One week later, Cael walked into the Children’s Hospital in Richmond. Stopping at the entrance, he closed his eyes for a moment to gather his wits. He had spent the past days convincing himself that Cindy was not really sick so, when the call came in today from Kathy, he felt blindsided. Quickly telling his boss he had to get to the hospital, he ran to his car and rushed there.

Sucking in a cleansing breath, he opened his eyes and moved to the reception desk. Giving his name and then getting his picture taken for the sticker ID, he followed a volunteer to the elevator. “I’m sure I can find my way,” he said to the diminutive, elderly woman walking with him.

Smiling up, she said, “It’s hospital policy to escort visitors until we get parental permission for them to have a recurring ID badge.”

Stunned, he nodded silently, following her into the elevator. “Uh…is security always this high?”

She patted his arm, having to lean way back to stare into his face. “It’s a strange age we live in, and we take the security and privacy of our patients very seriously.”

Oddly comforted, in spite of her lack of physical strength compared to his, he smiled down at her. “Then, I thank you for your diligence.”

The elevator pinged their arrival on the third-floor and they stepped out together. Tom was waiting and signed the form for the volunteer to take back down. “Mr. Holland, it was nice to meet you. The next time you come in you can pick up your recurring ID. Just remember to bring your photo ID for it to be assigned to you.” With that, she toddled down the hall.

Turning to Tom, he lifted his brow and Tom shook his head.

“I know, Cael. All I could think about is she looked like she would blow over in a strong wind and here she was escorting one of the biggest men I know.”

He watched as Tom chuckled and figured the man needed a moment of mirth to cut through the agony they were facing. When Tom quieted, he asked gently, “What do I need to know before I go in there?”

Taking a deep breath before blowing it out heavily, he said, “She goes in for surgery tomorrow morning to remove the lymph node. From all indications, the Lymphoma is confined to the one node at this time. That’s good news. And they are calling it Stage One. That’s also good news. They are calling it a non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which doesn’t mean much to me, but supposedly it’s easier to treat. The doctors are very optimistic, but I gotta tell you, Kathy’s having a rough time. She’s so great with Cindy and then falls apart at home.”

He nodded, listening carefully to everything Tom was saying, once more with his heart pounding out of his chest. Blowing out a breath, he said, “I’m trying to take this all in, Tom. So, the bad news is Cindy has…fuck…she has…cancer.” The word was pulled out of him and he hated hearing it on his own lips. Forcing his mind to focus, he continued, “But it looks good, overall.”

“Yeah, that’s about it for now.”

“And the surgery’ll take care of it? They can take it out and it’s done?”

Tom’s eyes cut away and he pinched the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb before a tear slid down his cheek. “No…she’ll have to have chemo as well.”

Cael locked his knees in place to keep from dropping to the floor. “Oh, fuck no,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. Blowing out his shaky breath, hands on his hips, he dropped his chin to his chest, his pounding heart now aching. Pulling himself together, he lifted his head and reached for Tom, offering a comforting hug. “Okay, man, I’m good. I’m here for you all.”

Tom wiped his eyes and said, “Kathy’s in there and Cindy’s excited to see you. We’re telling her what we believe she can handle, in a way she understands, so she knows she has a lump that the doctors will take out while she’s asleep. She seems fine with that information.”

“Got it.”

Together, they walked the short distance down the hall, stopping briefly at the door, both inhaling a deep breath before pushing inside.

Cael’s gaze took in the room in one swoop. The walls were painted a soft blue with a darker blue for the door and window trim. Several Disney pictures were hung on the walls, giving the room a cheerier feel than a typical hospital room. The medical equipment was visible, but he let out a sigh of relief that, for now, she was not hooked up to any machines. A window to the side overlooked the trees in the courtyard below and the sun shone through the blinds.

“Uncle Cael!” came a cry of glee from the bed. Cindy was sitting in the middle of her hospital bed, dressed in a pink gown, and was combing the hair of a doll in her lap. Kathy was perched on the edge of the bed and cast an uncertain smile his way.

Grinning widely, he stalked over, bending to kiss his niece, noting Tom leaned in to whisper to Kathy while Cindy was distracted. She nodded and he assumed Tom let her know that he knew what was happening.

Eyes back on his little niece, he smiled brightly. “Cindy-loo, whatcha doing in this big bed?”

“I’ve got a lump in my neck that’s not supposed to be there,” she said, scrunching her nose. “But, tomorrow, the doctors will make me go to sleep and they’ll take it out. Mom says it’ll be like Sleeping Beauty where I’ll be magically asleep until one of them kisses me at the end and then I’ll wake up.”

“Well, I’ll be here, sweetie, so maybe I can be the one to give you a wake-up kiss,” he suggested.

She giggled, her blue eyes bright. A nurse entered, greeting her. “Hi, Cindy. I’m just back to make sure you’re doing okay.”

He watched as her smile dropped from her face as she stared at the nurse. “Are you gonna stick me?” she asked, her chin quivering.

Cael’s gut clenched, thinking of what she had already endured and what was coming.

“Not now, sweetie, but it’s almost time for your supper, because in two hours you won’t be able to eat until tomorrow. So, would you like chicken and mashed potatoes? We’ve got orange Jello also.”

Cindy’s face brightened and she nodded enthusiastically. Cael looked over at his sister and said, “I’d like to stay with her for a bit, so why don’t you and Tom go downstairs to eat.”

Shooting him a grateful smile, they kissed Cindy before walking out. He turned his attention back to her and said, “Look what I brought.”

“Mr. Zander’s book!”

“That’s right. He loaned it to me so that we could read some while you eat.”

The nurse returned with Cindy’s dinner tray, setting it in front of her, and she began to eat delicately while he settled in the chair next to her bed, opening the story book. “What would you like?”

“Tinkerbell,” she said while nibbling on her chicken.

“Ah, Peter Pan.” Turning to the page, he read as she finished eating and pushed the tray away. After she settled down in the bed, he pulled the covers up over her. Her eyes became heavy and she clutched her doll to her chest as they finally closed. Kathy and Tom came back into the room, but he continued to read until he was sure she was almost asleep.

“You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.”

Closing the book, he stood, bent over her small body and whispered, “That’s where I’ll be waiting tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”

Kissing her forehead, he turned to gather Kathy in his arms, kissing the top of her head. “Guys, I’ll be here tomorrow. I’ve already cleared it with my boss. I’ll take tomorrow off and then I’ll also take other days off as we know what we’re facing.”

Once in the lobby, he shot a group text to Miss Ethel and the guys, letting them know what was happening. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he moved toward the door.

Walking out of the hospital and into the night, he sucked in a great gulp of cool air. Stopping at his truck, he placed his hands on the hood, leaning his head down as he grappled with his emotions. Four years in the Army, working construction with the Corps of Engineers, with tours in Afghanistan and he had never felt so out of control.

Lifting his head, he stared at the sky, now dotted with stars, and prayed about tomorrow.

Two weeks later, Cael finished working by three o’clock. His boss had allowed him to shift his hours around so he arrived on the construction site at six a.m. and worked until three o’clock, earlier if he skipped lunch. This gave him the chance to spend the afternoons with Cindy, giving Kathy a break. Tom worked at home as a software consultant, so his hours could be flexible as well.

Saying goodbye to his boss, Terrance stopped him. “How’s she doing?”

Shrugging, he said, “As good as can be expected. The surgery went well and the docs think they got all the cancer with the lymph node, so she’s been home for over a week now and has recuperated really well. But, now she starts chemo. In fact, today was her first treatment and I’m heading over to the hospital.”

“She gotta stay there?”

“For now, they want to monitor her and see how she does. They’ll also run some tests constantly to see if they need to switch up her meds. She’ll be in a controlled environment for a bit. They’re really afraid of her getting sick, with the flu hitting the area so hard.”

Clapping him on the back, Terrance said, “We’re praying for her. My wife’s got her prayer circle going, but I want you to take care of yourself as well. You’re no good to your family if you get worn out.”

“Thanks, boss.”

“By the way, Cael, when things get better, I’ve got something I want to discuss with you. A kind of business proposal. But it’ll wait. For now, focus on your family.”

Curious, he nonetheless just nodded at Terrance and climbed into his truck.

The drive to the hospital was now so familiar he could make it in his sleep. Nonetheless, he rubbed the back of his neck hoping he didn’t actually fall asleep at the wheel. Shaking that thought from his mind, he knew the fatigue he felt was nothing compared to the worry Kathy and Tom felt every second, or his sweet Cindy, whose body was fighting not only the cancer, but now the chemo as well.

Making it in good time, the trip was easy, with little traffic. Bolting out of the vehicle, he strode into the hospital, stopping to get his new badge, nodding toward the volunteers at the front desk. As the elevator let him off on the fifth floor this time, Tom met him. They quickly embraced before Tom showed him the prep station. Donning a gown and mask, he washed his hands with the antibacterial soap. Tom introduced him to the nurses at their station before they made their way to Cindy’s room.

Entering, he plastered a smile on his face, both genuine, for seeing his niece, and insincere, because he hated to see her in this place. She was sitting in bed, this time dressed in a blue hospital gown with yellow ducks decorating it. Her strawberry-blonde hair was pulled back with a wide pink headband. It had been cut and now hung just below her ears. Dark circles were underneath her eyes and he swore she seemed thinner than the day before. He saw the IV line snaking under the top of her gown and swallowed hard. Grinning as she saw him, he headed directly to her. Wanting to kiss her, he chose to touch his mask-covered lips to the top of her head instead.

“How’s my favorite girl?” he asked.

She wrinkled her nose and said, “So-so. Are you going to read to me?”

“Absolutely,” he promised. He glanced to the side and added, “I’m gonna talk to your mom for a few minutes and then we’ll read, okay?”

He walked to the door with Kathy and asked in hushed tones, “What can you tell me?”

Shrugging, she lifted her tired eyes to him and replied quietly, “The doctors think it’s going well, but she immediately got sick after the treatment. She threw up and has barely kept anything down since. They have her on fluids and other meds, including an anti-nausea.”

She looked over at Cindy, playing with a doll, and placed her fingers to her lips to stop their trembling. “They say she’ll probably lose her hair.”

Gasping, he blinked. Of course…why didn’t I think of that possibility? Forcing his mind back to Kathy, he shook his head sadly, saying, “I’m sorry, sis.”

“I know it’s so stupid to be upset over her hair when it’s her life that’s being saved. She always loved her hair, but was so brave when we cut it short today to make it easier during her hospital stays. Now, she’ll probably lose it all.”

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her in for a hug. “You and Tom go get some dinner. Get out of the hospital and go to a real restaurant. I’ll stay until you get back and we’ll be fine. I brought a few more books to read to her.”

“Cael…I don’t know how to thank you. I honestly don’t think that we could be doing this without—”

“No thanks needed, sis. We’re family…if there’s one thing Miss Ethel always taught us guys, it was that family comes first.”

With a small smile, she nodded, said goodbye to Cindy, and then walked out the door.

Turning to Cindy when they were alone, he asked, “So, what shall we read tonight?”

Grinning, she pointed to a pile of books on the shelf. “Tangled. Dad brought some of my books from home.”

Picking up the well-worn Disney book, he said, “We’ve read this book so many times, you have it memorized.”

“But I love it,” she exclaimed. He bent to pull up the chair, but she said, “No, Uncle Cael, you can sit on my bed.”

“Honey, I don’t think your bed will hold me.”

Laughing, she said, “You are big. You might break it, just like in Goldilocks!”

Chuckling, he settled in the chair and they read together. She soon became sleepy and he encouraged her to slide underneath the covers, tucking them around her once she was lying down.

“Uncle Cael,” her soft voice sounded, her large eyes staring at him. “If my hair goes away, like the princess’ in Tangled, will it hurt?”

His heart squeezed in his chest as he blinked at the tears in his eyes. “No, baby, it won’t hurt. And it’ll grow back again.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” he vowed. As her eyes closed he continued to read, though his voice was choked with emotion.

“And when I promise something, I never break that promise.”

Standing, he kissed her head once more as Kathy entered the room. “I promise,” he whispered.