A Love Like This

Long Nights

September 9, Three weeks since diagnosis
Scout: 11
Sage: 8

Link laid tossing and turning. He couldn't go to sleep that night.

A million things were running through his head. What would happen if it was terminal? Why did his stomach hurt so much tonight? Would chemo make him unable to do things with his kids?

Amelia could feel Link roll over and she could hear him sigh.

"Babe?" Amelia said sleepily.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry." Link apologized.

"No no you're okay. What's wrong?" Amelia asked.

"Just thinking." Link shrugged.

"About?" Amelia said.

"I miss Fairhope. I miss my people." Link lied.

"You can always go see them. I could stay with the kids." Amelia suggested.

"That's the point. I want my kids to know where Fairhope is, to experience sitting on that tiny little beach until sundown and eating PB&J's and drinking gatorade's all day. Throwing a football and landing in the water. I want them to know what a part Fairhope has played in my life." Link said.

"I just think it's a lot to take the kids down there." Amelia said.

"We used to take me and you down there all the time." Link said.

"Yes but now we have kids who need attention and things and we don't have weekend time to fly down to Alabama, get a rental car, and then just sort of waste time doing nothing." Amelia said.

"Did you ever even enjoy going with me? I loved showing you my side of life. I went to LA all the time with you to see Addison and didn't argue. So why do you always argue about Fairhope?" Link pressed.

"You just always want to go down there every chance we get, summer, spring break, winter break hell sometimes you've gone without me." Amelia said.

"You didn't want to go. And don't pull that card. It was 2 days I was gone. Plus it was a birthday." Link defended himself.

"A birthday on the beach?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. I get the beach isn't your thing but complaining every time I bring up even the idea of going to Fairhope is getting really old." Link scoffed before rolling back into his side of the bed.

-

"Morning daddy." Sage smiled sticking the spoon of cereal in her mouth

"Hi Sagey." Link smiled kissing his daughter's head.

"Hey mama." Scout said looking up from his cereal.

"Yes?" Amelia asked.

"Ow." Link groaned grabbing his stomach.

"You okay babe?" Amelia said.

"Yeah, just a cramp." Link lied. He knew it felt like more than a cramp but he refused to let anyone know that.

Link drove the kids to school and went onto to chemo. He said he'd mention the pain but knowing him it would slip past once he got in the chair.

Amelia happened to have the day off and decided to call Addison.

"Amy?" Addison said.

"Hey Addie." Amelia said.

"Is everything okay?" Addison asked.

"Do you have a minute?" Amelia wondered.

"Yeah, go ahead." Addison said.

"Link has cancer. It's margins are perfect so it's all in his abdomen and they can't pinpoint where it is and I'm scared." Amelia spat out.

"I'm so sorry Amy. Is he on treatment?" Addison asked.

"Yes but he refuses to talk about it or admit he is in pain. I'm terrified of this and he is so calm." Amelia said nervously.

"Well if you ever need help I can always come down and I'm sure Charlotte can too." Addison said.

"Thank you Addie. I just don't know what to do." Amelia said.

"Do life as normal until it comes to the point that you can't." Addison suggested.

-

"What are you doing?" Amelia asked crawling in the bed.

"Was just emailing some people." Link said shutting his laptop.

"Like who?" Amelia asked.

"No one you care about." Link scoffed.

"Well how was treatment?" Amelia asked.

"Amelia I don't want to talk about sickness or cancer. Can we not just treat life like normal." Link said.

"IM SORRY FOR WANTING TO KNOW HOW MY HUSBAND WITH CANCER IS DOING." Amelia yelled.

"I TOLD YOU THAT WE DONT TALK ABOUT IT UNLESS I FEEL BAD AND I AM FINE." Link retaliated.

"AM I NOT ALLOWED TO ASK?" Amelia said.

"NO BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO BE SAD AND PITIFUL IF WE DONT HAVE TO." Link scoffed.

"Whatever." Amelia finally gave up.

Amelia and Link didn't know that Scout and Sage were standing near the door and heard the entire thing.

"Daddy's sick?" Sage whispered.

"No Sage. I'm sure he's fine." Scout dismissed his little sister.

"But mama and daddy said-" Sage butt in.

"Sage drop it, I. Said. He. Is. Fine." Scout snapped.

"Okay." Sage sighed walking into her room and crawling into her covers.

Technically they weren't supposed to be awake. They were supposed to be tucked into bed and asleep.

Little did Amelia and Link know that Scout had heard cancer. And all Scout knew was someone gets cancer and then they die.

Now he couldn't sleep cause of his own worries. Would he lose his dad?