Chapter 17

“Well, I didn’tcatch it early.” She looked away quickly, eyes bright, making an effort to breathe, to calm herself. Finally, she won. “It had gone into the lymph nodes and progressed real quick.” She smiled, but if Hank had ever seen a smile look sadder, he couldn’t remember when. “Ran riot in there.”

Hank came to his mom and took her in his arms. What was there to say? He had questions, but those could wait. Right now the simple melding of their two bodies, their arms wrapped around each other tightly, said more than words ever could. They stood like that for a long time, while Hank marveled at how small and vulnerable his mother felt, like a child or a little bird. She had always seemed so strong to him, as though no harm could come to her.

It shook his world to the core.

When they had both stopped weeping, he whispered a question he really didn’t want to ask. But he had to know. “How long?”