An Angel's Tail

Chapter 40

On Valentine's Day, Kitty took me out for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. After we ordered our food, we were told it would be a few minutes since they had orders backed up. We were okay with that. Hey, it was Valentine's Day.

While we waited, we decided to exchange gifts.

Kitty placed a large gift bag on the table in front of me. I dug through it, and pulled out a large, fluffy stuffed bunny. It was wearing a white, zip-up onesie with a long tail in the back. I squeezed it, and heard Kitty's voice singing "I loooove you, Babyyyyyy!" I hugged the bunny. "Thank you so much," I said. "I love it. It's so soft and fluffy and cuddly like a sweater... just like you."

Kitty giggled. "Awwwww, I'm your sweater?"

"Yepperdoodles," I said in a silly voice.

Kitty giggled again. "You're the cutest little sweater snuggler."

Then, it was my turn to give Kitty her gift. I placed it in front of her, and she tore the paper off. "Awwwwwwwww!" she cried. It was a fill-in-the-blank book about how much I loved her, and I'd filled in every blank with my honest feelings and thoughts. She skimmed through with tears swelling in her eyes. "You're the sweetest little angel! Awwww, I love you so much!" She leaned across the table, cupped my face in her hands, and kissed me tenderly. "You're the most precious thing in my life. You know that?"

"I love you more," I said as I smiled from ear to ear. "You're an angel."

"Awwwwww, so are you, Baby."

Our meal finally arrived a few minutes later, and we enjoyed every bite as we talked about whatever. Then, just after the waiter came to take our empty plates and offer dessert, my phone rang.

"Go ahead," Kitty said.

I answered. "Hello?" It was Brad. "She is? Okay, we'll be there in fifteen minutes." I hung up, and put my phone away. "Honey's in labor," I said to Kitty.

We waited patiently for the check, which didn't take very long at all. We paid, left a good tip, grabbed our belongings, and hurried to the car.

When we arrived at the hospital, Kelly was there to greet us. "She's almost completely dilated," she explained, "but because of the cancer, they're gonna do a C-section. They're also gonna check to make sure the cancer hasn't spread too far. If not, she can start chemo, and maybe actually kick this thing."

And so, we all sat in the waiting room together, and waited and prayed for what seemed like an eternity. Then, finally, Brad came out to let us know she was awake, and we could go see her.

Meanwhile, the nurse had just brought Honey's newborn baby to her, and she was humming a sweet lullaby to her when we quietly walked in.

"Hey, Honey," Kelly greeted softly. "How you feelin'?"

Honey smiled. "I'm okay."

"Can we see her?" I asked.

"Sure. Come over here."

"Does she have a tail, too?" asked Tyler.

"She sure does. I already know it can't be removed, so I'm gonna do what my mother did. Teach her to embrace what makes her different."

"Awwww, she's so beautiful," Kitty cooed. "She looks just like her mommy."

"You wanna hold her?"

"Sure." Kitty gently picked up the baby, and held her in her arms. "Awwww, she's so precious." She sat down on a chair next to Honey's bed, holding the baby on her lap. She giggled.