Only You (10 page)

“You and me, babe. We’re a team, and don’t you forget it.”

Camden smiled, but her tears betrayed her. Eric reached behind her, flushing the toilet. Then he leaned down and began to lift Camden. With one arm supporting her back, and the other resting under her bent knees, Eric carried Camden across the threshold and to her waiting bed. Laying her gently on the mattress, Eric reached down to tug her waiting sheets and quilt from the bottom of her bed. He tucked her in and wiped her brow.

“I love you, Camicake, and I am going to be with you every step of the way.”

Camden moved her head slightly in a motion that Eric decided to accept as a nod of understanding.

“Just like last time,” Eric whispered before kissing Camden’s forehead. Her tears began to fall more rapidly.

“It’s not like last time, Eric,” she murmured. “Last time I had hope.” Her voice softened to a whisper.

“Well this time, I do,” Eric declared, suddenly angry. “You had hope last time, enough for two.” He gritted his teeth and stared at her with determination. “Well, this time, I am the one with enough hope for two. So when you feel like you are all alone in this, remember that I am hoping enough for the both of us.”

“But you have responsibilities,” Camden protested. “Your dads…”

Eric cut her off. “Just because my dads are adopting a baby, that doesn’t mean I am abandoning you for my new step-sibling.” He felt ready to scream.

“I know, Eric, but you are going to want to be there, and I don’t want you to feel torn between your family and me.”

“You ARE my family,” Eric growled.

“It’s gonna get ugly,” Camden continued, trying to convince him of what, she wasn’t sure.

“Camden Elisabeth Shepherd, you are my sister. My very best friend. You are more family to me than anyone else in the entire world, and I am not EVER going to abandon you over a baby. Yours, mine, or anyone else’s!”

“I just don’t want you to regret choosing this. This is different from last time.”

Eric sat on the bed and pulled Camden into his arms. “I know it’s different, sweetie. I know.” Silent tears streamed down Eric’s cheeks.

“Are you ever going to give me any more information? You haven’t discussed it at all for three weeks.”

“I start next week,” Camden whispered. “Will you go with me?”

“I’ll go with you,” Eric murmured in her ear as he hugged her. “If you tell me what I want to know,” he continued.

Camden sighed loudly. Her voice cracked as she said it out loud for the first time.

“It’s stage three. I start chemo on Monday.”

Eric and Camden held each other, crying silent tears, until they fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

***

Chapter 12

Camden stood in the middle of the living room, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration, her finger tapping her chin. Eric laughed at the cliché look.

“Did you remember your blanket?”

"Yes.”

"Your extra fuzzy, warm socks?”

“Yes.” Camden rolled her eyes.

“Your slippers?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes scanned the room.

"Your e-reader.”

“Of course,” she snapped. “Do you think I’m crazy?!?!”

Eric laughed. “Of course I do. I live with you, remember.” Camden couldn’t hide the beginnings of a smirk.

“Your iPod?”

“Yes,” Camden growled. “My headphones, too. I just feel like I am forgetting something! God, I’m going to go insane. Don’t!” she yelled suddenly at Eric. “Don’t even think about saying it. I know, I know. ‘Can’t go somewhere you already are’,” she mocked.

“Anytime now, baby,” Eric encouraged. “We are going to be late.

“I fucking HATE chemo,” Camden grumbled.

“Me, too,
sweetie,” Eric agreed. “Me, too.”

He grabbed Camden’s hand and began to pull her towards the door. As she began to protest, he held up his free hand.

“Camicake, if you forgot something, I will run home and get it,” he promised. “I can do that this time, since I won’t be sitting in the seat next to you.”

“Well, technically,” she grinned, “you will be sitting next to me. You just won’t be receiving the tasty chemo cocktail alongside me this time.”

"At the risk of sounding inconsiderate and cold, thank god!” he exclaimed, locking their apartment door and heading toward the stairwell.

“No, worries, honey,” Camden replied. She suddenly got serious. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

“Think Dr. Stevens will be surprised when I walk in with you?” Eric asked.

"Not at all,” Camden answered. “I told him that we live together.” She paused to open her car door before continuing. “He asked if you were seeing anyone.”

Eric grimaced. “Aren’t I a little young for him? He’s got to be like fifty years old!?!”

Camden laughed. “He’s a little too old and a little too married. He told me that last month was their twenty-eighth anniversary.” She shuddered. “I kind of feel badly for his wife. Does she know he trolls for young guys at the hospital?”

“He always did give me the creeps,” Eric confessed as he directed the car onto the highway. “I guess when you are renowned in your field, you can get away with a little doctor/patient sexual harassment.”

“Ewwww, gross,” Camden whined.

“Did I tell you about the time he caught me alone in the indoor courtyard?”

Camden shook her head in the negative.

"He literally caressed my face. CARESSED my face, Cami. He told me I had beautiful eyes, that he could get lost in them. It was every pick-up cliché come to life.”

Camden was practically rolling with laughter, picturing an awkward nineteen year old Eric avoiding the unwanted advances of a doctor in his late forties.

“Did you tell him you had always wanted to date a doctor?” she giggled.

“Gross! And that would be a no. He is no McDreamy, and this boy is holding out for a doctor that would make Grey’s Anatomy proud. This twisted sister wants a Derek Shepherd.” Eric paused before breaking into riotous laughter, making Camden nervous.

“Uhh, Eric. I realize I am already dying and all, but I’d like to make it to the hospital in one piece, so would you mind watching the road?”

Eric wiped the tears from his eyes, continuing to chuckle. Once he regained control, he attempted to explain the punch line to whatever he found so
humorous.

"I was just about to compare us to Christina and Meredith on Gray’s. Mer has McDreamy, aka Derek Shepherd, and Christina had Owen Hunt.”

“Yeah, so?” Camden was pretty lost on whatever he was trying to tell her.

“Camden, your last name is Shepherd and Shane’s last name is Hunt. I can’t believe this is the first time I have realized this in almost three years of knowing you.”

Camden cut her eyes at her best friend. “Sweetie, you are a dork,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Eric’s hand flew to his chest in horror. “Are you dissing Gray’s? That is it. Out of my car now.”

“No, you idiot. Gray’s is fine. It’s you I am worried about.” Camden continued to laugh at Eric as he parked the car in front of the hospital.

“Well in that case, you are forgiven. Now,” he said exiting the car and leaning down to look her in the eye. “Let’s go find my old stalker, so that he can get to work healing my best friend. Who knows?” Eric teased. “If he’s successful, I may just give him that kiss he’s been trying to get for years.”

Camden gasped in mock shock. “I mean that much to you?” She wiped a fake tear from her cheek.

Eric’s laughter rang through the parking lot as he grabbed Camden’s rolling carry-on suitcase from the car and then slammed the door shut.

“You?” Eric gestured to Camden. “Babe, I heart you!” he declared, swinging his arm around her shoulder and leading her inside.

“If only you were straight,” she teased. “You hunky, hunky, McDreamy, you!” She reached up and ruffled his hair, which was no small feat, as he towered above her.

Eric noticed her happy mood solemnify as they entered the hospital. When they reached the oncology ward, Eric was shocked when Camden slapped herself in the head.

“What the hell was THAT for?!” he shouted.

“I remembered.”

“Remembered what?” he asked, thoroughly confused.

“A girl from school loaned me some book to read. I meant to bring it to read instead of my e-reader.”

Eric shrugged his shoulder and grabbed Camden’s hand. As he led her down the hall to check-in at the nurses’ station, he replied. “I promised I’d go home to get whatever you forgot. Just let me get you settled, and then I’ll run home.”

“Thank you so much, Eric.” Camden threw her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. She felt so emotional today. Facing your mortality was exhausting.

Eric held Camden in his arms for several minutes, relishing the feel of her. He may not feel anything toward her romantically, but he was scared to death that he was going to lose her. He’d been trying to keep a brave face, and he had avoided any troublesome topics. Those included, but were not limited to Shane, Camden’s family, Shane, the camping weekend, Shane, etc. Basically, Eric was avoiding the mention of anything having to with the Shepherd family or with Shane. It was the least that they had ever been mentioned in all the time Eric knew Camden. Even when she had cut her family out of her life before, she talked about them constantly. Eric feared that emotionally, Camden was hurting far more than she would admit. If only he could convince her to let her family be there for her. But how could he when he couldn’t even bring himself to mention them
? Eric sighed before releasing Camden once again, and leading her straight to the nurse’s station.

"We have an appointment with Dr. Stevens in ten minutes.” Eric smiled at the nurse, and she blushed bright red.

“Fill these out, and Dr. Stevens will be with you momentarily.” The nurse handed him a clip board. Her eyes shifted quickly between Camden and Eric before she began fluttering her eyelashes in Eric’s direction. “I hope your sister gets well soon,” she said sweetly. A little too sweetly according to Eric’s judgment.

“Oh, she’s not my sister,” Eric corrected the nurse. He didn’t miss the snarl on her face when she looked back at Camden. What a bitch! Eric thought. “She’s my fiancée, Adrienne,” he said, reading her name badge. He pulled a distracted Camden (who had missed the whole exchange) to his side. “Once we kick cancer’s butt, I’m going to make an honest woman out of her.” Eric kissed Camden’s forehead, trying to drive home the point. He grabbed Camden’s elbow and led her to the waiting room chairs.

"Since when did you switch teams?” She giggled. Eric was glad his pain at least caused her good mood to return. He couldn’t handle the mood swings caused by her despair. He knew fighting cancer was hard from personal experience, but he could imagine the anger he would feel if it came back more aggressive than before.

“Since the bitch nurse started giving my best friend death glares. I didn’t like the odds of her thinking you were competition.”

“So you let her KNOW that I was?!?!” Camden shrieked in laughter.

"I let her KNOW,” Eric emphasized, “that she didn’t have a chance in hell. If she gives up before she even starts trying, I don’t have to worry about her spiking your chemo,” he defended.

"With what? Poison?” Her sarcasm was beyond obvious, but she continued to mock him. "Oh excuse me while I put some poison into your poison cocktail.” She began giggling again, and Eric couldn’t help but smile.

Thirty minutes later, Eric found the incessant teasing to be grating on his nerves. Dr. Stevens’ nurse (not Adrienne, thankfully) had called them into a small room and had taken Camden’s blood and urine samples. Even though it was her first round of chemo, the oncology team wanted to have her white cell count, along with a few other markers, on file. When the door to the room opened to reveal Dr. Stevens, Eric exhaled audibly in relief. He hoped Dr. Stevens didn’t think that was relief at seeing him specifically. It was just that finally there was a third party to distract Camden from teasing him.

Dr. Stevens looked at the clipboard in his hand, flipping through a few pages as he scanned the text of each. He looked Camden straight in the eyes, and a serious expression graced his face. He cleared his throat.

"We are still waiting on the results of the blood culture, Miss Shepherd, but the results from your urinalysis have come back, and I have news that will affect your treatment.”

***

Chapter 13

“WHAT?!?!?!” Eric’s bellow could be heard throughout the corridors of the oncology ward. “How the hell did that happen?!?!”

Camden glared at Eric and turned to Dr. Stevens. “Are you sure?”

"One hundred percent, certain, Miss Shepherd. This changes things.” He paused to look at a livid Eric, and then returned his gaze to a conflicted Camden before continuing.

“You are pregnant. If we continue with today’s planned chemotherapy session…”

“We are DEFINITELY continuing chemo, Dr. Stevens,” Eric interjected. Dr. Stevens cut his eyes at Eric, and spoke again.