“I need to get him cleaned up and down for his morning nap,” Anna said, taking a step away from the stove and toward Thomas.
“I got it.” Theo lifted him out of his booster seat and Thomas began to wiggle. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He lifted him higher and skimmed his nose past Thomas’ bottom. “And you need a nappy change.” Thomas giggled uncontrollably when Theo lowered him and pressed his head against his, saying, “You are one stinky little lad.”
I watched in amazement at how effortlessly Theo managed him, taking over like it was second nature.
Theo left after Thomas was down for a nap, and I was just finishing up my breakfast. I was amazed that I had actually eaten more than half of it. It was delicious, but massive. Anna had a cup of tea and kept me company while I ate. I learned that her loyalties lay deep with this family. She had taken care of Theo and Kate when they were younger. She had now come out of retirement when Theo had told her Kate could use a hand. She’d tear up whenever she talked about Kate in the present, but those tears quickly dried whenever she’d speak of their childhood.
“Theo was always such a little bugger, I thought he’d never grow out of his impish ways. But he did, and he’s a good man now, bless him,” she said after telling me about one of Theo’s many mischievous shenanigans as a child. “He and Kate were like night and day. Kate was always as quiet as a church mouse.” She shook her head and smiled; reliving days gone by. “I see a lot of Theo in Thomas. Kate is going to have her hands full.” She stopped herself abruptly, looking down at the table and clearing her throat, and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing as I was. Would Kate be around to see if her son turned out like her brother? When she raised her head with tear-filled eyes, I knew she was. I reached over the table and placed my hand over hers. “I’m so sorry,” she said, dabbing her eyes with a napkin. “I love those children as if they were my own.”
“Don’t be sorry. I totally understand.” I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and I instantly envied Kate and Theo for having such a loyal, caring person in their lives.
“Jillian!” Kate’s familiar voice called from the kitchen doorway. I looked at her and swallowed hard, determined to not let the empathy I was feeling in my heart appear on my face. The healthy weight she was when we were on vacation had diminished into an ultra-thin frame that her clothes now hung off. A pink baseball cap was placed over her head, covering most of her sunk-in face as well. But her smile was still the same, vibrant and beautiful.
“Well, good morning, sleepyhead.” I stood up and walked over to her, taking her into an embrace and gasping to myself when I realized it was like hugging a skeleton.
“I’m so sorry. I wanted to be awake and dressed when you got here.”
I waved my hand in a dismissing manner. “It’s fine. Anna made me a delicious breakfast and was filling me in on all of your brother’s childhood antics.” I glanced at Anna and we both snickered.
Kate ambled over to the table as Anna stood up and headed to the teakettle to make her a cup. “Is Theo here?”
“No. He went home to take a bubble bath. He’ll be back later,” I replied.
“A bubble bath?” Kate let out a loud laugh as Anna placed the teacup in front of her.
“Probably not, but I told him he should take the male equivalent of one to unwind a little.”
“I would pay to see Theo in bubbles, with candles lit and sipping on a glass of wine,” Kate remarked, dipping her tea bag in and out of the hot water.
“Good Lord!” Anna shouted. “He can’t sit still for longer than five minutes. He’d have to be sedated.” She and Kate both howled with laughter.
“Did Theo show you to your room?” Kate asked.
“He did.”
“I’m so sorry. I wanted to be up and alert to give you a proper greeting.”
“Oh please, no worries at all. Theo was the perfect concierge and Anna a delightful cook...as you can see.” I looked down at my half-empty plate.
“Good.” She sighed. “How was your flight?”
“I actually slept a few hours believe it or not.” I had to clear the air and get the subject we had been avoiding for the past few months out in the open. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I have my highs and lows.” I could tell she was trying her hardest to keep her emotions at bay. “Last night was a little rough. I was up every hour.” She sighed, then took off her cap, revealing the peach fuzz on her head to me. “Might as well show you this hideous sight now.”
She still looked beautiful. Twenty pounds lighter, skin as pale as a ghost, and with no hair. It wasn’t Kate’s physical features that just made up her beauty, it was everything else about her as well. The way her soft-spoken voice just instantly made a person feel so at ease in her presence. The way she would listen, out of true concern and not obligation. Her treatments may have taken a lot from her physically, but it didn’t take away the beautiful, gentle aura she gave off whenever you were around her.
“It’s not hideous at all. Hair grows back. It’s what’s inside here”—I placed my hand over my heart and continued—“that counts. And you have one of the most beautiful hearts I know.”
She let out a loud sob. I stood up to walk over to where she was sitting. Grabbing a napkin from the table, I bent down beside
