Chapter 1
Katie was in her room, doing homework. Bobby was distracted, but he did his best to start dinner as usual. He managed to get the chicken seasoned and laid out in the pan, and put it in the oven. He chose the vegetables for the evening and started chopping broccoli on the cutting board.
He really didn't notice how much time had passed; his head was spinning from the results of his appointment. Alex arrived home. dropped her bag off in the living room, and walked straight to him. He hadn't called her, and he knew she would be upset about that. She touched him on the arm, and he turned in her direction.
"Well?" she asked quietly.
Katie interrupted before he had to answer. "Daddy, can we eat yet? I'm starving!"
Alex saw the look in his eyes, and backed off. She helped him get the food to the table.
"Mom, can I go out with Jenny this Friday?"
"Jenny and who else?"
"Well, it's kind of like a… double date. I can chaperone her, and she can chaperone me, you know?"
"Chaperone? Why would you need a chaperone?" Bobby asked.
"Double date with who?" her mother asked.
"Marcus asked me out, and Jenny said she wouldn't mind going with his friend Kevin."
"Who's Marcus?" Asked Bobby.
"Oh, Daddy, he's in biology with me. He's my lab partner."
"Where are you going?"
"You know, just dinner and a movie or something."
"Or something?" Asked Bobby.
Alex gave him a look that told him to calm down. "Dinner and a movie would be fine, as long as it's not too late of a movie."
"'Or something' is out," Bobby added.
Katie rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks, Mom, Dad! I'll go call Jenny!" She tossed her napkin over her empty plate and jogged off to her room.
"How can you be so comfortable with this?"
"Who says I'm comfortable?" Alex replied. She sighed. "She's almost 16. She's going to want to date, Bobby." He frowned. "At least she's with Jenny. You know and trust Jenny, don't you?"
He nodded. The girls had been best friends for two years. Jenny, and her parents, were wonderful people.
"Now. What happened at the Doctor's today?"
He took a deep breath. "Hold on a minute," he said. He shoved his chair away from the table and walked down the hall to Katie's room. "Katie, honey? I need you to clear the table for us. Your Mom & I need to have a talk."
"Okay, Daddy!" She called. "When I'm off the phone, okay?"
"Okay." He said. He went out and headed for his own bedroom, and Alex followed. Bobby retrieved a brochure from the pocket of the suit coat he'd been wearing earlier in the day. He unfolded it and handed it to his wife.
Alex took it and quickly scanned the title. She felt her heart tighten in her chest. What You Should Know About Prostate Cancer. Alex skimmed it quickly and looked up at him. "They're sure?"
He nodded. "They're sure."
She took a deep breath. "Well, what next, then?"
"I can… have surgery… or I can do radiation."
She grasped his hand and pulled herself closer to him. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Oh, Bobby, I'm so sorry."
He said nothing, but she could feel the tenseness in his muscles as he held her. "I need you to tell me everything," she said, her voice muffled against his chest.
"I… I can't, Alex. Not tonight. I can give you the paperwork he gave me, but… I don't think I can talk about it, yet."
"Okay," she said, completely unsatisfied with his reply but trying to be supportive. "Okay, Bobby. Whatever you need." She looked up at his face. "When do you have to decide?"
"I go back next week."
The evening routine was the same as usual, only quieter. Katie was busy studying for an upcoming test, and hardly seemed to notice that her parents were preoccupied.
Alex watched him carefully and tried to get a handle on what he must be feeling. She knew his mother, and the long downward spiral of her final year, had to be on his mind. He must be afraid. Even though the paperwork said there was such a high success rate treating prostate cancer, there were no guarantees. And even if the treatment was successful, he could be facing impotence and incontinence afterward. Bobby had to be scared by all that; after all, she was.
It was hard to believe. He had no symptoms. He'd gone in for his routine physical and the next thing you know he had an appointment with a specialist and now… this. Alex sat still and tried to convince herself that was all good. No symptoms meant they caught it early. Catching it early was good. Catching it early meant he could beat it.
Alex finished off her evening glass of wine and stood. "I'm going to bed," she announced. She knocked on Katie's door and reminded her not to stay up too late. "Good night, honey," Alex told her. Katie said good night and Alex went to the bedroom.
She was surprised when he joined her a few minutes later. Bobby typically stayed up much later than she did. Maybe he needed the closeness, tonight. When he got into bed, she turned and wrapped one arm around him. Her lips found his for a kiss, which he willingly returned.
She noticed again how tense he was, and the thought occurred to her that maybe what Bobby needed right now was a distraction. He'd been worrying about it all since two in the afternoon. She kissed him again, and sweetly rubbed her hand over his chest and down to his abdomen.
Bobby's hand moved around to her back, and he rubbed her, too. Alex slowly heated things up, making her kisses deeper and exploring him fully with her hand. She paused only to remove her nightgown.
He couldn't help himself. His lips found her nipples, and he sat up, turning and taking control of their amorous activity. Alex arched back and suppressed a groan of pleasure. Their daughter was next door, and they had to be quiet. Bobby always got a special thrill out of taking Alex to the brink when she had to stay quiet.
He allowed her captive breast to fall away and moved his warm mouth up to her neck. Slowly, they inched toward the center of the bed, groping and grabbing and tasting each other. He pressed his body over hers and she laid flat on the sheet. Bobby deftly removed her underwear, then his own. His fingers teased her as his lips moved over her nipples again, and then he let go and she felt the gentle pressure as the head of his cock dipped into her juices.
She gasped, and stifled the next cry of pleasure as he began to move with her. They both breathed heavily, whispering love, need, and pleasure, until Bobby moved so fast he couldn't contain himself any longer. His breath sputtered as he convulsed, and he froze for a moment over her, a statue of the state of ecstasy.
Alex studied the expression on his face and smiled. Soon, Bobby lowered himself again, and he kissed her with gratitude until he finally settled into a peaceful sleep.
