My breath catches in my throat. “What...what do they say?” I ask, my voice already breaking.
“You must come to the hospital. This has to be discussed in person,” Dr. Neil informs, his cool voice taking on a serious edge.
The picnic, the laughter, the brief moment of normalcy—all of it shatters in an instant. I nod, even though he can’t see me. “I’ll be there.”
I hang up, my hands trembling. My mother looks at me, worry etched on her face. “What is it, darling?”
I force a smile, though it feels like it might crack. “We need to go to the hospital. Dr. Neil has received the results for your biopsy.”
“Now?” she asks, her lips forming a frown. Some realisation starts to settle in her eyes.
She is after all my mother—she can see through any act I try to put up. Nodding slowly, she begins g
