Royals: Part 7

Chapter 11

Jackie stared into the open, empty space of Dr. Brown's office. Her vision was blurred, as her eyes had gone dry from a comatose lack of blinking, but she was paralyzed. She chewed at the nail on her thumb, tearing off ragged pieces with her teeth. She tasted blood, but couldn't stop herself. Jackie hadn't bitten her fingernails since just before she married Harry, dropping the bad habit per Elizabeth's insistence. But that was a long time ago, and everything had changed. 

After Dr. Brown found the ovarian tumor on the ultrasound, she'd called Harry on Jackie's behalf, asking him to come to the hospital at once. Jackie couldn't call, he would have heard the primal fear in her voice. All she could think of was her mother's frail body, lying in a hospital bed, withering away after just a few months of fighting the terrible cancer they now shared. 

Dr. Brown poked her head into her office. "Jackie, can I get you anything while you're waiting? Some water?" 

Jackie shook her head, unable to answer. Her mouth was cotton-dry, making it impossible for her to swallow. She tried to focus on her breathing, but it was haggard and unsteady, hardly calming. 

"Harry will be here soon. I spoke with him, and he's leaving right away." Dr. Brown paused. "I thought it would be best to tell him when he arrives, so we can talk things over." 

Jackie gave an almost imperceptible nod. She heard the door close again. 

For what seemed like an eternity, Jackie waited alone in Dr. Brown's office. What would Harry say? What would he do if she died? What would happen to the children? How could he possibly raise them on his own? Jackie thought of her three little girls, the way their eyes lit up when they saw her first thing in the morning, the sweet feeling of their tiny hands pressed to her skin, the smell of their hair. Jackie's stomach clenched nauseously. The thought of them existing without her, or her existing without them, made her physically ill. 

The sound of footsteps approached. Jackie straightened up in her chair, rubbing her eyes to clear the cloudiness from her vision.

The door opened, Dr. Brown leading the way with Harry at her heels. He quickly sat down in the chair next to Jackie, putting a hand on her back. "Are you okay?" 

Jackie felt an almost unbearable pain in her chest. She wrapped her arms around her husband, giving him a tight hug as a few hot tears began to silently leak from her eyes. 

Harry was looking between Jackie and Dr. Brown. His voice was thick with fear. "What's going on?" 

Jackie let go of Harry, sitting back in her chair. She took Harry's hand with a firm grip. She watched as Dr. Brown steeled herself. "During the ultrasound, I found a tumor on Jackie's ovary." 

Harry's expression was a wild mix of fear and confusion. "Does- that doesn't mean it's necessarily cancer, does it?" 

Jackie and Dr. Brown were silent. Harry repeated, more loudly this time, "Does it?" 

"Considering her family's history..." Dr. Brown nodded slowly. Before she could speak, Harry threw his arms around Jackie, nearly pulling her out of her chair. He let out an guttural sound of disbelief, holding her against his body. Dr. Brown spoke up, causing Harry to let go of Jackie so he could face her, listening intently. 

"We'll need to do a biopsy of the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread. I can order one right now, and you'll have the results by Monday." 

Harry rubbed at his forehead. "Monday? It's Friday!" 

"It's as fast as I possibly can, they have to be sent away to a lab." Jackie could see Dr. Brown was trying to keep her composure, but even the experienced doctor was shaken by the terrible misfortune Jackie was facing. "We'll be able to determine a course of treatment once we find out if the cancer has traveled from the ovaries to the lymph nodes."