LIFE Interrupted

Sophie couldn’t stop shivering. He could see it from where he stood. “Like what, Josh?” She asked, her teeth were chattering.

“You’re my little girl. Too young to be having sex,” he offered.

She smiled through her misery. “She’s going to text us when she gets there, right?”

“She is. She’s going with Jagger and Doug. Another guy from work couldn’t make it.”

Sophie lifted her head and gazed at Josh. “Now that I didn’t know.”

“Brian got them tickets.”

“She’s getting really close with Jagger. I’d be worried if she was staying with him instead of Brian.”

“I was still a little concerned. These guys are much older than her, Sophie.”

His wife laid her head back in Kai’s lap. He knew neither woman could be comfortable. “Sophie why don’t you let me move you to the bedroom.”

“Josh, every nerve in my body hurts right now. My bones ache. My stomach is rolling. Please just let me be. When Kai can’t feel her butt anymore, maybe then.”

Her friend laughed. “That happened a while ago, but I’ll sit here until I can’t feel my toes too.”

“Okay, until then.”

“All right, I’ll leave you until then.”

He left them alone and went to the living room. He felt in the way and helpless. Cleo joined him on the sofa while Delilah stayed with Sophie and Kai.

Heath came by after dinner. He wanted to check on his mother. He sat with Josh in the living room for a while. Unable to face what was going on in the bathroom.

“Why aren’t you with her?”

“Because Kai is here,” he explained.

It had to be hard for Heath to understand. Sometimes, she needed him and sometimes, she just needed Kai. He had been in there once or twice to hold her hand and kiss her forehead. Kai’s legs were probably paralyzed. He was going to have to pick her up off the floor too. It wouldn’t be the first time, but it had been a while since that had happened though.

Heath nodded like he understood. “Dad, how is she going to make it through this?”

Josh laid Cleo beside him and she whimpered. “Because she has to Heath.”

Then things were quiet even he and Heath were silent, waiting. This was now their life living with cancer. Centered around Sophie’s chemo treatments and how she was going to feel.

His phone rang, and he grabbed it. “Hey Ally. You made it okay? I was getting worried.”

“Sorry Dad. Brian has to have an early night because of the big game so we wanted to have dinner together before he had to go to his dorm room.”

“Oh. You aren’t staying with him then?”

Heath rolled his eyes at his dad. He frowned at his son.

“No Dad. Players aren’t allowed to have anyone in their rooms on the night before games.” He could hear the irritation in his daughter’s voice.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“I’m staying with some of the soccer players tonight. Lucky for me, this is a bye week for them. I’m excited to see the girls again.”

“That’s great Ally.” He couldn’t hide the

excitement in his voice. His daughter was staying in the girls’ rooms. He assumed they were girl soccer players. He didn’t ask. He trusted Ally. Josh leaned forward on his knees and listened to his daughter talk about her plans.