Wicked Beat

She laughed, picturing herself with one long chunk of purple hair taped to her bald head.

“If you’re sick, I’ll take care of you. If you’re skinny, I’ll feed you every flavor of scrambled eggs you can imagine.”

“Okay, you’ve gone too far with that one.”

“What I won’t do is let you give up. I won’t bury you without a fight, Rebekah. And you’re going to have to do all the fighting, sweetheart. You have to be the strong one. All I can do is hold your hand and stand beside you.”

A movement behind Eric caught Rebekah’s attention. Her mother stood there with tears in her eyes. Mom grabbed Eric around the neck and hugged his head against her ample bosom. Rebekah laughed at his startled expression.

“How long have you been here?” Rebekah asked her mother.

Her mom smiled. “Long enough. Doctor Palmer told me you were down here and could probably use some support while you waited for your results.” She grabbed Eric by both ears and pulled him away from her chest to look at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize how much you love my daughter. I get… confused sometimes. I can see you now.” She ruffled his wild hair with both hands. “Not just the crazy hair and the tattoos, but what’s inside.”

“Blood and guts?” Eric said.

Rebekah laughed and hit him with a spare pillow.

“Well, no,” Mom said, looking a tad queasy. “I don’t really want to see that. I see that you love her unconditionally. I trust you to take care of her. It’s a big responsibility. She’s always been a difficult one. You sure you want the job?”

Eric glanced at Rebekah and smiled. “I’m sure.”

“Well, hello Mrs. Blake,” Doctor Palmer said as he walked into the room. “How are you feeling?”

Mom turned and smiled. “Amazing. This new prescription has made all the difference. And my daughter is getting married!”

Doctor Palmer chuckled. “I kind of figured that out on my own. Her engagement ring is huge.”

“And I want to be there,” Mom added. That was the real news.

Rebekah’s heart warmed. With Eric and her family’s support, she could get through another cycle of chemo if she had to. She stared at her doctor, feeling a strength she hadn’t possessed twenty minutes ago. “Do you have the results of the biopsy?” she asked.

Eric grabbed her hand and squeezed.

Doctor Palmer beamed. “False alarm. The suspicious mass was just dense scar tissue and some entirely normal fibroblasts. No signs of cancer at all.”

Eric hugged her so hard, she thought she might pass out.

When he pulled away, he wiped his tears on the hem of his T-shirt.

“Looks like I won’t need your lock of purple hair after all,” Rebekah said.

He laughed. “Everything that’s mine is yours.” He looked at the doctor. “Can she leave now? We have an appointment with a justice of the peace in twenty minutes.”

“We do?” Rebekah asked.

“Yeah, just let me call and make one.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started searching the Internet for numbers. After a moment, he looked up. “Unless you want the big fancy wedding.”

She pondered for a moment. “Nope, I want a quick wedding and a big fancy reception and a lifelong honeymoon.”

Eric grinned and leaned forward to kiss her. His fingertips against her jaw, his lips tugged hers with gentle suction and incomparable tenderness. When he pulled away, he offered her a tender smile. “Well, if you insist.”