to.
And he made sure she knew it. “Do you want me in the room with you during the biopsy? The form said it’s okay if I come. But if you’d prefer that I wait out here instead, that’s fine too.”
He’d honor her wishes. Even if the thought of her going through the procedure alone made him want to howl.
“I want you with me.” No hesitation, and those deep-set blue eyes were beseeching. “Please, James.”
God, she wrung his heart to pieces sometimes.
He pressed a kiss against her furrowed brow. “You don’t need to say please, honey. If you want me, of course I’ll be there.”
The next few minutes were a blur of exchanging her sweater and bra for a gown, getting her vitals taken, and walking to the ultrasound room. And then she was lying on her back on the bed, naked from the waist up, and for the first time in his life, he wasn’t even tempted to look at a beautiful woman’s bare breasts.
Instead, he maintained eye contact with a pale, trembling Elizabeth. Smiled at her as the ultrasound tech located the lump, marked it with a pen, and cleansed the area. Held her cold hand when the tech covered the surrounding bare skin with sterile drapes and then retreated to the ultrasound machine.
“I want you to look,” Elizabeth suddenly told him.
His heart seized. “I don’t know whether—”
“I’ll want to know what happened, but I can’t watch. I need you to do it for me.” Her voice wavered. “Please, James.”
“Okay.” He squeezed her hand and steeled himself. “Okay.”
The radiologist glanced up from where she was spreading some sort of clear gel over the uncovered part of Elizabeth’s breast. “I’ll also describe what I’m doing, which might help. Unless you’d prefer I didn’t.”
“Please do.” Elizabeth nodded. “I want to know.”
So they listened and he watched as the radiologist located the lump with the ultrasound, numbed the area with shots of local anesthesia—a process that looked remarkably violent for something meant to help ease pain—and waited for the medication to take effect.
When the doctor made a small incision and inserted the biopsy needle, he wanted to look away, but he didn’t. His wife needed him, and he wouldn’t fail her.
The radiologist seemed perfectly calm. “Clicking sound in three, two, one…”
Elizabeth still flinched, and so did he. On the ultrasound screen, beside the tech’s head, he could see that damn needle grab the sample, and then the radiologist transferred the scrap of flesh to a bottle of clear liquid.
He had to clear his throat a couple times. “How…how bad was that?”
“Not bad at all,” Elizabeth said, and it sounded like the truth. “The anesthesia felt like a bee sting, but this is just tugging and pressure, not pain.”
Three more samples. Four. Five.
Then the radiologist looked up again. “I’m about to insert that titanium clip you heard about. It’ll help mark the spot for future mammograms or if you need surgery.”
After the clip’s insertion and a few minutes of pressure on the area, they were almost done.
“One more mammogram to document the location of the clip, and then we’ll bandage you. No stitches necessary.” The doctor smiled at Elizabeth. “You did great.”
He helped Elizabeth sit up, and after the mammogram and bandaging, a young nurse produced a list of post-procedure instructions and handed it to him.
She held up a blue square, making eye contact with Elizabeth. “First of all, you’ll want to put this cold pack inside your bra right away. It’ll help with the tenderness and bruising.” Passing him the pack, she continued running down the list of instructions, her voice gentle. “Please keep the bandage in place for forty-eight hours. No strenuous activity for the first twenty-four. We suggest wearing a soft, supportive bra and continuing to use cold packs as needed. Acetaminophen for pain relief. No aspirin or ibuprofen for a couple of days.”
She turned to him. “The paper I gave you lists a number to call if you have questions or concerns. If anything seems odd or worrisome, just use it. We’re here to help. And we’ll contact you later today and tomorrow no matter what, just to be sure the recovery is going well. Within two to five business days, you should have the results from the pathologist.” She paused. “Questions?”
“I think we’re good.” Elizabeth stood. “Thank you.”
When the nurse was gone, Elizabeth headed for the dressing booths. He halted next to the curtain, expecting her to drop his hand at that point, but she didn’t. Instead, she