Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters, etc., etc., etc.

Chapter 1

Miranda walked slower than usual today, her mind preoccupied. Emily had already left to pick up something from Hermes, so Andrea was standing at the elevator, waiting to greet Miranda and go through the day's schedule.

As the elevator doors dinged, Miranda slowly pushed herself away from the back wall where she had been leaning. "Good morning, Miranda," Andrea said with a cheerful smile. "Your appointments have all been confirmed, Emily will be back shortly with the belts from Hermes."

Miranda raised her hand to Andrea, silencing her instantly. "I can't—not today," she said, handing the schedule back to Andrea and walking directly into her office without removing her coat and bag. Andrea watched as Miranda walked into her office, sitting in her chair with her coat on.

"Andrea," she said, "don't just stand there staring at me. Come in or don't."

Andrea quickly stepped into Miranda's office. "I can reschedule your morning for you if you need," she said, unsure of what was going on with Miranda.

Miranda looked up at Andrea, trying to read her expression. Deciding she could trust her, she continued, "I need to see my doctor, my gynecologist, this morning. Reschedule everything today. I don't know—I—I will probably work from home this afternoon."

"Miranda, is everything okay?" Andrea asked, unable to help herself. Miranda glared at the young woman, giving her that what-do-you-think look. "Oh!" Andrea said, "I'm sorry, of course. I will call. Should I tell them anything specific? Is this an emergency?"

Miranda sighed, realizing Andrea did, in fact, need that information. Looking down at her hands in her lap, she said, "I found a lump this morning," her voice barely a whisper.

Andrea inhaled sharply, realizing the reason for Miranda's strange mood: she was scared. "I'll call right now," she said, rushing out to her desk and dialing Miranda's doctor. In less than five minutes, Andrea returned to Miranda's office. The editor hadn't moved from her seat, still staring down at her hands.

"Miranda, Dr Barry can see you at 8, before her first patient. Your appointments today have all been postponed or rescheduled," she said, "And Roy is downstairs." Andrea watched as Miranda looked at the clock on her computer screen. It was 7:35. Miranda slowly pushed herself from her chair, readjusting her coat before picking up her bag. As she walked out to the outer office, Andrea met her, also with her coat and bag.

Miranda eyed Andrea suspiciously. "I don't recall asking you to come with," she said, walking to the elevators.

"I, uh, need Roy to take me to that place with the scarves you like, and Emily is on her way back with the other driver, so it will be more efficient," Andrea said, hoping that Miranda wouldn't question "that place with the scarves you like" since Andrea had just made it up. She knew Miranda was scared, and, well, she didn't have any friends, so Andrea thought she would step in.

Miranda simply nodded as Andrea followed her to the elevator, staying several feet behind her. The door opened, and Miranda stepped in. "In the spirit of efficiency," she said, gesturing for the woman to join her.

Andrea quickly stepped inside and stood a distance from Miranda, furiously typing a message to Emily, alerting her that they wouldn't return until later.

The rode in silence to Dr Barry's office, Miranda fidgeting quite a bit. When they arrived, Roy opened the door and Andrea stepped out, following Miranda. "I thought—" Miranda said, questioningly.

"No, I lied. I'm coming with you," Andrea said, unsure of where her sudden boldness came.

"Oh," Miranda said, trying to hide her relief that she would not be alone.

Andrea shrugged and followed Miranda up to the doctor's office. "Ms Priestly," the nurse said the minute they stepped into the waiting room. "Come with me, we were expecting you." Miranda looked over her shoulder as she followed the nurse into the back room.

"I'll wait here," Andrea said as the door closed behind Miranda. Andrea couldn't imagine what Miranda must be going through—the thoughts that must be running through her mind.

"Miranda," Dr Barry said, "I would like to quickly examine you and ask a few questions, then I want you to know we can do a mammogram, ultrasound, and even needle biopsy, if necessary, right here in the office this morning."

"Thank you," Miranda said as she shrugged off her coat and began unbuttoning her blouse.

Dr Barry continued, "There are several types of lumps, most of which are benign, so we just want to find out a little more about this one. Where is it?" she asked, taking Miranda's wrist and gently lifting her arm as she pressed two fingers to Miranda's breast. "Okay, let me just check all over to see if there is something else we should know about. Have your periods been regular?" she asked as she applied pressure to Miranda's breast.

"Yes."

"Have you noticed any swelling that comes and goes with your cycle?"

"No."

"When did your last cycle start?"

"Twelve days ago," Miranda answered matter-of-factly.

"Okay, Miranda, I'd like to do both a mammogram and ultrasound, if that's okay. We can do the ultrasound first, since the mammogram can be quite uncomfortable," Dr Barry said. "I need you to lie back, and raise your right arm above your head," she said, pulling the ultrasound machine closer as Miranda closed her eyes.

Several minutes later, Dr Barry turned the machine off and handed Miranda a warm washcloth to wipe the gel off her breast. "Miranda, I like to have all the facts before I say anything, so if you will come down the hall to imaging, we can do a mammogram." Miranda nodded, draping her coat across her shoulders, covering her bare chest as she took her bra, blouse, and bag in her other hand.

"When was your last mammogram, Miranda?" Dr Barry asked as she situated herself in front of the machine.

"Two years ago. As you know, I have no family history and none of the other risk factors apply," Miranda said. "Can you have someone update my assistant in the waiting room?" Miranda asked. "She understands discretion. You can tell her anything," she added.

"Of course," Dr Barry said, turning to her assistant, who quickly left the room. "Miranda, you've never brought anyone with you before," she said, attempting small talk as she positioned the machine.

"Yes, well, she rather invited herself," Miranda said, chuckling.

"Sounds like she cares about you, Miranda. That's not a bad thing."

"I suppose," Miranda said.

"Now, this might be painful," Dr Barry said, "You will feel uncomfortable pressure. Let me know if it is unbearable." Miranda nodded and Dr Barry continued. "We typically have one of our imaging staff do this, but I can read it much easier if I watch."

Miranda nodded again, closing her eyes. The exam was finished after several minutes, and Dr Barry stepped out while Miranda put her clothes back on. Dr Barry walked out into the waiting room, immediately recognizing the young brunette as Miranda's assistant.

"Hi," she said, extending her hand, "I'm Liz Barry. I need to go over Miranda's results, and I think you should be there."

"Oh," Andrea said, shaking her hand politely. "I'm Andrea. I don't know that Miranda will want that."

"I think she finds it difficult to ask for help," Dr Barry offered. "Please, follow me. She needs you there."

"Oh god," Andrea said, following Dr Barry into her office, "Is it that bad?"

Dr Barry gave Andrea a slight nod, and Andrea took a deep breath as the nurse led Miranda to Dr Barry's office.

Miranda did not acknowledge Andrea sitting next to her, but she was secretly glad she was there, if for nothing more than the fact that she would not have to repeat everything to answer Andrea's incessant questioning.

"Miranda," Dr Barry began, "I took some time to review your tests, and I am very glad you came in when you did. The lump on your right breast is small, but the exams today have not been conclusive in determining whether it is benign or not. I would like to do a biopsy, today if possible. We can have results to you by the end of the day."

Miranda nodded, "Yes, today is possible," she said. "Elizabeth, can you give me your honest opinion?" Miranda asked.

"You want me to tell you what I think it is?" she said, "Of course. Now you know that I need to do more tests before I can say with any certainty, however, in my opinion and based on my experience with this, it is probably stage one breast cancer."

Andrea reached over and took Miranda's hand, squeezing it tightly. Miranda closed her eyes, and Andrea could see her struggling to keep tears away. "When can you do the biopsy?" Andrea asked.

"Right away, if she's ready."

"And it's safe to perform that here in your office? Isn't that typically an outpatient procedure?" Andrea asked.

"My office is attached to the surgery center, so while you are correct that it is typically an outpatient procedure, I have the ability to utilize the surgery center's facilities without leaving the building. Miranda is in good hands, I can assure you," she said.

"What about a lumpectomy? Doesn't it make sense to remove it before biopsy?"

"No, not necessarily," Dr Barry replied. "Lumpectomies can be complicated, and that is not an in-office procedure. We like to keep the number of major surgeries as low as possible," she said. "Miranda? Are you ready?" she asked.

Andrea squeezed her hand tightly before letting go. Miranda nodded and stood, ready to follow Dr Barry out the door. "Andrea can come with you," she said, gesturing to the brunette to follow. They walked down several long corridors before finally reaching what looked like a sterile environment. "Miranda, I need you to change into this gown," she said, handing her a paper-like cotton gown before leaving the room. Miranda removed her jacket and handed it to Andrea, along with her bag. She quickly unbuttoned her blouse, handing that to Andrea as well, who was trying very hard not to look up at her boss's body. Miranda turned around, unclasping her bra as she slipped into the gown, handing the bra to Andrea as well before climbing onto the table.

Andrea neatly hung Miranda's items on the hooks along the wall as they waited for the doctor. In no time at all, Dr Barry was applying a topical anesthesia to Miranda's breast and inserting a long needle into the lump. Miranda's left hand tightly clenched the edge of the table, and Andrea slid her chair closer, taking Miranda's hand in her own.

"That's it, Miranda," Dr Barry said, applying a small bandage to the area before she stood. "I will call you immediately with the results, but I want you to go home and rest today. Your breast will be tender once the anesthetic wears off. Try and keep it supported with a sports bra or tight tank, anything without an underwire. Oh, and elevated levels of stress are not good for the body, so please, I know it will be difficult, but I need you to relax," she added.

"Thank you, Elizabeth," Miranda said as she sat up. Andrea handed her her bra, blouse, and then draping her coat over her shoulders. Andrea walked Miranda through the halls, her hand resting on the small of Miranda's back, until they reached the exit, where Roy was waiting with the towncar. Miranda slipped into the backseat and Andrea ran to the other side to climb in as well.

As they rode in silence, Andrea turned to look at Miranda. Her lip was quivering as tears pooled against the bottom of her Prada sunglasses. Andrea reached her hand over, covering Miranda's own hands in her lap.

"I know you're scared, but let's wait until Dr Barry gets your results," Andrea whispered as she softly rubbed her thumb across the back of the woman's hand, "it's okay, I'm a little scared, too," she said. Andrea felt Miranda's body quivering next to her as she rested her head on Andrea's shoulder, quietly sobbing the rest of the way home.

TBC or not TBC?

A/N/Warning: I have lost many people in my life to various cancers, and have recently seen some very close to me go through treatment for breast cancer (they're survivors now, yay!), but while this story is from my perspective, I want to note that I understand experiences vastly differ, and not all have good outcomes (there will be no character death in this story, fyi), I respect that and would never want something like this to upset any readers. That being said... I already have an outline in the works, but I'm anticipating this being a longer story, with no real Mirandy until much much later. I appreciate any comments you may have... please r/r & let me know if you think it's worth continuing! xx