Page 101 of Have a Bear-y Little Christmas
The dark circles under her eyes were so deep they looked like bruises. Her lips were dry and cracked, and her hair was thrown up into a messy bun that looked like it had been there so long that it was in danger of matting. Had she lost weight too? It was hard to tell if she had, or if it was just an effect of how sallow her skin was. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought she was the one with the pneumonia.
“Eva, Addy! What are you doing here?”
“We brought you a care package,” Addy said in a firm manner that was well beyond her years. “And we wanted to see Max. If he’s up for it, of course.”
“I dunn?—”
“Is that Addy and Eva?” I heard from inside, so quiet that I likely wouldn’t have been able to pick it up if I wasn’t a shifter. I felt bad at the conflicted expression on Jeannie’s face.
“Yes, it is, big man. Are you up for having them visit?”
The boy appeared at the end of the hallway and raced toward her, his smile as wide as a barn. Instantly, weeks of tension faded as I saw he was alive and well.
Er… mostly well.
Because he couldn’t quite reach the door at his speed before he slowed down and leaned against the wall, wheezing slightly. I didn’t even realize I’d taken a step toward him, arm extended, until Jeannie was right next to him, pulling him into her arms.
“Max, what did we say about overexerting yourself? You’re done with your medicine, but that was really hard on your body, remember?”
“I know, I know,” the young boy said. It might have sounded petulant from another child, but there was a sage sort of weariness to his voice that broke my heart. Max had the personality, spirit, and enthusiasm of someone twice his size in much better health. Sometimes, the hand life had dealt him didn’t seem fair. “I was just really excited, Mama. Please don’t make them go away. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to hang out withanyone!I promise I’ll be good.”
“Well…”
Jeannie looked at me, those beautiful, weary eyes of hers full of conflict. I also saw walls defending a part of her she wasn’t ready to show yet. Or maybe it was defending her son. I didn’t pretend to understand exactly what her journey was like as a single mother, but it hadn’t been easy.
“If it makes you feel better, Miss Jeannie,” Addy said with all the seriousness that her small body could muster. “I can makesure Max doesn’t tire himself out too much. I think you’ll find I can be quite convincing.”
Finally, I saw a sliver of a smile, and it was a bit like the sun cracking through the clouds after a truly terrible storm. “Thank you, Addy. That’s very sweet of you. I would love it if you came in.”
I wanted to run forward and wrap my arms around Jeannie, but I knew it wasn’t the time. Instead, I prepared to say something nice, maybe even a bit funny, but Addy cut me off.
It became very clear that she considered Jeannie’s words as onboarding for an actual job, because Addy strode forward with a purpose that only middle management had.
“Max, up to your bed. And take a hot shower too while Daddy makes you some of the soup we brought.”
“B-but?—”
“No buts! You’re allowed to bring one toy into bed, and two of your favorite books. We can take turns reading them, but first…”
She looked over her shoulder and I didn’t know if my daughters had discussed it beforehand or if they were just that much in sync, because Eva surged up to her side, holding the book that Max had given her before Christmas.
“I’m gonna read to you,” Eva said. “Someone really smart got me this book.”
Max grinned like it was Christmas all over again, and God, I was really starting to love this kid. The thought that he was sick forliteral weeksand still so wiped that he couldn’t even run down the hall made my heart squeeze terribly. I knew better than to show it on my face, but I was well aware that when I eventually went to sleep, I would be envisioning his gaunt features, his wheezy breath, and his sour scent. I’d always envision how worn down Jeannie looked.
I should have been there. I really should have. I had no excuse. Yeah, I’d wanted to give Jeannie space, but I should haveshown up anyway. It was so hard for some people to ask for help, and I had the feeling Jeannie was one of those people.
Well, I was here now, and I was going to make up for that absence. As far as I knew, while Max was out of the woods with the particular type of pneumonia he had, we still weren’t sure on the whole cancer thing.
I had no idea how the kid wasn’t going crazy.
I guess he was young enough that it was just a fact of life for him, but it still boggled my mind. Especially since Jeannie had only kept it a secret from him for the first week of his treatment, wanting him to concentrate on healing before giving him the bad news. Some parents would have tried to hide it forever, but considering the hijinks Max got up to in a little over a week with my family, it would probably be a full-time job to keep that child in the dark.
“I’ll get to cooking the soup.” I toed off my shoes and moved past my daughters, who were taking off their own shoes and putting on the house slippers Jeannie had at the entrance. “It’s specially fortified with lots of iron. But how about I put a chicken to roast in the oven for you?” I didn’t want to sound accusatory, but I couldn’t help at least some of the reproach in my voice as I asked, “When was the last time you had a hot meal?”
She didn’t answer immediately, and I wondered if I’d gone a little too far, but then I followed her gaze. She was waiting until the kids were upstairs. Right. That was smart. I was so used to my girls being up in my business and telling them pretty much everything, that I had forgotten what it was like to have a one-on-one adult conversation.
God, I’d missed her. The beginning of our story had been such a fairy tale, and now I felt like it had turned into a medical drama where Jeannie and Max were the ones suffering. It didn’t feel right, nor did it feel very fair.
