A Second Chance by Bernadette Marie Read Free Book Online Page A

and
had her biting back a scream. “Have you not listened to the kids
for the last six months? He’s in love with someone and she just
moved in with him. They’ll probably get married.”
    “ Oh.” He stood. “I guess I
didn’t realize…”
    “ You should have stayed in
Kentucky.”
    “ Listen, if there is
anything I can do for you…”
    “ You can get the hell out of
my room and go on with your life. Your community service here is
done.” She rolled away from him, wincing from the pain it caused,
and didn’t turn back until she heard the door close behind
him.
     
    Her parents were there when she woke
the next morning. Her mother had been crying for two days straight
and couldn’t even look at her. How was she supposed to be of any
help?
    Her father sat in the corner of her
room and just watched her mother fidget. These were the reasons she
hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about her surgery.
    As the day crept into evening, the
door had opened and her children had walked through. Finally, she
thought, people who brought her real joy.
    Each of them hugged her and then their
grandparents. Even Christian had made it into the room and to her
side before backing against a wall, neutral like her
father.
    She looked up into Eduardo’s dark, sad
eyes. “I didn’t expect you.”
    “ Dad wanted us to see you.”
Eduardo held her hand. “You look better.”
    “ I’m feeling a little
better. They’ll take my drain tubes out, and I’ll be out in a day
or so.”
    “ When you get home we want
to stay with you. We’ve all discussed it. We want to help you
though this.”
    “ I think that would be
wonderful.” She patted her son’s hand. “Where’s your
dad?”
    Eduardo exchanged glances with
Christian. “Kathy brought us.”
    “ Oh.” She was disappointed.
She never should have been so nasty to him. “Kathy could have come
in with you,” she offered.
    Eduardo ran his hand over the back of
his neck. “I think she feels a little funny about that. I think
she’s wigging out now that they’re getting married.”
    “ Getting married?” The words
croaked from her throat.
    Eduardo exchanged glances with
Christian again and then looked back at his mother. “I thought you
knew.”
    She shook her head and swallowed the
tears. “I’m happy for them.” She smiled, but it almost hurt to do
so.
    Madeline’s salvation came when the
nurse announced that visitation was over.
    Once the room was clear, she sobbed
until she fell asleep.
     
    Madeline stood in her own bedroom, in
her own bathrobe, the front gaping open, and stared into the
mirror. There were no tears. There were no words. She simply took
in her mess that was now her chest.
    There was nothing pretty left, not
even a nipple. Her full C cups were gone, but she tried to remind
herself that she’d spared her life by removing her breasts. How had
it gotten so bad that she hadn’t even known cancer was living in
her body? How had she believed early detection was for everyone
else? Not examining herself often enough had cost her both of her
breasts.
    She lay down on her own bed and pulled
the blanket up to her chin. In the morning, she would welcome a
brand-new year and would start her first round of chemo. Luckily it
came in pill form, but she’d read up on it. The side-effects were
horrible. That seemed to be the way her life was
going—horribly.
    She’d need to get back to work the
next week. No matter how much time she wanted to take to recover,
physically ready or not, there were obligations. The thought of the
medical bills that were beginning to add up had Madeline’s head
spinning. Worse, she knew there’d be more.
    She turned on her MP3 player to the
relaxing sounds of the ocean and tried to will herself to relax and
get some sleep. There was a lot to think about now that she was
home. Her mother already had informed her that though they’d like
to stay for months, her father, who had refused retirement, would
need to get back to work.
    The