Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 134212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 671(@200wpm)___ 537(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 671(@200wpm)___ 537(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“Very beautiful,” he counters, starting to sway us so very slowly. And he kisses me. And he doesn’t stop until the track is over. I wish it would never be over.
Two thrilling weeks are ahead of us. Two weeks of sun, sea, indulgence, and no one but each other to focus on. Neither of us have had a holiday for nearly two years, our time and money being spent on our special day. I can’t wait to be lazy. To wallow on the beach. To listen to Billy reading to me as I draw the words across his chest. To let him feed me cocktails. To have his lips on one part of my body or another constantly, because I know he won’t let go of me at any point. To swim in the clear ocean on his back. Shower together, sleep together, eat together. Everything, together.
I sigh as we pull up to the airport, my head resting on Billy’s shoulder as he plays with my wedding ring. “You can sleep on the plane,” he says, kissing my head before getting out of the cab.
“Shall I get a trolley?” I ask, not waiting for him to open the door for me. I get out and scan the drop-off zone for one.
“Don’t worry, the cases are on wheels.”
“But your ba—”
“Is fine,” he finishes, giving me that warning look he does when I fuss. Waiting for the cabbie to pop the boot, he grabs the handle, breaking out in a smile. “But it means I can’t carry you. Do you think you’ll make it to the departure gate?”
I roll my eyes as I watch his body engaging, preparing to haul my mega-huge case from the cab. Of course, sarcastic comments were made on my obscene overpacking, since, apparently, I’m not going to need any clothes.
Billy feigns straining as I make my way over, going through my bag for my phone. But then, very suddenly, his expression changes, something blasting from his eyes that I don’t recognize.
His body jolts.
I stop in my tracks.
The suitcase hits the floor with a thud.
It takes me a moment to decipher the look on Billy’s face, but I soon realize it’s a look of pain. No, not pain. Agony. “Billy?” I say, my stomach bottoming out.
He stills, frozen in his bent position. “I’m all right,” he breathes, though his words are cut with pain. “Just give me a second.”
I hurry over to help him, but he moves before I get there. It’s just a fraction of a movement, hardly even a move at all. But it’s enough. His entire body seems to fly into spasm, and his head cracks violently back on his neck. And he screams, the sound piercing and soaked in agony. My blood runs cold. “Billy!”
“Fuck!” As quickly as his body tenses, it loosens, sending him crashing to the concrete with a bang. His screams come on louder, constant and raw, the air drenched with the sound of his pain.
“Oh my God.” I fall to my knees next to him, scared to touch him as water leaks from his closed eyes. “Billy, what is it?”
“My back,” he chokes, rolling over to his side. He throws up. I yell my shock, my worried eyes scanning every inch of his jerking body as he cries like no man should cry.
“Call an ambulance,” I yell, searching for the cabbie. I find him behind me, looking on in shock. “Please, call an ambulance.” I return my attention to Billy, his body lurching as he heaves, only worsening the pain that’s slicing him. “I’m getting help,” I tell him, pushing his hair from his sweaty head. “Just hold on.”
He shakes his head and looks at me. That look will haunt me for the rest of my days. Fear. I’ve never seen it on him before. He’s never been scared. He’s always been the strong one. Protecting me from everything. Now he needs me, and I don’t know what to do. My helplessness accelerates my emotions, and I burst into uncontrollable tears, feeling at his cheeks. His eyes start to roll. His face is a roadmap of painful lines.
And then he’s unconscious.
He remains that way for two solid days. They induced his coma in the hope that his lack of movement, even just breathing, would give them time to figure out what was wrong without him experiencing anymore pain. X-Rays. Tests. MRI scans. It has been one thing after another, a process of elimination. I’ve had a constant sickly feeling. A gnawing ache inside my tummy. The last scan they did revealed a mass at the base of Billy’s spine. Tests revealed it to be cancerous. I could only stare at Dr. Smith as he explained the position, the size, and the next steps. Nothing was sinking in. All I heard was surgery. He was taken down almost immediately, giving me not nearly enough time to wrap my mind around what was happening. I tried to be positive, but the urgency of the doctors, their constant looks of empathy, didn’t make it easy. I received no words of reassurance. Was offered no signs of hope.