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I tried not to get hung up on imagining the future children she’d mentioned. “That will never happen, babe.” I didn’t know what else to say. This hypothetical situation wasn’t something I could even fathom, so I didn’t know how to convince her it wasn’t true. The whole thing felt so far out of left field, I wondered if it wasn’t really what she was asking. “What’s really going on here? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I’m just letting my anxiety get the best of me, I think. You’ve been seriously wonderful. And if anything is wrong, surely it’s me being ridiculous.”
“Well, I don’t want to agree with you…” I smiled gently, letting her know I was joking. We moved on with the conversation, but after I walked Monica back to her apartment and headed home, I couldn’t help but replay her concerns in my mind.
If Nathan’s little midlife crisis was going to mess with Monica’s and my relationship, I was going to have to triple down on the prayers that he figured stuff out.
ChapterSeventeen
MONICA
As desperate as I was to get back to work, I had to accept that it wasn’t happening quite yet. Even sitting at the nurses’ station had drained me more than I anticipated. There was no way I was ready to deal with the often-hectic pace of the emergency department.
Instead, I spent all day in the kitchen, prepping a whole laundry basket full of freezer meals for Rebecca and the boys.
I had my mom give me a ride to the Wells’s house. I told her I would just walk home when I was done. Without the food, it wouldn’t be a far walk.
I set the laundry basket on the doormat and clasped my hands behind my head. Blowing out a full breath of air, I looked upward and asked the Lord to give me wisdom and a heart to see Rebecca’s needs.
Then, I knocked on the door.
Rebecca opened the wooden door, the glass door still separating us. She looked like a wreck, as though she hadn’t slept or eaten in days.
“Oh, sweetie,” I said, opening the storm door and stepping inside. In an instant, she burst into tears and hugged me tightly.
My heart broke at her obvious pain. I rubbed her back and let her cry on my shoulder, feeling absolutely helpless. I couldn’t make anything better, and I couldn’t magically fix her marriage.
“I’m sorry. I’m amazed I have any tears left, honestly.”
In a few moments, she gathered herself and stepped back, wiping at her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her oversized sweatshirt, which she wore despite the summer heat outside.
The house looked as though a tornado had swept through it. A tornado of little boys, if I had to guess. Dirty laundry and dishes were scattered about. Toys were sprinkled across the room like confetti. Walking across the floor would be like crossing a minefield of Legos.
The television was on, with some ocean-themed animated movie playing that I didn’t recognize.
“Let me go grab the meals I brought.”
“You brought food?” Rebecca’s tears started again, and I ducked outside.
We unloaded the basket into her fridge and freezer.
When we finished, Rebecca leaned back against the counter, her shoulders hunched. “I’m so embarrassed. I need to go to the store, but it’s just so hard to do with all three of the boys. I could probably do a pickup order, but the thought of making a list is so overwhelming.” She fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater.
“That’s okay. These should get you by for a few more days.” I looked at her again and back toward the boys. “Would you like to go take a shower while I keep an eye on the boys?”
Rebecca shook her head. “No, it’s okay. You don’t need to do that. The meals are plenty.
“It’s my pleasure, seriously. Just go, take a minute to take care of yourself. I’ve got this.”
Her grateful look told me everything I needed to know. She disappeared into her bedroom, and I started loading the dishwasher, tracking down empty cereal bowls and cups from the rest of the house.
When Rebecca came back twenty minutes later, freshly brushed wet hair had replaced the frazzled messy knot from before.
“Thank you, Monica. Seriously.” She glanced at the boys. Thankfully, they were still entranced in the movie. “They’ve never watched so much television in their life, but I don’t know what else to do. Alex keeps asking when Daddy will be home. How do I tell him that Daddy doesn’t want to?” Her voice cracked on the words and tears started again.
I wrapped her in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I don’t understand what even happened. What prompted all of this?”
Rebecca swiped at her tears. “I don’t know! He just came home one morning after his shift and said he was done. I tried to argue with him, but his mind was made up. He packed a bag and left.”
