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“I’m not dead, you guys,” she grumbled at them.
Brad snorted.
Her dad sniffed, and she knew that he was crying. “I’ve been avoiding this Sophie.”
That was her dad’s way, always had been. When her grandpa died, he wouldn’t look in the casket even though her mom had begged him to say goodbye to his father. He wanted to avoid that moment that he could never get back and months later, he had regretted it like her mom knew he would.
Duke caressed Sophie’s shoulder. She relaxed with his touch on her skin. It was comforting like it had been when she was a child, sick in the hospital. Her throat on fire and raw. Feeling sick to her stomach. She had just wanted her Daddy. This moment was good for them. Comforting to her now like it had been then.
“You will be okay when this is done, right baby girl?” He asked, his voice husky with emotion.
“Yes,” she promised him. She glanced up at him to see if he was all right.
“I don’t think I could bare it any other way.” He wiped his hand across his face but there was still a wetness that was left behind.
Sophie sat up and pain shot through her head. She let the dizzy feeling subside then she wiped away her father’s tears with her fingertips. “I love you Daddy. So much.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Love you too,” he whispered. Both men were emotional now. Duke held Sophie not moving, letting her head rest against his chest. He was comforted as much by holding his daughter as she was by being held.
Josh came home at one to see how she was. He stood in the doorway and gazed at his wife her head resting against her father’s chest, his chin on her head, slightly snoring. She opened her eyes and caught him staring at them.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“How’s the head?”
“Bad,” she responded.
“Nausea?”
“Hasn’t started yet. Maybe I’ll get lucky this time.”
Her dad stretched and yawned. “I’m going to the kitchen for coffee and some lunch.”
Brad went with him. Sophie slid down in the bed. The puppies whimpered at the side of the bed, so Josh put them up on the bed with Sophie. He slipped in beside her.
“Joshua has the flu,” he told her.
“Oh no. Is he okay?”
“They are giving him pain and fever reducer every four hours. Bathing him in lukewarm water if the fever doesn’t reduce with the over the counter medicine. Lots of fluids. That’s all they can do. Heath and Hannah are worried about you catching it,” Josh told her.
She shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do now.”
Chapter 18
Josh
Chemo not only made Sophie sick. It destroyed her immune system, so she often avoided the grocery store. Josh or Ally did all their grocery shopping. She had stopped going to work because the exhaustion was just too overwhelming. He had to admit that he was surprised when she told him that she wanted to quit the landscaping business they had worked so hard to build.
She had spent the night throwing up just like always. Now she was quiet. Sleeping with the dogs curled into her body resting like she was. He had the television on low, watching the big game. He was also looking at some of her sketches. Josh had to admit that she was still good at it even though it had been years since she had put pencil to drawing paper.
There was a sweet drawing of Joshua that she had done from a photo on her phone. She had always had an eye for taking photos too. He flipped through and found several of himself. One that was a little risky that he didn’t want anyone to see. He was sleeping but the sheets were pulled low on his hips. She liked drawing him. She always had.
He flipped through some more and found some interesting perspective drawings. Buildings that required angles that had to be perfect. They looked like they could jump off the page.
He glanced at the screen and saw Brian drop b
ack and throw a long pass. The receiver dropped it. It was third and eight. They were ahead by only three points in the fourth quarter with eight minutes to go. They needed a score. He groaned. Sophie groaned and moved her legs around. They must be hurting her.
