Solitude || Evan Buckley [1]

chapter thirty one

new year, new surprises

Buck grinned ear to ear upon the news of his clean bill of health to by his doctor. After months in and out of the hospital for a second surgery and recovery lifted the weight off his shoulders. Now, he didn't need to worry too much about the blood clots affecting his job. On the way to bring in the good news, he least expected to find his girlfriend reorganizing Monet's nursery. He took long strides to Sasha who hadn't acknowledged his arrival. He bent down to their eight-month-old daughter sat in her walker to place a kiss on her head.

Coming up from behind, Buck rested his hands on top of her shoulders. "Hey, what are we doing here?" His lips pressed into her cheek.

"We are doing some Spring cleaning." Sasha moved swiftly back to the closet to whisk out more clothes. There was an immense amount scattered on the floor to the dresser. "Monet has too many clothes and is growing out of them. So, I'm cleaning out what doesn't fit her anymore to replace with the ones that do and will in the future. Then, we need to go through her toys because they're overloading thanks to her grandparents and aunts and uncles that spoil her—"

Buck laid his hands on her shoulders in front of her this time. He gave her a stern look, "Honey, take a breather for me." A faint chuckle left his mouth as she reciprocated not without an eye roll. "Now, tell me what's going on."

Sasha shut her eyes in defeat. She has this tendency to forget he known her to an extent with her impulsive cleaning being one of her ways to distract herself. When she opened her eyes, she dropped the baby clothes on the dresser before descending to the floor.

He followed then slung his arm around her.

"Aunt Athena called that Uncle Michael is getting surgery for his brain tumor." She fiddled with her locket.

Into the New Year, Michael sprung the news of being diagnosed with a brain cancer. This definitely shocked the family to endure an unfortunate situation like this again. But as a family, they prepared to support Michael through this rough time. He had been going to radiation therapy since the diagnosis although his doctor opted a surgery in an attempt to rid of the tumor.

"I mean, isn't that good news? There's a chance to get rid of it." Buck assumed, though Sasha's face remained wary.

Her eyes averted to the wall. "It is, but I can't deny it frightens me. All I could think about is my uncle to May and Harry having to deal with this. Harry is too young to acknowledge the actual details...they don't deserve it." She expressed out of fear and frustration.

Watching her mother undergo chemotherapy was a huge adjustment to their lives. The doctor appointments and treatments felt endless as Sasha witnessed her mother growing weak each day. Even at her weakest and in pain, Sabrina strived with a warm smile. Except a smile couldn't diminish the negative thoughts that whirled in the young girl's mind. She had prepared herself at the possibility of losing her mother to cancer. Perhaps, the loss of her father would help Sasha learn to cope with another death of a parent.