Dr. Foster was leaning over Robyn in a mask when she woke. Joe was standing next to him with an unreadable expression.
She tried to sit up on her own but was too weak so she used the remote to raise the bed. "What's going on?"
"I just looked at the results of your last tests and despite all the measures we've taken, it's not enough. We're basically poking this thing with a stick and it's not budging," he explained.
"So does that mean higher doses of chemo and radiation?" she asked.
"I'm going to be completely honest with you here, Robyn. If we up the doses, it would probably kill you because your body won't be able to handle it."
Robyn gripped the railing of her bed tightly, too shattered to speak. After a moment, she sighed. "I've seen this movie before and I'm pretty sure this is the scene where you tell me there's nothing more you can do besides keep me comfortable, right?"
Dr. Foster and Joe exchanged a glance for a second before he came back to her. "Well, not necessarily. There is one last option that I was hoping to avoid…"
"Which is?" she raised a brow.
"We can perform surgery to remove what we can. There's a 50% chance everything will go well and what's left behind can be knocked out with light treatment. There's also a 50% chance that it'll spread to other places in your body once we open you up and that's what I'm afraid of. If it spreads there'll be nothing more I can do besides...keep you comfortable. It's a huge risk," he warned. "You don't have to answer right now. I can give you and Joe some time alone to think and discuss it."
"Ultimately this is your decision to make, Rob but I know what I'd choose…" Joe said.
Robyn nodded. "We don't need any extra time. If I don't get the surgery, I die. If I get the surgery and it spreads, I still die but if there's a chance with this option, I want to take it. Let's do it! I basically have nothing to lose."
"Alright," Dr. Foster looked at the notepad he was holding. "We'll operate tomorrow at 7 AM."
It seemed as if time was racing by that night. Robyn called her parents to keep them in the loop and Joe notified management about the procedure.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"I'm nervous and scared of course but I'm just ready to get it over with so we can know how to move forward...if there is a forward to move on to," she answered. "What about you?"
"I'm feeling the same. Let's not stress over it, okay?" he replied. "Everything is going to be fine."
"But there's a 50% chance it won't be…"
"Robyn!" he hissed.
"Leati!" she hissed back. "We've been tiptoeing around it for months now. I know you want to remain optimistic until the bitter end but we're at it now. We have to treat death like a real possibility because it is."
Sighing heavily, Joe rolled his shoulders and sat back in the chair. "Well, first of all, I didn't like the 'I have nothing to lose' statement you made earlier to Dr. Foster. What about your life, the career you worked so hard for, your family, your friends, your fans...me. I can handle just about anything, as long as I have you in my life, which is why I remain optimistic because I don't want to think about a future without you. I just got you back in October after we got rid of Ricochet and Galina finally filed for divorce. We only had 3 good months together as an official couple before this happened so hell no I'm not acknowledging the possibility of losing you already! Now if Dr. Foster walks back in here tomorrow after the surgery and tells us that he tried his best and there's nothing more he can do, then we'll have that conversation and not a moment before."
"You have a grossly positive personality but I still love you," she smiled.
"And you're morbidly pessimistic but I still love you too," he pulled his chair closer to the bed and laid his head on her lap.
Robyn had a hard time sleeping that night but Joe on the other hand slept like a baby. She was waiting when the nurses came in at 6 to get her prepped for surgery. Then, Dr. Foster came in and described the procedure in detail while she grimaced at the mental images. He left the room, leaving her alone with Joe. Robyn stared at the ceiling. Her mind raced as she felt fear creeping up her spine.
She looked over at Joe. His head was bowed as if he was silently praying. She waited a few minutes before disturbing him. "Joe, I know sometimes when I'm asleep you go outside or over to visit your family but please stay here. I don't care if the surgery lasts 8 hours, I want to see your face when I wake up. If I wake up and see anyone else standing over me, I'll be convinced I died and the person that I'll be looking up at is part of the heaven welcome wagon or something. Maybe even hell, I did help you commit adultery that one time."
Joe laughed. "Stop it."
"I'm serious. That's one of the 10 Commandments. The 7th, I think," she chuckled. "I'm serious, though. Please don't leave me."
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going anywhere. I promise. I'll be here," he assured her.
A nurse came in with a syringe and injected a sedative into Robyn's IV. She instantly felt relaxed and another nurse unlocked the hospital bed to start rolling her out. She felt herself starting to drift. "Can he walk with me?"
"Sure, he can walk with you until we make it to the operating room," one said.
Joe held her hand down the hallway, around the corner and down another hall. Her eyes were slowly closing when he let go and all she saw was the bright lights of the operating room.
A few hours later, Robyn slowly gained consciousness, the world around her drifting in and out of coherence. The room was quiet with the exception of the heart monitor beeping. The lights were dim and all she could make out was a shadow standing over her. Her eyes closed again and she went back to sleep.
Thirty minutes later, the same thing happened but this time, the lights were on and she could see clearer. Joe's grin brightened the room. "You better have some good news because a smile like that would be cruel just to tell me that the surgery was unsuccessful and I'm going to die."
"Quite the opposite. Dr. Foster spoke with me while you were in recovery. They removed at least 75 percent of the cancerous tissue and cells in your body. Now of course they're going to have to continue running tests and monitor you over the next few days to make sure it doesn't spread and if it doesn't, the chemo alone will be enough to knock it out. No need for radiation."
Robyn yawned, the anesthesia still hadn't worn off. "That's good."
Joe's smile didn't diminish. "No, that's great. You're on your way to beating this thing in maybe 2-3 months top."
"No, Joe. Together, me and you, beat it. I don't think I could've done this without you. You never faltered and was always there to give me strength where I was weak," Robyn moved her hand along the bed sheet and Joe put it into his palm.
"That's right, you and me," Joe squeezed her fingers gently. "I promised you I'd be here when you woke up, didn't I?"
"Yes," she nodded weakly.
"You get some rest, baby," he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
Although things were looking up, she still hadn't told anyone about the outcome of surgery. She wanted to be 100% sure before letting the cat out of the bag to her loved ones. It was a week later when Dr. Foster returned.
"I just examined your scans and there's no sign of growth or spread to other areas of the body," he informed.
Robyn and Joe looked at each other at the same time, eyes locked. The joy on his face matched hers. Finally, she exhaled, knowing this whole ordeal was almost over. "What now?"
"We're going to give you four more weeks of treatment for what's left," Foster smiled before speaking his next sentence. "You have the option of staying here or Mr. Anoai can take you home."
She didn't need to think about it. "Mr. Anoa'i can take me home."
