Chapter 206 - I Will Not Give My Arm to Twist - mdtres
Daniel
I feel like I haven't slept at all. After what happened last week, we had to double our work to get everything ready for this weekend when we meet up. I stretched out my arm to hug my little cabbage and went blank. I looked at the clock; it was four in the morning. I had only slept four hours. Yesterday, I submitted the complete report from South Korea; nothing was missing.
Gustavo, Gladis, and Arnold arrived four days ago, although the idiot Mojón is leaving in two days, and we in four. I got out of bed and while looking for my wife, I entered my daughter Melisa's room. My little doll was sleeping without a blanket. I tucked her in, gave her a kiss; they should be getting up soon for school.
My house was a wedding gift from Roland six years ago. It was immense, luxurious, and beautiful. I couldn't see Clari anywhere, so I entered Sebastián's room. He sleeps like Sid the sloth from Ice Age. He looked like a contortionist, but he was okay. Where could Clari be?
I walked quietly and saw her in the living room looking at the indoor garden, wiping her tears. At that moment, my heart raced. What was wrong? I went down the stairs; she didn't notice my presence until I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. I was the shortest of my friends, standing at five feet eight, and my little cabbage at five feet three, at least taller than Diana.
"Dani."
When her arms clung to mine, I knew it wasn't a problem between us and that something more serious was going on.
"Why aren't you in bed? At this hour, you love spoiling me." She smiled sadly.
"I read in a magazine that if a couple still desires each other after five years of marriage, they'll definitely make it to ten without any problems." I let out a laugh.
"With how much I love your body, even if your breasts are saggy and wrinkled, you still turn me on." I pressed my erection against her big butt so she would know how I felt.
"I've never said no to you, but today I just want your hug." Her voice broke. Damn! I turned her around to look at her.
"Clari, what's wrong?"
My wife hugged me and started to cry. Her whole body trembled. I heard movement in the kitchen; it must be Astrid. She always woke up at this hour to prepare breakfast for the kids.
"Do you want to talk here or in the bedroom?"
"I don't want to talk."
"Wrong answer. You need to tell me right now what's going on!" The light turned on.
"Good morning, folks."
"Good morning, Astrid. Can you bring me a glass of water, please?"
She had been with us since Melisa was born. Clarisa was still lost in her thoughts. She was handed the glass of water, and when she looked at me, it broke my heart. She caressed my cheek.
"I don't know how to tell you."
Those were the worst words a woman could start a serious conversation with.
"Did you stop loving me?" A knot formed in my throat.
"Never." I exhaled—"I've told you a thousand times, my love is until death. Sweetheart, yesterday I got the results of some tests I had done, and I have breast cancer."
I was left breathless. Those words seemed the worst; they just won the golden statue. I tried to speak, but my ears rang. Living without my cabbage? No, no, no. I started shaking my head. She cradled my face.
"Daniel, listen to me. The doctor said it's advanced; I need to start chemo as soon as possible."
I kept shaking my head, caressing her hair. Seven years of my life flashed before my eyes, from when I met her at that cash register, slim, with her tiny waist, her well-placed breasts, and that delicious butt. After the pregnancy, she got a bit fuller, which I loved even more.
Since then, she became my little cabbage. She often says that the pregnancies made her fat, but I saw her as even more beautiful. Her brown hair and eyes were dull, lacking the liveliness that captivated me. Always cheerful, smiling, talkative. Now my wife was a bundle of sadness, pain, and worries.
"Listen, Clarisa Rodríguez, don't you dare leave me." My wife hugged me and started to cry.
"I'm so scared, Daniel. I don't want to leave my kids or you."
I remembered that Mr. Fausto was a widower because his wife died from this. No, God! Don't take her from me. Think, think.
"Where and with whom did you get checked?"
I needed to become Cherry; if I let Daniel stay, I'd be screwed. Clari always said that in this house, I would only be Daniel Bermúdez.
"At the health center." I took my wife's hand, and we went upstairs.
"Sweetheart, get ready."
"Daniel..."
"Get ready, please." I was determined.
"You're at home." I approached her.
"Well, I'm telling you that Daniel is scared shitless because his wife might die. I need to be..." She covered my mouth. "Get ready, we're going to the clinic right now. Dr. Mendoza will recommend the best breast specialist, oncologist, or whatever the specialist is for what you have. We need to get ready."
He confirmed. When he left me alone, I took the phone and called Roland. This weekend, the meeting to deliver the information and for the guys to travel will take place.
"Daniel, why are you calling me at this hour?" I took a deep breath.
"I can't travel, boss." My voice broke on the last word.
"Did something happen to Clarisa or the kids?"
"The kids are fine. I'm taking Clarisa to Dr. Mendoza; I need the best doctor to treat breast cancer." Roland was speechless. "I'll continue working on what I can from here."
"None of that!" The sun was already rising. "Now, what you need to do is take care of Clari, Cereza, no matter the cost. Do you want to be with Inés?" At that moment, I felt something in my chest and with a broken voice.
"I would love to have my girl with me."
"Count on it, your only priority now is Clari. Everything has a solution in time, Daniel. Keep me informed, I'll talk to Inés, and I'll let you know the time and flight so you can pick her up."
"Thank you, boss."
"Until everything is under control, don't stop being Cereza." He knew me well.
"I'm on it."
We said goodbye, I called Dr. Mendoza and scheduled an appointment for eight in the morning. Clarisa came out of the bathroom, I smiled at her, approached, and gently touched her breast.
"Almost every day that I'm home, I've enjoyed your breasts, didn't it hurt or were you enduring the pain?" She winced at my touch.
"They hurt, but not as much as now."
"We'll leave at seven, sweetheart."
Saying I was calm would be a lie, I couldn't sit still. This morning we arrived and as soon as we told Dr. Mendoza, he called a specialist, an oncologist. We briefed him, and immediately they drew blood, did a mammogram, X-ray, ultrasound, and numerous other tests.
Inés was already on her way; I had to pick her up at five in the afternoon. I sat next to my wife, we didn't send the kids to school, they stayed with Astrid. I held her hand, I wasn't one to talk much, it was Clarisa who always chatted away, and seeing her so quiet broke my heart, the one I got back when she agreed to marry me. I squeezed her hand so she knew I was there, she covered her face.
"I'll always stay by your side, you swore the same on the altar."
We were waiting for the medical meeting, they were studying the results. Rino texted me asking for all the tests, and that's what I did. The best part was that the clinic took care of everything, the advantage of who we are. After a couple of hours, they called us in, my sweetheart was trembling, and look at the fool who had to support her, I was about to crap my pants.
A message came from Rino, one of the young men we trained, and in the last group training, the boss invited him, telling us that having a doctor in the direct group was necessary. The message read: "Immediate operation, remove the breasts."
"Please, take a seat." This didn't start well, and the message made it worse. "We analyzed the tests, and you do have advanced breast cancer."
"Should I start with chemo?"
That means trauma for her, vomiting, hair loss, and with how vain she is about that, it won't be the cancer that kills her but the depression.
"What other options are there?" I said, wanting to see if it was the same diagnosis as Rino's. Clari looked at me and shook her head, I knew that was the best option, and my wife was hiding it from me. "You forget, Clarisa, that I know you very well." I looked at the doctors. "Tell me all the options, no sugarcoating. I want that thing out of my wife's body."
"There's chemo or breast removal."
No wonder she didn't want the other option, and it was the same suggestion from one of our recruits. He was close to joining the team.
"If you remove the breast, is it a sure cure?"
"She would have a lighter chemo." The same thing they did to Mrs. Veronica. "But it's better to remove the root of the problem before it spreads."
"Then do it right away."
"No!" she said. "You're not taking my breast, how will I look?"
"You'll be alive, taking care of your kids and husband!"
"You know what I mean." She looked at me, and I understood her fear.
"Can I have a moment alone with my wife?"
"Of course." The two doctors left. As soon as we were alone.
"It's not an option to remove my breasts!" she said.
"Look, Clarisa Rodríguez, Daniel Bermúdez has always done what you wanted because you know how to handle me. You're an integral and exceptional woman, I've never forbidden you anything, you do whatever you want at home. But in this, I won't budge! Do you understand? You go consciously, or I'll sedate you right now, and when you wake up, you won't have that disease."
"I don't like you when you're Cereza."
"Then don't leave our kids with this person, because if you die, Daniel dies too."