The next morning, after Lindsey had dropped the kids at school, he walked upstairs to look after Kristen. Since he had returned home, he and Kristen didn't share a bedroom anymore. It was not only the fact that he wasn't comfortable with Kristen lying beside him in bed when all he wanted was Stevie holding him tight, but she had also become a very restless sleeper. She turned around, she vomited, she suffered from serious pain in her whole body and cried a lot. And since Lindsey had to look after the kids all by himself now, he needed as much rest as he could get. He had no idea how Kristen had managed to do it all by herself the last few months, when she was so sick. He knew that Kristen's mother had helped her and that she had had a home help but still.. During the last two weeks she had become even weaker and hadn't left the bed once for four days in a row by now. It was terrible to see her suffering like that and the kids sensed that something was going on. They were no little children anymore. Will was 18 and was going to attend college in a few weeks, Leelee had just turned 16 and Stella was 12. Lindsey had decided that, whether Kristen liked it or not, to tell his three children today that their mother had cancer. Stevie was right, they had the right to know the truth. Kristen wouldn't be magically cured, she was going to die within the next few weeks.
Quietly, he made his way into her room and watched her. She looked horrible. Her skin was thin and pale, dark circles covered her eyes, her hair was fuzzy, she had lost a lot of weight and her right arm was still in plaster because of her fall. Even though it was summer and unbearable hot in California, she had hidden under a huge amount of blankets, she was always cold lately. Honestly, it was a mystery to Lindsey how his smart kids hadn't come up yet with what was wrong with their mother.
He sat down on the bed beside her and watched her for a while before he woke her up carefully. There was nothing left of the woman he had used to live with the past 15 years, before he had gone to Europe, and it hurt him badly to see her like that. She had always been a great wife, a wonderful person, a loving and caring mother. She didn't deserve that!
"Kristen?.. Kristen, honey, wake up. It's time for your medicine."
She stirred and opened up her eyes.
"Hey...", she said weakly and looked up at him.
"Hi..", he smiled sadly, "How are you?"
"Tired, Linds. I'm so tired."
"Are you hungry?"
"No."
"Kristen, you need to eat. What can I get you?"
"Nothing!"
"Please, you have to eat something.What do you want? I can get you anything!"
"I want to sleep. It doesn't matter what I eat, I'm going to throw it up anyway."
"Kristen please, if not for you, then do it for the kids.", he said.
"Don't play that card again, Lindsey!"
"Kristen, we have to tell them! Today!"
"No."
"Yes, we do!"
"I said no!"
"Then I'm going to tell them by myself. Even though, I think it'll be better, if their mother tells them."
"You won't do that!", she shrieked.
"Yes, I will, Kristen! They have a right to know! Kristen, you are their mom! They need to have the chance to tell you goodbye!"
"Lindsey, pleeeease..", she had started crying, "I can't do it! I... I can't..."
"I'll be there, Kristen..", he said, grabbed her hand and was now crying himself, "You're not alone in this.. But they need to know.."
