She'll Never Be My Mom || (n.j.)

Chapter 6

Nick's POV
"Good morning!" Lizzie sang to me in a sing-song voice on a Saturday morning. I was making us coffee and she came downstairs, holding our three year old daughter in her arms.

"Morning baby." I smile and plant a kiss on her lips as my wife gets her coffee. Lizzie puts Brooklyn in her high chair and I sit at the table, admiring Lizzie with Brook. As I drink my coffee, Lizzie's gaze catches mine.

"What?" She laughs, taking a sip from her own mug.

"Nothing, carry on." A big smile appears on my face and Lizzie continues to feed Brook.

~
While Lizzie and I are out on a date, she cannot stop worrying about Brook.

"Liz, honey, it's going to be fine. Samantha is taking great care of her." I put my hand over my wife's and look into her beautiful green eyes.

"If you're sure..."

"Have I ever lied to you?"
"No..."

"Exactly! Nothing to worry about baby. Now let's go dance." I take Lizzie's hand and we make our way to the dance floor.

"Nick, I haven't danced in a couple of years. I'll embarrass myself."

"Then I'll embarrass myself with you." A goofy smile comes across my face and Lizzie just laughs at me. We were dancing to the fourth song playing, when Lizzie's breathing started becoming heavier.

"Lizzie, are you okay?" I bring her up after dipping her down.

"Can we step outside? I think the atmosphere is just getting to my asthma, no big deal baby." I nod and we walk outside onto the sidewalk that's lit up by streetlights. Her breathing didn't get any better.

"Lizzie, I think we need to get you to the hospital." I look at her concerned, and she shakes her head no.

"I'm fine Nick. Really, I am." A smile suddenly appears on her flushed face. I put my hand to her forehead and cheek, feeling that she's burning up.

"Baby, you're burning up. We need to get you to the hospital." I urge her. Lizzie nods her head before collapsing on the ground.

"Liz!"

~
I get up from my seat in the waiting room, Lizzie walking behind a Doctor. The same Doctor that brought her in to take the tests. Lizzie smiles when she gets closer to me, but the Doctor looks apologetic.

"Thank you Doctor." My wife says. He nods stiffly and walks up to the receptionist desk.

"So?" I bite my bottom lip, daring to ask if she's sick.

"Cancer. It's cancer Nick." She's still smiling, a single tear rolling down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb, feeling tears well up in my own eyes. She wraps her arms around my abdomen, pulling me closer and tighter then ever. She sobs and sobs. I try my hardest to be strong, to not let any tears fall. Lizzie pulls away from me after sometime, her eyes more green then ever.

"They're going to put me on some medication for now, but if it gets worse, I have to come and be put on machines right away." I wipe away the rest of my wife's tears, nodding with every word she said.

"Let's go home." She grabs my hand and we walk out to the car, silence the whole way home.

~
It was all such a blur, and it all happened so fast. Brook had turned five years old the day that Lizzie was admitted into the hospital. The cancer was confirmed and had started to take over her body on our daughter's birthday. Of course, Brooklyn had no idea what was happening to her mother. I had told her that mommy just needed to be treated by nice people to get better. I remember that conversation we had....

"Daddy, where's Mommy?" My six year old daughter asks.

"She needs help from very nice people to get better sweetheart." I just smile.

"Does Mommy have the flu?"

"Something like that baby." I pull her into my side and hold her close....
Brook was so confused, but I did what I had to do to protect her from the hurtful truth. I didn't want to believe that Lizzie was dying, but I knew that it was true. One day, I had waited in the waiting room for Lizzie to come back from getting a cat scan. When she came out, she was just glowing with happiness. I was standing against the wall and I walked over to my wife instantly.

"Getting better everyday." Lizzie winked at me and smiled. I planted a kiss on her cheek and smiled back.

"That is so great honey." I give her one last hug before the Doctors take her to her room. Room 219, I'll never forget it. I know the way to that room like the back of my hand. I went there everyday for at least an hour while Lizzie was battling the cancer. I had to leave Brook home with Samantha a lot while I went to visit Lizzie. Except one day, the Doctors made an exception. I brought Brook in to see her mother on a sunny, 70 degree, Wednesday afternoon. It was the time that I always came, 2:30 PM. Brook held onto my hand tightly as we walked into the hospital. She'd always say that it looked like a fancy laboratory and that it was always too quiet in there. Brook always insisted on that statement. The staff absolutely adored our little girl. Brookie was always so joyful, just like her mother. When we finally made our way to Room 219, after Brook visited with a nurse, Lizzie was overjoyed to see us. Especially her daughter. But who could blame her? They hadn't seen each other in about a week, and that's hard.

"Mommy!" Brook squealed, running to the side of the bed. Lizzie was smiling from ear to ear, and seeing that made me fall more in love with her.

"Oh my goodness, hi baby girl." My wife happily sighs and Brook tries to get up onto the bed.

"Brookie, honey, not up on the bed. Mommy needs her space." I warn, gesturing to Lizzie.

"It's fine Nick. I'm okay." Lizzie assures me. I just nod and continue to admire the way Lizzie's face lit up every time Brook would tell her something that was happening at school. When our visit was over, Lizzie wanted to talk to me quick.

"Thank you so, so much for bringing her in here. It made me stronger, believe it or not." That smile never left her face.

"I am so happy that I got to see her." Lizzie looked over to Brook excitedly looking at all the machines that her mommy was hooked up to. Neither of us imagined that that would be the last time Lizzie would see her daughter.