A/N – As always, thank so much for the alerts and reviews! I really appreciate it! Also, I don't own anything you recognize. I also forgot to say that I ripped the title from the TV series but that's all these two have in common. I haven't even seen the show, just using the title. I split the next chapter into two parts to be able to post a little quicker, still not happy with a section so here is part two and I'll keep plugging away at what is now part three. thanks again!
Chapter Two
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Chloe stretched as she slowly woke the next morning. She still felt as bone weary as she had when she went to bed early the night before. She glanced to her side and saw Aubrey's side of the bed was empty.
The redhead sighed and pushed herself into an upright position. She briefly thought it was sad that she had no idea if her mate had even come home the night before.
Chloe slowly made her way to the bathroom and quirked a brow at the sight of a post it note stuck to the mirror.
Sorry babe, had to run in to the office for a little while. Be back soon!
Chloe reached a hand and plucked the note from the mirror. "We're gonna have to talk eventually. At this rate you'll find out when you come home one day and I'm bald…or dead."
The redhead quickly shook the thought from her mind and wandered downstairs. She stepped out onto their back porch and gazed out over their perfectly landscaped yard. They had everything. Great jobs, perfect house, fancy cars. Before the 'C' word had to ruin everything.
Chloe squared her shoulders and strode purposefully back into the house. She changed into workout clothes and laced up her sneakers.
She ran. She ran until her neighborhood faded behind her. She ran until the landscape was no longer familiar. She ran until she couldn't run any further. Chloe was panting when she doubled over in pain from having pushed herself too hard. She ignored the looks and stares from people who happened to notice her.
When she finally recovered enough to gain her bearings, the redhead groaned at realizing just how far she had run and just how far she had to go to get back home. And she had left her phone so even if Aubrey had been home, there was no way to reach her wife to ask her to come rescue her. With a sigh, Chloe turned on her heel and limped her way towards home.
By the time she arrived home, it was after lunchtime and she was surprised to see Aubrey's car back in the drive. Chloe steeled her nerves, dreading the awkward conversation that was bound to follow. Chloe didn't want to tell her wife about her new diagnosis. Telling someone would make it even more real than it was beginning to feel. And in the back of her mind, Chloe couldn't help but wonder how Aubrey could possibly fit a cancer diagnosis into her busy schedule.
Chloe once again quickly shook her head. Aubrey loved her. She would be devastated.
The redhead slipped back into the house and was immediately met with a pleasant smell coming from the kitchen. She went to investigate and was surprised again to see her wife at the stove making what appeared, and smelled, to be her stir fry recipe. It was one of Chloe's favorites.
"There you are!" Aubrey said, smiling over her shoulder as she continued to work on the meal. "Good run?"
Chloe's lips quirked into a small smile at the sight and she nodded. "What's all this? I thought you had to work today."
"Oh I did." The blonde replied, reaching for plates. "I could have stayed all day but I thought I would come home and fix lunch for you. I'll have to go back in tomorrow though probably, Mike said this new account needs a lot of work. Sorry again about yesterday by the way."
Chloe nodded. "It's ok. Well…I should go shower."
"No, wait." Aubrey said, already taking the plates to the table. "Lunch is ready. Come sit and eat with me…you can shower after."
She nodded again and followed the blonde to the table. She loved Aubrey's stir fry but she found she just didn't have much of an appetite.
Aubrey chatted away about the new projects at work, most of her stories involving Mike, her Director. Chloe hated him. He was obvious about his attraction for Aubrey and she most often did nothing to dissuade him. It had been a source of numerous arguments between the couple but Aubrey always insisted that nothing was going on between them. And Chloe believed her. But she still didn't like the fact that the blonde let him continue to make advances without putting him in his place.
"Babe, are you ok?" Aubrey asked, eyeing Chloe suspiciously. "You haven't touched your food and you haven't heard a word I've said."
"No I heard." Chloe replied quietly, still eyeing her food and pushing it around on her plate. "Mike liked your ideas for the presentation, I heard. But actually Aubrey, there is someth-"
"Can you believe he suggested that Ruth head up the next board briefing though?" Aubrey continued, oblivious as her wife's jaw clenched at being interrupted. "But he did say I'm a shoo in for the GenWare account. That would be huge! Would mean a lot of work and some crazy hours but if that account goes well…it could mean a promotion!"
Chloe tried to smile in encouragement but when the blonde launched into another story of what Mike had said, she dropped her fork to her plate in frustration. The loud clink startled Aubrey into silence.
"Aubrey, are you cheating on me?"
Aubrey's jaw dropped as she stared at Chloe incredulously. "Excuse me? Why would you even ask me that?"
Chloe squared her shoulders and met Aubrey's gaze, refusing to back down. "Well what else am I supposed to think? You're never home, like ever. You'd rather be at work with Mike or god knows who than at home with your wife. So seriously, if you're cheating on me, just tell me. I need to know. Now especially."
"You're being ridiculous." Aubrey hissed. "I work so that we can afford this house and the nice cars we both have and all the other comforts and conveniences you enjoy. I didn't hear you complaining when we moved in or drove your Range Rover off the lot! I have never cheated on you Chloe, how dare you even think that! What is wrong with you? You've barely heard a word I've said and I'm here now aren't I? I came home to spend time with you and fixed you lunch and you're not even eating it! And now you pick a fight with me. What the hell is your problem?"
"My problem is that I have to talk to you about something and you're never here long enough for me to do it!" Chloe exclaimed. "And when you are here, you're not really here because all you can talk about is fucking Mike!"
"I am not fucking Mike!" Aubrey roared in return. "Seriously Chloe what is going on with you?"
Chloe abruptly stood to her feet and picked up her plate. She headed back toward the kitchen and quickly scraped the contents into the trashcan. Aubrey jumped to her feet and followed.
"Where are you going? You say you want to talk about something and then you just walk away. What do you want to talk about other than accusing me of cheating? Well, what is it?"
Chloe turned on her heel. "I have cancer Aubrey." She shouted, tossing her hands into the air in exasperation. "I have uterine cancer and I found out yesterday. They found something a few weeks ago and I had to go for testing but no one thought it would actually be anything but it is. I have cancer. Remember last week when you had to get your own damn dry cleaning? Well that was because I was strapped to a chair with my feet in stirrups having my insides scraped! And I've tried to tell you but I can't seem to get your attention long enough and now…now I just really don't want to talk about it!"
Aubrey stood, dumbfounded, as Chloe stormed out of the kitchen. It took a few moments for her brain to catch up to her emotions. "You what?" she muttered.
The blonde rushed forward, trying to catch up with Chloe but the redhead had already dashed up the stairs to their bedroom and just as Aubrey entered the room behind her, the bathroom door slammed shut and locked.
"Chloe, please!"
The shower starting was the only response Aubrey received.
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Chloe took a particularly long shower. The water soothed away the lingering ache from her run but not much else.
She sighed as she eventually dressed in one of her favorite long sleeve cotton shirts and comfortable yoga pants. She toweled her hair dry, reluctant to exit the safety of the bathroom. She wiped a hand across the fogged mirror and stared back at her reflection, damp hair and pale skin.
She knew Aubrey would be waiting. A twinge of guilt surfaced for how she had handled the revelation. She had blindsided her wife and then locked herself away in their bathroom, shutting Aubrey out completely. No doubt the blonde would be angry. Maybe she would even leave.
While the two had drifted apart, there was still no one that Chloe cared more about. And no one else she wanted to be with, in the good times or the bad. She hoped Aubrey still felt the same. The thought that the blonde might actually leave her sent a chill down the redhead's spine.
When Chloe finally opened the door to the bathroom, she was a little surprised to see Aubrey sitting on the floor facing the door, her head buried in her drawn knees. At the sound of the door opening, Aubrey snapped her head up. Chloe clenched her jaw at the pained look on her wife's face.
"Chloe."
The redhead sighed and dropped her gaze to the ground between her feet. "That was a shitty way to tell you. I'm sorry."
In reply, Aubrey simply held out her hand to the shorter woman, beckoning her closer.
Chloe stepped closer, almost timidly, and took a seat on the floor across from Aubrey. The blonde dropped her knees and the pair found themselves mirroring each other as they sat with their legs crossed on the plush carpet.
"Will you please tell me what's going on?" Aubrey asked softly.
Chloe shrugged and glanced around the room, seemingly afraid to meet Aubrey's gaze. When she finally made eye contact, the worry she saw reflected back caused her heart to clench painfully.
"Something turned up when I went in for my routine exam." Chloe began. "They did tests, an ultrasound type thing, more tests, and then finally the biopsy. And yesterday they told me that it's cancer."
"Chloe, why didn't you tell me any of this was going on?" Aubrey cried. "You've had to have known about this for weeks and you didn't say anything. Why?"
"I thought it was nothing!" Chloe insisted. "They thought it was nothing! No reason to worry you. And we've both been so busy…"
Aubrey reached and took both of Chloe's hands in her own. "Well what are they saying? What kind of treatment options have they mentioned?"
Chloe sighed and shrugged again. "I don't know. I haven't really read up on it yet. They gave me some information. I'm supposed to look it over and then Monday I have an appointment with Dr. Ross to go over my options."
"You haven't looked at anything at all?" the blonde asked in surprise. "Chloe, I know as a general rule you like to skip over details and any form of confrontation and just assume everything will turn out alright in the end, but not this time. This is serious, where are the papers? We should read through everything so we have an idea of what we're looking at. That way we'll be ahead of the game when we talk to Dr. Ross on Monday."
The redhead flicked her gaze up from where she was staring at their joined hands and back quickly. "You mean…you're coming with me?"
"Of course I'm coming with you Chloe!" Aubrey exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Well it's just with the GenWare account and Mike…I don't know." She replied softly. "I know you're busy."
"Hey, look at me." Aubrey said firmly, waiting until Chloe did in fact finally meet her gaze before continuing. "I'm sorry work has kept me so busy…I shouldn't have let it. You're the most important thing to me Chloe, you have to know that! Of course I'm going with you. I'm going to be right here with you, every step of the way. I swear. Ok?"
Chloe felt tears sting her eyes at her wife's adamant declaration. She hated to admit she was afraid of what Aubrey's reaction would be. Afraid she would be left alone to face this on her own. The reassurance drove her to near sobs as Aubrey pulled her into her arms and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
"It's gonna be ok." Aubrey whispered as she held her wife tightly and let her cry.
Chloe nodded against the blonde's shoulder when her tears finally subsided. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have started a fight. I just freaked out a little I guess."
"I should have been paying more attention." Aubrey quickly replied.
The redhead chuckled, still comfortably nestled in her wife's embrace. She couldn't remember the last time they'd simply sat like this with their arms around each other. "So…you're really not cheating on me?"
The smile in Chloe's tone left Aubrey rolling her eyes. "Of course not. When would I have ever had time to do that?"
She squeezed the woman in her arms and pressed another kiss to the top of her head, hoping to convey the fact that she was teasing. Chloe poked her in the side before squeezing back.
"What do you say we go downstairs and reheat lunch and then we'll take a look at the information the doctor gave you."
Chloe sighed but nodded. Before she could pull out of Aubrey's arms, the blonde cupped her cheek and pressed another tender kiss to her forehead.
A short time later, the two were still seated at their kitchen table when Aubrey's phone buzzed. Chloe's heart sank when the blonde reached to answer the call as opposed to letting it go to voicemail. Maybe separating the woman from her job was going to be even harder than Chloe had thought.
"Hey Mike." Aubrey answered softly. "Yeah I saw it."
Chloe sighed at the sound of Aubrey's boss talking animatedly on the other end of the line.
"I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to come in tomorrow." The redhead snapped her gaze back to her wife where Aubrey's brow was beginning to furrow. "No, you heard me right; I'm not coming in tomorrow. Or Monday for that matter. Chloe has a doctor's appointment and I'm going with her…yes I'm aware this new account needs work…I'm sorry Mike but I'm going to need a few days off, it's serious."
When Aubrey finally hung up the phone she exhaled slowly. She caught Chloe eyeing her in surprise.
"You aren't in trouble are you?"
The blonde shrugged. "They can't stop me from taking time off Chloe. I have the leave. And if they don't like it…they can just fire me."
"Don't say that Aubrey." Chloe replied with a sigh. "You love your job, I know you do."
"I do." The blonde said. "I love what I do but I don't love all the hours and the commitments. It's not true what you said earlier…I don't like being away from you so much. I like you way better than Mike. You're way prettier."
The redhead finally chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Well that's good to know. I guess I'd better plan on taking some time off too."
Aubrey nodded. "Can Lydia and Sam cover for you? I mean, it is your company so of course you can take the time off. I just don't want you worrying about the business when you should be focusing on taking care of yourself."
Chloe nodded as well. She had gotten interested in interior design and started a small company after college. With Chloe's sense of style and design and Aubrey's marketing expertise, the business had done well. The redhead was fairly sought after but not so busy that she worked anywhere near the hours her wife did.
"They can manage." She replied.
"Ok." Aubrey said finally. "Want to get started looking through some of these papers?"
Chloe nodded once again and the two quickly set up shop at the table, papers scattered. Aubrey had both her laptop and a notepad ready as well.
After nearly two hours, Chloe's head was beginning to swim.
"This is so much info and the words are so big!" She exclaimed. "Why can't doctors just use plain English? I don't know what any of this means."
Aubrey reached and squeezed her wife's hand, sensing her growing frustration. "It is a lot isn't it? But it sounds like we have some pretty good options here Chlo. You may not even need chemo and radiation if they can get all the cancer out in the operation. Then some medication and hormones after the hysterectomy. The surgery won't be fun but there's a chance they'll be able to get it all and that'll be the end of it."
"I don't want a hysterectomy."
Aubrey dropped her eye glasses onto the table and stared at the redhead incredulously. "I'm sorry what? Why not? According to all these reports, a hysterectomy is the best way to guarantee there's no relapse later. It's the safest option."
"Yeah, but it's my body and I'd like to keep all of my parts if possible." Chloe replied. "Something also said that just removing the tumor by itself can work-"
"Yes but then the chances of the cancer coming back are higher." Aubrey pointed out. "And you'd have to go through this all over again. Plus I think I read that if the cancer comes back a second time it's harder to beat."
"I still don't want a hysterectomy." The redhead responded.
The blonde eyed her wife and finally sighed. "Ok, we have plenty of time to think all this through and then we'll talk it over with Dr. Ross on Monday."
Chloe didn't reply but seemed relieved the discussion had ended.
Aubrey continued to research from her spot at the kitchen table well into the evening. Chloe had long since given up but the blonde had pages filled with questions for the doctor. The redhead couldn't help but smile wryly at the sight of her overly organized, Type A wife. And she had to admit it was nice to actually be spending time together, even if it was for a terrible reason.
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