many times would Katie curse this godforsaken disease known as cancer? How many times would she wonder what if? What if her mother had gotten regular checkups? What if her brother had never died? What if her father had never left? What would her life be like?
All these questions would go unanswered, just like her hopes and prayers. Clasping her hands together, she fidgeted with her fingers.
“Katie?”
She turned toward Chase’s rumbling voice. His face was closer than she thought. It was a nice face, actually. His eyes were narrowed with his eyebrows turned down, and he reached over and began to rub her back.
“It’ll be all right.” Hearing the words from him suddenly brought her peace. Being near him made her feel safe.
“I didn’t get to say goodbye.” She looked off toward the hallway outside the waiting room.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” Katie shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I mean, I didn’t tell my mom goodbye. What if she doesn’t make it, and I didn’t get to say goodbye?”
“Katie, do you know how happy your mother was tonight watching you perform? You were amazing, and she was so proud. When there’s a bond between people like you two have, words like ‘goodbye’ and ‘I love you’ never have to be spoken.”
It was a good speech. It was the speech she needed to hear, but the meaning of the words escaped her comprehension as she continued to stare off at nothing.
“Thanks.”
She wasn’t sure what to say anymore and slowly rested her head on Chase’s shoulder. He moved his hand from her back, put his arm around her shoulder, and squeezed her softly to him. Soon she drifted off to sleep.
“Ms. Murphy?”
Katie woke up slowly and realized she was still leaning on Chase’s shoulder.
“Ms. Murphy?”
She looked up into the face of a nurse. Sitting up, she tried to remember what had happened.
“Yes?” She looked around sleepily at the fake living room. It took her a moment to remember she was at the hospital, and then the horrifying events of the night rushed into her mind. “How is she?”
“She’s stable, and would like to see you.”
Her mother was stable! Her heart leaped for joy. Maybe there was hope still. It didn’t have to be the end. They could still beat this. She fanned the tiny flame of hope inside her as the nurse took them back to see her mother.
She entered the room to hear the sound of steady beeping. An IV tube protruded out of her mother’s arm, and an oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth. The machine connected to her mother’s frail body hummed and beeped quietly. It assured Katie that her mother was still alive, though she looked so small in the hospital bed.
“Mama?” Katie hadn’t called her that in years, but it seemed to fit that night.
“Hi, Katie Bug.” Her mother lifted the oxygen mask off her face. “Carter, come in.”
Katie realized he was lurking by the door.
“I don’t want to intrude.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked behind him toward the exit.
“Nonsense.” Even in the hospital, her mother could sound in control.
Chase came a little closer and gave a tentative smile. “Hey, Shirley. Was this youngish, sort-of handsome man too much for you?”
Her mom smiled back. “What can I say? You took my breath away!”
Katie groaned. “That’s a terrible joke.”
“Well, if I have to choose between laughing or crying, I will always choose laughter.”
Katie understood where her mother stood on this subject. Even after they had gone through the death of her brother and also her father walking out on them, Shirley had always found a reason to smile, no matter what. She wondered where her mother got the strength to smile when life didn’t seem to give her much reason to.
“So … colon cancer, huh?” Chase looked uncomfortable. It wasn’t an easy topic to discuss. Katie had been avoiding the subject altogether except to send her mother to another specialist.
“Yep,” Shirley
All these questions would go unanswered, just like her hopes and prayers. Clasping her hands together, she fidgeted with her fingers.
“Katie?”
She turned toward Chase’s rumbling voice. His face was closer than she thought. It was a nice face, actually. His eyes were narrowed with his eyebrows turned down, and he reached over and began to rub her back.
“It’ll be all right.” Hearing the words from him suddenly brought her peace. Being near him made her feel safe.
“I didn’t get to say goodbye.” She looked off toward the hallway outside the waiting room.
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” Katie shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I mean, I didn’t tell my mom goodbye. What if she doesn’t make it, and I didn’t get to say goodbye?”
“Katie, do you know how happy your mother was tonight watching you perform? You were amazing, and she was so proud. When there’s a bond between people like you two have, words like ‘goodbye’ and ‘I love you’ never have to be spoken.”
It was a good speech. It was the speech she needed to hear, but the meaning of the words escaped her comprehension as she continued to stare off at nothing.
“Thanks.”
She wasn’t sure what to say anymore and slowly rested her head on Chase’s shoulder. He moved his hand from her back, put his arm around her shoulder, and squeezed her softly to him. Soon she drifted off to sleep.
“Ms. Murphy?”
Katie woke up slowly and realized she was still leaning on Chase’s shoulder.
“Ms. Murphy?”
She looked up into the face of a nurse. Sitting up, she tried to remember what had happened.
“Yes?” She looked around sleepily at the fake living room. It took her a moment to remember she was at the hospital, and then the horrifying events of the night rushed into her mind. “How is she?”
“She’s stable, and would like to see you.”
Her mother was stable! Her heart leaped for joy. Maybe there was hope still. It didn’t have to be the end. They could still beat this. She fanned the tiny flame of hope inside her as the nurse took them back to see her mother.
She entered the room to hear the sound of steady beeping. An IV tube protruded out of her mother’s arm, and an oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth. The machine connected to her mother’s frail body hummed and beeped quietly. It assured Katie that her mother was still alive, though she looked so small in the hospital bed.
“Mama?” Katie hadn’t called her that in years, but it seemed to fit that night.
“Hi, Katie Bug.” Her mother lifted the oxygen mask off her face. “Carter, come in.”
Katie realized he was lurking by the door.
“I don’t want to intrude.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked behind him toward the exit.
“Nonsense.” Even in the hospital, her mother could sound in control.
Chase came a little closer and gave a tentative smile. “Hey, Shirley. Was this youngish, sort-of handsome man too much for you?”
Her mom smiled back. “What can I say? You took my breath away!”
Katie groaned. “That’s a terrible joke.”
“Well, if I have to choose between laughing or crying, I will always choose laughter.”
Katie understood where her mother stood on this subject. Even after they had gone through the death of her brother and also her father walking out on them, Shirley had always found a reason to smile, no matter what. She wondered where her mother got the strength to smile when life didn’t seem to give her much reason to.
“So … colon cancer, huh?” Chase looked uncomfortable. It wasn’t an easy topic to discuss. Katie had been avoiding the subject altogether except to send her mother to another specialist.
“Yep,” Shirley
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