Lucy
Lucy tried to pour two cups of coffee without spilling it all over the place. Her hands trembled so bad, she feared she’d drop the carafe.
So far, so good. She’d managed to stick to the basics. No extended excuses or explanations. She didn’t want to outright lie to him, but should he prove to be undependable or unsuitable for Jacob, she’d take this secret to the grave. She just hoped Chris came soon.
Taking a tray, she placed both cups on it, along with the sugar and cream bowls. She wasn’t sure if he’d eaten or not, so she grabbed a bag of chocolate chip cookies from the pantry. She headed back into the dining area with the loaded tray and jumped when Seth leapt from his seat to take it from her.
“Let me get that,” he murmured and Lucy thought she saw a faint blush creep up his neck. The action touched her deeply but she firmly reminded herself that he hadn’t wanted the kind of lifestyle she lived. No family for him.
“Thank you,” Lucy said and reclaimed her chair. Seth grabbed a cup and began sipping the black liquid straight. Cringing at the thought of that bitter, vile flavor, Lucy set to loading hers with sugar and cream. Taking a cookie, she nibbled at it and sipped at her delicious drink.
“So,” Seth broke the silence after a few awkward moments of sipping and nibbling. “What have they done so far in the form of treatment?” he asked. “You mentioned goin’ in for chemo and radiation.”
Lucy sat her cup back on the table and brushed some stray crumbs from her lap.
“After the mammogram detected the cyst, they surgically removed it and when the biopsy came back malignant, they went back in and removed all the surrounding tissue,” she explained. “It wouldn’t be enough to merely remove my breast, so the next step is chemo.” Her hand immediately went to her ponytail. She hated the thought of her thick hair falling out but given the choice between death or losing her hair, she’d be bald any day.
She’d already bought a wig in anticipation. Her doctor had assured her that they’d caught it early enough that she’d pull through, but warned that the chemo and radiation would drastically weaken her. She’d already lost close to forty pounds out of pure stress. She’d been warned that she’d lose much more before it all ended.
She released her ponytail and reclaimed her cup, using the warmth emanating from the ceramic receptacle as comfort. She hadn’t gone into much detail with Chris and she refused to with Seth. She’d already had a Last Will drawn up, declaring Chris and Amber as Jacob’s guardians.
“What are my marchin’ orders Commander?” Seth asked and Lucy laughed, allowing some of the tension to leave her body with the expression. His charisma was one of the things that had once attracted her to Seth. That, and his sheer sexiness.
She rose from the table and went to her bedroom to retrieve the folder she’d put together after getting off the phone with Seth last night. Walking back into the living room, she stopped when she saw that Jacob had found his baseball cards and were currently showing them to Seth. Her breath hitched when she watched her little boy crawl into Seth’s lap and settle himself before engaging in a conversation as old as time.
Heading over to them, she gently placed the folder on the table and froze when two identical sets of blue eyes rose to meet hers.
Lord help me, she thought to herself. I think I have a higher chance of surviving the cancer than this.
Nodding toward the folder, she filled Seth in on everything he needed to know in order to take care of Jacob. She hated leaving her son in the hands of a virtual stranger, but knew she had no choice. She rattled off Jacob’s food allergies, reiterated his bedtime – much to the little boy’s aggravation – and stressed that they were not, under any circumstances, to leave town, throw a party, make long distance phone calls or invite any girls over.
Jacob laughed, but she caught a gleam of resentment in Seth’s eyes. She’d evidently hit a nerve with him but ignored his reaction in lieu of pulling her son into her arms for one last cuddle.
“I love you, Little Bit,” she murmured and placed him back on his feet beside Seth’s chair. “Be good for Mr. Seth and he’ll bring you to see me soon.” Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and ruffled his hair playfully.
“Do I get a kiss too?” Seth inquired and Lucy merely laughed and shook her head.
“No kisses for the babysitter,” she informed him with a smile. “Take care of my son,” she challenged gently. “This is a big job. I’ve never trusted anyone but my brother, his wife and daycare with him.”
Seth nodded, his face serious and solemn.
“I swear on my pitchin’ arm that he is in good hands,” he boasted and pulled the child back into his lap, tickling his ribs gently.
Lucy smiled, retrieved her rolling suitcase and left the two of them alone, wrestling and laughing. She thanked God she left to the sounds of laughter and happiness instead of wails of fear and a child’s tantrum.