Page 5 of Mercy
“That was so good, Dr. L. Thank you!”
“You’re so welcome, Princess.”
Her ear-to-ear grin soothes my black heart.
I fell in love with Nash's mom in high school, she was my entire fucking world, then she got cancer. They diagnosed her with ovarian cancer after she got pregnant with Nash. We were advised she’d need to have an abortion so she could start chemo, but she refused. There was no talking her out of having him. She loved him so much from the moment we found out she was pregnant; she sacrificed her life for him. Nash was born three weeks early by induction. Her body couldn’t wait any longer. They thought she might die before he was born, which would risk his life. Within minutes of her giving birth, she died in that hospital room. She held him, looked into his eyes, and said, “I love you, baby boy. I’ll be watching you,” then she was gone, it happened so fast. It was as if she held on just to deliver him and look at him, once. I took Nash into my arms as they attempted to revive her. Somehow, my world ended and began on the same day. It was a lot for a seventeen-year-old kid to take in. In one day, I lost my girlfriend and gained a son, becoming a single parent. I was lucky that my parents were there for me. I don’t know what would have happened to us if they weren’t. They made it possible for me to attend medical school and provide Nash with the life he knows today. I’m lucky to have them. They adopted me when I was three days old and never treated me as if I wasn’t theirs.
I guess that’s why I get so pissed off when I see him squandering his life. She lost hers as he was gifted his. I love my son with everything I have. I just wish he’d do more with this gift. Another thing cancer taught me is that life is precious and can vanish in a breath.
I squeeze Ivy’s hand and glance at her, “Okay, sweetheart. We will start chemo tomorrow. I talked to your mom about the medication we are adding. We’re going to kill those cancer cells, right?”
She nods, a tear escaping from her eye.
“Every day, when you wake up, I want you to say, today, I’m going to kill cancer cells! Can you do that for me?”
Her lips turn up into a slight smile.
“Yes, Dr. L, I promise.”
I wink at her, “I’ll be working from home until Tuesday, so we’ll do our chats on video. Is that okay?”
She nods.
“Okay, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she says in a quiet, shaky voice.
“Linda, can you walk me to the elevator?”
Rising from her seat, she glances at Ivy, “I’ll be right back.”
As we walk, I wait to talk until we are out of earshot.
“It’s important for Ivy to keep a positive attitude. I probably had this conversation with you before, but it bears repeating. The mind is closely linked to the body. I believe if she stays positive, she’ll have a far better outcome.”
“I’m not sure I can do this again.”
What the fuck is wrong with this woman? I completely understand that cancer is hard on the loved ones. But it’s not about her, it’s about her daughter. She needs to stay strong for that little girl. She isn’t sure if she can do this again? How does she thinks Ivy feels?
“You don’t have a choice. We are here to support you. You will get through this. Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you both tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She walks away as I press the button for the elevator. I’m heading home because I want to set some ground rules for my son.
Three
LIAM
Walking into my house,I head to my bathroom to take a shower and change into something other than my princess scrubs. I don’t want his friends to see me like this. It’s difficult to take a man wearing princess clothes seriously. I throw my phone on the bed and step to my bathroom. It’s the master bathroom in my bedroom, so I’m not expecting anyone to be there.
Mercy is standing in front of me with a towel in her hand, but not covering her body. I can’t control myself, I should walk away, but I won’t. I can’t.
My gaze takes her stunning body in, traveling up, down, and back up again. My God, she’s beautiful from fucking head to toe. Her long, wet, wavy, brown hair hangs to her waist, her hazel eyes penetrate mine, her breasts, those fucking breasts. My pants are suddenly uncomfortable, my dick so rigid it’s painful.
“Dr. Lexington,” she says as she exhales a sharp breath. Her chest rises and falls rapidly.
