"So nothing can be done?" Lennox asked. "No treatments? Nothing?"
Big Mama shook her head. "It's too aggressive, baby. I've had four doctors tell me the same bad news."
"How long do you have?" Arman asked with tears in his eyes.
Big Mama was hesitant, but they deserved to know. She's been keeping this diagnosis to herself for too long and she needed to tell them everything. "Six months to a year." She said.
Everyone was in shambles. Taylor and Brandon wanted to comfort everyone, but they weren't able to. This situation was beyond a hug and a kiss.
Killian who heard everything in the hallway came back into the dining room. His face was red from the pain he felt and his eyes were glossy from the tears. He and Big Mama had a very close relationship and to hear she was dying was not easy for him.
"I'm about to head out." Killian said as he sniffled.
"Kill, don't leave. We need to come together as a family right now." Heather told him.
Killian sucked his teeth. "She wasn't thinking about that when she left us in the dark for a month."
"C'mon, bruh. Don't do that." Micah said as he stood up. "You can't blame her for this. Yes, she should've told us but we can only imagine what was going on in her head. Don't be like that."
"This shit ain't right and you know it." Killian replied.
"I'm sorry, Killian. I'm so sorry." Big Mama said as tears fell from her eyes. "Don't leave, okay?"
Killian shook his head as tears began to fall. "You don't deserve this, Big Mama."
Big Mama got up and gave Killian a hug, allowing him to breakdown on her shoulder. He was not able to accept that his grandmother was dying.
-
"Sorry that you had to experience that during dinner. It was so unexpected." Karis told Taylor once she walked into the kitchen after tucking in Zuri.
"No need to apologize." Taylor replied. "Is Zuri okay?"
"Yeah, she's alright—just worried." Karis said. "She's asleep now."
"Did you call to check on Killian? I know he took it very hard." Taylor asked.
"Yes, Zuri and I spoke to him. He's a little bit calm, but still distraught. He and Big Mama have always been inseparable." Karis replied. "I just pray that things will turn around some kind of way."
Taylor nodded. "Yeah, me too."
"Is it okay if you spend the night with me?" Karis asked.
"Of course, baby." Taylor said. "Do you need me out at a certain time for Zuri's sake?"
"No, she doesn't go into my room unless I call her in there or read a book to her. She says her room is better."
Taylor chuckled. From what he saw before the devastating news, Zuri was very confident and sassy. He could tell that Karis really interacts with her and allows her to speak her mind, which is important for young kids. "Alright, let's go to bed." Taylor said as he allowed Karis to lead the way.
They got comfortable and climbed into the bed. Karis picked out a movie to watch on Netflix and the two of them cuddled together and began to watch it.
Karis' phone began to ring, indicating a call from Heather. She excused herself from Taylor and answered her phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, I was just calling to check on you. How are you and Zuri feeling?" Heather asked.
