Page 69 of Loving Lizzy

“See I told ya, I got diarrhea of the mouth. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. He’s seems good with kids, I figured you must have them.”

“Michael adores children.” Lizzy smiled as she watched him hand his phone over to Caleb and offer to take Faith when she refused to settle down. The exhausted grandmother handed the baby over and sat down next to Caleb.

“Either that or he doesn’t enjoy his eardrums getting blasted from Faith crying,” she added.

Lizzy grinned, “Watch him. He’s a regular child whisperer. He volunteered for a humanitarian mission to bring aid to children, and I found out about my pregnancy a week after he left. He didn’t make it back in time to meet our son due to some unforeseeable events. I remember feeling helpless a few times when Conner cried, and I didn’t know what to do.”

“Sometimes, all they need to know is they’re loved and cared for.” Barb smiled as she watched the interaction between Michael and Caleb. “My sons enlisted right out of high school together. They never missed calling me except during basic training. Sometimes, Greg says, ‘Mom I called to hear your voice.’ Thomas, he’s my youngest, he causes me a lot of gray hairs. It’s not natural for a child to go before the parent. I’m sorry you experienced it, Lizzy. Motherhood isn’t for the weak.”

“Do you plan on having more?” Diana asked quietly. “You don’t need to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Lizzy put her pencil down and leaned back in the chair as she observed Michael as he lay tiny Faith in her car seat, already asleep. “I grew up in foster homes. We might consider private adoption once we get through all of this. Maybe not a newborn but at least a year or two old, if not older,” Lizzy mused.

“I dread when Faith starts crawling. She’s doing the old rocking back and forth scooting thing. It’s only a matter of time and I’m already exhausted. Mom takes Caleb to the park to let him run out his energy and play with other kids. I keep Faith with me to give her a break.”

“Does their father not send any type of support especially knowing you’re sick? Apparently, I suffer the same thing as you. It’s really not my business,” Lizzy apologized.

“Besides my mom, I consider this as my only social interaction until I see you again. I can’t talk to her about these things because I don’t want to upset her. The bastard doesn’t even call to check on them. As soon as I finish treatment, I’m hiring a lawyer to make him pay child support. Mom insists I do it now, but I’m afraid he’ll use my breast cancer against me. Caleb asks about him, and I divert his attention. How long can I possibly get away with doing it? I don’t want my son to spend time with a man who runs out on his wife and kids. He doesn’t send any money and the one time I found him to ask for money for Caleb’s asthma, he told me he didn’t believe the kids were his. Faith resembles him with the same color hair and eyes. Caleb takes after my side and has his father’s nose. If you can deny them, you don’t deserve them,” she said angrily.

Lizzy crossed her arms and felt the anger roll through her. She felt for Diana and her children. Barb tugged at her heartstrings. She acted tough but as Diana spoke, she didn’t miss the compassionate gaze Barb sent the younger woman. Her mind made up; Lizzy sat up in her chair.

“If you aren’t busy next weekend and you feel up to it, why don’t you come for a visit to my home? We can pick you all up. My friends have kids around Caleb’s age. I have guest rooms if you need to rest and three of my friends are nurses. We can have lunch; the kids can play in the backyard, and it’ll get you out of the house.”

“Thank you for the offer. I’m usually too wiped out to go anywhere else except to the support group on Tuesday evenings. My family lives far away, and my friends passed away. I order food, microwave a few frozen meals and watch TV until the next chemo party,” Barb told them.

“Yeah, it’s generous of you, but I struggle with the kids and my mom in my own apartment. I can’t imagine visiting someone else’s house,” Diana made her excuse.

“Can we exchange numbers? It might be nice if we can talk to each other through the week or even text. You’ve started a couple of weeks before me, I might have questions you can answer. The support group feels too much for me at this point,” she pressed.

When the nurse unhooked Barb, she handed her a pen. Barb wrote down her number since she didn’t own a cell phone. Diana repeated her number as Lizzy added it to her phone. Then she texted Diana to share her number. Barb grabbed her walker, scooted across the floor, and sat in the waiting room for her to finish. Michael proceeded to carry on a conversation with the older woman. Every now and again, he glanced up and winked at Lizzy as he chatted between the two older woman and Caleb.

“You’ve got a good man. Hang on to him, Lizzy,” Diana whispered as she gathered her things and pulled the baggie from her cooler and laid it on the tray next to her new friend.

“I’m never letting him go,” she responded as she walked toward Michael. He straightened and stood as she came toward him. She felt his strength and love as his gaze never left hers. After hearing the two women’s stories, Lizzy summoned the courage she thought she lost long ago. She was blessed with the support of her friends and Michael, and she vowed never to take it for granted.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

Michael kept Lizzy medicated for nausea around the clock from the moment she felt the onset. He held the bucket, wiped her face, and handed her water to wash out her mouth. All the while Lizzy reminded herself two treatments down and four to go. Thoughts of Barb and Diana bombarded her. Her friends surrounded her with love from making meals to taking the night shift to give Michael a rest. This time, he accepted the help without question. She didn’t know if he did it to give her piece of mind or if, like her, he knew they remained in the caring hands of their new family.

Lizzy sat up in the recliner, completely exhausted regardless of the nap she’d taken earlier. Michael rested in their room while Kassie washed clothes, Carol scrubbed the kitchen, Victoria tackled the bathrooms, Maddie picked up groceries, Catherine dusted, and Samatha mopped the floors as they finished. Bryanna cleaned the fridge and rotated the meals. The thought of Barb alone sat like a rock in her gut. Lizzy worried no matter how strongly she presented herself, Barb needed help. Concerned over Diana’s situation, she waited until the women congregated in the living room to present her problem. Her tribe contained extremely smart and capable women and together, she knew they’d come up with a solution.

“Thank you for helping me and Michael. We greatly appreciate you. I want to ask for your help with something,” she addressed the women.

They took seats and waited for her to begin.

“I met two women at chemo, and I’m worried about them both. Barb is around Maddie, Victoria, Carol, and Edie’s age. Diana’s around Kassie’s age. She has two kids, around your crew’s age. The other might be about six months old. Her husband left her and doesn’t support her or the kids. Her mom lives with her and helps, but she’s on the older side and struggles with two young children,” Lizzy gave them a run down. “I’m hoping we can put our heads together and come up with a way to help them.”

Kassie crinkled her nose, a clear sign she already considered the problem in her head. Samantha tapped her fingers on the couch arm. Bryanna leaned forward. The older women waited to lend their advice. Catherine thought about the issue while she stuffed a cookie in her mouth and washed it down with a glass of milk.

“Maybe you can invite them for lunch or dinner? We can figure out their needs,” Kassie suggested.

“I tried already. Both declined. It’s not as if we can socialize for long periods of time. Even with the offer of our spare bedrooms, it didn’t tempt them. Granted, I’ve only met them twice. When you sit for six hours at a time with someone you get to know them,” Lizzy explained.

Victoria sat up. “I’m assuming if the young woman’s getting help from the food bank she’s surviving on a very low income. What if someone informed her of a special program for families like hers and brought her a form to fill out? She can check off things she needs help with, and we can handle it from there?”

“It’s kinda underhanded don’t you think? What happens if she found out and felt like you invaded her privacy?” Catherine posed the question to the group.

Kassie turned to Victoria and Lizzy. “I’m of the opinion it’s better to do it and ask for forgiveness later. She needs help. Lizzy, you can take the form to her. As a former administrator at the hospital, you ‘forgot’ about this special program. You can give her Victoria’s number. She’s good at lying.”

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