A least now Vince could dip his toes into what it meant to be with a cancer patient, with his eyes wide open.
Maybe he was strong enough to handle it. Maybe not.
Time would tell.
Of course, it helped boost Lace’s belief that maybe he could weather the storm, in the way he wasn’t shying away from all those adorable but bruised-eyed, bald-pated youngsters down the hall. That said a lot about his character.
Maybe, just maybe, he’d stick around with her. But Lace was being selfish here.
Her woes were nothing compared to Inez’s, and she shouldn’t even be thinking about them.
Lace was a grown up. She was used to dealing with disappointments and unexpected blows. The one where she’d lost her grandparents too early had been the hardest, by far. Even more so than the cancer. But through it all she’d managed to keep on with her life, and her job, because she had one good friend.
Inez had no one,andcancer on top of that shit-sundae that she’d been served. The thought made Lace want to cry. Why did life suck so badly sometimes? And, once again she asked herself, what more could she do to make things a little better for Inez?
“Thanks, Giliana,” Lace told her nurse once her port had been liberated. “I have one more thing to ask.”
Lace went on with an appeal she knew might sound strange, but Giliana didn’t blink.
“I’ll see that your request is approved,” she said without hesitation.
“Thanks,” Lace responded, relieved. “And now…do you mind if I hang out here for just a little while? Vincent is supposed to come back.”
“Oooh, girl. You take your time. And if you can get him to drop those robes and show us what’s underneath, I’ll make you a promise. On my honor, your next infusion will be chocolate flavored.”
Yup.Everyone knew her weakness.
Lace laughed at the absurdity, but immediately pictured herself as one of those overflowing chocolate fountains, with melted brown yumminess spouting from her fingers to cascade down her naked body.
Mmm.Did Vincent like chocolate, and would he lick?—?
“Hey. You’re looking pretty chipper for someone who was hugging the porcelain just a few hours ago.” Vincent’s voice broke Lace out of her trance.
She nearly choked on her own spit, but managed to clear her throat.
“Uh, just thinking of stopping at Dunkies on the way home for a large, hot chocolate,” she lied. No need to let him know where her mind hadreallybeen, or that she wouldn’t be making that stop because…bus.
“Seriously? In the ninety-degree heat of August? Do they even sell that shit in the summer?”
“Of course they do,” Lace responded with some manufactured, but humorous indignation. “Chocolatedoesn’t observe seasons.” She managed to look appalled. “Don’t tell me you’re not a chocolate person, because if you do, I’m not sure we can be friends.”
Vince held up both hands. “No. No. I love the stuff. But this time of year, I prefer mine as ice cream.”
Lace lit up. “Oooh. Now that sounds really good. Maybe a stop at Giffords on the way home…”Dream on. The bus situation put a kibosh on that, as well.
But, holy shit.When was the last time she’d felt like eating anything right after chemo? Like, never? Itmusthave something to do with having purged her stomach earlier.
Now, shereallywanted to feed her inner sugar-freak.
Too bad it wasn’t in the cards.
“We could go together,” Vince suggested. “I mean, it would give us a chance to talk about Inez, in private.”
“Itwould,” Lace agreed, excited.
She was still marveling that she wasn’t dead tired and making immediate excuses to go home where she could crash on her couch. “I could, umm, meet you there,” she offered, although how she would manage that, was something she’d have to figure out.
“Or, I could give you a ride, then bring you back to get your car, after,” he proposed.