“Are you done? Because now that you’ve got that out of your system, you need to listen to me. Put your emotions aside for the moment. I know you better than I know myself. When you get backed into a corner your emotional side takes over. Rein it in. Contain it so that you can get on with your life. I need you strong right now, not falling apart. Got it?”
“You’re trying to handle me, Jeffrey.”
“Damn right. Get your act together. I’ll call you later.”
“THAT’S ODD,” LEEZA SAID. “Can’t find the keys. Did Phil give you the spare keys to his car?” She pulled open a drawer and began rummaging through it.
Chandler pushed his arm though the sleeve of his black leather jacket. “I’m using the rental. Why?”
“They’re usually hanging on this hook by the phone. But they’re not here.”
“You need a ride somewhere?” Chandler asked. “I’ve got some people I have to catch up with, but I can take you on my way out.”
“No, no, I’m fine. I’ve got my van.” She opened a different drawer and pushed things aside.
“Want me to help you — ”
“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll find them.”
As Chandler started for the door, his phone rang. He brought it to his face and noticed that the Caller ID said it was Denise. “Hey, honey. What’s going on?”
“I found something, Ryan. I don’t know what it is, but it’s got me freaked out.”
“What are you talking about? What’d you find?”
“A lump.”
“A lump? Where?”
“In my breast, Ryan. I found a lump in my breast.”
Chandler was silent for a moment. He stopped and turned to Leeza. “Have you ever felt it before? How big is it?”
“It wasn’t there before. It’s maybe the size of a large pea. I had Joanne come over and feel it, and she thinks I should go in and get it biopsied.”
His eyes slid over to Leeza, whose attention was now focused on Chandler. “Call Jason and make an appointment. Let him examine it and then we’ll figure out what needs to be done. Don’t be talking about a biopsy.”
“But Joanne’s a nurse.”
“At a nursing home, Denise.” He sighed. “We should have a doctor look at it.”
“I want you to come home, Ryan. I need you here.”
Chandler’s mouth was frozen half open. “I’ll be home in a few days. There’s just — ”
“I want you to come home now.”
He sat down on the last step of the staircase and chewed on his lip for a moment. “Look...I’ve only got a few loose ends to tie up. As soon as I do that, I’m out of here.”
“Ryan, you don’t understand...” she said. “Breast cancer is a big deal. My grandmother had it, and it runs in families. I don’t want them to cut off my breast, but I don’t want to die.”
“Honey, listen to me. Nobody said anything about cancer. Nobody said anything about you dying. And nobody said anything about cutting off your breast. Go in and have Jason examine. I trust him. Once he takes a look, we’ll go from there. But I promise you that no matter what happens, no matter what it is, we’ll get through it.”
“That’s why I need you here. I’m not handling this well. I feel so far away from you.”
“You’re under a lot of stress — worrying about your mid-term grades, having to do double duty taking care of Noah while I’m gone, and now this.”
“I’m glad I have your permission to be stressed out. A lot of good that does me.”
Chandler paused, rubbed his forehead. “Okay...okay. Call Jason’s office and make an appointment: Then call me and let me know when it is. I’ll see what I can do.”
“That doesn’t sound like you’re on the next flight home.”
“Denise, I’m at a critical point in this case. If I screw it up, Phil could go to prison for life. He was there eight years ago when I needed him. I can’t just walk out on him.”
“What if Jason tells me that it doesn’t look good and I need a biopsy? I don’t know if I can handle that alone.”
He arose from the step. “All right. Make the appointment. I’ll call you later and we’ll take it from there.”
“Take it from there?”
“You know, we’ll talk about it. Let’s deal with first things first.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Ryan. You’ve told me all I need to know. Phillip Madison is more important to you than I am.”
“You’re the most important thing in the world to me, Denise. You and Noah. You should know that.”
“Saying it is one thing. Showing it is another.”
“Denise…if I knew for sure this was serious, I’d be home on the next flight. But right now, we don’t know that it’s anything more than, what’s it called, a fatty nodule?”
“I’ll call you with the appointment information.”
A second later, the line went dead. Chandler slumped back down onto the step.
“Ryan,” Leeza said, approaching him. “I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I got the gist of your conversation.” She sat down next to him. “Mind if I give you some advice?”
“Please...” Chandler said, motioning for her to continue. “God knows I screwed up royally handling it my way.”
“Women deal with these types of things differently than men do. Men tend to see things analytically, logically. They want to find ways of solving problems — to them, finding the solution is the most important thing.”
Chandler nodded. “Shouldn’t it be?”
Leeza smiled. “Women look at things more emotionally. When we tell you about a problem or an insecurity we have, we’re not looking for solutions. We’re looking for support.”
“I can see where support’s helpful, but all the
