Tessa
Last night, after I fainted, I stayed in bed. Bianca told me to rest, and she would take care of Sam. I didn’t fight her on it.
When I open the bedroom door, the smell of coffee and bacon hit my nose. The murmur of voices and the clanking of dishes grow when I make my way towards the kitchen. “Morning,” I greet everyone. I pad over to Sam and drop a kiss on the top of his head.
“I got to stay up really late, Mom,” he says as he kicks his feet back and forth, scooping a spoon full of cereal into his mouth.
“I’m sure that was fun.”
“Here.” Savannah hands me a mug full of dark coffee. “The cream and sugar are right there.” She points to the canisters on the table.
I take a seat next to her little girl and fix my coffee. Grace looks up at me and gives me a full, syrup-filled smile. “Hi, baby.” I tap my finger to the tip of her nose.
“She’ll get you if you aren’t careful. She’s still in the stage of throwing her food.”
“That’s true, she launched her sausage at me already,” Sam tells me. “She’s already got an arm on her.”
Bianca brings a plate and places it in front of me. “Eat, Tessa. I made your favorite.”
I look down and see fried eggs loaded with hot sauce and fresh chilis. Next to them are fried potatoes and grilled pineapple. “Thanks, B.”
“Your thanks will be when you clean your plate. Then you need to get ready because we’ve got an appointment this morning.” She nods and heads back to the kitchen.
“Hello!” A female’s voice comes from the living room. “Where is everyone?”
“In here, mija. You’re just in time for breakfast,” Bianca calls out.
“Oh, Tessa…”
I turn when I hear my name and see Lily standing there. “Lily!” I stand up and give her a hug. “Wow, you’re still so little.”
“I can still kick your butt, so no making fun.” She pulls back and gives me a wink. “I feel awful I wasn’t here yesterday, but I was only able to make time for the funeral. I had clients back to back yesterday.”
She takes a seat on the opposite side of the table, and as soon as her butt hit the chair, Bianca has a plate in front of her. When she gives me back her attention, her eyes are full of sadness.
“How are you feeling?”
I look at Sam, he doesn’t know anything. I’m not sure how to tell him–at least not yet. “Um…”
“We have an appointment today,” Bianca tells her as she takes her place at the table. Pulling a tortilla out of the warmer she rips a piece off and dunks it into her eggs. “We will know more today.” She pops a bite into her mouth, chews, and swallows. “The boys called Doc yesterday and told him. He called the hospital and got your files transferred from Los Angeles. He went over everything, and he was able to get us to a specialist this morning. But first, he wants us to go to the lab,” her eyes cut to Sam, “so they have what they’ll need.”
“Oh, but Sam–”
“I’ve got Sam,” Savannah tells me. “We’re going to head to the school’s office and see what we need to get him enrolled back in school.”
“Yeah, but–”
“No buts,” Bianca says. “No fighting this.”
“I’m not trying to fight it, B.”
“Good, then you also won't fight it when we make a stop after the doctors.”
“What stop?”
“To your parents.”
I push back from the chair and stand. “I can’t do that today, B.”
“Come on, buddy,” Savannah says as she pulls Grace from her chair. “Let's go get you ready for the day. Show me where your bag is.”
“It’s in the boy’s room.” Sam slides off his chair and runs down the hall.
I stay silent until all three of them are out of earshot. “You can’t expect me to see my parents so soon. This is all moving too fast. I just came to town yesterday, and you’re making me jump in with two feet, and I don’t think I can do that.”
“You don’t have the time to waste, mija.”
“They don’t care, B. They haven’t cared in years.” I lower my voice. “They don’t even know I have a son.”
“That is their cross to bear, Tessa, but they need to know. More than you know. Your mother needs to know.”
“I don’t see why she would care now. I could’ve died years ago, and she would have never known.”
“Let’s not talk in hypotheticals. We need to deal with the realities, and the reality is that you’re sick. As soon as you told me over the phone, I wanted to go and smack some sense into that woman, but I knew it wasn’t my place. It’s your life, Tessa, but your mother needs to know, and you’re going to tell her. Today. You cannot wait.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. This is all so much, and I’m not sure I can handle it. Never in my life have I felt so weak.