Never Hide

Meet me at the bridge ASAP.

Jason was in the locker room getting dressed after practice when he got her text. His heart dropped a little. Their meeting spot on the bridge was only used for important purposes. It was where they had met. It was where he admitted liking her as more than a friend. It was where she said she loved him for the first time. It was where he proposed a few months ago.

She was in her third year of college at the University of Minnesota majoring in Non-Profit Management when they met. At time he couldn’t understand what would make someone choose Non-Profit as a major. As he got to know her better, he understood.

Kara grew up in a tough situation. Her parents barely made enough money to afford a house. With three kids, it wasn’t just hard enough to buy Christmas presents, but clothes as well. She learned that she didn’t need much in life, as long as she was surrounded by her loved ones. The long hours were worth it to her to help families out that reminded her of her own. Three years later they were still together and he was thankful to have someone who kept him so grounded.

A towel was thrown and landed on Jason’s head, breaking him from his thoughts. Jason just grabbed the towel and threw it back into his stall. “Zucks! You in?” Justin Falk called out.

“No thanks. Something came up.” He grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone and left the locker room. Whatever Kara needed to tell him was more important than going to lunch with his teammates.

~~~

Kara waited at the bridge for what seemed like an eternity. She knew he had practice, but this couldn’t wait. She texted him as soon as she had a chance.

She stood over the railing looking down at the water. It seemed like they were the only two people in the city that knew this bridge existed. She had lived in a small house two blocks away as a child and he would take his morning jogs across it. Kara was glad that it was a part of them.

A breeze blew her hair around, but her hat kept most of it in place. She felt someone come up on her left and lean against the rail. “What did they say?” She let out a sigh and he knew it wasn’t good.

“They want to do more tests. It could be anything at this point.” Both kept their gaze down at the water. Jason grabbed her left hand and kissed it. She looked up him. His blue eyes were glossy and she finally understood that this wasn’t just affecting her. “I have another appointment tomorrow. We should know soon.”

“I want to go with you, but we leave tomorrow.”

She shook her head, “I have to do this on my own. I won’t know anything until you get back anyways.” Kara looked back down at the water. “I don’t want to worry anyone if it’s nothing.”

“Okay, I won’t mention it to the team. But if you find out anything while I’m gone, call me.” Kara just nodded her head, but he needed more. “Kare, look at me.” When her head didn’t move he guided his hand to her cheek and moved her head. “I want you to call me no matter what news you get, okay.” Kara’s eyes were starting to fill with tears. Jason wrapped his arms around her and he felt her do the same.

Jason wanting nothing more than to take away all of her pain. She didn’t deserve this. She had done nothing wrong in her life, but somehow it happened anyways.

“Come on, let’s go get some Chinese and we can go watch movies for the rest of the day.” Kara sniffled and grabbed his hand.

“You’d be okay with us eating on that new couch?” She was almost surprised he would even suggest it.

He shrugged, “I have more important things to worry about than a clean couch.” He kissed her temple and led them to his car. Kara knew this wouldn’t fix her problem. She was only avoiding the inevitable, but she needed to clear her mind for a few hours. Jason, Chinese food, and movies would hopefully do the trick.

~~~

Jason came home a few days later. He knew Kara had to work late, so he made himself a sandwich and grabbed a glass of milk. He sat down at the kitchen table and flipped through the mail she had left for him this week. Just bills and a few magazines. He brought his empty plate and glass up to the counter.

He noticed the dishes in the dishwasher were clean, so he started to empty it out. Kara would be thankful that she wouldn’t have to do it later. There weren’t many in there to begin with, but when he grabbed the last glass he heard the front door of the apartment open. “Hey, how was your day?”

As he turned around to face her the mood in the room suddenly changed. Her eyes were bloodshot and there was makeup smeared on her face. “Kare?”

“It’s cancer, Jas.” The glass dropped from his hand and smashed on the tiled floor. He didn’t know what to say.

“What?” He stepped around the glass and over to her. Jason wasn’t sure if he had heard her right.

Kara kept her head down. She fiddled with her hands and spoke again. “I got the call on the way home. I have breast cancer.” A sob immediately came out of her. Jason rushed to her and pulled her into his arms.

He had never seen her like this, so vulnerable, so broken. She was always so strong. Now, he couldn’t help but cry along with her. “Shh, it’s going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.” He held on to her tighter, his right hand tangled in her hair and his left on her lowerback keeping her steady. “We’re going to get through it, Kare.”

Another sob racked through her as she tried to speak. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Don’t think about it.” He held her until she was able to calm down a little. “Come on, let’s go to bed. We’ll worry about it in the morning.”

Jason grabbed her hand and led her to their bedroom. She seemed to move slower than normal; still trying to process the news. They both changed and crawled under the covers. His chest was against her back with an arm draped around her waist. It was quiet for few moments. Just as his eyes shut he heard her, “Jas?”

“Hm?”

“I love you and I don’t want you to feel pressured to miss any practices or games because of this, but I’m going to need you there.”

He picked up her left hand and played with the ring on her finger. “Work will always be there. I won’t be able to focus if I don’t know how you are. I want to be there for you.” He shifted up and kissed her temple. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Kara let a small smile grow on her face.

“Good, now let’s go to bed. We both need a good night’s sleep before tomorrow.” Jason tried to close his eyes and sleep, but it was easier said than done. He could tell Kara was having the same problem. He let out a sigh. This was going to be hard, but he knew she would be a fighter.

You can turn off the sun, but I’m still gonna shine.