Loving Lizzy (The Serenity Mountain Series Book 6)

Chapter Thirty Eight

They drove Barb to her apartment and Michael carried for her the several containers of individual meals that the women had prepared. Lizzy placed them in her freezer and left some in her refrigerator. Completely surprised by the generous gift, Barb hugged them both and thanked them repeatedly. Lizzy scanned the rooms taking note of things the older woman might need.

As they drove to Serenity, Michael brought her hand to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “I’m proud of you, Lizzy Bee. Thank you for fighting for our future and for believing in me.”

She beamed up at him. Cancer scared her to her core. Yet sitting next to Michael, his strength gave her the courage to fight for the life she wanted to spend with him. She hoped one day they might fill their home with adopted kids and extend their family. She saw a future she refused to let herself dream of before. For once, she didn’t try to control every facet of her life. Thankful for the friends who pulled together and surrounded them, she felt invincible. Even if the worst occurred, she committed herself to living every moment with the man she loved and their adopted family of friends.

Michael opened the door and she made her way to the bathroom while he fixed her a light meal. She sat in the recliner and pulled out the form Diana filled out and left it on the coffee table. The group of women agreed to arrive in ten minutes. Once they ascertained Diana’s most immediate needs, and devised a plan, the team agreed to act as delivery men and take it to her home. Kassie remembered to ask for her address and other information on the form.

“They’ll arrive any minute. I know you’re excited, but your health remains my primary focus. As soon as you finish plotting, I’m asking you to rest,” he reminded her.

“I promise, as soon as we finish,” she assured him.

The women showed up in small groups. Kassie carried a clipboard with multiple pages attached with each woman’s name assigned to a single form.

Lizzy ripped the envelope open and scanned the list. “She checked off diapers, wipes, formula, baby cereal for Faith. The food categories are marked with a ton of processed foods. Probably because of the ease with which they can be prepared. She checked off clothes for both kids and wrote spring and summer clothing next to it. Blankets, bedding, and—” Lizzy stopped short. She glanced up to face the women. “They shut off the heat as of two days ago. There’s still a chill in the air,” she expressed her dismay.

“Keep reading, we’ll figure out the entirety of the situation and make the plan.” Kassie ordered as she made notes on her clipboard.

“She’s requesting a secondhand couch under notes. From the sounds of it, she gave her mom her bedroom and she sleeps in the living room. Diana asked for socks and a couple of sweaters for her mom. There’s nothing here for herself,” she continued.

Kassie pulled out her computer. “Samantha and Catherine, can you handle shopping for baby clothes, I’ll place an order at the big box store for diapers, formula, and wipes. We’ll still need a grocery store run for the other items listed and I want to add fresh fruit and vegetables to the list. Do we still have frozen meals at Edie’s?”

“Yes, child, I made extra in anticipation of helping this poor girl,” Edie answered.

Bryanna added, “I prepackaged bread dough and froze it along with a container filled with cookies, croissants, and banana bread. Nothing shows my brand labels.”

“I made packages of soap for the kids in fun shapes, plus shampoo, and two big boxes for Diana and Barb. One contains peppermint and the other lavender. In a separate basket, I added detergent and candles. It’s packaged in plain bags to keep her from getting suspicious,” Samantha chimed in.

“Call the men. Ivan and I will handle the couch after I check out the living conditions. Kassie, I’m assuming you’ll call and get the heat reinstated. Did we cover everything?” Victoria asked as she went to grab her jacket.

She laid the paper down on her tray. “She asked if we know where she can get a job. I don’t know how she’s continued as it is.”

“We’ll ensure she won’t need a job until she’s on her feet. We’ll talk to the landlord and pay her rent. He’ll tell her he suddenly received a subsidy from the city, and he can now include the utilities with the rent payment,” Victoria told them as she grabbed her purse and tapped on her phone. A few minutes later, Ivan arrived to pick her up.

“How will she convince the landlord to tell Diana her rent now covers utilities?” Catherine asked as she happily accepted the sliced apples and peanut butter from Samantha.

Kassie smiled, “If Ivan and Victoria showed up at your door with a wad of cash and gave you instructions, wouldn’t you follow them? I imagine not many people turn them down.”

Catherine rose from the couch and took her plate to the dishwasher. “I’m ready to leave Samantha.”

“Don’t you need to tell Leo you’re heading to Seattle?” Kassie casually asked as she pulled a blanket over a tired Lizzy and placed the water bottle next to her on the tray.

Catherine rolled her eyes. “He’s on time out. I made him send the ridiculous boob thing back and he admitted he bought it in a moment of insecurity over the baby not creating a bond with him. I pointed out he and Melody created one easily and this time he’ll be present for the birth. I know he’s acting crazy, and the team takes it in stride after the monstrosity of a playground in my backyard. I kept the baby food maker and might experiment with it. He’s going through first time dad anxiety.”

“Why is he on time out? You sound as if you’re sympathetic to his craziness,” Lizzy asked.

“I never thought Leo capable of going over the top. He runs the team with a certain firm hand, a level head, and plans missions with his strategic abilities. I came home yesterday to find all the throw rugs removed from the entire house because they’re a safety hazard.” She rolled her eyes.

“Did you fall or something to make him worried?” Kassie asked as she went about picking up the living room.

“Nope. Then, he replaced all my cleaning products with Samantha’s natural products, which I don’t mind. I drew the line when I found a schedule for my pregnancy. He listed what foods I can eat according to a book he read, foods on a ‘No, no’ list, an exercise routine, and a scheduled bedtime.

“Oh, he did not, did he?” She asked incredulously.

“Yep, and he planned it through August to my due date. I tried explaining babies come in their own sweet time. At this point, I guess I’m grateful he gave me an entire day to give birth,” she sighed as the women laughed.

“If this didn’t tip me over the edge, he informed Melody we needed to postpone the puppy we promised her because he read how cats climb into the cribs and smother a baby sometimes. I asked, how many puppies have you witnessed climbing crib rails? We’re getting one of the failed service dog puppies from Chase and Kassie and we’re supposed to pick it up this weekend.” Catherine narrowed her eyes and her mouth firmed as she thought about it.

Bryanna shook her head, “He’s lucky you didn’t boot his butt over to the team’s building until you give birth.”

“Until he slacks off on the insanity, I’m doing as I please. I miss the afternoon naps. If he wants me to cooperate, he’ll loosen up on the boys and his family,” she told them determinedly.

Kassie, Bryanna, and Lizzy giggled. Knowing Leo and Catherine, this sounded like a battle of wills.

“Where’s your mom?” Bryanna asked her as she picked up their snacks and cleaned off Lizzy’s tray.

“She stopped walking to keep from running into Jake. The dating ruse is still happening. I can tell she’s ready to give up on Jake coming around. She’s spending time with Melody tonight and I’m asking her to spend the night, hoping to distract her,” she confessed. “Kassie, what about your birthday party and Easter egg hunt, do you still plan on holding it?”

Kassie stood. “Lizzy, we planned my birthday around your chemo schedule for you to recuperate enough to enjoy the party, I already gave Michael the details. Rest and we’ll handle everything from here. We’ll keep you posted as we get things ready and accomplished. I’ll text on our Serenity family group.”

The women left and Michael joined her in the living room. Her brain finally rested in peace knowing Diana’s hardship ended soon. Barb’s refrigerator contained enough food for the next three weeks until they took her home from chemo. Until then, Lizzy decided to keep in touch by phone.

* * *

Lizzy, thank you for giving the form to your friend. Four humongous delivery men showed up at my door to deliver supplies! They brought a ton of stuff and said tomorrow they’re bringing premade meals. One of the men sat down and went through a check list of foods we liked. Caleb’s thrilled about getting mac and cheese! I’m grateful you remembered the program. I can’t tell you what a load off my plate this is.

Diana texted.

I’m glad it helped. Please reach out if you need anything. We’re in this together.

Lizzy replied.

She smiled down at the text as Michael walked in with a cup of peppermint tea for her while he ate a late dinner.

“Diana texted. She’s excited about all the supplies the team took over for her. You reminded them to wear medical masks, right?”

“I did,” he reassured her.

“I can rest now knowing we relieved some of her stress. I can’t imagine the struggle. Luckily, Chase and Kassie carry excellent insurance as part of our benefit packages. I can’t imagine having to fight this battle, worrying about the hospital bills, and raising small children,” she sighed in relief.

“Unfortunately, the medical insurance system sucks. I’ll admit, I’m almost relieved Kassie included my practice as part of the hospital. We won’t have to turn away a sick kid. She mentioned she was scouting for an event coordinator for fundraising. It’ll go toward programs aimed at the kids and helping veterans with starting fresh.” Michael shook his head in amazement at the couple’s accomplishments.

“We talked about it when she visited the other day. She’s purchasing the land around her mountain and Bear’s. The contractor who worked on our home mentioned they’ll break ground on a few more cabins in another month,” she told him.

“Chase caught himself a great partner. She takes as much pride in the hospital as he does. I hope they figure out the infertility issues. She’s a dedicated mom.”

“She worked nonstop at Seattle Health and cared for little Em. I’m glad he stepped in and helped her out of her situation. I remember I called her to the office after an incident involving two other nurses. She didn’t want attention drawn to herself. At the time we didn’t know why. Chase protected her then. The way he cared for Em while she recuperated from her accident, I believe he fell head over heels for the child.”

“How about you? You’re halfway through chemo. Any thoughts on kids? I’m not asking to pressure you,” he rushed to assure her.

“Maybe two or three, I always wanted a brother or sister. I want my kids to experience having the bond between siblings. Of course, we’ll need to research private adoption. My breast cancer history will put us on the long list for adoptions. We might get approved for fostering. I’ll warn you now, I’ll end up a foster failure because I refuse to turn away any child.”

Michael stood and kissed her. “Do you realize this is the first time you talked about a future with me?”

“You made me want to fight for the life we’re building together. I wish Conner survived to share it with us. Honestly, I don’t know if our marriage would’ve withstood the life we lived before. As scary as it is, I lean on you and know you’ll stay by my side no matter how this turns out. You’re the first person I want to see in the morning and the last person on my mind before I go to sleep.”

Michael caressed her cheek. “I love you, Lizzy Bee. I can’t wait to make love to you again.”

She pulled the covers off her and took his hand to stand. Michael scooped her in his arms and carried her down the hall.

“Even if I found the energy, we can’t for at least three days. I don’t know if you need to wear protection,” she whispered.

He laughed out loud, “Ahh, only you can remember hospital protocol.”

“It’s my job and I never do anything halfway,” she giggled.

“Then fight, Lizzy. Don’t give up on us, our future, or the love we share.”

She laid her head on his shoulder as she murmured, “I won’t, because I don’t want to miss out building my life with you.”