Finding Hope (Love's Compass Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

bringing me. I’m not sure I could have driven after that appointment.”
    “You’re welcome.” He wanted to ask her questions. It took all his strength to wait for her to take the lead.
    After what seemed like an eternity, she took a deep breath.
    “Doctor Ravenhill is almost certain I have ovarian cancer.”
    Her words sent Lance’s heart plummeting to his shoes. God, no. He dug his fingers into his upper leg.
    “Lex. I don’t know what to say.” He pushed his basket aside, not the least bit interested in finishing his meal. “Are they going to do a biopsy?”
    Lexi shook her head, dark hair softly swishing to touch each of her cheeks. “No. The mass has been causing pain for a while now and needs to be removed. She said she’ll go in and excise it, check for cancer, and go from there. A biopsy would be an extra step that might increase the chance of spreading cancer cells.”
    He imagined her years as a nurse gave her the ability to talk about everything in such a clinical fashion.
    “If it’s benign, then she’ll close you up, and you’ll be pain-free once the incision heals.”
    “Yep.”
    Lance wanted to know about the alternative, but hesitated. How was he supposed to ask a question like that?
    She swirled a fry around in ketchup but left it sitting there. She lifted her eyes to meet his. “If it’s malignant, they’ll take measures while I’m still on the table. They’ll perform a complete hysterectomy and I’ll have several rounds of chemotherapy to make sure it takes care of anything that may have been missed.”
    She said it matter-of-factly, but he didn’t miss that catch in her voice or the tremble in her chin.
    “Wow. When are you having the surgery?”
    “Two weeks from today.”
    Lance leaned back against his chair and let out a slow lungful of air. What was he supposed to say to her? That it would all be okay? That she wouldn’t have to deal with the chemo because it was benign?
    He couldn’t. Not honestly. But there was one thing he could tell her.
    “You’re resilient, Lex. No matter what happens, you’re going to power through. You have a lot of people who will be there to support you. I’ll be praying that God will give you the strength you need.”
    “How am I going to tell my family about this? My dad’s battle with pancreatic cancer was nasty. It nearly destroyed my mom. I can’t put her through this again.”
    For the first time since she had come out of the office, Lexi’s eyes held a hint of the panic she felt. She massaged her temple with a finger and shut her eyes.
    “Patty will be okay. This is different. You aren’t your dad. You guys made it through before as a family, and you’ll make it through this.” He reached across the table and covered her hand with his own. Her skin was softer than he could have imagined. The discovery threatened to derail his thoughts. “If you need anything, please let me know.”
    She nodded, her eyes fixed on the fry still propped up in the ketchup. “I appreciate that. You did a lot driving me here. You were right to insist I not come alone.”
    Lance moved his hand from hers and instantly missed the warmth. “I wish I’d recorded that. Alexis Chandler admitted I was right. That doesn’t happen often.”              
    Lexi pointed a finger at him. “Don’t expect to hear it again from me anytime soon.”
    He realized that when she teased, there was a little crinkle at the outside corners of both of her eyes. He found it alluring.
    She popped the nearly-forgotten fry in her mouth. “This food is awesome.”
    “I’ll get you a meal and sneak it into you at the hospital after your surgery.”
    She lifted her head in time to catch his wink and answered it with a smile. “You would, too, wouldn’t you?”
    “You can count on it.”
     
    ~
     
    Lance turned as the door to his workshop opened and admitted a tall, lanky man who cast a look around the room.
    “Can I help you?”
    “Hi. My name is Donald