Sweetest in the Gale - Olivia Dade Page 0,66

long, saying yes might lead to a broken heart.

James won’t take no for an answer. Not when marriage could save Elizabeth’s life, and not when he’s finally realized how much he needs her. Even during his doomed first marriage, James considered Elizabeth a special friend—one he had to keep at a safe distance. Now he’s free, and Elizabeth is his wife...but will they finally have the chance to be together, only to have everything torn apart?

For my maternal grandmother, who survived her bout with breast cancer; my paternal grandmother, who didn’t; and my mother, who—as of this year—is now a survivor too. This story is dedicated to you.

One

The hospital gown didn’t fit.

Elizabeth tugged at the edges in front, but all that did was pinch her armpits. The worn, thin material couldn’t stretch any more. It would tear if she yanked harder. And the young woman who’d led the way to the curtained dressing booths had said to leave the gown open in front, so Elizabeth couldn’t reverse the garment.

The jeans covered some of her, but not enough.

She didn’t dare look at herself in the mirror. No need to see her breasts and upper belly spilling through the opening, the flesh pale and pebbled by the chill of the Marysburg hospital.

Any other time, the embarrassment and discomfort might have brought stinging color to her cheeks, even though over four decades of life as a fat woman and many visits to this very hospital—and its very inadequate gowns—should have inured her to such indignities. But today, no. She wouldn’t pray the hospital would invest in bigger gowns or wonder what those spotting her would think about her weight.

Marysburg General was offering free mammograms today, or at least cooperating with the local breast cancer awareness organization who’d advertised the event. That was good enough for her, even if she had to parade down the antiseptic-scented hallways half-naked.

She didn’t know who was really paying for the mammograms, the hospital or the organization. She didn’t care. The money wasn’t coming from her depleted checking account, and the results from today should relieve weeks of fear.

So she simply held her sweater in front of the gap in her gown, covering all the crucial bits, and drew back the curtain with a metallic rattle. The tech who’d led her to the dressing room was working at a nearby computer, her dark brows knitted.

She looked up after a moment, then winced when she saw Elizabeth’s predicament. “I’m sorry.” Her ponytail swished as she shook her head. “We’ve been so busy today, I forgot to get you the right type of gown. If you want to go back into your dressing room, I can bring you one.”

No. Elizabeth couldn’t wait another moment.

“It’s fine.” She glanced at the name on the woman’s badge, her cheeks aching from a forced smile. “Thank you for the offer, Cailyn. But I figure I’m supposed to be flashing the goods soon anyway, right?”

Cailyn’s shoulders relaxed. “True enough. And the room is just down the hall. Follow me.”

They proceeded past several doorways and the bustling nurses’ station before entering the room with the mammogram machine. It looked newish, shiny and clean, although Elizabeth knew she couldn’t expect 3D images from it. Not when someone else was paying.

The machine. The chairs. The table. Everything in this space was familiar. Nothing had changed since last year’s mammogram, other than her insurance status.

And one other terrifying, crucial detail.

Despite the coolness of the hospital, slick perspiration had gathered under her arms. Deodorant could throw off mammograms, of course, so she hadn’t used any that morning. She suspected she’d have been sweating either way, though.

“Um…” She licked her lips and tasted blood. The dry air of late winter always caused chapping if she wasn’t careful, and she hadn’t been paying much attention to anything outside her own head in recent days. “You might want to look closely at my right breast.”

Cailyn paused in her adjustment of the machine. “All right.”

“In the shower last month, I found a—” She faltered, then made herself finish. “I found a lump along the side. Toward the middle. You can’t see it, but it’s pretty easy to feel. I think it’s a cyst, since I tend to get those, but I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Hmm.” Cailyn crossed the room and flipped through Elizabeth’s various registration forms. “Have you discussed this issue with a primary care physician? Especially given your family history and risk factors?”

Her time as a smoker in her twenties. Her grandmothers. The