instead?’
‘No. Nothing, Lucy.’
‘I’ll get them to wrap this up in case we want it later.’
A waiter brings a cake to the next table and they start to sing ‘Happy Birthday’.
‘I need to speak to Lana,’ Chantal says. ‘That will give me the courage I need to face the tests this afternoon.’
‘This isn’t the place,’ I say. ‘Go out into the sunshine. There was a bench just across the road. Sit there and I’ll be out in a minute.’
Chantal dabs her eyes again and then leaves. I pay the bill, get them to box up the cheese and bread. I have no idea why, really. At the moment, I feel like I’ll never eat again, so I can’t imagine how this must be affecting my dear friend. I call Crush and leave a message to tell him what’s happened and that I might be back late. I think about calling Autumn and Nadia but don’t want to worry them just yet.
By the time I get outside it isn’t sunny, it’s cold and cloudy. I try not to shiver. Chantal is already speaking to Lana. I drop onto the bench next to her.
‘Hello, baby girl,’ she coos. ‘Have you been good for Jacob?’
I can hear Lana’s scribble talk in the background and it brings a smile to Chantal’s lips.
‘Mummy loves you very, very much,’ she says and a sob catches in her throat.
I slip my arm round her shoulders.
‘I’ll be home soon.’ Jacob takes over the phone. ‘See you later,’ Chantal says. ‘I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.’
I hear him say, ‘I love you.’
‘I love you, too,’ Chantal responds. Then she hangs up.
I hand her a tissue and she blows her nose. ‘Better?’
‘Yeah. Much.’
Glancing at my watch, I say, ‘Ready to do this?’
‘Do I have any choice?’
‘No, but you’re made of strong stuff. You can cope.’ I’ve never seen my friend look quite so afraid.
‘I’m glad you’re here, Lucy. I don’t think I could face it without you.’
I wish I was having the tests instead of her. I hook my arm through hers and together we stand. Then we exchange a glance and head off back towards the hospital.
Chapter Sixteen
First Chantal had some blood taken and an ultrasound scan and now, less than two hours later, she found herself lying on the bed in a tiny room waiting for a biopsy. She’d told Jacob not to worry. If she was honest, she was doing enough worrying for both of them. The speed at which everything was moving was quite alarming.
‘This is terrifying,’ Chantal whispered to Lucy, who sat at the other end of the bed.
‘You’ll be fine,’ Lucy said, sticking determinedly to her view that all this would produce a positive outcome. Now Chantal wasn’t quite so sure. ‘The doctor said it won’t take long.’
When the doctor came he produced some sort of implement that looked like a gun and took tissue samples of the breast tissue. But it wasn’t fine. It hurt like hell. Lucy gently stroked her feet to distract her as she winced in pain while he punched enough holes to turn her into a colander.
When it was over, she and Lucy sat in the waiting room for another half an hour. Lucy got them both tea from the machine and they sat in silence. At this point, even Lucy had run out of comforting things to say. They both felt and looked drained. Chantal’s fingers trembled as she drank the scalding, weak tea.
Shortly they were called back into Livia Davis’s office and she sat behind her desk. Her face was grim. ‘I believe in straight talking, Chantal, and I’m sure you do. This is never easy to say, but I’m afraid that you do have cancer.’
Chantal felt her head swim and Lucy gripped her arm tightly.
‘I can’t believe it,’ she managed.
‘I know everyone hates that word and it’s a big shock to hear it. Cancer isn’t the death sentence it once was. We have excellent success with treatment now.’
The brutality of it hit her all over again. Livia certainly wasn’t dressing this up. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that even with the more aggressive cancers we can often give
‘No. Nothing, Lucy.’
‘I’ll get them to wrap this up in case we want it later.’
A waiter brings a cake to the next table and they start to sing ‘Happy Birthday’.
‘I need to speak to Lana,’ Chantal says. ‘That will give me the courage I need to face the tests this afternoon.’
‘This isn’t the place,’ I say. ‘Go out into the sunshine. There was a bench just across the road. Sit there and I’ll be out in a minute.’
Chantal dabs her eyes again and then leaves. I pay the bill, get them to box up the cheese and bread. I have no idea why, really. At the moment, I feel like I’ll never eat again, so I can’t imagine how this must be affecting my dear friend. I call Crush and leave a message to tell him what’s happened and that I might be back late. I think about calling Autumn and Nadia but don’t want to worry them just yet.
By the time I get outside it isn’t sunny, it’s cold and cloudy. I try not to shiver. Chantal is already speaking to Lana. I drop onto the bench next to her.
‘Hello, baby girl,’ she coos. ‘Have you been good for Jacob?’
I can hear Lana’s scribble talk in the background and it brings a smile to Chantal’s lips.
‘Mummy loves you very, very much,’ she says and a sob catches in her throat.
I slip my arm round her shoulders.
‘I’ll be home soon.’ Jacob takes over the phone. ‘See you later,’ Chantal says. ‘I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.’
I hear him say, ‘I love you.’
‘I love you, too,’ Chantal responds. Then she hangs up.
I hand her a tissue and she blows her nose. ‘Better?’
‘Yeah. Much.’
Glancing at my watch, I say, ‘Ready to do this?’
‘Do I have any choice?’
‘No, but you’re made of strong stuff. You can cope.’ I’ve never seen my friend look quite so afraid.
‘I’m glad you’re here, Lucy. I don’t think I could face it without you.’
I wish I was having the tests instead of her. I hook my arm through hers and together we stand. Then we exchange a glance and head off back towards the hospital.
Chapter Sixteen
First Chantal had some blood taken and an ultrasound scan and now, less than two hours later, she found herself lying on the bed in a tiny room waiting for a biopsy. She’d told Jacob not to worry. If she was honest, she was doing enough worrying for both of them. The speed at which everything was moving was quite alarming.
‘This is terrifying,’ Chantal whispered to Lucy, who sat at the other end of the bed.
‘You’ll be fine,’ Lucy said, sticking determinedly to her view that all this would produce a positive outcome. Now Chantal wasn’t quite so sure. ‘The doctor said it won’t take long.’
When the doctor came he produced some sort of implement that looked like a gun and took tissue samples of the breast tissue. But it wasn’t fine. It hurt like hell. Lucy gently stroked her feet to distract her as she winced in pain while he punched enough holes to turn her into a colander.
When it was over, she and Lucy sat in the waiting room for another half an hour. Lucy got them both tea from the machine and they sat in silence. At this point, even Lucy had run out of comforting things to say. They both felt and looked drained. Chantal’s fingers trembled as she drank the scalding, weak tea.
Shortly they were called back into Livia Davis’s office and she sat behind her desk. Her face was grim. ‘I believe in straight talking, Chantal, and I’m sure you do. This is never easy to say, but I’m afraid that you do have cancer.’
Chantal felt her head swim and Lucy gripped her arm tightly.
‘I can’t believe it,’ she managed.
‘I know everyone hates that word and it’s a big shock to hear it. Cancer isn’t the death sentence it once was. We have excellent success with treatment now.’
The brutality of it hit her all over again. Livia certainly wasn’t dressing this up. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that even with the more aggressive cancers we can often give
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