Page 304 of Chaos has a Name
“Oh, well, I’m going to say he stole plenty of peyote when his grandfather was alive. I know my husbands. They have sticky fingers when it comes to peyote, motorcycles, and my panties.”
Wyler looked horrified.
“I don’t want to know.”
Oh, well, the family that shared and busted ass stayed together for the long haul.
Getting up, Elizabeth hugged him to prove that she was no longer angry with him. She’d said her piece, and they would keep moving on.
“I’m sure Timothy gave you hell. He’s a bossy pain in the ass, but he was loved, and so are you.”
He held her.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, my daughter. The love I have for you is nothing like any love in the world,” he said. “I’m going to fight. I don’t know how long I’ll make it, but I’ll try to stay here for as long as I can for my family. I’d want you guys to fight if it was reversed.”
She stopped him.
“Don’t do it for us, Wyler. You have to want to do it for you. If you do, we’ll walk beside you and help you fight. You need to want to be here.”
He understood.
“I don’t want to abandon TJ. He needs me, so I’m going to live. I’m going to find a way to survive this so that I can do right by at least one of my sons.”
That was a good plan.
The child needed his father.
“If I can’t make it, Elizabeth, will you please make sure my burial is like my father’s?” he asked, this time instead of making it go through the attorney. “Will you send me off in a way that means a lot to me?”
She nodded and took his face in her hands. Staring into his eyes, she made the promise.
“Then, your dying wishes will be done. I’ll give you a ceremony like you’ve never seen before,” she promised with tears in her eyes. “Just fight for us, and Caryn, and TJ. Fight for Ethan and Callen. If you fight for them, I’ll let you go gracefully into the night when it’s time, Wyler. I’m Catholic. I believe we all have an expiry date, but it doesn’t mean you give up.”
He kissed her on the stitches.
When she set him free, he faced Chris.
“I’m sorry that I made this difficult for everyone. I hope that you can find it in your heart, Christopher, to forgive me for hurting all of you by not sharing with my family what was going on.”
He reassured him.
“I’m not angry with you, Dad. I do know how you feel though,” he admitted. “I carry a death sentence with me every single day. I know that I, too, have a sooner expiry than I’d like. One day, the meds won’t work, and I’ll reach the end where my body can’t keep going. I know how scary that is.”
Elizabeth had tears in her eyes as she listened.
“When that day comes, I’m going to lean into my family. They love me, and they will help me fight. Don’t think that we won’t fight for you too. We will. I promise.”
He hugged the man.
“Thank you, Christopher. You’re a good man, and I’m glad that you’re part of our family. I love you,”
Rubbing his hands up and down Wyler’s back, he offered him the comforting he needed.
“I love you too,” he admitted.
When he set him free, Elizabeth waved him toward her.
“Come sit,” she said.
