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Chapter 19 - Lump

Emma had let Leo come around more over the last couple of years. Cat had just turned five a few weeks ago, and they didn't have a large party for her; it was just Emma and Leo. Cat didn't care; she told her mom she didn't need lots of presents.

Today was Cat's first day of kindergarten, and Emma was sitting in the car waiting for her. She was getting off work early this week while Cat adjusted to school. After this week, Leo had agreed to pick her up and keep her at Emma's apartment until she got home from work.

Emma got out of the car with a smile when she saw Cat running toward her. Luckily her kindergarten had the option for Cat to stay all day, so she would only have to be with Leo for about two hours.

Emma would have liked another option, but Leo had kept Cat a few times over the past year, and her daughter always said she had fun with him. She checked Cat for bruises or any other marks each time she was alone with Leo, but there had been nothing.

"Mommy, I had so much fun today. I was the teacher's helper and got to pass out the snacks." Emma picked Cat up and kissed her forehead.

"That sounds like a big job, sweetheart." Emma put Cat down and opened the car's back door so she could get in. She thought about Melora and her family every time she drove the car they gave her, but she hadn't talked to them in almost two years. She understood that they all had new lives now.

Willow called her six months ago and said Ezra had passed away. Emma had cried that night for losing the only person who had ever really cared for her besides her mother. She didn't say anything to Cat because she hadn't talked about them in a long time. Emma thought she may have forgotten them completely, with it being over two years since she saw them.

When they got home, Emma checked on the Minestrone soup she had put in the crock pot that morning before they left. She made a lot of things in the crock pot because it could usually last for a few days.

That evening after they had finished eating and Cat was tucked into bed, Emma was taking a shower. As she was washing, she thought she felt something on her left breast, but she brushed it off.

When she dried off, she felt it again, and this time she paid more attention. Emma rubbed the area with her fingers and felt a large lump underneath the skin on the side of her left breast. She wondered if she had a cyst or something, but it wasn't painful. Emma decided she would see her doctor and see if they could tell her what it was. Cancer never crossed her mind; she assumed she was too young for that.

The next day after she dropped Cat off at school, she called the doctor, and they said they could see her that afternoon. The appointment would be after Cat got out of school, so Emma would take her with her.

Emma worried the entire day that whatever the lump was, it would make her miss work. She couldn't afford to be off work for any length of time. She was lucky she had good health benefits, but her time off wasn't as generous.

She parked in front of Cat's school and waited anxiously for her to come out. Cat came running out with a big smile on her face again. Emma couldn't help but smile; she loved seeing her daughter so happy. It could brighten even the darkest day.

"Mommy, today I made a special picture for you." Cat pulled a large piece of paper out of her bag. Emma looked at the drawing and saw what she assumed was her and Cat. They were standing in front of a house.

"Wow, this is a great picture. You did a fabulous job." Emma kissed her cheek as Cat beamed at her.

"I made a house because I know someday we are going to live in a big house." Cat crawled into the backseat of the car and fastened the seatbelt around her booster seat.

"We have to go see the doctor before we go home." Emma looked at Cat through the review mirror and saw her big blue eyes looking back at her.

"Why? I'm not sick. Are you sick?" Cat looked worried.

"No, I just have a bump that I want the doctor to look at." Emma silently hoped it was just a bump, not something more serious.

When they arrived at Dr. Thompson's office, the receptionist said they would call her back in a few minutes. Emma gave Cat a children's book to look at in the waiting room to keep her occupied.

The medical assistant called Emma back, and Cat took her hand. She knew her daughter could feel her nervousness; Cat was always good at picking up on her mother's emotions. They were led to an exam room where the medical assistant asked her questions and took Emma's vital signs. She also had her put on a gown open in the front.

Soon after she was done, Dr. Thompson came into the room. He was a tall, handsome African American man with a kind demeanor and soft voice. He greeted Cat, who was also his patient, as he sat down on the stool.

"So Emma, I understand you felt a lump. Can you show me where?" Emma opened her gown and pointed to the area where she felt the lump. Dr. Thompson felt the area with his fingers while Emma watched his face. He gave nothing away, and Emma figured he was probably used to hiding his emotions from patients.

"What do you think it is, Dr. Thompson?" Emma asked nervously.

"I don't want to diagnose yet. First, I want you to go down to the first floor. I'm going to put in an urgent order for a mammogram, so we can see what we're dealing with. I want you to come back here tomorrow so we can go over the results." Emma could tell that Dr. Thompson wasn't going to say anything else, so she nodded.

After putting her clothes on, Emma and Cat walked to the front desk and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow. She purposely made it before Cat got out of school. They then went to the first floor.

The tech let Cat sit in the observation booth area to watch as Emma did the mammogram. It was her first one, and she thought her breast was going to pop from the amount of pressure they used.

After they were done and went home, Emma heated up some of their leftover Minestrone soup for them to eat. She was lost in thought when Cat got her attention.

"Mommy, it will be alright. I'm sure that bump isn't going to make you sick." Cat smiled at her mom, and Emma couldn't help but smile back when all she felt like doing was crying. The more she thought about it, the more she thought she might have cancer.

"How about we go to bed early, and I'll read you as many books as you want until you fall asleep?" Cat smiled and jumped up out of the chair. She helped Emma clean up their dishes, and then they took a quick shower together.

When they lay down, Emma read book after book until Cat started falling asleep. She looked at her sleeping daughter and felt her eyes stinging. Emma hoped this lump was nothing, but in her heart, she knew that probably wasn't the case.

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