Destiny's Wish (10 page)

The world seemed to stop spinning as Nora sat there in the living room, holding Destiny’s latest test results. After six weeks of treatments, her cancer was nearly gone—but nearly wasn’t enough. They needed it to be completely in remission.

“What now?” She glanced up at Kingsley who was sitting across from her.

“Destiny’s results show the treatment is working, and besides her fatigue there have been few side effects.”

“She still has cancer.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat and blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. “What is our next course of action?”

“I’d like to give her a week-long break and then begin the treatments again. Another six weeks should kill all the remaining cancer cells.”

“The studies that have already been conducted have been for a max of six weeks.” Brian grabbed the paper and read it over before taking hold of Nora’s hand. “What additional consequences could there be for doubling the treatment?”

“We don’t know.” Kingsley shook his head. “Destiny will be the first to go past the six weeks recommended, but I feel this is her best chance. It’s either continue this treatment or do the chemotherapy and radiation, which is what we’ve been trying to avoid.”

“You want to experiment more on my daughter.” Dark spots danced within her vision.

“No, I want to make her healthy again.” He scooted to the edge of the chair and took her other hand. “You can see these treatments have worked. Look at how much the tumor has shrunk, the blood results show dramatic changes. This is her best chance.”

“I don’t know.” She had counted down the days until the treatments would be over, praying her little girl would be in remission again. Now the world dropped out from under her.

“I’ll monitor her condition carefully and we’ll take each treatment one step at a time to see how she reacts to it. You’ve come this far to stay away from the other options, we can’t give up now.”

“Brian?” She glanced at him.

“I think we have no other option. She’s nearly there. We know what the other choice is and how badly she reacted to the radiation. I know you don’t want to put her through that again.” He squeezed her hand. “This is Kingsley’s specialty, if he believes it’s the best course of action for us, then I trust him. We don’t know what happens with additional treatments because it hasn’t been done yet, but we’ll all be there for her. She’ll get through this.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “One treatment at a time and we’ll see how it goes. If she gets sick from this, we’ll reconsider our options.”

“I apologize for interrupting, Nora.” Greta stood in the doorway to the living room, the portable phone in her hand. “It’s the call you’ve been waiting for.”

“Please excuse me, this is important. Kingsley, don’t leave, I’ll be right back.” Nora rose from the sofa, her heart fluttering in her chest. She hoped this would be the call that proved she was capable of doing what Chelsea needed for Hope’s Toy Chest.

Taking the phone from Greta, Nora stepped out of the living room and moved down the hallway. “Hello.”

“Mrs. West.”

Nora paused for a moment before answering, still trying to get used to being Mrs. West. “Yes, this is she.”

“I’m Trina Winston, Leena’s assistant, and I’m returning your call about the possibility of her doing a benefit concert. She’s on tour until June and is due back in the studio in September. Did you have a date in mind for this benefit?”

“I realize her schedule is hectic, so I’m willing to work with any time frame she can provide. It would be an honor to have her come perform.”

“One moment, please.” There was a shuffling noise, and then Trina said something to someone else before another voice came on the line.

“Nora, this is Leena. I remember you, though you were Nora Horton then. I was told you were no longer with my promotional company.”

“That’s correct. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer and I moved to Montana so she could go through treatments. It gave me an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend who’s a doctor at the hospital, and one thing led to another.” Nora leaned against the wall. “When the idea of us doing a benefit concert came up, I immediately thought of you.”

“Because of my sister,” Leena supplied.

“I’m sorry, but yes. I thought because of your past experience with this disease, you might be interested in helping us raise money to benefit the lives of these children.”

“That’s why I’m doing it.” Leena paused for a moment. “Any day in July and I’ll be there. Once you’ve set up the venue, you can contact me directly at—”

“One moment, let me grab a pen.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have your cell phone number, I’ll text you my information.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank
you
.” Leena let out a deep sigh. “This couldn’t have come at a better time for me.”

The call ended and Nora couldn’t believe her luck. “Holy crap!” She set the phone on the hall table. This connection had been made when she’d been with the marketing firm, and now it was giving her the biggest break possible for Hope’s Toy Chest.

“The news you were waiting for?”

She looked down the hall to find Brian standing there with Kingsley by his side. “Yes.” The smile stretching over her face couldn’t be etched off with a chisel. “Kingsley, could you pass on a message to Chelsea?”

“Sure, I’m heading to meet her for dinner right now. She texted me that she was craving hot wings, so we’re going to the chicken place in town.”

“Tell her I got Leena for the benefit concert. I’ll call tomorrow to book the venue.”

“Leena, the country singer?” He sounded surprised as he took his coat from Brian.

“That’s her. She’ll do a benefit concert for Hope’s Toy Chest in July.”

“Wow, you really are the perfect fit for this. I know Chelsea is glad to have the help.” He buttoned his coat. “I’ve got to go, can’t keep the wife waiting. Just remember not to stress about Destiny and the additional treatments. Your little girl is strong, she’s going to make it through this, and we’ll be watching her.”

“Thanks.” Brian opened the door for Kingsley. “I appreciate you coming here to tell us.”

With the door closed, Brian turned to her. “You okay?”

“I’m worried about Destiny, and extending her treatments, but he’s right. We’re going to get through this. With you by my side, I know everything’s going to be okay.” She crossed the distance between them.

“I’m so proud of you.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her against him. “All the work you’ve done to get Leena and this benefit concert is going to pay off. When do we get to tell Destiny that Leena’s coming here?”

“Not until I get the contracts signed. I don’t want her spreading it around the hospital until it’s official.” She laced her arms around his neck. “Instead of telling me how proud you are of my work, why don’t we go upstairs and you can make me forget about these upcoming treatments?”

“That could be arranged.” He lifted her into his arms and strolled toward the staircase.

“I still can’t believe we’re married. Two weeks later, and I still can’t get used to someone calling me Mrs. West.”

“Believe it, because in another week, Destiny will be a West as well.”

She had the family she thought she’d lost when Jim died. Love had finally been brought back into her life, and she couldn’t have been happier.

Born and raised in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour from Washington, D.C. She’s a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy doing something. With two different college degrees, she believes you’re never done learning.

Being the first daughter to an avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age. Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn't until she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she came up with.

Marissa is blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He’s her other half and allows her to stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night.

Her writing buddies Max (a cocker spaniel) and Dawne (a beagle mix) are always around to listen to her bounce ideas off them. They might not be able to answer, but they are helpful in their own ways.

She love to hear from readers so send her an email at [email protected] or visit her online at
http://www.marissadobson.com
.

Alaskan Tigers:

Tiger Time

The Tiger’s Heart

Tigress for Two

Night with a Tiger

Trusting a Tiger

Jinx’s Mate

Two for Protection

Bearing Secrets

Stormkin:

Storm Queen

Reaper:

A Touch of Death

Beyond Monogamy:

Theirs to Tresure

SEALed for You:

Ace in the Hole

Explosive Passion

Capturing a Diamond

Operation Family

Cedar Grove Medical:

Hope’s Toy Chest

Destiny’s Wish

Fate Series:

Snowy Fate

Sarah’s Fate

Mason’s Fate

As Fate Would Have It

Half Moon Harbor Resort:

Learning to Live

Learning What Love Is

Her Cowboy’s Heart

Half Moon Harbor Resort Volume One

Clearwater:

Winterbloom

Unexpected Forever

Losing to Win

Christmas Countdown

The Surrogate

Clearwater Romance Volume One

Small Town Doctor

Stand Alone:

Starting Over

Secret Valentine

Restoring Love

The Twelve Seductive Days of Christmas