Her Last Plea✨

Chapter 4

"You're lying."

Mike swallowed hard, recognizing the defiant look on Mirabelle's face.

His wife was right - he possessed no tact. Just as Alexis had taken a seat on the couch with one girl at each side, he had said, "Your mother is coming back to the house. They can't do anything more for her." Alexis scowled at him, clearly annoyed at the way he had broken the news, while Mirabelle jumped to her feet in outrage.

"They tried their best but she was too sick for the medicines and treatment to work anymore," he continued monotonously.

"B-but you said she'll get better! You promised!" Mira shouted in an accusatory tone.

Mike closed his eyes as he remembered his own words. His promises were haunting him ever since he had left the hospital, promises he never should have made.

"Mira, honey, trust me, if it was up to me, I would have changed the outcome ages ago. If I could, I  would have never let something like this happen!"

"Would you?" His daughter asked bitterly. "You only stayed with her because it looks bad to divorce a dying woman!"

"Mirabelle Rosalyn Watson!" Alexis exclaimed. The teenager whipped around to look at Alexis as her silky raven colored hair loosened from the bun it was tied in.

Mike looked like he'd been slapped while Arabelle was getting the sleeve of Alexis's shirt wet with her tears. Mirabelle sniffled and Alexis could tell by her expression that the girl regretted her harsh words. "Mira, apologize to your father," she said firmly.

Turning around to look at her father, Mira's shoulders started to tremble. "Daddy, I'm s-so....."

Before the 'sorry' could leave her mouth, she started crying uncontrollably and Mike quickly embraced her tightly.

Looking over at Alexis, he saw that the woman now had a sobbing Arabelle on her lap and was rocking his daughter back and forth, stroking her honey blonde curls soothingly.

"I don't want Mommy to die," Arabelle said through her tears.

"I know, princess, I know," Alexis replied, kissing the top of the young girl's head as she tired to control her own tears.

"Will she.....will she be okay at home?" Mira asked, looking up at her father through her piercing ice blue eyes that she had inherited from her paternal grandmother.

Mike brushed some of the tears away from her face and said, "The doctor will give her medicines to keep her comfortable at home and we'll hire nurses if needed."

Nodding, Mira asked, "When is she coming home? Will you have to go to get her from the hospital?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll go and get her while Miller will take you three home," he replied. All of his sentences had been short and to-the-point so that he could avoid breaking down in front of his daughters.

He watched helplessly as Mira let go of him and retreated back to Alexis as if the older woman was her own safe haven. Alexis hugged Mira with one arm and kissed her forehead while his eldest cried a fresh batch of tears.

Mike locked eyes with Alexis and let his stiff shoulders relax a little. He had never met anyone who could be so comforting with simply a look before he had befriended this woman.

He had been mean to her at school when they had first met, grudgingly befriended her (for Garrett's sake) when they were 15 and  was now her best friend and business partner (even though he still called her by her surname as he hadn't been able to get over that habit). Over the years he had learned to value his friendship with Alexis more and more as he saw how good she was with his children, specially his daughters.

However, he felt most dependent on Alexis Miller when she had left her work midway, to spend a 'just girls day' with a distraught 4 year old Mirabelle after Delphina had yet again broken another promise. Mirabelle, who was sulking when he had bid them goodbye, was laughing brightly after her day with Alexis. And everyday, since then, Mike has only felt grateful for Alexis's presence in his life and the lives of his children.

"Why don't you go check on your son?" Alexis suggested softly.

Reluctantly, Mike left his daughters with Alexis and headed towards the spare bedroom.

Picking up his sleeping son from his crib - carefully, so as not to wake the toddler - he hugged Marvin close to his chest.

Marvin, on his part, remained sound asleep, but muttered the word 'car'. Stiffling his laughter, Mike shook his head. The 2 year old was obsessed with cars as of late, but that was due to the influence of Alexis's father, William Miller.

Mike let a few tears fall as he tried to soak in some comfort through his son. He knew today wouldn't be the end of tears and angry accusations. It was futile to hope that his children would remain unscathed in all these and yet he found himself praying for a miracle.

Mike knew that he would need to be strong for his daughters. His son, thankfully, was too young to understand much.

He didn't know how he would handle his girls when the time to say goodbye to Delphina would eventually arrive.