was on the outside looking in, and he had no idea what this was like for her.
“No matter what, though, I want you to remember this,” Jackson said. “I love you, and I’ll do anything for you. All you have to do is ask.”
“I love you, too,” she said.
Jackson got up from the side of the bed. “I’m going to check on Kassie. Knowing my little niece, she’s glued to some e-reader. But her uncle is going to find some game to beat her at.”
Lauren laughed and sat where Jackson had been sitting.
Celine was glad her brother was going to spend time with Kassie, because she definitely didn’t want her to come back into the room and see her like this.
“So how are you feeling?” Lauren asked Celine. “You still not hungry?”
“No, not really. Maybe later.”
Celine had the comforter pulled up to her chest, but Lauren rested her hand on Celine’s leg. “And this too shall pass. I know you’re dealing with a lot, but just like you turned your cancer and surgery over to God, you’re going to have to do the same thing about your marriage.”
“I know, but it just hurts so much,” Celine said as tears filled her eyes again. “And it’s not getting any better.”
“But it will in due time.”
“This just doesn’t seem real. It’s more like a nightmare.”
“I can imagine. Not to mention, it’s all still very new. Keith has only been gone a week, and you’re still grieving. So please don’t feel bad about that.”
“But I do. I feel crazy for still wanting to be with him.”
“Well, you shouldn’t. And you definitely don’t need to apologize to anyone about your marriage. That’s between you, Keith, and God. Plus, everyone handles love and loss differently. I learned this very thing when David hurt me the way he did. There were moments when I thought it was the end of the world, and I’m sure some people would have called me pathetic. Most people would have just told me to move on and get over it. But eventually, I did that on my own when I was mentally ready. And you will, too.”
Celine listened, but no matter what Jackson and Lauren said, all she wanted was her life back. She wanted her husband to come home, so that they could return to living the life they once had. Not just for her, but for Kassie, too. More than anything, Celine wanted to go to sleep, wake up, and discover that none of this had happened.
Chapter 18
L auren truly was Celine’s best friend forever. As if taking off the entire first week after Celine’s surgery so she could care for her and Kassie hadn’t been enough, Lauren had now made arrangements with her employer to work only half days in the afternoon for the next two weeks. That way she could take Celine to her last ten radiation treatments. Celine hadn’t wanted her to make such a huge sacrifice, especially with her recently being promoted to senior project manager, but while Celine had driven herself to the hospital each day for the first four weeks, she was now highly fatigued. She’d known that exhaustion was a common symptom of radiation, but she’d been hoping it wouldn’t happen to her. Of course, once Lauren had found out how tired she was, she’d told Celine she would drive her for as long as Celine needed her to. The good news was that Jackson was flying back in toward the end of next week, so he could take her to one or two treatments also.
But, yes, Lauren had been a sweetheart since day one, and just thinking about all that she’d done for Celine and Kassie made Celine teary-eyed. That first whole week after surgery, Celine had buried herself into a very dark place, and it had been Lauren who had given her the moral support she’d needed. Celine had cried on and off, daily, over Keith, but she was happy to say that she’d prayed her way out of misery. At one point, she’d slipped into total despair, but then one day she’d woken up feeling different. She hadn’t felt sad or hopeless, and she’d finally found the strength to accept
“No matter what, though, I want you to remember this,” Jackson said. “I love you, and I’ll do anything for you. All you have to do is ask.”
“I love you, too,” she said.
Jackson got up from the side of the bed. “I’m going to check on Kassie. Knowing my little niece, she’s glued to some e-reader. But her uncle is going to find some game to beat her at.”
Lauren laughed and sat where Jackson had been sitting.
Celine was glad her brother was going to spend time with Kassie, because she definitely didn’t want her to come back into the room and see her like this.
“So how are you feeling?” Lauren asked Celine. “You still not hungry?”
“No, not really. Maybe later.”
Celine had the comforter pulled up to her chest, but Lauren rested her hand on Celine’s leg. “And this too shall pass. I know you’re dealing with a lot, but just like you turned your cancer and surgery over to God, you’re going to have to do the same thing about your marriage.”
“I know, but it just hurts so much,” Celine said as tears filled her eyes again. “And it’s not getting any better.”
“But it will in due time.”
“This just doesn’t seem real. It’s more like a nightmare.”
“I can imagine. Not to mention, it’s all still very new. Keith has only been gone a week, and you’re still grieving. So please don’t feel bad about that.”
“But I do. I feel crazy for still wanting to be with him.”
“Well, you shouldn’t. And you definitely don’t need to apologize to anyone about your marriage. That’s between you, Keith, and God. Plus, everyone handles love and loss differently. I learned this very thing when David hurt me the way he did. There were moments when I thought it was the end of the world, and I’m sure some people would have called me pathetic. Most people would have just told me to move on and get over it. But eventually, I did that on my own when I was mentally ready. And you will, too.”
Celine listened, but no matter what Jackson and Lauren said, all she wanted was her life back. She wanted her husband to come home, so that they could return to living the life they once had. Not just for her, but for Kassie, too. More than anything, Celine wanted to go to sleep, wake up, and discover that none of this had happened.
Chapter 18
L auren truly was Celine’s best friend forever. As if taking off the entire first week after Celine’s surgery so she could care for her and Kassie hadn’t been enough, Lauren had now made arrangements with her employer to work only half days in the afternoon for the next two weeks. That way she could take Celine to her last ten radiation treatments. Celine hadn’t wanted her to make such a huge sacrifice, especially with her recently being promoted to senior project manager, but while Celine had driven herself to the hospital each day for the first four weeks, she was now highly fatigued. She’d known that exhaustion was a common symptom of radiation, but she’d been hoping it wouldn’t happen to her. Of course, once Lauren had found out how tired she was, she’d told Celine she would drive her for as long as Celine needed her to. The good news was that Jackson was flying back in toward the end of next week, so he could take her to one or two treatments also.
But, yes, Lauren had been a sweetheart since day one, and just thinking about all that she’d done for Celine and Kassie made Celine teary-eyed. That first whole week after surgery, Celine had buried herself into a very dark place, and it had been Lauren who had given her the moral support she’d needed. Celine had cried on and off, daily, over Keith, but she was happy to say that she’d prayed her way out of misery. At one point, she’d slipped into total despair, but then one day she’d woken up feeling different. She hadn’t felt sad or hopeless, and she’d finally found the strength to accept
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