checking on how the bacon, egg, potato and cheese casserole was faring in the oven. Close enough to done that she slipped a pan of biscuits in beside it.
“Not me. Anything that makes your mother happy is fine by me.” Something in his tone made Annie look at him closely.
“What’s wrong, Dad?”
He sat down at the table and sighed and Annie’s stomach clenched, waiting for news she knew she didn’t want to hear.
“I took her in to the clinic for another follow up yesterday. Just to make sure that cold was gone.”
“I know.” She leaned back against the counter, wrapping her arms around her waist, as though anticipating a blow. “And?”
“And the x-rays showed a small tumor in her right lung. Nothing in the left, so that’s good. And this one isn’t very big, so it’s not as bad as it could be.”
“What are they going to do about it?” Annie whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.
“They think a few radiation treatments may get rid of it.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“Do they think more will develop?” It was the question she hated to ask.
“Honey, I don’t know. They don’t know for sure.”
“So what do they think?”
“They think it’s a good possibility there’ll be more. The nutritionist is working on reformulating her vitamin and herbal therapy, and they’ll just keep a closer eye on her.”
“Does Mom know?”
“Of course she does. But you know your mom. She’s trusting God and she’s trusting the doctors. And that’s what we’re going to do, too. Aren’t we?”
“Yes. Yes we are,” she agreed, blinking back tears. “Now- Why don’t you go up and take the nickel tour while I finish up down here, okay?”
“Are you going to be able to pull yourself together before we get back?” he asked sternly.
“Of course.”
And she would. It was the one thing Maddie had demanded of them both from the start. No long faces. No tears. No fear. She and her father both made it their policy to comply with those rules. In her presence anyway.
In private was another story.
~~~~
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Ian finally asked at dinner that evening.
“Wrong?” Annie asked absently, moving her food around on her plate.
“You’ve barely said ten words since your folks left ,. And I’ve had to practically pry each one of those out of you with a crowbar.” At least she smiled a little at that. “Come on, Annie. What’s the matter?” Her sigh sounded like it came from the soles of her feet.
“Dad had some news about Mom’s doctor’s appointment yesterday. It’s not very good.”
Ian closed his eyes, sorry he’d asked. He didn’t want to hear that Maddie Blake was having more problems than she already had. He didn’t want to hear that she might be worse. Or that she might not make it at all. Because he’d truly come to care for her. And kind of look upon her as the mother he hadn’t had since just after his tenth birthday.
“How bad is it?”
He lost his appetite, too, as she told him what her father had said that morning. How much more could this family take?
“Your mom seems to be holding up well,” was all he could manage to say.
“Mom’s held up better than Dad or I either one since this all started. Emotionally anyway. Physically-”
“Yeah, I know.” He was pretty sure that Jack, who was currently snoozing on his bed in the corner near the table, weighed more than Maddie. “She’s an amazing woman.”
“She is. I only hope she has whatever it takes to beat this.”
“We’ll have to make sure she does, won’t we? Do you think tempting her with an after Christmas cruise would help?” Annie managed a laugh.
“Probably not. I think she saw too many shark and ship disaster movies in the seventies and eighties because she told me once that it would take an act of God to get her to even put her little toe in the ocean.”
“What about another trip to
“Not me. Anything that makes your mother happy is fine by me.” Something in his tone made Annie look at him closely.
“What’s wrong, Dad?”
He sat down at the table and sighed and Annie’s stomach clenched, waiting for news she knew she didn’t want to hear.
“I took her in to the clinic for another follow up yesterday. Just to make sure that cold was gone.”
“I know.” She leaned back against the counter, wrapping her arms around her waist, as though anticipating a blow. “And?”
“And the x-rays showed a small tumor in her right lung. Nothing in the left, so that’s good. And this one isn’t very big, so it’s not as bad as it could be.”
“What are they going to do about it?” Annie whispered, squeezing her eyes shut.
“They think a few radiation treatments may get rid of it.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“Do they think more will develop?” It was the question she hated to ask.
“Honey, I don’t know. They don’t know for sure.”
“So what do they think?”
“They think it’s a good possibility there’ll be more. The nutritionist is working on reformulating her vitamin and herbal therapy, and they’ll just keep a closer eye on her.”
“Does Mom know?”
“Of course she does. But you know your mom. She’s trusting God and she’s trusting the doctors. And that’s what we’re going to do, too. Aren’t we?”
“Yes. Yes we are,” she agreed, blinking back tears. “Now- Why don’t you go up and take the nickel tour while I finish up down here, okay?”
“Are you going to be able to pull yourself together before we get back?” he asked sternly.
“Of course.”
And she would. It was the one thing Maddie had demanded of them both from the start. No long faces. No tears. No fear. She and her father both made it their policy to comply with those rules. In her presence anyway.
In private was another story.
~~~~
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Ian finally asked at dinner that evening.
“Wrong?” Annie asked absently, moving her food around on her plate.
“You’ve barely said ten words since your folks left ,. And I’ve had to practically pry each one of those out of you with a crowbar.” At least she smiled a little at that. “Come on, Annie. What’s the matter?” Her sigh sounded like it came from the soles of her feet.
“Dad had some news about Mom’s doctor’s appointment yesterday. It’s not very good.”
Ian closed his eyes, sorry he’d asked. He didn’t want to hear that Maddie Blake was having more problems than she already had. He didn’t want to hear that she might be worse. Or that she might not make it at all. Because he’d truly come to care for her. And kind of look upon her as the mother he hadn’t had since just after his tenth birthday.
“How bad is it?”
He lost his appetite, too, as she told him what her father had said that morning. How much more could this family take?
“Your mom seems to be holding up well,” was all he could manage to say.
“Mom’s held up better than Dad or I either one since this all started. Emotionally anyway. Physically-”
“Yeah, I know.” He was pretty sure that Jack, who was currently snoozing on his bed in the corner near the table, weighed more than Maddie. “She’s an amazing woman.”
“She is. I only hope she has whatever it takes to beat this.”
“We’ll have to make sure she does, won’t we? Do you think tempting her with an after Christmas cruise would help?” Annie managed a laugh.
“Probably not. I think she saw too many shark and ship disaster movies in the seventies and eighties because she told me once that it would take an act of God to get her to even put her little toe in the ocean.”
“What about another trip to
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