When You Need Me | Scomiche

Chapter 4

     "Mitchell!" Mitch turned his head towards the sound and his face broke out into a grin. "Mitch, oh, my gosh, It's so good to have you home." His dad met him halfway and wrapped him in a hug. "Come on, let's get you home to your mother. She is dying to see you." They giggled and he spent the twenty-five minute drive home listening to his dad gush about Thanksgiving. He felt a little twinge of regret settle for not going, but he was happy to hear everyone was doing really well. When they pulled up to his childhood home, a warmth settled over his heart. Giddiness bubbled up within him and he could barely wait for his dad to put the car in park before he was jumping out and running up the front steps.

     "Mom!" He sped to the kitchen and smiled when she turned around with wide eyes.

     "My baby boy!" She dropped the grocery bags she was putting away and immediately went to her son's side, wrapping her arms around his small frame. "I've missed you so much." He fought the emotions he could feel coming to the surface but when his mom squeezed just a little tighter before pulling back to look at his face, he knew his eyes were glossy. "Oh, baby." She kissed his forehead and when he met her eyes they giggled. Mike came in through the garage door with Mitch's bags and continued on through to put them in his room.

     "Why haven't you been home recently? I've been dying to see my baby for almost a whole year now!" Nel dragged Mitch into the living room and pushed him to sit on the couch. Her voice was lighthearted but Mitch could hear the underlying sadness.

     "I'm so sorry, Momma. I really didn't mean to. I was just so busy with modeling and Beau that time just passed so fast." He turned on the couch to face her fully, and reached for her hand, not wanting to separate from her touch completely yet.

     She laughed at the mention of his modeling. "I know you have been busy modeling! Mike has been so ecstatic about it he has been buying copies of every magazine and cutting your pictures out to save." They laughed at Mike's enthusiasm for Mitch's career and turned to him as he came back out of the hallway from Mitch's room.

     "Am I not allowed to be proud of my child?" He let out a little chuckle with them and sat on the coffee table across from his wife. After some catching up, Mike could see Mitch's eyes start to droop. "Nel, let your baby get ready for bed. I'm sure he is tired from flying."

     "Okay, okay. Do you need something to eat before you go to sleep?" She turned her attention back to Mitch. He shook his head no and leaned in to hug his mom tight again.

     "I am pretty tired so I'll see you guys in the morning." Mitch stood up to head to his room.

     "Goodnight sweetie" and "Night son" were heard as he was just reaching the hall. He smiled, glad to be home.

***

     Mitch felt a little strange waking up in his old room. Posters still covered the walls, and his furniture was still the same, but it was a little tidier than he last remembered seeing it and figured his parents came in to straighten up a bit. He sent a text to Kirstie that he was home in Texas and she replied with a heart and wished him good luck. He ignored it though, not wanting to think of anything that could make him sad before breakfast for the fourth day in a row. He got up, stretched, and threw on a t-shirt before heading out to see what the noise in the kitchen was from. His parents had breakfast hot and ready and coffee brewed. When he was settled at the table with them, first cup of coffee down, they finally decided to talk.

     "So honey, why did you want to come down all of the sudden?" Nel brought her cup to her lips.

     "I just really missed you and wanted to", Mitch smiled at her then took a bite of his breakfast taco.

     "I was a little upset that I've seen Scott more times in the past few months than I have you in the past two years." He choked on his bite at the mention of Scott's name. When he glanced up, both his parents were looking at him with wide eyes, almost as if they were gauging his reaction to hearing about Scott. Now he definitely knew they have seen and heard from him, but he wasn't sure if his parents were aware they weren't talking. "Mitch?" Oh no, he forgot to reply.

     "You've talked to Scott?" Mike gave him a sympathetic smile in reply.

     "Well, yeah. He asks about you sometimes. Are you guys okay?" Mitch put his taco down, suddenly out of an appetite. This conversation came up way quicker than he was expecting.

     "About that, um... We actually haven't talked in over a year." He cringed at how bad that must sound to his parents, but they just looked at him.

     His parents glanced at each other then back at him and suddenly he felt like there was a secret he wasn't allowed to know. Nel spoke first, "Scott told us a little while ago, and we were shocked to hear, but considering everything he has going on we weren't that surprised you guys drifted apart. Y'all living so far away from each other now and everything."

     "Yeah, I'm not really sure why we drifted but we did. And what do you mean, everything he has going on? Is something wrong?" His brows furrowed thinking that maybe Scott was sick, or maybe his nephew was sick or something equally as bad. His heart dropped into his stomach. The glossiness of his mom's eyes didn't help him feel any better and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Mike reached over to place a hand on her shoulder.

     "We need to tell him, she's like his second mother," Mike squeezed her shoulder then turned back to Mitch. "Look, son. Connie, she, well... ah. How do I put this? She has been really sick for around a year and a couple months, but they only diagnosed it as Stage IV breast cancer about seven months ago. It, unfortunately, has spread to her lungs. The radiation would make her incredibly sick so they stopped it and his whole family is taking it pretty hard." Mitch was pretty sure he blacked out for a second. He felt the hot tears down his cheeks and the familiar burn in his throat. Connie? How could this happen, she is the sweetest woman in the world. Mitch looked at his parents, both misty-eyed and looking back. He saw the pity in their eyes. They knew this whole time and didn't tell him. Everyone knew this whole time and didn't think "Oh, maybe Mitch ought to know about this?" His bottom lip quivered as he looked over at his mom.

     She was quick to answer his questioning gaze. "Scott made us promise not to tell you. Hell, we didn't know until only five months ago." Mitch jumped up from his chair, full on sobbing now.

     "Oh my God, Scott!" he backed up into the wall for support and put his hands over his mouth. His Scott has been going through this for who knows how long and Mitch hasn't been, and isn't, there for him. He started to hyperventilate and he slid down the wall. In a second his parents were by his side comforting him the best they could. When he finally caught his breath he looked up into his mother's eyes again and decided he couldn't be mad at her for not telling him. Connie was her best friend, and she is hurting probably more than him. If Scott was sick... Mitch couldn't even fathom losing his best friend.