The Life of Reba McEntire Blackstock

Part 14

Reba's P.O.V.

I wake up with a jolt to an alarming noise sounding over and over again. I don't know where I am because I'm not in my bed. When my eyes finally focus I realize that I am on top of Narvel on the couch in the living room and the noise is Narvel's cell phone ringing. I reach over and pick it up, reading the screen that said, "Doctor's Office." I answered the phone, the voice on the other line saying, "Mr. Blackstock?" I replied, "No, this is Reba Blackstock, his wife." Narvel stirred from his sleep, smiling as he saw me perched on top of him. He furrowed his eyebrows, wondering who I was on the phone with. I mouthed, "Doctor" as the receptionist asked if she could talk to Narvel. I removed myself from Narvel and handed him the phone as he sat up. I could only hear one side of the conversation which consisted of a bunch of "Okays" and "Uh-huhs" with long breaks in between. The conversation was becoming long and trying to figure out the cryptic call was wearing me out, so I retreated to the kitchen with my crutches to make some breakfast. I loaded some cinnamon raisin bread into the toaster and sat down at the kitchen island, burying my head in my hands. I hear footsteps walk up behind me then feel strong arms wrap around me. Narvel leans around and kisses my forehead,"Hey Baby Girl." I remove my hands from my face and look up at him, "Hey." Narvel picks me up, turns me around and sets me on the island. I giggle as he leans in for a kiss. He places his lips on mine and smiles, making me smile too. He releases his lips from mine then stands up so that he is eye height with me. He, all of a sudden, looks down at his feet and starts wringing his hands. He mumbles, "Umm...that was the doctor. He called about treatment options." I nodded, then placed my hands under Narvel's chin, bringing it upwards so that he was looking at me. "I looked him dead in the eyes then told him sternly, "Baby, this is reality now. We can't be sad about it, we just have to deal with it. If we don't talk about those treatment options now, my situation will get worse. I'm not happy with this, you're not happy with this, but we will make it through. Together." With that, Narvel cupped my face then aggressively kissed me with ferocious passion. When we pulled away, we looked at each other intensely and our unspoken language kicked in. Narvel picked me up and carried me into the living room to discuss the details of treatment. He set me on the couch we previously slept on and he sat next to me, facing me. He took a deep breath, then began. "The doctor said that you have developed stage 2B breast cancer. That means you have a tumor in your breast that is 3 cm big and the cancer has infected your nearby lymph nodes." He paused, letting me take all of the information in. He continued, "The most used and most successful option for treatment is a lumpectomy or mastectomy with radiation treatments every day for 6 weeks. A lumpectomy removes only the tumor, while a mastectomy removes the whole breast. Another option is chemotherapy. You will go in for treatments on 7-21 day cycles. Chemo is less likely to work and it has more serious side effects, fatigue being a very common one." I can tell Narvel is finished by the way his expression lightens. He saying that took a very bug weight off of his chest. I say, "Narv, let me think about it throughout today, and I will tell you as soon as I decide." He whispers, "Ok Red," then kisses my cheek and walks off to his office.

Narvel's P.O.V.

"No, this is Reba Blackstock, his wife." My eyes flutter open to see my beautiful redhead sitting on my legs, talking on the phone. I grin, and she mouths the word, "doctor." I nod showing my understanding, but she automatically hands the phone to me. She balances on one leg like a flamingo to let me remove my legs from under her while I sit up to take the call. She flops down next to me watching me as I talk with the doctor through possible treatment options. It was very much like a one-sided conversation, because the only words I could fit in were "Okay" and "Uh-huh." I could tell that Reba was frustrated because she could not hear the conversation between the doctor and me because she picked up her crutches and wandered out of the living room. 45 minutes and a whole lot of "Okays" later, I retreated from the living room to find Reba. I didn't have to search very far, because she was in the kitchen sitting at the island. I depressed me very much seeing her sitting there with her head buried in her hands. She was worried, as was I. I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her torso, trapping her arms. I leaned forward and kissed her lightly on her forehead, and whisper, "Hey Baby Girl." She wiggles her way out of my trap and looks at me briefly, with a sweet, "hey." I pick her up spin her around and place her on the island so that we are looking at each other eye to eye. My eyes sweep over her perfect body, but when I reach her breasts, I remember what I came here for. I look at the floor and play with my hands as I mumble, "Umm...that was the doctor. He called about treatment options." Reba nods her head, then reaches out to my face and picks up my chin. She forces eye contact then speaks. "Baby, this is reality now. We can't be sad about it, we just have to deal with it. If we don't talk about those treatment options now, my situation will get worse. I'm not happy with this, you're not happy with this, but we will make it through. Together." Oh my word, how did I get so lucky to have Reba as my wife? I have never met someone as strong yet tender-hearted as her. I cup her face in my palms then crash my lips into hers. My mind goes static when we kiss like this. It is the most amazing feeling ever, I swear. We part lips, but continue looking at each other with undeniable lust. I pick up Reba and carry her into the living room, taking our spots that we were in earlier. I took a deep breath then began retelling the doctor's options. "The doctor said that you have developed stage 2B breast cancer. That means you have a tumor in your breast that is 3 cm big and the cancer has infected your nearby lymph nodes." I stop to let Reba soak in the new findings of her condition. She nods, telling me it was ok to explain further. "The most used and most successful option for treatment is a lumpectomy or mastectomy with radiation treatments every day for 6 weeks. A lumpectomy removes only the tumor, while a mastectomy removes the whole breast. Another option is chemotherapy. You will go in for treatments on 7-21 day cycles. Chemo is less likely to work and it has more serious side effects, fatigue being a very common one." I feel like a huge brick has been taken off of my chest. I can breathe easily now knowing that Reba stayed calm through the speech. She is deep in thought, thinking through her options quite seriously. Suddenly, she snaps out of her thoughts and tells me, "Narv, let me think about it throughout today, and I will tell you as soon as I decide." I think that is very reasonable, knowing that this decision could save or end her life. I whisper, "Ok Red," then kiss her milky white cheek and retreat to my home office to get some work done.