Undying Love

Kristine and Ella slept for a few hours, and Ella didn’t throw up again. I finished several small assignments and started a research paper. Laura came and checked in several times. Ella woke up before Kristine did, she started whimpering and tears filled her eyes. She let go of Kristine’s shirt and reached for me. I set my laptop down and picked her up, cradling her close. I sat down in my chair and held her. She eventually fell asleep again, just as Laura came in again.
“How’s she doing?”
“She was whimpering a little bit, but I think that is just because she wants to go home and she is just exhausted.”
“Well, she did well today, and you guys can go home now.” She turned to go but spun to face me again. “They’ll call you with your results in just a few days. It shouldn’t take long at all.”
“Thank you.” I answered trying to put my laptop away while holding Ella. She left and I somehow managed it. I stood up placing my backpack and the diaper bag on my shoulder and gently shook Kristine. “Honey, we can go home now. She’s all done.” She rubbed her eyes and stood quickly. We held hands as we walked into the parking garage. I helped Kristine into the car and put the bags on the floor and carefully buckled Ella up in her car seat. We rode in silence I thought Kristine had fallen asleep.
“Mikal,” I glanced over at her as I drove the familiar root to her parents. “What is Ella going to be acting like?”
“She’ll be sleepy, and she may not eat as much. We should let her sleep and try to get her to eat as much as she can. She’ll be okay though, don’t worry.” She nodded and looked back at Ella. I pulled in the driveway. “You stay here,” I told Kristine as she moved to get out of the car. “I’ll get her and then we’ll head home. How does that sound?”
“Perfect, please don’t take too long.” I nodded and opened the door. I walked inside and headed towards the living room. I stood in the doorway for a minute before Amara saw me.
“Dada” She crawled towards me and Kristine’s parents turned. I waved to them and squat down wrap Amara in a hug.
“Hi, honey. Daddy missed you today. Were you a good girl for grandma and grandpa?” She just smiled at me and I stood up.
“She was very good. She hardly cried until we laid her down and then she screamed. She ate all her lunch and she was always in grandpa’s lap. We had to get out one of Kristine’s old shirts in order for her to go to sleep and stop screaming.” Mrs. Mitchell explained. “How’s Ella doing?”
“She’s tired, but the nurse said her body accepted the chemo and radiation as best it could anyway. Hopefully it killed the cancer cells in her and she’ll be back to normal in no time.”
“How’s Kristine handling it?”
“She took a nap with Ella for most of the day and she is really worried about losing her but Ella is a very strong little girl. I’d actually better go, Ella’s out of it in the backseat and Kristine is exhausted, and I don’t think I should let her go next week. It was too much for her in her state. It’s just way too much stress.”
“How often does she go up?”
“She’ll go up for chemo every week and then depending on how much she is sleeping and stuff will determine whether or not they’ll do the radiation.” She nodded and I looked down at Amara.
“I don’t think she slept at all today.” Mrs. Mitchell said rubbing Amara’s back. Amara’s head rested on my shoulder and she was asleep.
“I should get my girls home before they put me to sleep.” I hugged her with my free arm and waved to everyone else. “Thank you for watching her.”
“No problem. We’ll see you soon. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I smiled and walked out of the house. I buckled Amara into the car and drove home. I carried the girls inside before pulling the bags out of the car and helping Kristine from the car.