Chapter Thirty Five
Michael threw Lizzy’s bag over his shoulder and took her hand as they headed toward the infusion center. When they entered, she went directly to the counter and gave her name. They sat in front of the glass doors waiting for them to call her. He acted as if the sight of the chairs with the hanging bags didn’t bother him, but Lizzy knew he felt uncomfortable.
To relax him, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and his arm automatically went around her as he scooted her closer to him as if he dared the invisible disease to go through him before attacking her. His other hand gripped hers, refusing to let her go.
“Why don’t you grab something to eat and visit with your colleagues while I’m here? It’ll take a while and you’ll only get bored,” she encouraged him again.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He dug in her bag and removed his computer, the miniature cooler with snacks and his e-reader. “I packed your water bottle, a lemon lime soda, crackers, and snacks for you and the ladies.”
“You constantly amaze me. I’ve decided to keep you, forever,” she raised her head and smiled at him.
“I’m holding you to it.” He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head.
“Lizzy,” the nurse called for her.
Michael stood as he handed her the bag. “I packed your blanket and if you want anything, I’ll be sitting here right outside the door.”
Lizzy squeezed his hand before following the nurse and taking a seat beside Barb.
“Good morning,” she cheerfully greeted her.
“Don’t you resemble a knockout. Are you sure you need chemo? I love the new hair.” Barb put down her paperback and gave Lizzy her full attention. “You don’t appear as scared as last time. How did you do when you returned home?”
She waited until the nurse finished hooking her up and took the supplies away.
“I can’t say I enjoyed the nausea. How do you feel?”
“I’ll survive. I bought myself a new hat to celebrate losing some of my gray,” she chuckled to herself.
“I like it. It suits you,” she told her as she pulled the shawl from her bag and wrapped it around her shoulders. She placed the blanket over her lap. Glancing down into the tote, she grinned as she found individual baggies for each of the women. The night before, she’d told Michael about the two people she met and how sad she felt they didn’t have the same support system as her. While she showered, he took it upon himself to make a miniature buffet. He even added adult coloring books with three packs of colored pencils. She searched for Michael on the other side of the door. She found him watching her. She pointed to his gifts, smiled, and blew him a kiss.
“Michael packed us a treat and an activity. Do you like to color?” Lizzy pulled out the items and offered Barb her choice.
She chuckled as she picked up the book and laughed. “I don’t think I’ve colored since I was a little girl.”
“These are adult coloring books. I heard they help reduce stress. Where’s Diana?” She scanned the room for the outspoken woman.
“She’ll be along shortly, as long as her bloodwork came back good.” She chose her items and held them up and gave Michael a little wave. “Please tell him thank you. He didn’t need to bring me anything, I appreciate the gesture all the same.”
Lizzy sat the items back in the bag to give Diana a selection when she arrived. She pulled out her water bottle and sat it on her tray.
“Is he your husband? He’s a handsome guy,” Barb observed.
“He’s my ex-husband but we’re together. We will probably finish around the same time if you need a ride home today,” Lizzy offered.
Her new friend turned her head from searching through her new book. “I can grab a cab,” she told her. “When you get to be my age, you learn how to do everything yourself.”
“I don’t doubt you can. I want to pick up a few things I ordered while in the city and can drop you off. It beats waiting for a cab,” Lizzy cajoled.
Barb thought for a moment, “As long as it doesn’t put you out, I’ll grab a ride. If anything, it’ll give my neighbors something to talk about when I pull up with a handsome man and a stunning woman in the car. I don’t think they’ve ever seen anyone with me. Diana and I sometimes get together. We met at the cancer support group a few blocks away. We try to schedule our appointments at the same time. Do you live around here? Maybe you’ll want to join us?”
“I recently moved to Serenity. It takes me about forty minutes to return home. I don’t mind because the view makes it totally worth it.”
“Honey if he lives there, I wanna move there too.” They laughed.
Diana arrived and the two women watched the commotion in the waiting room. An older woman attempted to corral the little boy by the hand while she held a baby carrier. She settled the trio into chairs and pulled out books, and puzzles for the little boy, who was around the age of Lizzy’s friends’ kids. Then, she pulled out a bottle and handed it to her mom. A nurse came around the desk to retrieve her. Diana kissed the children and went inside the infusion area.
Upon seeing her friend and Lizzy, she smiled. “You made it, good for you,” Diana directed her comment to Lizzy. “Who does the huge hunk belong to? Barb, have you kept a secret from me?” She winked.
“Me? Ha! He belongs to this one.” Barb motioned with her thumb toward Lizzy.
“Does he have a brother? Holy hotness, he’s something else.” Diana fanned herself.
The nurse settled Diana and asked if they needed anything. When she walked away, her gaze fell to the waiting room.
“Crap, I knew better than to agree to them coming along,” she groaned.
“The other two women turned in the direction where she stared. Diana’s mom bounced the baby on her lap while the little boy refused to sit. Her mom kept saying something to him to get his attention and by the looks of it, she failed.
Michael leaned down and picked up the puzzle from the floor and said something to the child and held up a piece. Now intrigued, the little boy walked in his direction.
“Don’t worry, Michael’s a pediatrician,” Lizzy assured her. “He absolutely adores kids They flock to him everywhere he goes.”
“Geez, I feel bad. I told mom I’d pick her up before I went to the grocery store. She wanted to save me time, because I tire easily. She doesn’t realize how long I’ll be stuck here, and I can’t help her occupy the rascals,” Diana let out an exasperated sigh.
“He’ll help her. He can’t stand to watch anyone in distress. It’s ingrained in his nature to lend a helping hand. He packed us a bag of goodies when I told him I met you two.” Lizzy opened the bag and took out the selection of coloring books and passed her a pack of pencils. “He sent us these.” She thrust them toward her.
“Oh wow, he’s a keeper. He even brought you toys to keep you occupied. Does he have a brother?” she teased.
“He even packed us snacks.” She pulled out individual baggies of fruit, cheese, and crackers. In the very bottom of the bag sat a plastic container. Lizzy opened it to discover a selection of sugar free cookies from Bryanna.
Diana’s eyes grew huge as she pulled out the food. “Bryanna owns the town bakery. She’s experimenting on sugar free cookies. They taste out of this world.” She offered the tray selection to Barb and then Diana.
“I can’t remember the last time I bought cookies for Caleb,” She sadly glanced toward the waiting room. “I’ll save mine for him. He’s such a great kid and loves to help take care of Faith. Not much money in the budget for luxury items when you need diapers and formula.”
Lizzy glanced at Barb, who sent a sympathetic glance in Diana’s direction.
“My aunt used to say, ‘And this too shall pass.’ I never understood what she meant because it always seemed she said it during the most difficult times in my life. As I grew older, I realized when I experienced something awful her words echoed in my ear. I finally knew even bad times pass, Diana. You can’t control cancer or when people walk out of your life. You press on and continue to move forward,” Barb advised.
“The thought is nice, but it doesn’t do me much good when I worry about how I’m putting food on the table. Mom won’t admit it, but she’s getting older, and the kids wear her out. We try to go to the food bank to supplement what my checks won’t cover. She insists on taking the kids in the wagon and pulls it back on the weeks I can’t walk the three blocks.” She continued to stare at her family, her brows creased in worry.
Lizzy pressed her call button and when the nurse came over, Lizzy held the package out to her. “Can you give this to Michael?”
The nurse took the cookies and handed them to him. Michael glanced up as Lizzy pointed to the kids and smiled. He said something to Diana’s mother who turned her gaze over to her daughter. She nodded her head, and the older woman took a cookie. Then Michael patiently held out the selection to the sandy haired little boy. He leaned over and took his time before he finally picking out his treat. He ran to the window and knocked, proudly showing his mom. The three women laughed as she encouraged him to eat it.
“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that. I hope I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable blurting out my entire life story. Cancer seems to make my mouth loose.”
“Don’t worry about it. Sometimes, talking about it helps,” Lizzy assured her. She divided the baggies into threes and passed them out with a package of crackers. She sat back and turned the pages of her book.
“Thank you for the snacks and the other stuff. It’s really kind of you,” Diana softly told her as she fingered the baggies and glanced in the direction of her son.
Lizzy watched her stare longingly in his direction. If she made a guess, Diana planned to save it for her son. “Michael says it’s important to keep our strength up. He packs food for me like he’s feeding an army. Why don’t you put those back in my cooler and share these with me? Then you can take the other bag home with you. I ate a huge breakfast this morning and if I come out of here with full bags of food, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
She peered at the food in front of her. “You don’t mind?” She seemed uncertain.
“Oh yeah. My friends’ husbands are former military, and Michael hangs around them. Which means he’ll act like a drill sergeant thinking I’m not eating enough. You’re doing me a huge favor,” she pleaded.
Diana leaned over and took a carrot stick as she opened her book and the pencils. Lizzy sat back and shaded the pink flower in front of her. When she glanced up and found Barb staring at her, the older woman nodded her approval and gave her a wink. The three women chatted and giggled as Caleb climbed in Michael’s lap. Michael took out his phone and pulled up something to capture the kid’s attention. They played a game and every now and again, Caleb laughed aloud and pointed to the screen. Diana’s mom laughed and talked with Michael. The baby began to fuss, and she stood up and paced the room attempting to calm the distraught little girl.
“Oh no,” She rubbed her tired eyes as she watched her mom. “Faith needs a nap, and I doubt mom will convince her to sleep. She hates to close her eyes. She’s very alert for her age and sometimes I think she fights sleep because she thinks she’ll miss out on something. Do you have any kids?”
“Our son, Conner, passed away from SIDS,” Lizzy said sadly.
“See I told ya, I got diarrhea of the mouth. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. He’s seems good with kids, I figured you must have them.”
“Michael adores children.” Lizzy smiled as she watched him hand his phone over to Caleb and offer to take Faith when she refused to settle down. The exhausted grandmother handed the baby over and sat down next to Caleb.
“Either that or he doesn’t enjoy his eardrums getting blasted from Faith crying,” she added.
Lizzy grinned, “Watch him. He’s a regular child whisperer. He volunteered for a humanitarian mission to bring aid to children, and I found out about my pregnancy a week after he left. He didn’t make it back in time to meet our son due to some unforeseeable events. I remember feeling helpless a few times when Conner cried, and I didn’t know what to do.”
“Sometimes, all they need to know is they’re loved and cared for.” Barb smiled as she watched the interaction between Michael and Caleb. “My sons enlisted right out of high school together. They never missed calling me except during basic training. Sometimes, Greg says, ‘Mom I called to hear your voice.’ Thomas, he’s my youngest, he causes me a lot of gray hairs. It’s not natural for a child to go before the parent. I’m sorry you experienced it, Lizzy. Motherhood isn’t for the weak.”
“Do you plan on having more?” Diana asked quietly. “You don’t need to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”
Lizzy put her pencil down and leaned back in the chair as she observed Michael as he lay tiny Faith in her car seat, already asleep. “I grew up in foster homes. We might consider private adoption once we get through all of this. Maybe not a newborn but at least a year or two old, if not older,” Lizzy mused.
“I dread when Faith starts crawling. She’s doing the old rocking back and forth scooting thing. It’s only a matter of time and I’m already exhausted. Mom takes Caleb to the park to let him run out his energy and play with other kids. I keep Faith with me to give her a break.”
“Does their father not send any type of support especially knowing you’re sick? Apparently, I suffer the same thing as you. It’s really not my business,” Lizzy apologized.
“Besides my mom, I consider this as my only social interaction until I see you again. I can’t talk to her about these things because I don’t want to upset her. The bastard doesn’t even call to check on them. As soon as I finish treatment, I’m hiring a lawyer to make him pay child support. Mom insists I do it now, but I’m afraid he’ll use my breast cancer against me. Caleb asks about him, and I divert his attention. How long can I possibly get away with doing it? I don’t want my son to spend time with a man who runs out on his wife and kids. He doesn’t send any money and the one time I found him to ask for money for Caleb’s asthma, he told me he didn’t believe the kids were his. Faith resembles him with the same color hair and eyes. Caleb takes after my side and has his father’s nose. If you can deny them, you don’t deserve them,” she said angrily.
Lizzy crossed her arms and felt the anger roll through her. She felt for Diana and her children. Barb tugged at her heartstrings. She acted tough but as Diana spoke, she didn’t miss the compassionate gaze Barb sent the younger woman. Her mind made up; Lizzy sat up in her chair.
“If you aren’t busy next weekend and you feel up to it, why don’t you come for a visit to my home? We can pick you all up. My friends have kids around Caleb’s age. I have guest rooms if you need to rest and three of my friends are nurses. We can have lunch; the kids can play in the backyard, and it’ll get you out of the house.”
“Thank you for the offer. I’m usually too wiped out to go anywhere else except to the support group on Tuesday evenings. My family lives far away, and my friends passed away. I order food, microwave a few frozen meals and watch TV until the next chemo party,” Barb told them.
“Yeah, it’s generous of you, but I struggle with the kids and my mom in my own apartment. I can’t imagine visiting someone else’s house,” Diana made her excuse.
“Can we exchange numbers? It might be nice if we can talk to each other through the week or even text. You’ve started a couple of weeks before me, I might have questions you can answer. The support group feels too much for me at this point,” she pressed.
When the nurse unhooked Barb, she handed her a pen. Barb wrote down her number since she didn’t own a cell phone. Diana repeated her number as Lizzy added it to her phone. Then she texted Diana to share her number. Barb grabbed her walker, scooted across the floor, and sat in the waiting room for her to finish. Michael proceeded to carry on a conversation with the older woman. Every now and again, he glanced up and winked at Lizzy as he chatted between the two older woman and Caleb.
“You’ve got a good man. Hang on to him, Lizzy,” Diana whispered as she gathered her things and pulled the baggie from her cooler and laid it on the tray next to her new friend.
“I’m never letting him go,” she responded as she walked toward Michael. He straightened and stood as she came toward him. She felt his strength and love as his gaze never left hers. After hearing the two women’s stories, Lizzy summoned the courage she thought she lost long ago. She was blessed with the support of her friends and Michael, and she vowed never to take it for granted.