“Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of them; they’re my family,” Denny said.
The doctor cleared his throat before he began to speak. “The CT scan showed a tumor in the brain.”
Immediately, Dana broke down and started crying. As I grabbed her, to keep her from falling, Ellery took a hold of Denny’s other hand.
“I’m not a specialist, but I’ve called one in to come see you.”
“What’s his name and how good is he?” I asked.
“He’s one of the best neurosurgeons we have on staff. He’s very reputable. His name is Dr. William Armstrong and he’ll be in tonight to see you. Until then, we’re going to keep you here overnight, and after Dr. Armstrong consults with you, then we’ll have a better understanding on how to proceed.”
Denny’s expression never changed as he listened intently to every word the doctor spoke to him.
“Is the food here any good?” he asked.
Ellery laughed as she squeezed his hand. “It’s not that bad,” she said.
“Okay then, I’ll stay.”
The doctor smiled as he walked out of the room. Denny looked over at Dana and squeezed her hand. “Stop crying, woman. Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll be all right.”
“Of course you will be.” Ellery smiled at him.
Hearing the news that Denny had a brain tumor sickened my stomach. I didn’t know much about them, but what I did know was that they weren’t good. As I stepped out of the room to make a phone call, Ellery followed me. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Bernie.
“Bernie, it’s Connor. I need you to dig up everything you can on a Dr. William Armstrong. He’s a neurosurgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital here in the city. I want everything; do you understand me? This is important.”
“Yes, Mr. Black, I’ll get on it right away and get back with you.”
“Thank you,” I said as I ended the call.
Ellery grabbed my hand. “What’s that all about?”
“I need to make sure he’s the best, because if he isn’t, then I’m flying in the best.”
***
Ellery and I left the hospital to go home and be with Julia for a while, before coming back later when Dr. Armstrong was going to be there. As I set Julia in her highchair to eat and, while Ellery was getting her food ready, my phone rang. It was Bernie.
“What did you find out?” I said as I answered.
“Dr. Armstrong is rated one of the best in his field. His credentials are excellent, Connor. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Thank you, Bernie. I appreciate it,” I said as I ended the call.
“What did he say?” Ellery asked as she set the jars of baby food on the table.
“He said that he’s one of the best. So, we’ll have to wait and see.”
As I took the baby spoon and dipped it into the jar, Julia started to squeal. I smiled as I brought the spoon to her mouth and she gracefully took it.
“Mason said that he would watch Julia for us tonight while we’re at the hospital. Have you called your mom and dad yet?”
“No, I still have to do that. I will as soon as I’m done feeding Julia.”
Ellery walked over to me and put her arms around my neck. “I can feed her, babe,” she said as she kissed my cheek.
“I want to finish feeding her. I’ll call them after.”
When Julia was finished eating, Ellery cleaned her up and took her out of her highchair while I went and called my mom and dad. They were upset when I told them the news and said to let them know what was going on and when they could visit. About an hour later, Mason stepped off the elevator with Landon.
“Hey, you two,” I said.
“If it’s okay with you, we’re going to take Julia with us furniture shopping,” Mason said.
“Oh, that sounds like fun!” Ellery exclaimed.
“That’s fine,” I said as I walked upstairs.
I went into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. Things weren’t sitting right with me, and I had a bad feeling. I stood with my hands on the counter when Ellery walked in and looked at me.
“Connor, are you okay?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Elle. To be honest, I don’t know what I’m feeling right now.”
She walked over to me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. I needed her now more than ever before. I closed my eyes as she rested her head on my back.
“Let’s try to think positive about this, Connor. I know it’s hard, believe me, but positivity is the key to staying strong, and we need to be strong for him and Dana. Your strength is what pulled me through my illness, even when we thought there was no hope.”