Blinding Trust (Mitchell Family, #7)(64)

He flipped on the television. As slowly as possible, I moved over and patted the small spot beside me. “Will it hurt you?”

I knew it would hurt a little bit, but nothing was going to stop me from cuddling with my son. Since he was on my right side, it wasn’t so bad. He put on a superhero hero movie and wrapped one arm around me. “I love you, Noah. Thanks for coming to see me. I hate it here.”

“Do they feed you?”

It hurt to laugh and as I much as I tried to hold it in, I just couldn’t. “Of course they feed me. I had cereal for breakfast and a salad for lunch. They give a menu and you pick what you want.”

“Is it good?”

“No! Its horrible. Maybe next time you can bring me a chicken sandwich.”

“When Dad brings you home tomorrow he can stop and get you one, right Dad?” Noah looked to Colt.

“If she wants me to.” He pointed towards the door. “I’m going to walk down to the cafeteria with your dad. I’ll check on you both later.”

We waved as Colt left the room with my dad. Noah was already occupied in the television, while I focused on him being so close. I’d been through something so traumatic just one day before. Noah being in my arms made me realize just how grateful I was for my life. I wanted to live every single day for my children and my family. They needed me as much as I needed them, and together, we could get through anything.

Noah stayed until visiting hours were over. My father took him home, while Colt stayed the night. We went to bed early, in hopes of being released as soon as the sun came up. We ended up having to wait until ten the next morning. I refused to eat another hospital meal, so once we left the hospital, we stopped and got something to eat, while we waited for my prescriptions to be filled. I was given antibiotics to fight off infections, pain medication, and some kind of hormone replacement. My radiation wasn’t going to start for a couple of weeks, to give my body the full time to recuperate.

I should have known that our Kentucky family would be at my house to welcome me home. The house smelled like a bakery and signs were hung all over the living room. My girls both ran up and hugged me around the waist. I pulled them into my body, appreciating that they missed me as much as I missed them.

My parents sat with Colt’s mom and Lucy, while I was overwhelmed with hugs from my children. Noah was gentle with me, where the girls didn’t know any better.

We spent the better part of the afternoon with the family. They left just before dinner, so that I could go upstairs and get some rest. Taking a nap had never been so eventful. All four of them walked me up to my room. Colt pulled down the covers and the kids all climbed in the bed. I got in slowly and felt Colt lifted the covers over me. He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. “Welcome home, darlin’.”

I smiled and looked around at the kids. They were all three smiling. “It’s great to be home.”





Chapter 28


Colt


It was so good to have my wife home. She was still weak, even after a couple of days. The doctor said it would take her weeks to get back to her normal self. The kids had been so happy to have her home that they all wanted to sleep with her that first night. I wouldn’t have minded if they didn’t kick and roll around all night. It was too much of a risk for one of them to accidentally rip her drain or her sutures. Since Savanna went to bed at dinner time, It was easy to get the kids to come downstairs. For once, they didn’t complain.

The girls stayed up for another couple of hours, while Noah stayed up watching the game with me.

“Dad, can I ask you a question?”

I looked away from the game and gave him my attention. “What’s up?”

“It’s cancer, isn’t it?”

I was so shocked that I didn’t know how to answer. We’d never mentioned that word to him. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, I didn’t know what Oncologist meant, so I looked it up. It said that it’s a cancer doctor. So, I’m askin’ you man to man. Does mom have it?”

How was I supposed to answer him. If he was old enough to go looking for answers, he was old enough to handle the truth. Savanna was going to be upset, but I couldn’t lie to my son. “That’s why she had surgery. The doctor went in and removed the cancer.”

He started to sniffle and I watched him wipe his face. “Is she goin’ to die?”

It hit me hard. I’d prayed to God every single night, begging him to save her. How was I supposed to put Noah’s mind at ease, when I feared the same fate? “No!”

He shook his head and started crying louder. “This is all my fault. I made her sad and she got sick.”

I reached over and shook him gently. “Noah, this had nothin’ to do with you. People don’t get cancer because they’re sad. You didn’t do this, son. I promise you that.”

“So it’s gone? They took it out and she’s goin’ to be okay?”

I turned down the volume to the game to give Noah my full attention. “They removed the mass that contained the cancer, yes. Your mom will still need to receive a special treatment to be sure they got everything out. She might get sick and we’re goin’ to need to make sure we do everything we can to help her out.”

He looked down at his hands. “Is she goin’ to be okay?”