To the Highest Bidder Go the Spoils

Chapter 14

Gavin waited for Emily at the front of the hospital. He'd had his bone marrow biopsy to see if the chemo was working. His three week respite coincided with Thanksgiving Break, but he'd had to have his biopsy done the day before.

Zeke had gone out of town for the day. He'd taken his private jet to finish some business before the holiday closures. Even a workaholic like him closed his company for the important holidays. He'd even gone so far as to give his employees the option to take the whole weekend off to spend time with their families. Most had taken his offer, but some were still going to work. He paid everyone a bonus for Thanksgiving, something he had never done before.

Because he had to go out of town, Gavin needed to find a ride from the hospital. Mr. Sampson had taken him, but he'd underestimated the time it would take. He wouldn't make it back in time to pick him up. Luckily, Emily was still in town. She would be there faster than the others so he waited patiently at the main entrance of the cancer center.

They wouldn't know his results until after Thanksgiving, but Gavin had already made peace with it. He hoped all he needed was a transplant after all he was going through. If he was able to find a donor, he was still going to need a few more rounds of chemo. He would know more once his results came in. Until then, he was going to enjoy his few weeks of respite.

Emily pulled up under the awning and unlocked the door. Gavin slid in, grunting at the discomfort in his body. He'd had the biopsy done in his left hip this time, and it was still a little painful. His body was very sensitive since he'd gone through five rounds of chemo. He was tired already and a bit chilled. He held his hands up to the heater and rubbed them together.

His friend handed him a blanket followed by a warm coffee. He accepted them graciously and leaned back in his seat. When she was satisfied he was as comfortable as he was going to get, Emily pulled away from the curb and headed back to the mansion outside of the city.

Gavin's phone rang. He fumbled with it, almost dropping his cup on the floorboard. He set his cup in the cupholder and reached for his phone. By the time he grabbed it, it had stopped ringing. He looked at it, horrified he had missed a call from Zeke. His heart thundered in his chest as he realized he'd broken the rule of not missing a call.

He fumbled to unlock his phone. Emily laid a gentle hand over his, calming him almost instantly. He took a deep breath and was able to unlock his phone when he tried again. He hit Zeke's number and put it to his ear, heart pounding as he waited.

"Is everything alright?" Zeke asked. He didn't bother saying hello. His voice was filled with concern, making Gavin feel worse.

"Yeah. My phone was in my pocket. Emily brought me a latte, and I was holding it when you called. I nearly dropped the coffee on her floorboard so I missed the call. Sorry," he said.

Emily pinched his thigh. She knew Zeke had relaxed his rules since extenuating cicrumatances had arisen. But somewhere in the back of his mind, Gavin still adhered to them. She wanted to remind him without saying anything that he didn't have to worry about them right now.

Zeke made a noise on the other end. "Gavin, don't be sorry. I thought you were still in your procedure. But since you called me back, how did it go?"

Gavin told him what had happened. His hip hurt and he was tired, but everything had gone well. He wouldn't know anything until after the holiday so he was going to relax as much as possible.

The older man grunted in approval. "That sounds like a good idea. There's no need to get worked up over something that hasn't happened yet."

"Can we have a full Thanksgiving meal?" Gavin asked. "Up until this year, I have had traditional food. Since I've been sick, I've eaten everything they've told me to, but I kind of want something familiar."