Playing For Keeps Read online

  “So, no chemotherapy would be needed?” I ask.

  “No, at least not at this point. Chemotherapy isn’t the first treatment we go to with prostate cancer, like we would with other cancers. Radiation tends to be the best start, and especially with cases like your dad’s that are in the early stages.”

  “Ok, so how soon would we start with treatment, then?” I ask.

  “I’ll order the CT scan and depending on how quickly they can get you in for that, will depend on how quickly we can start the radiation. It takes a day or so to get the CT loaded into the radiation machine and everything mapped correctly. Once we have that done, we can schedule the radiation appointments. If all goes to plan easily, we should be able to start the radiation by the end of next week, the beginning of the following week, at the latest.”

  “Wow, so within the next month, at the longest, and we’ll be done with his treatment,” I state, shocked that it could be done and over with so quickly.

  “That’s my hope and plan. Do either of you have any other questions for me for now?”

  “None that I can think of. How about you, Madison?”

  “Not that I can think of at the moment.”

  “If you think of anything, you can send us a message through our chart app and one of the nurses or doctors will reply to you.”

  “I’ll make sure we get it downloaded.”

  “Sounds good. I’ve sent the order for the CT, so someone should be calling you soon to schedule that. I’ve asked them to get you in as soon as possible, as well as rush the images directly to the radiation department. Once they receive them and have them mapped, you will receive a call from them to schedule those appointments. Now, for those, you may want someone to drive you to and from them. Some patients can be a little weak after each appointment, so we don’t recommend driving after.”

  “That’s not a problem, I can drive him to every appointment.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll want to see you back here in the office the day after your first radiation treatment, so once you have those scheduled, either call or send a message via the app for an appointment request. Let us know what day you will be starting the radiation, and we’ll get you scheduled for that follow up.”

  “Thank you,” Dad says to Dr. Raymond.

  “You’re welcome, Thomas. I’ll see you soon, and before you know it, you’ll be past this blip in life. I have total confidence that you’ll beat this and be back to normal life in a short time.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Raymond,” I say, as she stands to leave the room.

  Dad and I collect our things and head for the checkout, and then to the car.

  “So, that wasn’t so bad,” Dad comments as I start the car.

  “I guess not in the scheme of things. I thought that you’d have needed months of treatment, not just five treatments over ten days. Hearing her optimistic view is refreshing. I just hope it works like she thinks it will.”

  “Have faith, baby girl. Like I told you, I don’t plan on letting this take me down. I’m ready to fight the good fight.”

  “I know, Daddy. And I’m glad you’re ready to fight this, and I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”

  “I know you will. Now, take this old man home.”

  I laugh as I continue winding my way out of the parking garage and back to my dad’s house.

  As I pull into the driveway to drop him off, Dad reaches over and squeezes my hand.

  “Thank you for going with me today. I’ll call you as soon as they call me to schedule my CT scan. For now, I think I’m going to go take me a little nap.”

  “Okay, we’ll talk later. Enjoy your nap,” I tell him, leaning over and placing a kiss on his cheek before he gets out of the car and heads inside.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Richard

  I finish practice and head for the locker room. I’m anxious to see if Madison has texted me with the news from the appointment this morning. It was never far from my mind during practice and caused me to mess up a few times. Scott and Brian both noticed, as did Coach. I’m surprised I didn’t get my ass chewed out by him because of it, but I’m sure he’d understand if I had to explain to him what was going on. At least Scott and Brian already know what’s up.

  I reach my stall and after tossing my gloves down, I grab my cell and check it. I’ve got one text waiting from Madison. After reading it, my fears were confirmed that he does, in fact, have cancer.

  Richard: Hey babe, I’m sorry about your dad. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I’m done with practice, but about to hit the showers and then need to stop in and see one of the trainers about my knee. It was bothering me all during practice. Love you.

  I toss my phone back onto the shelf in my stall and grab my bag, hitting the showers. I’m anxious to get out of here and get to Madison. I’m sure she’s stressing over her dad’s diagnosis and everything that it will entail. But it also sounds promising that they already were headed to an appointment with the oncologist.

  I stop in the trainer’s room and find Josh Burr finishing up with Scott.

  “Hey, Murph, what’s up?” Josh asks.

  “My knee’s been bothering me all practice. Think you can work on it before I leave?”

  “Yep, take a seat on the table there and I’ll be with you in just a few minutes.”

  “Any news from Madison yet?” Scott asks.

  “Yeah.” I blow out a big breath. “She texted a while ago, said the results came back positive. They were having lunch and then headed to the oncologist this afternoon.”

  “That sucks, man.”

  “Yeah, no shit. I’m sure she’s stressing out over it. I just want to get out of here and to her.”

  “Well, let me know if Becca or I can do anything for any of you. You know we’re just a call away.”

  “I know, and thanks, man,” I tell him as he hops off the other trainer’s table.

  “I’ll catch you later,” Scott says as he leaves the room.

  “So, what’s going on with the knee today?” Josh asks, when we’re alone.

  “It started pretty stiff this morning, then progressed to twinges of pain, and now, it’s just a dull constant ache. I probably tweaked it and didn’t realize.”

  “Okay, let me start with stretching you out. Then we’ll see how it’s feeling after that, and if needed, do some more things to see if we can figure anything else out.”

  Josh stretches out my legs, focusing on my knee most of the time. After being stretched out, the pain lets up a little, but Josh still works on it for a little longer.

  “All right, I want you to ice the knee a few times tonight. Elevate it when you do and come see me in the morning before you dress out for practice. If this is a possible serious injury, I want to be proactive on keeping it from being something that takes you out of the game for a long time, or even permanently.”

  “Sounds good, man. I can keep it iced tonight and I’ll see you back here in the morning.”

  We’ve got another game tomorrow night, and then we head out on another road trip. So, I want to make sure I’m healthy and ready to play for those games.

  I head home, hoping to find Madison already there. She hasn’t replied to my texts earlier, so I have no idea if she’s done with her dad’s appointments or not.

  I walk into a mostly quiet house. I can hear the TV on low in the living room, so I walk that way. I find Madison asleep on the couch with Max curled up next to her. He perks up when I walk into the room but makes no move to leave her. He must know she needs him right now.

  I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and an ice pack from the freezer, then sit down on the opposite end of the couch. I grab the remote and change the channel, to catch the sports highlights and to see how the other teams in the league are doing. With multiple teams still fighting for their playoff spots, each and every point is so important at this time in the season.

  I ice my knee as I quietly watch the TV, not wanting to wake up Madison from her
nap, but I find myself not paying much attention, as my focus is drawn to her sleeping form. She looks so peaceful, lying here on my couch, Max curled up next to her as she hugs him closely. Once again, I find myself jealous of my damn dog.

  I watch as she takes in slow breaths, how relaxed her body looks, and how she doesn’t look stressed to the max with the weight of her dad’s health on her shoulders. As much as I want to know what they found out today at the doctor, I know she needs her sleep.

  I turn my attention back to the TV, starting to feel like a creeper with the way I was watching her sleep. I hear a buzzing sound and look over to see her phone vibrating against the end table. I stand up and grab it, so it doesn’t wake her up. Her dad’s face fills the screen, so I slide my finger along it to answer the call.

  “Hello,” I say quietly.

  “Richard?” Thomas says over the line.

  I walk back toward the bedroom, waiting until I’m a few steps down the hall before I reply again.

  “Hey, Thomas. Mads is asleep on the couch. She was that way when I got home a little bit ago. Is everything okay?”

  “Good, she looked tired today, so I’m glad she’s getting in a little rest. I’m good, was just calling to let her know my CT scan is scheduled for tomorrow at noon. I’ll need to check in about fifteen minutes early.”

  “I’ll pass that information on and have her call you when she wakes up. How did your appointment go this afternoon?”

  “A lot better than either of us thought it would. We’re going to do a radiation treatment that will only take five treatments spread out over ten days. Apparently, this newer treatment protocol is showing the same outcomes as the longer regimens that have thirty to forty treatments, but without all the side effects that come with being exposed to that much radiation. I have to have the CT scan, so they can target exactly where I need it.”

  “That’s great news.”

  “It is, and I think hearing that my treatment plan is so much shorter than what both Madison and I had thought it would be was a weight off of her shoulders. I think she was expecting it to be like Judy’s treatment, that lasted months and months and required multiple treatment regimen changes, since her body wasn’t responding to the chemo drugs.”

  We chat for a few more minutes and I promise once again to have Madison call him once she’s awake. He didn’t want me trying to wake her, knowing that she needs her rest.

  I return to the couch, a new ice pack in my hand for my knee, which is feeling a little better now.

  Max shifts, working his way out of Madison’s arms, and heads for his dog door to go outside. The movement from him leaving the couch has Madison stretching and slowly waking up.

  “Hi,” I say quietly, still sitting next to her.

  “Hi,” she says on a yawn. “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost six.”

  “What! Holy shit, I must have been tired, but why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “Because I know you needed the sleep, and you looked so peaceful asleep, with Max curled up with you.”

  “How long have you been home?”

  “A couple of hours.”

  “You should have woken me up,” she says again.

  “Your dad called a little bit ago. I told him I’d have you call him back, but he was calling because his CT scan is tomorrow at noon.”

  “Oh good. I’m glad they got him in so quickly. He can’t start the radiation treatment until we have the images from that scan.”

  “That’s what he was telling me. He explained the treatment plan the doctor wants to put him on. It sounds really promising, and I like that it isn’t going to take a long time.”

  “Yeah, I was surprised about that myself. I’d never heard of such a short treatment plan. I like that it doesn’t have the huge list of side effects like the other treatments can come with.”

  “Why don’t you call your dad back and I’ll go see what I can make for dinner. Unless you wanted to go out to eat, or I can order something in.”

  “Thanks, whatever you come up with is fine with me. I think I’d rather just stay in, if you don’t mind,” she tells me as I stand, bending over to kiss her on the lips.

  “Sounds perfect, babe. I’ll go see what I can put together,” I say, kissing her again before I head for the kitchen.

  Chapter Twenty

  Madison

  “Hey, Daddy, Richard told me you called.”

  “I did. CT is all scheduled, and I’ll need to check in by 11:45. Did you still want to come with me to that appointment?”

  “Of course. Did you want me to pick you up again?”

  “That’s up to you. I can drive myself if you have work to do tomorrow.”

  “I’m completely at your service. I’ve been working from home this week some, and my office knows how to reach me if it’s an emergency. I’ll be available to help you anytime you need me during your treatment.”

  “Well then, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.” My dad laughs.

  “See you in the morning, Dad. I love you.”

  “Love you, too, baby girl. Have a good night.”

  I hang up with my dad and fall back against the couch cushion. Now that I’m fully awake and Richard mentioned food, I’m starving. My stomach growls loudly, so I get up to go see if I can be of any help in the kitchen.

  “Hey, babe,” Richard says, snaking an arm around my waist and placing a kiss just under my ear. “How’d the call with your dad go?”

  “Fine, I just confirmed with him that I’ll pick him up in the morning,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his torso and close the small amount of distance between us. “What did you find to make us? I’m starving all of a sudden.”

  “I’m heating up some of the fajitas we had left over from the other day. It shouldn’t take much longer before they are ready.”

  “Sounds and smells good to me,” I reply. “Need me to do anything?”

  “You can make up some guacamole, if you’d like. We have a couple avocados that are nice and ripe.”

  I gather the ingredients and whip up a bowl full of guacamole, finishing up just about the same time that Richard removes the pan from the burner and transfers the fajitas to a platter that he carries to the table, along with our plates. I grab the tortillas and toppings and join Richard at the table.

  “Thank you for always feeding me,” I tell him, taking a huge bite that makes me moan.

  “I’ll always feed you,” he says, winking at me.

  “I know,” I say on a sigh. “You’re so good to me, and I’m lucky to have you.”

  “I’m the lucky one,” he tells me, reaching out a hand to squeeze mine.

  We finish up our dinner, Max sleeping on the floor between the two of us. After cleaning up our dishes, we get the dishwasher loaded for the night.

  “Would you like to watch a movie or maybe go for a walk? We could take Max on a leisurely walk around the block, if you’d like to get some fresh air.”

  “A walk actually sounds perfect. Let me just change quick, and then we can go,” I tell him as I turn to head into the bedroom. I change into some yoga pants and a long sleeve t-shirt, then grab a hair tie from my bag in the bathroom, pulling my hair up and off my neck before we head outside.

  We walk, hand in hand, down the sidewalk and onto a paved path that snakes through Richard’s neighborhood, our pace unrushed. It’s a beautiful night; the temperature pretty perfect for springtime. Max is trotting along, happy as can be that he’s outside.

  “How are you holding up?” Richard asks, after we’ve walked for a bit in silence.

  “All right, I think. Having answers and a plan in place is helpful. I don’t feel so helpless anymore, and it’s nice to not be in that limbo state of not knowing.”

  “Your dad seems upbeat about the treatment plan.”

  “Yeah, I think we were both shocked at how short it will be, and hopefully completely successful.”

  “Are you going to have any issues
with taking the time off work to take him to his treatments?”

  “I shouldn’t. I’ve been keeping Brock up to date on what’s been happening, plus I’ve been available by phone and email when they’ve needed me. I’ll probably stop into the office tomorrow afternoon after Dad’s CT scan and catch up on some things. Once I know his radiation schedule, I’ll figure out if I’ll actually need to take time off or if I can just keep working remotely, like I’ve done this week.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to be gone so much over the next couple of weeks,” Richard tells me, squeezing my hand.

  “I know, and I wish you’d be here. But, I understand. It’s your job, and that comes with being on the road for half of the season.”

  “I’ve been thinking of something the past couple of days and I wanted to get your opinion on it, but I also knew you’d be focused on your dad.”

  “What’s that?” I ask, turning slightly toward Richard as we continue our walk.

  “What would you think of renting or selling your condo and moving into my house permanently? You’re always at my place now as it is.”

  “I am always there, and it’s not a bad idea. Would make things a little simpler and would keep me from constantly having to make trips over to grab more of my stuff. I’ll think about it and let you know what I decide. I don’t really see the need to keep it, and dealing with renting it kind of sounds like a pain in the ass.”