Disclaimer: I do not own Ten Inch Hero.

By Her Side

Chapter 3

Priestly paced the waiting room anxiously. The doctor had told him that the procedure wouldn't take too long, but the minutes were dragging by slowly. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black shorts and bounced up anxiously onto the balls of his feet.

He turned to pace the room once again and found a middle-aged woman dressed in a business suit staring at him as if he were a mugger or murderer or holder of some other sinister occupation. Priestly glanced up toward his Mohawk, grinned at the woman, and kept up his pacing.

"Family of Platisha Madison?" a nurse called from the doorway.

"Right here," Priestly called out anxiously as he hurried forward. "Is she all right?"

The nurse, one Priestly recognized from earlier, smiled. "She came through just fine. You can wait with Ms. Madison and the doctor will come to speak with you in a bit." He followed the woman in scrubs back to a curtained area where his girlfriend rested pale and sleepy in a bed with white sheets pulled up over her arms.

Priestly stepped up to the side of the bed and brushed her hair back from her face before placing a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Priestly?" she whispered sleepily.

"Right here, Beautiful," he murmured softly. "Just close your eyes and get some rest. I'll wake you up when the doctor gets here."

"Mm-hm," she yawned, her eyelids slipping closed as she reached for Priestly's hand.

Priestly pulled the hospital's plastic, uncomfortable chair up beside Tish's bed with his free hand and dropped into it with a sigh. He stared at his slumbering girlfriend as his teeth worried his lower lip. His mind was still trying to wrap around the idea that Tish could be sick, very sick. His thumb rubbed slow circles over her skin. He promised himself that he would support her in whatever way he could.

The curtain stirred, startling Priestly from his thoughts, and the doctor stepped inside the cubicle. He nodded at Priestly before he called, "Ms. Madison, we were able to complete the biopsy."

Tish's eyes blinked open slowly and it took her a moment to focus on the doctor. She squeezed Priestly's hand clumsily.

The doctor continued speaking. "We were able to remove the entire lump quite easily. It typically takes three to four days to get the results from the lab."

Priestly leaned forward in his chair. "How did it look? I mean, can you get any clues just by looking at it was to whether or not it's, you know, cancer?"

The doctor shook his head. "We won't know until the biopsy report comes back. In the meantime," the doctor glanced at Tish, "get lots of rest. I'm going to give you some pain medication and the nurse will be back with instructions for wound care. I will call you once I have the test results."

"Thank you, Doctor," Tish murmured sleepily.

"Yes, thank you," Priestly replied as he stood and offered the doctor his hand.

The doctor took it and shook firmly before leaving the young couple alone behind the curtain.

"Three to four days," Priestly growled under his breath. "How in the world do they expect us to live without knowing for three to four days?" He looked at Tish's terrified face and bit back any more complaining he wanted to do.

"We will watch movies," he told her, "and dissect them scene by scene." He planned to keep Tish laughing with a sarcastic commentary.

She gave him a watery smile, so he kept talking. "I'll go get us some food – anything you want, even if it's ice cream or some crappy salad." Her smile grew a little wider. "And isn't recovery from surgery the perfect excuse for some cuddle time with the Renaissance Man himself?"

That got a laugh. "Ice cream and movies," Tish decided. Then her lips curled into a smile. "And definitely some time curling up with my Renaissance Man."

"All right!" Priestly cheered as the nurse pulled back the curtain and brought her paperwork into Tish's small cubicle. Both of their smiles faded as she began to discuss wound care instructions. It brought them back to reality all too quickly.

Soon, the nurse left once the discharge paperwork was in Priestly's hands. He helped Tish gingerly into her clothes and had her ready when the nurse returned with a wheelchair.

Tish bit her lip and wanted to protest, but sat in the chair as the nurse instructed. Priestly went to get his truck and pulled it up to the entrance. The nurse helped Tish into the vehicle and Priestly helped her get settled.

Tish dozed off on the ride home, but awakened when Priestly opened her door.

"We're here, Beautiful," he called softly as her brushed her hair back behind her ear.

Tish blinked sleepily. "So soon?"

He chuckled. "You fell asleep as soon as I pulled away from the hospital."

"I did?" she yawned.

"Come on; let's get you inside." Priestly helped her out of the car and up the stairs to their small apartment.

Tish sighed happily as Priestly gently settled her on their well-worn, soft couch with pillows and a fuzzy blanket. Her eyelids were already slipping closed as Priestly retreated into the kitchen to get her some water.

She woke a few hours later still feeling tired, but only a tad bit sore. Priestly handed her two pain pills and a glass of water as soon as she managed to get herself into a sitting position. Then he thrust a bowl of soup into her hands.

"Can't take those meds on an empty stomach," he chided with a cheeky grin.

Tish sighed, but knew he was right. She wasn't hungry, but forced down most of the soup.

"Feel up to a movie?" Priestly asked as he took her bowl and headed back into the kitchen.

"Sure," she yawned. "What do you want to watch?"

Priestly returned to the room and held up one of their favorite comedies. "How about this one? I meant what I said about dissecting every scene. Oh, and there's ice cream in the freezer."

Tish huffed a laugh and watched as Priestly slid the DVD into the player before joining her on the couch.

"Do you want the ice cream now or later?" he asked.

"Later," she sighed as she curled against him, careful of her wound. Priestly's arm slid around her shoulders and she felt warm and safe. Tish felt her eyes closing against her will, and she drifted off to sleep on her boyfriend's shoulder.

She woke sometime later still on Priestly's shoulder. Her stomach was churning angrily and she groaned.

"Tish?" Priestly queried, sitting up so he could look at her face. "Are you all right?"

"Feel sick," she murmured.

"You need to get to the bathroom?" Priestly asked and when she nodded he began to help her to her feet. She was a bit wobbly from the pain meds, but forced one foot in front of the other as Priestly held her arm.

By the time they made it down the short hallway to their tiny bathroom, Tish was sweaty and shaky. "I just want to get sick and get it over with," she moaned.

"I know," Priestly commiserated as he helped her kneel in front of the toilet. Reaching up by the sink, he grabbed one of her hair ties and pulled her long hair back into a messy ponytail.

He rubbed her back in soothing circles as she gagged several times, but never actually vomited. Finally, she sagged back against him, exhausted. "Let's get you to bed this time. No more couch right now."

Before Tish could protest, he had her in his arms. She leaned against him and breathed in his comforting scent. Being with Priestly made her feel safe, even with the threat of this horrible disease breathing down her neck. She sighed with relief once she was nestled in their bed with the covers tucked around her and the trashcan on the floor next to her.

"Priestly," she whined as he moved away from the bed, wincing at the neediness in her voice.

"I'll be right back," he reassured her. "I'm just going to turn off the TV."

True to his word, he returned a few minutes later and crawled into bed beside her. Tish curled into his side and he brushed his lips against her temple. "We'll face this together," he promised her as her breathing evened off in slumber.

Priestly was unable to sleep. He forced himself to stay still because Tish seemed comfortable. His mind ran in circles no matter how many times he tried to calm it down. It was nearing dawn before sleep finally claimed him.

When Tish woke the next morning, she was pleased to find that she felt much better. Gone was the queasiness from the night before and her incision site, though sore, wasn't horrifically so. She slipped carefully from Priestly's embrace so as not to wake him and went into the bathroom to wash up.

In the early morning quiet of the apartment, Tish's brain began to roll out one "what if" question after another about the coming months and what would happen to her. She sucked in a slow, deep breath as anxiety pooled in her gut. Suddenly, she felt as if she was going to jump out of her skin. She had to get out of the house.

When she exited the bathroom in yoga pants and a comfy t-shirt, she found Priestly still dozing in bed. He woke and pushed up on one elbow when she slipped into her flip flops.

"Where are you going?" he asked in a voice rough with sleep.

"For a walk," she answered as she exited their bedroom.

"Wait, what?" he nearly roared. "The doctor said you needed to rest." He darted out of bed and hurried to her side.

"I need to get out of this apartment for a while and get my mind off things," she answered him with frustration in her tone.

Priestly thought for a moment as his hands wrapped gently around her lower arm. "Then let's go sit outside and have our coffee. We can people watch."

Tish studied his face, noticing the stubborn set to his jaw. "Fine," she grouched. "You go get dressed; I'll make the coffee."

Ten minutes later, the couple was downstairs enjoying the sunshine. Tish leaned against Priestly's shoulder and watched as people rode by on bikes and skateboards heading toward the beach. She felt Priestly's arm come around her, his fingers gently stroking the skin of her upper arm. "This was a good idea," she told him quietly.

"I'm full of good ideas," he grinned.

She poked his belly. "You're full of something," she told him playfully.

"Wanna tell me what was going through that head of yours this morning?" Priestly asked her, suddenly turning serious.

Tish sighed. "I just started thinking about my future – about all the what ifs."

Priestly rested his head against hers. "Let's focus on what we do know," he told her.

She pulled back so she could look into his face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we do know that whatever happens, the two of us will face it together. We know that you have a good doctor who will take the best care of you. We know that other than the possibility of cancer, your body is healthy and ready to fight. We know that I love you very much, and will do everything in my power to take care of you." Priestly traced the line of her jaw with tender fingers, his eyes locked on hers.

Tish felt tears well up in her eyes and clog her throat. Priestly, for all of his piercings and tattoos and his mohawk, was the sweetest man she'd ever known. She didn't know what she had done to deserve him. "I love you," she murmured, tracing his lower lip with a gentle finger before claiming it with her mouth.

They spent the afternoon cuddling on the couch. When Tish got antsy, Priestly coaxed her into the kitchen and talked her into making brownies with him. It helped for a bit, but her thoughts soon retreated back to the biopsy results that awaited her. She had made it through one day of waiting - only two or three more to go. The thought was agonizing.

Tish found it hard to sleep that night. She tried not to toss and turn; she didn't want to keep Priestly from getting his rest. He'd looked awfully tired all day. Finally, after an hour of lying in bed and being tortured by her own thoughts, Tish slipped out of Priestly's arms and headed into the kitchen. She looked around aimlessly before deciding to clean out the fridge.

Priestly woke to the sound of a crash and a muffled curse coming from the direction of the kitchen before he realized that he was alone in bed. He scrubbed a hand over his face to clear the sleep from his eyes and rolled out of bed. When he rounded the corner into the kitchen, he found Tish sweeping up a shattered glass pickle jar.

"What in the world are you doing with a pickle jar at –," he squinted at the clock, "three thirty in the morning?"

Tish sighed. "I couldn't sleep, so I was cleaning out the refrigerator."

Priestly frowned. She sounded close to tears. "Tish?" he questioned, stepped forward and taking the broom from her hands.

Tish tried to stop them, but the tears started rolling down her cheeks despite her best efforts. "I might have cancer, Priestly. I could die."

He set the broom aside and, careful of the glass on the floor, tugged his girlfriend into his arms. She burrowed into him and he held her tightly, letting her cry while he pressed kisses into her hair. Finally, once she had cried herself out, he led her to the couch in the living room.

Once he was seated with Tish curled in his lap against his chest, he began to speak softly. "You may not even be sick, Tish. We have to take this one step at a time." Even as he spoke, his own mind tried to jump ahead. He quickly reined it in and focused on his girlfriend.

"We need to stay busy today," he mused out loud.

"No sitting around," Tish agreed. "Gives me too much time to think."

"Then movies are out," Priestly decided. "What about the zoo? We can take it slow and rest if you get tired."

Tish thought for a moment before she nodded. "All right, that sounds good."

"Go on to bed. I'll finish cleaning this up and be there in a minute." Priestly directed his girlfriend toward the doorway and gave her a gentle push.

Tish turned back around to press a kiss to his lips. "Love you," she murmured before retreating into the bedroom.

The trip to the zoo did help a bit the next day. Priestly and Tish held hands and sauntered at a leisurely pace through the zoological park as they observed the animals. They ate lunch at the zoo's small café. Priestly took his girlfriend into the zoo's gift shop and bought her a stuffed lion, telling her it was for courage.

When they got home, Tish dozed on the couch with her stuffed lion in her arms until it was time for supper. She helped Priestly clean the kitchen after they ate and then they took a walk around the block. The day finally caught up with Tish and she fell exhausted into bed after washing up.

The third day after her procedure, Tish was a bundle of nerves. She curled up on the couch with a pillow clutched to her chest. Her cell phone rested on the coffee table in front of her.

Priestly found her there once he exited the bathroom, his bright green mohawk standing straight and tall. "Tish, you can't sit here like this all day."

"But what if they call? I can't miss it." Tish picked nervously at the edge of the pillow in her lap.

Priestly sat down next to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You won't miss it."

"Priestly, I don't think I can answer the phone when they call," she admitted. "I don't think I can stand to hear them tell me that I have cancer. Would you answer it?"

"You know I will," he assured his girlfriend as he drew her toward his chest.

Tish melted against him. "I don't feel like doing anything today. Can we just stay home?"

"Yeah, if that's what you want," Priestly agreed. He felt her nod against him. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Can we just sit here a while in the quiet?" she asked in a small voice.

Priestly ran a hand gently down her back. "Sure, Beautiful."

The day crawled by, one minute creeping slowly by followed by another. Neither Tish nor Priestly felt much like eating lunch.

The phone rang a little after three in the afternoon. "I can't, Priestly," Tish nearly sobbed as she grabbed it and thrust it into his hands.

"Hello," he answered, his voice wobbling just a bit.

"May I speak to Ms. Madison, please. I'm calling with her test results," the doctor's voice resonated in his ear.

Priestly cleared his throat. "Uh, she wants you to tell me."

"I will need to confirm that with her first," the doctor explained to him.

Priestly nodded without realizing that the doctor couldn't see him. He passed the phone to Tish. "He needs your permission to tell me the results."

"Please, could you tell my boyfriend?" Tish managed to get out in a shaky voice.

"Yes, Ms. Madison," the doctor agreed.

Priestly took the phone once again. "So, what did the biopsy show?" he managed to choke out.

"Ms. Madison does not have cancer. The lump we removed was a cyst, a fairly large one."

Priestly exhaled and felt tears well in his eyes.

Tish was staring at him, her eyes wide and scared. "Priestly?" she managed to choke out in a strangled voice.

"It's not cancer, Tish." He reached for her with his free hand, pulling her against his chest. "It's not cancer. You're okay. It's a cyst."

Tish sobbed brokenly against him, her shoulders shaking. Relief coursed through her and she making her cry harder. She vaguely heard Priestly thanking the doctor before he ended the phone conversation.

"You're fine," Priestly murmured as he dropped the phone on the couch and wrapped both arms around his girlfriend. His tears dripped into her hair as he peppered kisses wherever he could reach.

Tish finally sniffled and pulled back from him. "I feel so lucky, Priestly," she told him. "How many women had biopsies on the same day as me? How many of them got good news from their doctors?"

Priestly brushed her hair back from her damp face. "We will make the most of every day, Tish. That's what we have to do."

She nodded and wiped at her tears.

"Starting now," Priestly added. "Go shower and get dressed."

A few short hours later, Tish and Priestly were seated at a fancy restaurant on the beach. Priestly's mohawk was garnering some stares from other diners, but neither he nor Tish minded a bit. Priestly couldn't tear his eyes off of his beautiful girlfriend. She was healthy; there was no dangerous disease lurking in her body. He felt weak with relief every time the thought crossed his mind.

Reaching across the table, he grabbed her hand. "I love you, Tish," he told her earnestly, interrupting her in mid-conversation.

She blinked at him. "I love you, too, Priestly."

"The thought of you being sick terrifies me," he admitted. "Not because I don't want to take care of you or be with you, but because I can't bear the thought of losing you."

Tish squeezed his hand and tears filled her eyes. "You won't lose me if I can help it, Priestly," she assured him. "And we are going to make the most of the life we are building together."

He nodded. "Most definitely."

"Because you're Renaissance Man," Tish giggled, breaking the seriousness of the moment.

"Darn right!" Priestly agreed with a smirk.

Tish leaned across the fancy table and kissed Priestly right on the lips. She deepened the kiss, wanting to show him how excited she was to face the next day of their lives together. She felt safe and loved with Priestly by her side. Sitting down, she grabbed her glass and held it up to him indicating a toast.

He picked up his glass and raised an eyebrow at her as if to question what they were toasting.

"To making it count," Tish smiled, clinking their glasses together.

"To making it count," Priestly replied, his green eyes linking with his girlfriend's gaze. He vowed silently to himself that he would never take a day with her for granted; each one would be treasured like a special gift. Tish smiled softly at him after taking a sip out of her glass, and somehow he knew she was thinking the same thing.

The End