This Little Light of Mine

4: 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

June 25, 2030

Tim awoke the following morning, before Lucy. Or, at least, that's what he thought. He leaned over to her side of the bed, in order to place a kiss on the top of her forehead, as he did every morning in which he woke up before she did. When he leaned over, he heard a sniffle, and could tell that Lucy was awake. "Lucy" he said softly, as she turned to face him, her face stained with tears. "Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked her, as she managed to shake her head. "I couldn't. I was too worried about everything. It's all piled up, and I had nowhere else for it to go" She told him, as Tim pulled her in for a hug. "I know, baby, I know. There's nowhere for this type of pain to go, it's not in any parenting book we've ever read" he assured her. Lucy nodded, as she wiped her eyes for what felt like the eighteenth time over the night. "Now, we've got to put some smiles on today. It's Bennie's birthday, after all" he reminded her, "Only happy things today, everything else can wait until tomorrow" she agreed.

They weren't alone long, before they could hear the pitter patter of tiny feet fumbling down the hallway. Her balance being weak didn't stop her from running to her parents bedroom that morning. The now five year old grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, until the door opened. Once it was open, she made her way into the bedroom, before climbing up onto the bed. "Mama, Daddy!" Bennett exclaimed, "It's my birthday!" She giggled, as Tim and Lucy took her in for a family hug. "It sure is, princess" Lucy told her daughter and smiled. "Tell me, how old are you now, Bennie Bear?" Tim asked her, which caused a giggle to erupt from the child. "I'm five, Daddy! This many!" Bennett said, before proceeding to stick her right hand up in the air, to show him how old she was. "Oh, wow. That's a whole hand! You must be a really big girl now, right?" He asked her, as the little girl nodded. "The biggest girl, Daddy!" Bennett smiled, before nudging herself right in between her parents on their bed.

The three took a few extra minutes lounging in bed that morning. Tim and Lucy were fully aware that this could very well be the last birthday they had with Bennett, and they were fully determined to make the most of it. Not only for their sake, but for Bennett's.

"So, birthday girl, what would you like for your special birthday breakfast?" Tim asked her, as the girl thought. He carried her downstairs, Lucy and the dogs following. "Pancakes and eggs!" Bennett said, as he sat her down onto the kitchen counter, Max taking a seat nearby. "Pancakes and eggs it is, princess" he told her, with a smile.

"Daddy?" Bennett asked, as she looked up at her father, who was making his signature pancakes. "What is it, sweetheart?" He asked her, glancing back at her for a moment. "Do I have to go to the doctors today? I don't wanna go" she told him, as he shook his head. "No, baby. No doctors today. Just me, you, mama, and the dogs today, so we can do whatever you want" he informed his daughter.

Once breakfast was made, Tim plated it up for the three of them, making sure to give Kojo and Max their breakfast, too. Tim, Lucy, and Bennett all sat at the table enjoying the food and some light conversation. Most of that was figuring out what Bennett wanted to do that day. Her list of adventures included:

Ice cream

Target for a new toy

Getting new books

Playing at the park

Watching a movie

Bennett's parents were determined to accomplish everything on that list. They wanted this day to be the most memorable day for their daughter, and make it full of happiness. They knew they had a relatively full slate coming up, with Bennett starting her radiation treatments in the upcoming weeks. She would have thirty rounds of radiation, and once that was completed, they would head to New York, where Bennett was accepted into a clinical trial, called a CED trial. CED stood for Convection Enhanced Delivery, and would hopefully shrink the tumor further from what radiation will do, if anything. They were told to prepare for a longer stay during the trial, but had yet to inform Bennett, as they needed to get through radiation first, which would be scary enough for the little girl.

Nonetheless, they would get through it. They were going to do all that they could for her, no matter what it took. For the time being, they were going to help Bennett have the best fifth birthday that any little girl could ever ask for.

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After they had finished breakfast and all gotten ready, it was time to tackle Bennett's birthday adventure list. Their first stop was going to Target for a few new toys for her, and they'd pick the books she wants up there, as well. While they were there, Bennett picked out more than just a few things. Granted, she didn't only get toys and books, she did manage to get some clothes and treats, too. She didn't only pick things for herself, though. Bennett picked out a couple things for both dogs, something for Tamara, and then without them knowing, something for each of her parents too. The child was a pure sweetheart, she loved picking things out for the people she loved, too.

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After a couple of hours outside the house, Tim swung them through a drive-thru for lunch. It was a true treat when they did that, as they tried to stay away from going there too often, but they made sure Bennett knew that sometimes, it was perfectly fine, and a birthday was just one of those occasions.

Once they had picked up the food, they headed back to the house. Tim unlocked the door and let the girls inside, before seeing what had happened to the house. While they were gone, some of their friends had come inside, and set up presents and decorations for Bennett's birthday, to all of their surprise. Of course, Angela and Wesley had the code to unlock the door, just in case they needed it, and the same worked for Tim and Lucy.

Bennett entered the house and saw everything set up, "WOW!" The little girl shrieked. Tim and Lucy looked around, shocked. It was quickly after that when Tim texted Angela, and she admitted what they had done for Bennett. The team wanted to make her day extra special, without taking that special time away from her parents, especially with Bennett's diagnosis. A video call was made soon after, for Bennett to thank them for all of her presents and decorations.

The impromptu family "party" went off well, and Bennett truly enjoyed every second of it. Tim and Lucy hadn't seen their daughter so excited and happy as she was on her birthday, and it meant the world to them.

"This is the best birthday ever!" Bennett told both of her parents, while she opened her presents. "We're glad you've had such a good time, baby" Lucy told her, both she and Tim smiling as they watched the five year old.

Tim and Lucy were ecstatic that Bennett had such a wonderful birthday, considering this could very well be the last birthday they have with her physically. As much as they tried not to think about it, it was constantly in the back of their minds. But, they made the most of their day for Bennett, and it was truly worth it. At the end of the day, they knew the impending heartbreak would be worth it, one day at least. Anticipatory grief was the worst, and it would only get worse from there, but they didn't fully see that quite yet.

Now that Bennett's birthday had come and gone, everything was going to start moving again. Radiation, clinical trials, countless doctors appointments, everything. And it was all to help Bennett, or at least to buy the family more time with her. That was all they could ask for. Bennett had a great birthday, and a great day, with her symptoms under control. Surely, that was a good thing, right? For the time being, it was great. Little did Lucy and Tim know, it was only the beginning of a very long fight.