CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TWO – THE DREADED DISEASE

Heavy footsteps approached, and then Barbara Storm's imperious voice sliced through the fog. "Well? What seems to be the problem with my son?" Icy dread pooled in Kayla's gut. Of course Lance's domineering mother would find a way to make this about her. She pushed shakily to her feet to face the sleek, immaculately coiffed matriarch. "Barbara...it's cancer. They say it's already advanced to the late stages." To her surprise, the older woman's face crumpled in an uncharacteristic display of vulnerability. "Oh no...my poor Lance." She sank onto the vinyl couch, hand fluttering at her chest. "This is a nightmare." An uncomfortable silence fell, thick with unspoken tension. Kayla shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, wishing she could simply retreat to Lance's room. "Well." Barbara lifted her chin, armor of poise slamming back into place. "I suppose we ought to get him the very best care money can buy." "Of course," Kayla agreed quickly, sensing the implicit dig at her lack