They'd been here for two weeks. It wasn't the first time. But it would be the last. She wasn't getting any better this time. And he was already trying to come to terms with losing her. It was far from working.
Henry opened the door that afternoon, surprised to see his wife sitting at his desk.
"Hey, Bess. I thought you were going back to work after your appointment."
"I was going to."
Her voice was shaky and when she looked up, he saw the tears streaming down her face.
"Elizabeth, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
"I have Stage II pancreatic cancer." She told him without beating around the bush.
Henry stared at his wife, trying to process the words that had just come out of her mouth.
"What?"
"I have pancreatic cancer." She repeated.
Henry was unaware that he began crying but Elizabeth was not and it just made her feel worse. She put her head in her hands and sobbed and suddenly she felt his strong arms around her.
"Elizabeth, we're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."
He kept repeating the words over and over and Elizabeth couldn't tell if her was trying to convince her or himself.
That had been ten years ago. She'd undergone surgery and a round of chemo and then the doctor told them that she was in remission. She'd gotten back into the swing of things and gone back to teaching at UVA. They'd settled into their normal life again. And then two years ago, it was back. This time it was stage four and Elizabeth and Henry knew she wasn't going to make it this time.
To everyone's surprise, she'd lasted longer than they said she would. At the time of the stage four diagnosis, her doctor had given her six months. Even at 70 two years later, Elizabeth McCord continued to defy odds.
Henry was drawn out of his thoughts by the doctor coming out of Elizabeth's hospital room.
"Dr. McCord, her condition is steadily declining. All of her organs are beginning to shut down. There's nothing more we can do except make her comfortable. She has maybe twelve hours, if that long. You should call your family."
Henry had known what was coming but that didn't make it any easy for him to hear it. They'd spent the last fifty years together. How was he supposed to live without her now? How could he?
He took five minutes to himself then walked into the waiting room. He'd called his children this morning when he woke up and Elizabeth told him he should. Even on her deathbed, she was still bossing him around. He didn't understand how she could be so close to death and yet still have so much life. Even the doctor was surprised she still had so much energy.
She had accepted her death. He supposed ten years was enough to come to terms with the fact that you were probably going to die sooner rather than later. He just wished she would help him come to terms with it as well.
His twelve year old granddaughter looked up as he entered.
"Nana is going to die, isn't she?" She asked. Stevie gave her daughter a look but Henry just waved it away.
"Yes, sweetheart. She is. The doctor said there isn't anything else they can do for her now."
"Dad, can we go see her?" Jason asked.
"Of course. She'll want to see you guys anyway."
They all stood up and three of the four went down the hall to Elizabeth's room but Alison hung back.
"Dad, how long does Mom have?"
"Dr. Stein said maybe twelve hours."
"You know what she's going to say right?"
"That we shouldn't cry because she's already had longer than she thought she would."
"Exactly. She's not gone yet. Can't we just sit with her and remember all the good days we had with her and tell stories instead of focusing on the fact that she won't be here tomorrow?"
"Yeah, Noodle. That's a good idea. She'll like that." Henry told his daughter as he pulled her into a hug.
They walked to Elizabeth's room together. She didn't look like she was dying. She was sitting up in the bed with a smile on her face, repositioning her oxygen mask in her nose. She had refused to wear the one that went over her mouth and eventually, Dr. Stein had complied rather than continue to argue with her.
Her eyes lit up when he walked in, just like they always had.
"Hey, baby. The doctor me what he told you but if you're here to throw me my final pity party, you can leave because my last day is not going to be spent with all of you in tears."
"None of that. Alison decided we should going to sit and remember the best times we've had with you and I agree. Your last day should not be spent with us in tears."
The five of them made themselves comfortable around Elizabeth's hospital bed and began to tell their tales of days spent with Elizabeth McCord.
