Page 1 of Fighting for Family

CHAPTER 1

Two Months Later…

The morning sunlight shone through the window, showcasing the magnificent mountain view. Catherine reached out to the empty space beside her, hoping she only dreamed the nightmare of her husband’s death. She pulled his pillow closer, inhaling his scent. Tears formed in her eyes as she recalled the morning he left.

Leo went to each kid's room and kissed them. He said goodbyes to Melody the night before since she understood the reason for his departure. Yet, he still pulled the cover over her shoulder, whispered “I love you,” and kissed her head. Quietly closing her door, he gathered his gear and added it to his truck while she poured his coffee in his favorite mug and thermos for the plane trip.

“Do you have everything?” she asked as she handed him his thermos.

“I’ve got you, don’t I?” he whispered as he held her in his arms. “I wish I didn’t have to leave right now.”

She saw the doubt in his eyes. Not wanting her husband to worry about anything, she smiled sleepily. “Yeah, you got me. I know we’ve had our differences lately, but you know I love you.”

“I love you, Kit Kat,” he said, sounding relieved. “Will you promise to take it easy while I’m gone? It’s a tall order considering everything, but will you try?”

Catherine sighed, giving in. “I will. Come home safe and soon,” she said, her voice breaking.

“Hey,” he said, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. “I’ll be home before you know it. Thank you for letting me stay last night. I promise, when I get home, things will be different.”

She searched his eyes, wondering if he knew how many times he promised her the same thing after missing important events with their family and her.

She squeezed her eyes, blocking out the memory. What good did it do? Leo was never coming home. She saw the expressions of defeat on his team’s faces when they spoke over the computer. She imagined how much they blamed themselves. Catherine didn’t blame them. Leo died protecting them. He considered each teammate his family. If given the choice, Leo would have wanted his sacrifice to bring them home to the mountain.

Outside her door, she heard Kassie greet her mom and Jake. A moment later, she heard Melody and Grace. She needed to rise and get her butt moving. Leaving the bed meant she must face the reality of becoming a widow and raising her and Leo’s children. As if she needed extra encouragement, the baby moved inside her, reminding her of the life she and Leo created from their love. She now realized Leo left her another piece of himself. The fight over her surprise pregnancy after his vasectomy didn’t seem important anymore. The baby constantly reminded her Leo lived on through his little monsters.

Pushing herself upright, she threw back the covers and pulled on her robe. Catherine slid her feet into her slippers and padded to the bathroom before entering the kitchen.

Seeing her, her mom rushed over and embraced her. “Did you get any sleep?”

Catherine saw the worried expression on her mother’s face and forced a small smile. “I slept six hours before this one decided to wake me up, swimming around in there.” She smoothed her hand over her belly.

“You have your appointment with Dr. Greene today. Will you find out the sex?” her mom asked.

Catherine hesitated. Always the one who liked to be prepared to have the nursery ready, she couldn’t think about those things now. It didn’t matter. The first few months, she planned to keep the baby in her room. Only five months along, she still had time to get everything ready. Still having Grace and Derrick’s things, she didn’t need much.

“I think I’m leaving it as a surprise. It gives me something to look forward to.”

“You’re right. It won’t matter one way or another. It’s part of our family, and we’ll love it either way,” Carol reassured her.

“Did Kassie leave?” she asked.

“You missed her by mere minutes. Tori took a spill and hit her head on the coffee table. Maddie assured her it left only a bump, but Tori kept screaming for her mama. Of course, she returned home. Kassie finished feeding Derrick, and he went back to sleep. Why don’t you sit down and have some breakfast?”

“I will after I get Melody off to school and Grace dressed,” she said, pouring herself a cup of decaffeinated coffee using Leo’s favorite mug he forgot and sat in the kitchen chair.

“Good morning, Mama,” Melody greeted her, already dressed and with her backpack in hand. It seemed like only yesterday Leo knelt in front of their daughter and introduced himself as her dad. The lump in the back of her throat grew bigger, but she refused to cry again.

“Good morning, June Bug. How did you sleep? Derrick slept almost the entire night. I think he’s getting his schedule back to ours.”

Melody rolled her eyes. “I hope he did. Why can’t he be like Grace? If a tank came in her bedroom, she’d sleep right through it.”

Catherine smiled at her daughter, adopting one of Leo’s favorite phrases about their youngest little girl.

“Maybe soon,” she murmured as she choked back her emotions. Rising from the chair, she grabbed Melody’s sweater and light jacket. “It’s getting colder. Put this in your pack.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Melody said, taking the sweater from her. “What do you plan to do today?”

“I’m picking up some things from the hospital, and then I have a doctor’s appointment to see how big your brother or sister has grown.”