Chapter 53
729 Words
Kat had been expecting it for the past few weeks, but when Emma showed up at the salon, she was still upset at what surely had to come. Jim was with her, and he looked equally shaken. Kat met his eyes and they both shook their heads, almost imperceptible movements that spoke volumes of pain and anger.
“OK, Kat.” Emma sat in the chair calmly. “You know what needs to be done.”
“I know, sweetie.”
Emma extended her hand to Jim, and he sat next to her, her cold fingers curled in his huge hand. Kat stood behind her, scissors held up. Jim noticed for the first time that Kat’s hair was now a vibrant red and he blinked. Every time he saw her, she looked completely different and he wondered if this was required for her job.
“Ready, Em?”
“Yeah.”
Kat’s hand didn’t shake much when she made the first cut, held a long piece of Emma’s hair in her hand, dropped it to the floor. They all looked at each other in the mirror. Emma pressed her lips together and nodded. Kat raised the scissors again. Again.
Jim watched, silent, as Emma’s hair fell in dark clouds at his feet. Her f*****g gorgeous hair, so thick and warm, was every man’s fantasy. Every time he had looked at it, all he could think about was grabbing handfuls of it. And it was all gone in just a matter of a few minutes.
Kat stepped back. “All done.”
Emma sat and looked at her reflection. With a hesitant hand she touched her head, ran her fingers over the cropped hair remaining.
She looked at Jim.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” he said. “And Dean is going to think so, too.”
She looked uncertain.
“Really. I promise.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re beautiful.”
“You are,” Kat said. “You have no idea just how much.”
Emma’s eyes filled with tears. “OK.” She took a deep breath and stood up. “OK.”
Her cell phone rang and she dug in her bag, hoping that it was Dean. She started when she saw the number. “It’s Doctor Fife.”
Jim sent up a fervent hope that it wasn’t anything bad. Kat shot him a look of sheer panic, and he felt the sudden and inexplicable urge to hug her, to offer her comfort and take some of his own. They stood there watching Emma answer the call, their hearts in their throats.
Jesus Christ, no more bad news, please. Come on, come on. Just give her a f*****g break, OK?
“Doctor Fife?” Emma sounded calm enough, though she was gripping Jim’s hand hard enough to cut off the circulation.
She listened for a few seconds, and they watched as her face lit up.
“Really?” she said. “A match?”
Kat gasped. Jim broke into a grin. At the exact same time, they reached out to each other and clasped hands, needing to be physically close to someone when they heard this first piece of good news.
Emma was nodding. “Is it from the national program list?” She looked at Jim, gratitude passing across her face in a beautiful flash of light. “It’s from one of the private donors…”
Kat turned to look at him, too, and on impulse, she hugged him. His muscular arms wrapped around her, returning the embrace, liking how it felt to hold her even for a few seconds. Kat closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Without him and the other guys, this would never have happened. They got her the matching stem cells, them and their military buddies. We all owe them – we’ll never stop owing them.
“OK,” Emma said. “I’ll be there for the final testing. Thank you… see you tomorrow.” She disconnected and looked at them. “I just – I don’t believe it. A bit of hope, for the first time in months. It’s just… it’s amazing.”
They stood together, arms around each other, laughing and crying. Everyone in the salon stared at them as they made a total spectacle of themselves, but they truly didn’t care. Not in the slightest.
- Writer
