Meredith's sister

42

Mia's POV

The days after the surgery felt like a strange limbo. I was healing physically, but the uncertainty about the biopsy results lingered over me like a storm cloud. The pain from the surgery was manageable, but the emotional weight of waiting was unbearable. I tried to keep my spirits up, to focus on the things that brought me comfort: Teddy's warm touch, the sound of Allison's laughter, the quiet moments with my sisters. But every time I closed my eyes, the fear of the unknown gripped me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

It had been nearly a week since the surgery. I was out of the hospital, back home, recovering in the familiar comfort of my own space, but the uncertainty about the cancer... it gnawed at me.

I'd told myself I'd be okay, that I could handle whatever came next. But the truth was, the longer I waited, the more fragile my resolve felt. Each day, I found myself checking my phone for the dreaded call from Jane or the oncologist, hoping—no, praying—that the news would be good. But it was as if the universe had other plans.

One morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise, the phone rang. I stared at it for a long moment, my breath caught in my chest. I knew the moment the phone buzzed it wouldn't be good news, but I picked it up anyway.

"Mia?" Jane's voice was tight, careful. She didn't need to say much more. I could hear it in her tone.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was coming. "What's the news, Jane?"

"There's more, Mia." Her voice cracked slightly, and I felt the world shift beneath me. "They found more cancer. It's spread."

My heart sank, the world suddenly tilting beneath me. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how to respond. It was as if the air had been knocked out of my lungs. The room felt colder, darker, as though the walls were closing in.

I sank into the couch, my hand trembling as I pressed it against my chest, trying to steady myself. "How... how much more?" My voice was barely a whisper, but I needed to know. I needed to understand what I was facing.

Jane paused, her voice taking on a careful tone. "It's in your lymph nodes. Some other areas, too. We need to act quickly, Mia. This isn't something we can wait on."

I felt dizzy, the words not fully registering in my brain. The cancer was spreading. It wasn't just a mass in my brain anymore. It was everywhere.

The tears I had been holding back began to fall, quiet at first, but soon they were a steady stream. My body trembled with the weight of the news. I could hear Jane's voice still on the other end of the line, but I couldn't focus on her words anymore. My mind was spinning with the implications of what this meant for me, for Allison, for Teddy.

"Mia?" Jane's voice broke through, and I wiped my eyes, trying to steady my breath. "Are you okay? I know this is a lot, but we'll get through this. You're not alone."

I forced myself to nod, though it felt like I was drowning in uncertainty. "I'm... I'm here," I whispered, though I wasn't sure who I was trying to reassure—her or myself.

"I'm coming over, okay? I'm on my way."

"Okay," I managed, before I hung up, the weight of the conversation crushing down on me. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath, my body heavy with the realization of what this meant. I had known, deep down, that the cancer was probably more widespread than we'd first thought. But hearing it confirmed, hearing Meredith's voice crack as she spoke the words... it felt like a death sentence.

The doorbell rang soon after, and I didn't need to look through the peephole to know who it was. Jane, with her no-nonsense demeanor, had come to find me.

She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, her eyes scanning the room before landing on me. I hadn't moved from the couch. I just sat there, staring blankly ahead, as if waiting for the world to make sense again.

Jane didn't say anything at first. She walked over to me and sat down beside me, her presence calm, but I could see the worry in her eyes. "Mia," she said softly, gently, as if afraid that the slightest misstep might shatter me. "We're going to fight this. You're going to fight this."

I nodded, but it felt like the words were empty. I wasn't sure what fighting looked like anymore. Was I supposed to just keep going, pretending like everything was fine? Or was I supposed to embrace the fear, the uncertainty, and face it head-on?

"I don't know if I can do this, Jane," I whispered, the vulnerability that had been building inside of me now spilling out. "I don't know if I can go through this... not for me, not for Allison."

Jane took my hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "Mia, you don't have to do this alone. You've got Teddy, you've got your sisters, you've got all of us. You don't have to have all the answers right now. Just take it one step at a time."

I felt her words, deep in my heart, and yet... a part of me couldn't shake the overwhelming fear that this was too much. That it was already too late.

"I can't lose them, Jane," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I can't lose Teddy. I can't leave Allison. I'm not ready for this."

Jane's face softened, and she leaned in, brushing a tear from my cheek. "No one is ever ready for something like this, Mia. But you don't have to face it alone. And neither does Teddy. Neither does Allison. We're all in this together, every step of the way."

I nodded, but the knot in my stomach tightened. I didn't feel strong. I didn't feel like a fighter. But I had no choice. For Teddy. For Allison. For my family.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice small but determined. "Okay, I'll fight. I'll fight for them."

And just like that, I made a silent promise to myself, even though my heart was heavy with fear. I wasn't done fighting yet. I wasn't going to let cancer take me without a fight. Not when there was still so much to live for.

Not when I still had my family, my love, and my daughter by my side.

It was going to be hard. It was going to hurt. But I wasn't ready to give up.

Not yet.