Chances Are Read online

  Kari started putting the groceries away and debated whether she should make Maya some soup. She heard movement and poked her head into the living room to see Maya struggling to sit up on the couch.

  “What time is it?”

  Kari glanced at her watch. “Almost one. Did you want me to make you some soup? Or I have some apples and bananas.”

  “I’ll just have a banana.” Maya pushed off of the couch and crossed into the kitchen.

  “How about a piece of toast or something to go with it?”

  She shook her head. “This is fine, thanks.”

  “You know, you’re going to have to start eating more, or you’ll waste away.”

  “I will eat more,” Maya promised. “The doctor said it might take a few weeks to get my appetite back.”

  “It’s been a few weeks,” Kari countered.

  “I’ll eat something else when we get back from the doctor’s office.”

  Kari unwrapped her sandwich. “Okay, but I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Maya took a small bite of her banana. “We should probably leave soon. Didn’t you say the hospital is about a five-minute walk?”

  “I’ll call for a cab,” Kari offered.

  Maya shook her head. “That’s nice of you to offer, but I need to figure out my way around on foot since I don’t have a car. Besides, maybe the walk will help me work up an appetite.”

  “Okay, but if you aren’t feeling up to it, we’re getting a cab to bring us back.”

  “Deal.”

  Chapter 4

  Maya clasped her hands tightly together as she sat watching Dr. Schuster read her file. He was maybe in his early thirties, much younger than she’d expected for someone running a clinical trial. Dr. Smith had already talked to Dr. Schuster about including her in this trial, but Maya knew things could change if this initial screening didn’t go her way. If the doctor told her no, she might as well pick out her tombstone now.

  He took off his reading glasses and leaned back in his chair to look at her. “It says here you live in Nashville, Tennessee. You do realize you’ll have to move here to DC in order to participate in the trial.”

  Before Maya could respond, Kari spoke for her. “She already has an apartment to live in while she’s here.”

  “I’m sorry to be blunt, but how are you going to pay for that? For the first three months, you can’t expect to work.”

  “She won’t have to pay rent,” Kari told him, her voice protective. “My brother has an apartment here that he doesn’t use except during baseball season. He won’t be back until late March or early April.”

  Dr. Schuster looked pleased. “In that case, it looks like you will fit this trial nicely, especially since you already have a medical port.”

  “What’s a medical port?” Kari interrupted.

  “You know, the port below my collar bone where the nurses gave me my infusions when I was having chemo,” Maya told her.

  “Oh, that.” Kari nodded.

  The doctor shifted some papers on his desk and handed Maya a packet of information. “Look over all of this information, and if you’re still interested after you read it, get back in touch with me by next Friday.”

  She accepted the thick envelope and took a deep breath. “I’ll read through everything, but I can tell you now I want into this program. You’ve read through my file. We both know this is my last chance to beat this thing.”

  He gave her a curt nod. “In that case, get all of the paperwork filled out. If you’re ready now, we’ll start you this week. You’ll need to be back here Monday morning at 9:00 a.m.”

  “Thank you,” she said with a relieved sigh.

  “Oh, and, Maya?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do yourself a favor and go to the grocery store between now and then.”

  “We just went.”

  “There’s a pretty specific diet in the information there. You’ll want to make sure you have everything you need for the next few weeks. Your energy level will be really low until your body gets used to it.”

  “We’ll make sure she has everything she needs,” Kari promised.

  * * *

  Ben read the early morning text message from Heather and shook his head. He hadn’t seen her since she’d walked out of David’s house on Friday with the party invitation in her hand. She had texted him once on Saturday to let him know she wasn’t going to make it to dinner with David and his family. This latest text said she wasn’t feeling well enough to make it to the Sunday dinner David’s wife, Wendy, had planned.

  “What’s going on?” David asked when he walked into kitchen, where Ben was still staring at his phone.

  “Heather said she can’t make it to dinner tonight.”

  “Does she not like us or something?” David asked. “This is your third week here, but she hasn’t made it to Sunday supper once.”

  Ben raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what her problem is. She had a great time when we all went out to dinner together last week.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t like Wendy’s cooking.”

  “How would she know? She’s never tried it,” Ben said with a shake of his head. “I’m starting to think we’re not a very good match.”

  David gave Ben a sympathetic look. “It’s never easy to get to know someone when you try to date long distance.”

  “We saw each other quite a bit during the season.”

  “Yeah, but I’ll bet it was mostly going to games and then out to dinner or parties afterward.”

  Ben nodded.

  “Unless you’ve totally changed, you’ve never been much of a party guy unless it’s an after-game celebration.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Ben mused. “I thought I knew her better than I obviously do, but honestly, I don’t think she knows me very well either.”

  * * *

  “Kari, Maya, this is my wife, Jessica.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Maya said to the petite blonde before sliding into the backseat. “We really appreciate you offering to drive us to the store.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Ian insisted. “We needed to go ourselves anyway.”

  “Ian said you don’t have a car here. I know there’s a market around the corner, but if you ever want to go to one of the bigger grocery stores, let me know. I’m always running out of something.”

  “Thanks,” Maya said, praying that the dull ache in the back of her head wouldn’t explode before they completed their shopping spree.

  “You look like you’re in pain,” Kari said perceptively. “Did you take your medicine this morning?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you okay?” Jessica asked with concern in her voice.

  “It’s just a headache,” Maya said.

  “I have some Tylenol if you need it.”

  “That’s okay, but thanks.” Maya tried to follow the conversation as it continued around her, but little by little, the headache spread, and her stomach started churning, the apple she had eaten an hour before now making her nauseated.

  Realizing that the lingering effects of the radiation and the tumor weren’t going to hold off the way she wanted them to, Maya found herself hoping she could at least make it to the grocery store before her stomach protested completely.

  She closed her eyes and tried not to think about how she was feeling. When Ian pulled into the parking lot, she stepped out and slowly followed the others toward the building. As soon as they stepped inside, she asked Jessica, “Do you know where the restroom is?”

  Jessica pointed to the corner of the store. “Yeah, it’s over there on the left.”

  “Thanks.” She turned to Kari. “I’ll catch up with you.”

  Before Kari could say anything, Maya made her way to the bathroom and rushed inside.

  * * *

  “Is she okay?” Jessica asked Kari. “She looked really pale.”

  “Her stomach must be bothering her again.”

  “If you need me to
take her back home, I can do that,” Ian offered.

  “Thanks, but hopefully she’ll be okay. This is probably the last time she’ll be able to come to the store for the next few weeks.”

  “How come? We can still bring her even after you leave.”

  “Yeah, but she’s going to be undergoing treatments, and she probably won’t have the strength to do any shopping for a while.”

  “What kind of treatments?” Jessica asked, concern showing rather than morbid curiosity.

  Kari hesitated. She didn’t want to betray her friend’s confidence, but Ian and Jessica would be the only people Maya knew here in DC. “She has a tumor at the base of her skull. We’re hoping this new treatment will shrink it enough for the doctors to remove it.”

  “Cancer?”

  “Yeah.” Kari pressed her lips together and fought against her own rising emotions. “This is pretty much her last chance.”

  “That’s tough,” Ian said.

  “Look, I know we just met, but anything you can do to help her out would be great. These first few months aren’t going to be easy on her.”

  Jessica nodded, and her mind seemed to be processing everything. “We’ll definitely check in on her.”

  “Thanks. She’s not very good at asking for help.”

  “Then we’ll try to make sure she doesn’t have to ask.”

  The three of them went about their shopping, and Kari wasn’t surprised that Maya didn’t reappear from the bathroom until they were waiting in the checkout line. As soon as Maya joined them, Kari asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Kari could tell by the way Maya stood so rigidly that the pain was pushing toward unbearable, but she didn’t challenge her friend. Instead, she stood silently and tried to force positive thoughts into her mind.

  * * *

  Maya followed Kari onto the sidewalk in front of the apartment building, where a cab was waiting, a sense of dread coming over her.

  “I wish you could stay longer,” Maya said as she embraced her friend. Everything had happened so fast over the past week that she hadn’t really taken time to foresee this moment when Kari would leave and she would find herself completely alone in a strange city. Nothing was familiar here, and she didn’t know anyone besides her doctor and the Harrises.

  After their trip together to the store, Ian and Jessica had offered repeatedly to give Maya a ride or help out anytime she needed. It didn’t take much to realize Kari had told them about her illness.

  Maya appreciated the fact that they were so sweet about offering to help her, but that wasn’t the same as having Kari there to support her through these next treatments. Looking back now, she was still amazed at how willing Kari had always been to reorganize her schedule to go with her to the various chemo treatments and drive her to radiation. She couldn’t count how many school assignments Kari must have done sitting in a waiting room.

  “I’ll call you as soon as I land,” Kari promised.

  Maya sighed. “I’m really going to miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too.” Kari stepped back and handed her suitcase to the cab driver. “I’ll figure out a way to come visit you during Christmas break.”

  “That would be great, but you don’t have to do that. You’ll want to spend the holidays with your family.”

  “What about your family?” Kari asked. “Are you sure you don’t want to let them know what’s going on?”

  Maya instantly stiffened. “My family isn’t like yours.”

  “I’m sure they would want to know what you’re dealing with,” Kari said gently.

  “Sometimes it’s best to leave the past behind you and face the future alone.” Maya gave Kari another hug and changed the subject. “Don’t forget to call when you get home.”

  “I won’t. And you don’t forget to eat.” Kari climbed into the cab and gave her a last wave. Then the taxi pulled away from the curb, the image blurring through the tears that filled Maya’s eyes. Her throat closed, and an emptiness swept through her as the cab disappeared into the Sunday afternoon traffic.

  Chapter 5

  Maya took the seat the nurse indicated and gripped her purse. She didn’t know why she was nervous. The doctor had already admitted her into the trial. She looked around the room, where six lounge chairs were positioned in a wide half circle. Two of the other chairs were already occupied, IV stands stationed nearby to hold the medicine being infused into the patients. Each of the other two participants had a friend or family member sitting beside them, and they were chatting quietly.

  “Do you have anyone here with you?” the nurse asked gently.

  “Not right now,” Maya told her.

  “But you’ll have someone to drive you home, right?” she asked. Before Maya could answer, she added, “Dr. Schuster doesn’t want anyone in this trial using public transportation.”

  “I noticed that in the informational packet he gave me, but the place I’m staying is only a couple blocks away.”

  The nurse looked at her. “It could be next door, and you’d probably still need someone to drive you home. This treatment isn’t always easy on patients.”

  “I read about the side effects, but it didn’t say much more than fatigue, muscle soreness, and nausea.”

  “The good news is that the nausea usually only lasts for the first two weeks or so while you’re adjusting to the treatments. Unfortunately, the fatigue and soreness can be pretty extreme, especially during those first few hours after an infusion.”

  “Would I be able to get more pain meds to help with that? I’m nearly out of what my doctor back home prescribed.”

  “I’ll talk to the doctor to see what we can do for you, but if you were thinking about walking home today, I would reconsider.”

  “That’s good to know,” Maya said, her voice neutral. She supposed she could call Jessica for a ride, but she hated the idea of inconveniencing someone else. This week would be the worst because she would have to be here every day for various tests, blood work, and infusions.

  According to the doctor, after the first week, she would still have to come to the hospital four days a week: two days for infusions, one for a shot, and another for her routine blood work. She looked away when the nurse hooked the infusion to her port.

  As soon as the nurse was finished, she asked, “Can I get you anything? Some water or something to read?”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” Maya told her, retrieving her water bottle from her bag. “How long do these infusions take?”

  “Between three and four hours.” The nurse stepped back and added, “I’ll be back in a little bit to check on you.”

  “Thanks.” Maya took a sip of her water and watched the nurse move over to help the patient two chairs over. Even though Maya had a paperback Kari had specifically given her to read during her treatments, she closed her eyes and let memories of her family and of the beautiful home where she had spent her childhood wash over her.

  She had been one of the fortunate ones in India, with a family of wealth, one that expected the children to learn to read and write and pursue other interests. Tennis had been her love and the one thing she had taken with her when the time had come to make her escape to avoid becoming a child bride.

  The premarriage ceremony had taken her completely by surprise, as had the fact that the man her father intended her to marry was three times her age. But Rishi was a powerful businessman in the nearby village, one with whom her father had hoped for some time to join forces.

  Maya had been terrified that Rishi would come back and claim her as his bride long before she reached the legal age of eighteen. Her tennis competitions had given her exposure to areas outside of her village, and she had gained an understanding that arranged marriages were rarely forced. But she had seen it happen so many times before—when what was supposed to be an introduction between the prospective couple turned into a forced marriage.

  Unfortunately, her father and Rishi didn’t care what people in oth
er parts of the country did. They simply wanted the marriage contract to be upheld. Even at thirteen years old, Maya understood she was supposed to have some say about the man she married and when. Still, in her village, traditions often prevailed, particularly when the groom had money or influence. Rishi had both.

  Her pillow was wet with tears when her grandmother came to her in the middle of the night. She whispered words to her in Hindi, saying simply, “If you want to escape this marriage, you must come with me now.”

  As if in a dream, saying nothing, asking no questions, together they quickly packed as many of Maya’s belongings as she could carry. Just as they were slipping out a side door, Maya saw her mother standing down the hall. Tears glistened in her eyes, but the moment Maya took a step toward her, her mother turned and walked away.

  Brokenhearted and confused, Maya had let her grandmother lead her outside to the car she had hired to take them to the airport. The struggles that had followed, first living in a tiny, one-room flat in London and then immigrating to the United States, were memories she rarely let herself dwell on.

  “Are you doing okay?” The nurse asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  Maya opened her eyes. “Yes, thank you.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Maya watched her walk to the next patient and listened to her chat with him and the woman who had accompanied him. Loneliness overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes once more. This time, when the memories tried to form, she pushed them back and willed herself to sleep.

  * * *

  Ben held the phone to his ear with one hand and used the other to load marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars into a grocery bag.

  Heather’s voice answered with a sultry “Hello.”