Page 24 of Trick of Light

Bethany was on her feet. “I’ve loved Nick. I’ve been there for him. I’ve done all I can.”

Did Bob know how many times she’d worked twelve-hour shifts at the hospital, only to come home and do all of the housework and cook dinner? Did Bob understand what it was like to literally run a hospital, deal with your husband’s broken ego, and get all the kids to their after-school activities on time?

All the air went out of her lungs.

“He was never as smart as me,” Bob was saying into his scotch. “He just never knew how to bring it all together.”

Suddenly, everything clicked for Bethany. What was she doing in this dark, menacing office? What was she doing, engaging with Amanda and Bob? They’d never believed in her. They didn’t even really like her.

Trying to convince them of anything was the biggest waste of time. And Bethany was done.

Bethany turned on her heel and stormed from the office. Had she had more wherewithal, she might have said something to Bob—the last words fit for an action film. But more than anything, she had to get out of there.

Bethany rushed into the living room during one of the final acts of the superhero film. “Guys, we have to go,” she announced to her children. “Get your stuff together.”

Tommy gaped at her. For a moment, she worried she would have to yell, scream, do anything she could think of to get them out. But something in her tone was apparently convincing enough. Tommy reached for the remote and turned off the television as Phoebe and Maddie wordlessly gathered their things. Amanda’s shadow appeared in the doorway, where she clasped her hands together and said, “Bethany, you’ve really lost yourself. Let the kids stay overnight. Go home to your husband.”

Bethany glowered at her through the darkness. She didn’t want to be the sort of woman who said ill words to her kids’ grandmother in front of them. That was trashy—and she wasn’t trashy. She was a Sutton, after all.

Sweetly, she said, “We really need to get home. Thank you so much for your help, though. Kids, say thank you to Grandma!”

Tommy, Maddie, and Phoebe thanked their grandmother and hugged her. Amanda’s face looked crushed.

As Bethany gathered her children out the door and entered the dark, humid night, Amanda begged her quietly, “Don’t do anything rash, Bethany. Think of your children. Please.”

And Bethany couldn't help herself. She turned back, locked eyes with Amanda, and said in a voice too quiet for her children to hear, “I am thinking of them. And I don’t want them to spend another moment in this house. You and your husband are truly backward people. Good night.”

Chapter Eleven

The specialty hospital in Boston had an award-winning children’s wing. Rod read up about it in the waiting room as Renee and Felix played with blocks on the floor, Renee trying her best to distract Felix from the horror of what they were about to learn. Rod was hunched over in a plastic chair, his shoulders shoved forward, his heart skipping beats. One after another, the doctor called in other children from other families, presumably to tell them life-altering news. Rod pinched himself every few minutes just in case it was possible to wake up from this nightmare.

Felix seemed more or less okay. He was awake, laughing sometimes, building up piles of blocks only to tear them back down. He was three years old, boisterous, beautiful—with long lashes and rosy cheeks. But those bruises all up and down his arms, legs, and torso meant something. And the doctors were calling it cancer. A tumor that was more or less focused at the top part of his spine. “Nearly the brain,” a doctor in Nantucket had startled them by saying. “If we don’t act quickly, it could head up there.”

Ever since they’d learned the worst, Rod had struggled to sleep. He’d added up all the events of his life, looking for reasons this had happened. He’d done numerous things wrong. He’d hurt people along the way. Was this payment? Was this retribution?

Renee was a strong and wonderful mother. She never allowed Felix to see her upset and never showed her hand. She believed they needed to be strong, both emotionally and physically, for Felix’s sake. Felix would take his cues from them. “We have to fight alongside him,” she said.

Eventually, the doctor called them in. As Felix continued to play with blocks on the floor, the doctor explained just how aggressive Felix’s cancer was. They needed to operate sooner rather than later.

“And if you operate,” Rod demanded, “will it be over after that? Will he be cured?”

“We never know until afterward,” the doctor explained. “Due to Felix’s particular form of cancer and where it is, it’s impossible to say if it’s spread yet. We will do numerous tests after the fact.”

Rod’s heart thudded. This wasn’t the assurance he needed. When he realized she was shaking, he reached over and took Renee’s hand. Renee’s face betrayed no emotion.

After the consultation, Rod, Renee, and Felix walked outside into the sweltering heat. Felix babbled happily and shrieked with joy when Rod suggested they get McDonald’s. They drove to the nearest restaurant and sat at a plastic table over burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, and milkshakes. Rod had never been so uninterested in food. Despite his illness, Felix had a ravenous appetite. It was hard to believe his body was riddled with cancer.

“I think you should move back in today,” Rod said to Renee. He wanted to keep an eye on them.

Renee’s chin quivered. “Okay,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “I’ve already emailed the hotel and told them I need to take a leave of absence.”

“I’m sure they understand,” Rod said.

Not to belittle Renee’s work, but Rod couldn’t imagine anything less important than “marketing” at a luxury hotel. Not in the face of cancer. They could make do without her.

“I know I need to call Vinny and confirm that this is really happening,” Renee said, sniffling. “But when I told him what the doctor in Nantucket already said, he wasn’t exactly open to hearing more.”

Rod sputtered. “Open to it? What do you mean?”

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