“Be right down,” she calls.
I head back to the truck and wait for them.
“Hey, we’re going to go say hi to Mom and Dad really quick. That’s really the only spot here I wanted to shoot.” She grins. “You coming?”
“Give us a minute,” Aaron says, setting Lexi on her feet. She sprints toward the house, causing us all to laugh. “You,” he says, making his way toward me. He stops in front of me and pulls me into a kiss. His tongue explores my mouth and I moan deep in my throat. “I missed you,” he says, breaking this kiss.
“So you said, but it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you’ve seen me.”
“Too long,” he grumbles. “Let’s go say hi. They’ll be upset if they miss you.”
My heart fills with joy, knowing he’s right. His parents are amazing; his entire family is amazing. I block out tomorrow’s appointment and enjoy the day. I’ve decided not to tell Aaron, or anyone for that matter. No need for them to worry if the tests come back fine. I feel great. I do self-exams every day. It’s just a precaution. That’s what I keep telling myself. Only time will tell.
“So what are your plans the rest of the day?” Aaron asks.
We’re sitting out on his parents’ front porch. Evan and McKinley just left with the kids. A short visit turned into lunch. His mom insisted on feeding us. She already had what she called cheeseburger casserole in the oven. It was delicious, as is everything she makes.
“I told Aunt Jenny I would stop by for dinner this evening. I’m supposed to invite you, but you don’t have to come. I can make an excuse for you.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. I just thought I would give you an out just in case.”
“Come here.” He reaches for my hand and I stand and settle on his lap. “Baby, they’re your family. If you want me there, I want to be there. Simple as that. Mike and Jenny are good people.”
“I know, but I didn’t want to assume. I know you have responsibilities here.”
“Assume, Whit. Always assume that if it involves you, I’ll be there regardless of the situation. I’ll always be there.”
“Okay. Well, would you like to have dinner with me at my aunt and uncle’s tonight?”
“Yes. Now, kiss me.”
I do just that.
I slept like shit last night. I tossed and turned. I sent Aaron home after dinner with my aunt and uncle. He wanted to stay with me. I told him I had pictures to edit and was able to convince him to head home. It wasn’t a lie. I did have yesterday’s pictures to edit, but I didn’t want him there to see me lose my shit. I’m nervous for this test. Lucky for me, Olivia stayed at David’s last night so I don’t have to hide it. I have the house to myself to freak the fuck out in peace.
I stayed up way into the morning, editing. The shots from yesterday turned out so good. I can’t wait to show them to McKinley. I have them all on a flash drive and ready to go. I hope she likes them.
Looking at the clock, I see that it’s seven. Kathy sent me a text last night with a reminder to arrive thirty minutes early and to not wear deodorant. Grabbing my keys and my phone, I lock the door and head to the hospital.
Of course, when I get there, I have pages and pages of new patient paperwork. I settle into the chair and begin the daunting task. Digging through my wallet, I find my insurance card and write down the numbers. This is where a huge chunk of my salary goes, but the risk of not having any is one I’m not willing to take.
After finishing the last form, I hand them to the receptionist along with my check card to pay my fifty-dollar co-payment. Healthcare is so damn expensive.
“Whitney.” The nurse calls for me right away. Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, I follow her down the hall.
“How are you today?” the nurse asks politely.
“Good, you?” I manage to make small talk.
“Another day.” She laughs. “Okay, here’s a gown, and you can change in there. You only have to undress from the waist up. Leave the opening in the front. You can leave your belongings in there. Just come out whenever you’re ready,” she says with a chipper smile. I’m sure it’s meant to ease anxiety, but in my case it’s not working.
I quickly undress from the waist up as she said and slide my arms into the gown, leaving the opening in the front. I don’t bother with the ties. I know enough from Mom that things are about to hit the uncomfortable portion of the visit. Not the pain—sure, she said it was a little uncomfortable pain-wise—but the worst part is baring yourself and having your boobs squished by a machine. Yeah, not looking forward to that.
“That was fast,” the cheery nurse says when I step out of the room. I have the gown clasped tight in my hands. Not sure why, I’m going to be bared to her soon enough.
“All right, Whitney, did you wear any deodorant, perfumes, lotions, powders, etcetera today?” she asks.
“No.”
“Great. Now, I need to cover your nipples and any moles you may have. Are there any that you are aware of?”
“No,” I say again.
She nods and comes toward me with stickers. I close my eyes and let the gown fall open. This is the uncomfortable part, having her hands on my breasts as she checks for moles and covers my nipples with stickers.
“There, so I see that this is your first. We’re going to have you come over here. . . .” She proceeds to explain how the test will work. “You’ll have to stick around for a bit after I take the first images. I’ll need to make sure they turned out okay and no additional images are needed.”
She directs me to step up to the machine and the test begins. It’s hurts, yes, but not as bad as I was expecting. I’ve heard some horror stories, although Mom assured me it was not as bad as others make it seem. I have to agree.
“All right, Whitney. That’s all for now. Let me get these developed, and if they all turn out, you are good to go.”
I nod, clasping the gown closed with my hands. I stare at the pictures on the wall. The makeup of a breast. Fascinating stuff, right?
“Whitney.” The nurse pulls me out of my perusal of the breast diagram. “You’re good to go. Looks like there is a rush on these, so you should have the results in a day or so.”