“Mommy,” Natalie said from her car seat. “Get out.”
“Just a minute, Natalie,” I said with barely a glance, focusing back on Marcus. “What’s going to happen now?”
“She’s going to have surgery on Friday, and then she’ll start chemo after that.”
The severity of the situation settled over me. “How’s she taking the news?”
A grimace played across Marcus’s mouth. “Not well.”
I remembered Marcus telling me how his mother had become hysterical when he’d told her he wanted to marry me. I liked Trish, and I’d gotten to know her a lot better since we’d moved in, but I also knew she could get extremely emotional—and overreact in the case of Marcus’s announcement that he wanted to marry me.
“What can I do?” I asked, knowing I needed to be there for her, no matter what.
He rubbed the back of his neck with the hand not holding Jackson, then hesitated. “I know your job is important to you, and I respect that—”
I put my hand up, and his expression changed from uncertainty to annoyance. “Marcus, before you say anything else, you should know that I decided to quit my job.”
“What? When did this happen?” His face relaxed. “Never mind. We can talk about that later. For now, I’m just relieved to hear that.” He brushed his fingers along the curve of my cheek. “I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but my mom will really need your help.”
I placed my hand over his, loving the warmth of his strong hand against my skin. Peace and gratitude cascaded over me that I’d made the decision to quit my job on my own, and that now I would be available to step in and help where I was truly needed. “I’m happy to help.”
A wry smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I’m not sure you know what you’ll be getting yourself into.”
I laughed. “You forget that I took care of my dad for two years starting when I was only eighteen.”
Remembrance lit his eyes. “I had forgotten that.” Then a chuckle burst from his mouth. “But this is my mother we’re talking about, so it might be a little different.”
I knew Trish, and I knew he wasn’t exaggerating. Still, I knew I was up for it. Smiling, I nodded.
“Mommy,” Natalie said again, this time with a strong edge of impatience.
“I’m sorry, baby.” I freed her from her restraints and set her on the ground, then turned to Marcus. “Is it okay if we go inside now?”
He nodded. “Brace yourself.”
The four of us trooped to the front door, and the moment we stepped inside, I heard weeping coming from the living room.
Trish’s sobs were heart wrenching, and I immediately went to her side while Natalie stood beside Marcus in the entry. Jeff sat beside Trish, and I sat on the other side of her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
“Oh, Lily,” she said, her voice cracking.
“I’m here,” I said as the realization that she was as much a mother to me as Marcy was swept over me. I didn’t want to lose her, and I knew I would do whatever I could to help her get through this.
My own mother had died when I was young, and though I didn’t remember it, I had vague memories of the feelings of loss. And now, unexpectedly, they tore through me.
“It will be okay,” I murmured, more to myself than to her.
Natalie ran to Trish and placed her hand on Trish’s arm. “Grandma hurt?” A deep furrow formed between Natalie’s eyes as she gazed into Trish’s tear-streaked face.
The child-like concern shining from Natalie’s face sent Trish into a fresh round of tears. She picked Natalie up and snuggled her, but after a moment she inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. “Grandma’s okay,” she whispered.
Jeff handed Trish a tissue, which she used to wipe the tears from her face, then she smiled at Natalie. “Did you have a good trip?”
Natalie gazed at Trish, evidently to make sure she really was okay, then she held up her cast and pointed to the pictures John had drawn.
“Who’s that?” Trish asked, pointing to the image of the little girl.
“Natalie,” Natalie said, then she pointed to the dog. “Greta.”
“Can I draw something too?” Trish asked.
Natalie nodded, her eyes shiny with excitement.
“I’ll get the markers,” Marcus offered, and a moment later he handed a box to Trish.
“I like flowers,” Trish said as she drew a bright blue flower on Natalie’s cast. “Do you like it?”
“Yes,” Natalie said, then she held out her arm for me to see.
“It’s beautiful.” I was glad Natalie had been able to take Trish’s mind off of her sorrow, if only for a few minutes.
Natalie wriggled off of Trish’s lap and ran directly to the sliding glass door where Greta was watching us. Natalie turned to us. “Greta inside.”
“Not right now,” I said, thinking Trish probably wasn’t up for it.
“It’s all right,” Trish said, surprising me. Then she got up and opened the sliding glass door.
Greta bounded inside, obviously thrilled to see me and the children.
“You’re a good girl,” I said as I scratched her head. Her tail swung in a wide arc and her tongue lolled out. I smiled at Trish. “Thank you for taking care of her while we were gone.”
“You’re welcome,” she said as she sat beside me.
Greta turned her attention to Trish, pressing her nose against Trish’s hand. Trish pulled her hand away with a laugh that sounded forced.
“Come here, Greta,” I said, knowing Trish didn’t like wet dog noses against her skin.
“Lily has some news,” Marcus said as he sat in the chair across from me.
All eyes moved to me, and I smiled nervously as I held on to Greta’s collar. “I decided to quit my job.”
At first no one spoke, then Trish said, “You don’t have to do that.”
How to tell her I didn’t do it for her? “It must be serendipity, Trish, because I made the decision over the weekend.” I smiled, and my voice softened. “Now I’ll be home all day to help you with whatever you need.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m glad.”
“That will be a big help,” Jeff said, then he tilted his head. “What made you decide to quit?”
I explained how I’d come to the realization that what I wanted most was to be home with the children, and that since we could get by without me working right now, quitting was the right thing for me to do. “Maybe that will change at some point,” I said. “But for now, this is what’s best for our family.”
“I agree,” Marcus said.
I smiled at him, glad we were finally on the same page.
Marcus’s cell phone rang, and after a brief conversation with the caller, he hung up and turned to me. “There’s a problem at our house.”
Chapter 23
“Who was on the phone?” I asked as all kinds of scenarios flooded my mind.
“Our renter. Todd Barton.” Marcus frowned. “He said there was a fire in the kitchen.”
“Oh no,” I moaned as I closed my eyes.
“Nobody was injured.”
Why wasn’t that the first thing I thought of? “That’s good, at least.” I paused. “How bad is it?”
“I don’t know. We should go over there and see.”
What else can go wrong today?
“You can leave the kids with us,” Jeff said.
I glanced at Trish. “Are you sure?”
“They’ll just be in the way over there,” she said with a smile. “Besides, I haven’t seen them in days.”
“Okay.” I put Greta in the backyard, then Marcus and I walked out to his car.
“This is not good,” he said as we drove to our house, his tone grave.
“Why do you say that?”
He glanced at me before focusing on the road. “If the damage is too extensive, the renters will have to move out, which means we won’t have a way to pay the mortgage. Plus we’ll need to pay the deductible to o
ur insurance company.”
My shoulders slumped as if someone had dropped a weight onto them.
Marcus grimaced. “This was something we really didn’t need right now.”
None of this would have happened if we hadn’t moved out. But even as the thought came into my mind, I reminded myself that I was done going there. “We’ll figure it out,” I said instead.
Marcus put his hand on my leg. “Thank you, Lily.”
“For what?”
He smiled at me. “For being positive.” He sighed. “I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed with work, and now with my Mom’s diagnosis, and then this . . .” He shook his head. “I’m glad you’re on my side.”
Shame and guilt swept over me that he would think for even a second that I wasn’t on his side. We were a team—a partnership.
Then you need to show it. “I will always be on your side, Marcus.”
He grasped my hand with his. “I know, and that means everything to me.”
With my free hand, I covered our hands. “I love you, Marcus.”
“I love you too.” He smiled at me. “I’m glad you’re home.”
“Me too.” Even with all of the challenges that lay ahead of us, at least we had each other. That, I knew, was the most important thing.
“Here we are,” he said as we pulled up to our house.
“It looks okay from here,” I said.
We walked to the front door together, then Marcus rang the bell. It felt weird to not be able to walk in, but I swallowed my pride as I waited for the Bartons to answer the door.
“Hello,” Todd Barton said, his forehead deeply furrowed. “Come in.”
The smell of stale smoke filled the air, and I walked directly into the kitchen. The wall behind the stove was black and covered with soot, the range vent was partially burned, and all the cabinets that surrounded the stove were blackened.
“What happened?” I asked as I stared at the damage.
Todd shifted from one foot to the other. “I guess one of the kids was making something to eat and left it on the stove.” He cringed. “The fire department got here really fast though.”
“I’m glad nobody got hurt,” Marcus said.
“Me too,” I was quick to add.
“I’m really sorry,” Todd said.
Marcus half-smiled. “Accidents happen, right?”
“Especially with kids,” Todd said.
I thought about Natalie falling down the stairs and breaking her arm just the week before, and wondered what other accidents awaited me.
“Yeah.” Marcus glanced at the damage, then turned to Todd. “We’ll need to fix this, obviously, but what will your family do while the stove is unusable?” He hesitated. “You’re not planning on moving out, are you?”
Todd laughed. “We don’t want to move, but I thought you’d be so mad that you’d kick us out.”
I looked at Marcus, wondering if we should make them move out.
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Marcus said.
I wondered what that meant, but decided to let him handle this.
“We can get by without the stove for a while,” Todd said.
The garage door opened, and Todd’s wife Emily walked in with their two children behind her. “I wondered who was here,” she said, her face grim. “I’m so sorry about this.”
You said you’d take good care of my house. I forced a smile on my face, trying not to think about the ruined tile backsplash that Marcus and I had so painstakingly installed. “Hi, Emily.”
She looked at her husband, a question on her face.
“They said we can stay,” he said.
Emily’s head tilted back as she looked upward and released an audible sigh, then she looked right at me. “I promise, this won’t happen again.” A nervous laugh escaped her mouth. “Our kids have been banned from cooking.”
Good.
“We’ll call our insurance agent,” Marcus said, “and get things moving to fix this.”
“Thank you,” Todd said.
Emily went to her husband’s side. “Yes, thank you so much.”
At the looks of gratitude on their faces, my annoyance lessened.
What if something like this had happened when I’d been renting Mary’s house and she had kicked me out? I would have been devastated. That place had become my home.
On the drive back, Marcus showed his true feelings. “I wanted to kick them out.”
I stared at him in surprise. “Then why didn’t you?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Then we’d have to find new renters, and who knows how long that would take. At least they’ve been paying the rent on time.”
“Yeah, that’s great.” I frowned. “As long as they don’t burn the whole house down.”
He laughed. “Yeah, that would suck.”
At work the next day, I waited until Cindy had a free moment before I pulled her aside.
“I’m glad to have you back,” she said as she pushed her hair behind her ear. “It’s been kind of wild around here the last couple of days.”
I glanced away, then met her gaze. “I’m really sorry to tell you this because I’ve truly appreciated the opportunity to work here—”
“No,” she said with a frown. “Don’t tell me.”
“Yesterday I found out that my mother-in-law has breast cancer—”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
I nodded. “She’s going to need me more than ever, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to give up this job.” I felt a little bad about using Trish’s illness as an excuse to quit, but the reason didn’t really matter anyway. The important thing was that I do what was best for my family.
“We’ll miss you, Lily.”
“Thank you.” I hesitated. “I can give you two weeks’ notice, if that would help.”
“When does she start her treatment?”
“She’s having surgery on Friday. I’m not sure how soon after that she’ll start chemo.”
“As much as we need you here, I think she needs you more right now, so don’t worry about giving two weeks’ notice.” She grimaced. “But perhaps you can work tomorrow?”
“Of course. Her surgery isn’t until the day after that, so that will be fine.”
I finished out that day, and the next, and when it was time to leave the day care for the last time, I told everyone good-bye. I had enjoyed getting to know the other workers, and Natalie had liked playing with the other children, but I knew where I was needed now, and I was happy that I’d had the ability to make the choice that was right for me.
Chapter 24
On the day of Trish’s surgery I stayed home with the children while Jeff and Marcus waited at the hospital. When Trish was in recovery, Marcus called.
“Surgery went well,” he said. “They think they got it all, but she’ll still need chemo and radiation.”
“I hate that she’s going through this,” I said. “But I’m glad things are moving in the right direction. The important thing is that she gets better.”
We talked for a few more minutes, then hung up.
Monday was the first day I was completely in charge of taking care of Trish, and as she rested on the couch, I knelt in front of her. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
“Your job right now is to rest,” I said with a warm smile. “I’ll take care of everything else, okay?”
She placed a hand on my arm. “You know, at first I wasn’t sure about the four of you moving in here, but now I can’t imagine it being any other way.”
Surprised to hear her admit she’d had doubts, I nodded. “It was hard for me when we first moved in—I’d gotten used to having my own place.”
Trish chuckled softly. “Yes, I could tell you weren’t thrilled with this arrangement.”
My face heated. Was I that transparent?
She smiled softly. “It’s okay, Lily. I completely understood.”
Cringing slightly, I said, “I’m past that now
, and I’m glad I’m here to make your life easier while you go through this battle.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You know, you’re becoming the daughter I’ve always wished I had.”
Deeply touched, I felt tears push against the backs of my eyes, and I put my arms around her, careful not to jostle her. When I drew back, I said, “You don’t know how much that means to me.”
Once Trish was settled, and I’d put the children down for naps, I called Alyssa to catch up.
“I can’t believe all the things that have happened lately,” she said after I’d told her about Trish’s cancer and the fire at our house.
“I know. It’s pretty crazy.” I paused. “What about you and Ty? What’s going on there?”
“I have some hopeful news.”
Glad to hear something positive for a change, I said, “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“We met with a marriage counselor the other day.”
“That’s great. How’d it go?”
“Not too bad. He stayed for the whole session, and he even answered the counselor’s questions.”
“That sounds extremely hopeful.”
“I know.” She paused. “If he keeps going to counseling, and the sessions are as productive as the first one, I think I’ll be ready to move back home.”
“I’m really glad to hear that.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you quit your job so you could be with your children, and now you’re going to be taking care of your mother-in-law. What are you going to do to take care of you?”
“I . . . I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Uh-huh. That’s what I figured.” She sighed. “Lily, if you ignore your own needs, you’ll empty your tank pretty quickly and then you won’t be any good to anyone.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” I laughed. “I’ve done this before.”
“You mean when you took care of your father?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, you didn’t have a husband and two children then.”
I hadn’t really considered that aspect. “That’s true.”
“Yes it is. So make sure and find something to do that’s just about you, okay?”
Lily's Story: The Complete Saga Page 82