Rachel is only able to put her left arm around Lainey, and I don’t even think twice as I help her wrap her right arm around her daughter. I keep my hand pressed to her forearm to hold it in place.
“Mommy,” Lainey cries, and her body shudders violently.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Rachel slurs, and it becomes impossible not to cry with them.
“I already told Lainey about the cancer,” Easton says.
Rachel gives him a thankful look before turning her attention back to her daughter. “I’m sorry ... I hid it ... from ... you, Lainey. I wanted ... more time with ... you ... and ... didn’t know how to tell ... you.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Lainey sobs, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Needing to do something, I grab a couple of tissues from next to the bed and pat Lainey’s and Rachel’s cheeks dry.
The nurse comes back into the room, and while Easton is signing papers, Rachel tells Lainey, “I don’t want to ... leave you, but when I do ... I want you to know ... a part of me ... will always ... stay with you.”
God. My heart can’t handle this. It’s brutal.
The nurse gives Easton the prescribed medicine, which he holds out to me. “Will you hold this?”
Nodding, I take the bag from him.
“Let’s go home,” he says while he lifts Lainey off the bed. After he sets her down on her feet, he pushes his arms beneath Rachel’s back and knees and lifts her to his chest.
“You can use the wheelchair,” the nurse mentions.
Easton shakes his head. “Thanks for everything.”
He walks toward the door, and I quickly move around the bed to take hold of Lainey’s hand. We stick close behind Easton as we make our way out of the hospital, and I hate how people stare at him. Most have their phones out, shamelessly taking photos. Some have the decency to whisper, while others talk loud enough for us to hear.
“It’s Easton Rowe!”
“Isn’t that his sister? I wonder what’s wrong with her.”
“Who’s the other woman with his niece?”
We can’t leave the hospital quickly enough, and when we reach the SUV, I climb into the back so Rachel can lean her right side against me while Lainey sits on her left.
Easton gets into the passenger seat, and Tyler slides behind the steering wheel.
As we drive away from the hospital, I’m struggling to accept the fact that the tumor is growing fast, and we’re running out of time.
Chapter 15
Easton
Carrying Rachel into the house, I head straight for the nearest couch, where I carefully lay her down.
Lainey sits beside Rachel and lies over her chest, then starts to cry hard.
Rachel brushes her palm over the back of Lainey’s head as she breaks down as well, and in one of the darkest moments of our lives, we’re all at a loss for words, forced to face the harsh reality that awaits us.
I say one of the darkest because I know the worst is still to come.
Needing comfort, I move closer to Nova, who looks utterly lost. I wrap my arms around her and grip her hard to my chest while I bury my face in her hair, needing all the comfort I can get from her.
When she hugs me back, my body shudders, and I struggle to fight the tears that are threatening to fall.
If I begin to cry, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop, so I use all the strength I have to rein in my emotions.
