Page 61 of Loving Lizzy

Michael’s shoulder hit the door. He rammed it again, harder. The door burst open from the frame and bounced off the wall on the other side. Lizzy’s still form lay on the floor. He dropped to his knees beside her and felt her pulse. His blood raced through his veins as he reassured himself, she lived. He gently turned her over to see her face. Her eyes fluttered open and he witnessed the devastation and loss in them.

He scanned the chunks around the sink and the floor and noticed her brush. He scooped her up and headed toward the living room. Determined to change the sheets before she discovered the strands on her pillow, he sat down in the recliner with her in his lap.

“Come back to me, sweetheart. I refuse to let you go; do you hear me? It’s only hair. I promise you it’ll come back. Hear me out and if you still want me to call Kassie, I will. You told me we lived independent lives, and we never experienced any marital strife other couples go through. You’re right, we did live separate lives. I took on too much, hoping to save every kid in this world. When I accepted the humanitarian mission, I realized how much I missed you. I knew we needed to make changes and planned to talk to you after Conner’s birth. I never thought I’d end up held captive, and you alone to bury our son. Never did I think of walking away from you. I. Love. You. Do you hear me?”

Lizzy lay motionless in his arms. As if she gave up on life altogether. Michael pulled her to his bare chest.

“Losing Conner hurt like hell. Your leaving me, destroyed me, Lizzy Bee. If you go, then cut out my heart and take it with you. Cause I don’t think I can do this again. I spent a year searching for you. You can say you left to save me, but it’s not true. You don’t feel like you’re enough. You don’t need to be perfect for me to love you. No matter what you do or what you resemble, I’m not deserting you,” Michael desperately confessed.

Her head moved slightly; a slight sniff indicated she listened to him.

“You moved from foster home to foster home. You worried about whether the next family would love you enough to keep you, and then you got shuffled through the system. Guess what, Lizzy Bee, the buck stops right here. We found ours. It starts with me and you. We’ve been blessed with friends who’ve helped me care for you. If you run now, you’ll miss the one family who wants you more than anything.”

“I don’t know if I can do this again, Michael. I struggled to do it before, and this is worse,” she softly sobbed.

“Last time, you did it all alone. This time, you got me, Lizzy Bee. Give me a chance to prove to you, baby, you’re enough. No matter what happens, I’m sticking to your side.”

Lizzy’s breath caught as his gaze bore into her. “I’m scared, Michael,” she confessed.

He softly kissed her temple. “I know, sweetheart, I’m asking you not to run. Give me a chance. Let me love you through it because a love like ours is always worth fighting for.”

Lizzy absorbed his words. Slowly she raised herself from his chest and sat up higher. He watched her wearily, wondering what she planned to do. Her arms looped around his neck, and she clung to him for dear life.

He pulled her closer and held on to her tightly as he closed his eyes in relief. A tear ran down his cheek when he heard her whisper, “I love you. And I’ll fight for you and our family.”

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Michael held Lizzy close to him as he took her back to her bedroom. He laid her down and covered her with the intention of cleaning up the hair. Sparing her from seeing it in the morning.

She reached out to him as he pulled away.

“If you mean what you said, please stay with me. I miss you holding me,” she whispered.

Wasting no time turning off the light, he rounded the bed and climbed in. He scooted closer to her, and she felt his breath on her neck as she stared into the dark. Michael saw through all her defenses and still loved her. She fought sleep, reveling in her newfound safety she’d denied herself for so long.

Her thoughts drifted to her new friends from chemo. Diana’s husband walked out on her and two children because he didn’t have one-tenth of the honor Michael carried in his pinky to stay beside the woman he loved. Barb faced the fight alone. Did they really want to fight this dreadful disease by themselves when she, without a doubt, had finally found a family of her own? His breathing evened out and she found herself matching the movements of his chest until sleep beckoned.

* * *

Michael slidfrom the bed and grabbed Lizzy’s phone to keep it from waking her. He padded barefoot down the hallway and into the sunroom. He dialed his best friend.

“Hello,” Chase answered.

“Can Kassie come down this morning? Lizzy’s hair fell out last night and I think she’ll want support from the girls. I know she’s working today,” he hesitated.

“I’ll text her now. The women researched and prepared for every situation. There are three nurses in the family, and they’ve seen it all. Don’t worry, brother, they’ll take care of her. Why don’t you come to the team building? I’m taking paperwork over there when the team returns.”

“I’ll see how things transpire here.”

“You know caregivers need care too. The women will have her well in hand. Come join us,” Chase ordered.

“Yeah, I’ll leave once Kassie shows up.”

Chase disconnected the line. He busied himself with making breakfast and finding a shirt, not knowing how long until Kassie planned to show up.

“Michael?” Lizzy’s voice echoed down the hall, and he hastened to her.

“I’m here, Lizzy. You slept soundly. I took your phone to keep it from disturbing you.” He pulled her slippers from under the bed and bent to slide them over her feet.

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