie.
“What did you find out?” I said as I answered.
“Dr. Armstrong is rated one of the best in his field. His credentials are excellent, Connor. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Thank you, Bernie. I appreciate it,” I said as I ended the call.
“What did he say?” Ellery asked as she set the jars of baby food on the table.
“He said that he’s one of the best. So, we’ll have to wait and see.”
As I took the baby spoon and dipped it into the jar, Julia started to squeal. I smiled as I brought the spoon to her mouth and she gracefully took it.
“Mason said that he would watch Julia for us tonight while we’re at the hospital. Have you called your mom and dad yet?”
“No, I still have to do that. I will as soon as I’m done feeding Julia.”
Ellery walked over to me and put her arms around my neck. “I can feed her, babe,” she said as she kissed my cheek.
“I want to finish feeding her. I’ll call them after.”
When Julia was finished eating, Ellery cleaned her up and took her out of her highchair while I went and called my mom and dad. They were upset when I told them the news and said to let them know what was going on and when they could visit. About an hour later, Mason stepped off the elevator with Landon.
“Hey, you two,” I said.
“If it’s okay with you, we’re going to take Julia with us furniture shopping,” Mason said.
“Oh, that sounds like fun!” Ellery exclaimed.
“That’s fine,” I said as I walked upstairs.
I went into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. Things weren’t sitting right with me, and I had a bad feeling. I stood with my hands on the counter when Ellery walked in and looked at me.
“Connor, are you okay?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Elle. To be honest, I don’t know what I’m feeling right now.”
She walked over to me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. I needed her now more than ever before. I closed my eyes as she rested her head on my back.
“Let’s try to think positive about this, Connor. I know it’s hard, believe me, but positivity is the key to staying strong, and we need to be strong for him and Dana. Your strength is what pulled me through my illness, even when we thought there was no hope.”
I turned around and held her face in my hands. “I never gave up hope. Hope was all I had. I wouldn’t have made it through without it. The thought of losing you to that illness flooded my mind every day, but I never once gave up hope, and I never once gave up on you.”
Tears formed in her eyes and her bottom lip started to quiver. “I had given up. I lost all hope for me. Then I met you. You made me fall in love with you, and you showed me there was a reason to fight. You had enough hope for both of us and, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today.”
A single tear fell from my eye as I listened to her words. I pulled her into me and held her as tightly as I could. She was my safety, my saint, and my savior, and I thanked God every day for not taking her away from me. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around me and I carried her to our bed. I gently laid her down and stared into her eyes as I softly kissed her lips. Believe it or not, that was all I wanted. I just wanted to kiss her and nothing else.
When Ellery and I went up to Denny’s room, Dr. Armstrong had just left and Dana was crying. Ellery walked over to Dana to comfort her, and Denny gave me a sullen look.
“What’s wrong? What did Dr. Armstrong say?” I asked as I went and stood at his bedside.
“I have a Grade III brain tumor and it’s aggressive. Which means it’s growing rapidly.”
When I heard Denny speak those words, my stomach twisted itself in knots. “What does that mean?”
“It means I have brain cancer and there’s a possibility it spread somewhere else. But he won’t know that until they do an MRI.”
“When are you having that done?” I asked.
“In the morning,” he said as he looked away from me.
I had no words at that moment. I didn’t know what to say. The worry that I once thought was gone from my life had returned, just with someone else that I loved, and was very important to me. Ellery looked at me with tears in her eyes as she tried to comfort Dana.
“What about surgery?” I asked.
“He said it’s operable and that he’ll discuss that with me after the results of the MRI come back.”
“I’m sorry, Denny,” I said as I looked down.
“Don’t be, Connor. I’ll be okay.”
Ellery sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on Denny’s. “I’m always here if you need me. If you want to cry, talk, laugh, or even scream, I’m here.”
If anyone knew how Denny felt, it was Ellery. She had endured, battled, and fought her cancer, not only once, but twice. As Denny started to grow tired, we decided it was best to leave. Dana walked us out of room as we said goodbye.
“He’s going to be fine, Dana. I’m not going to stand here and tell you not to worry because I know you can’t help it. Go home and get some rest. You’ll be no good to him if you’re tired,” I said as I kissed her head.
She smiled and nodded her head as she turned and walked back into Denny’s room. I sighed and looked at Ellery as she looked like she was lost in a thought.
“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” I asked as I pushed her hair behind her ear.
“I know what he’s going through, and I know what he’s feeling. It breaks my heart that he has to go through this.”
“Well, then, it’s a damn good thing he has you to talk to,” I said as I pulled her into me and hugged her tightly.
I could tell she was as scared as I was. She had too much on her plate already with the gallery showing and with Julia. She had just moved on and put to rest the trial and the incident with Ashlyn. As I glanced over at her while we were driving home, that look of pain and sadness was spread across her face. I grabbed her hand and brought it up to my lips.