The three of them sat down around the center island and ate breakfast. Wyatt checked the clock a few times and started eating a bit more quickly.
“In a hurry?” Mildred asked.
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, the morning has slipped by. I've got a meeting here in about an hour. It's an important one, too. Could be a big contract coming my way.”
“You seem excited about it,” she said. “I hope that it all works out.”
“I've got a good feeling that it will.” Wyatt took a sip from his coffee after speaking.
“Daddy, you're leaving?” Maggie asked, giving him that painful puppy dog stare that did nothing but pull at his most sensitive heart strings.
Wyatt smiled softly. “I'm sorry, baby. I have to go to work today.”
She pouted out her lower lip a little further. “But I don't want you to go.”
“I have to,” he said, wishing that his words weren't true.
Ever since Caroline had passed away, Maggie had become extra sensitive to him leaving. Every time he had to go to the office or even run to the store, it was the same thing. She put up a fight every single time, begging him not to go. She never wanted him to leave her side and she'd do whatever she possibly could to make him stay. Sometimes that included creative bribery, like when she promised Wyatt could have half of her Skittles. Other times she'd just use the always-effective puppy dog face. Many times it worked in her favor. This time, though, he couldn't stay no matter how badly he wanted to. He had to get to work for this meeting.
“Don't be sad, Maggie,” he said. “I'll be home before you know it. In fact, I'll be waiting for you here when you come back from swim lessons.”
Her face didn't lighten up. She just sighed and went back to eating her breakfast.
It hurt his heart to see her like this. Her mother had been pulled from her life at a very young age. Maggie had only been three years old when Caroline lost her battle against the cancer. It had been a long and exhausting battle, too. Not just for Caroline, but for the whole family.
The whole thing started a years before Maggie was even born. In fact, it wasn't long after Wyatt and Caroline had gotten married when things became complicated with Caroline's health. She started having strange pains in her belly. The pain came and went and were just intense enough to be annoying. Neither Wyatt or Caroline were too concerned at first. They just chalked it up to Caroline being a little bit stressed.
However, the pains didn't go away. In fact, as the months went by, they got significantly worse. Caroline would wake up in the morning, holding her stomach. She was barely able to walk to the bathroom. Her entire life became consumed with this nagging ache in her belly. Finally, after weeks of avoiding it, Wyatt convinced her that it was time to see a doctor. He remembered it was it was yesterday.
They had sat in the emergency room for over an hour, nearly having a panic attack, while they waited for the test results to come back. Finally, the doctor popped his head through the opening in the curtains. Both Wyatt and Caroline had their fingers crossed, hoping that whatever was going on was no big deal. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side that day.
It had turned out that there were several tumors that had grown inside of Caroline's uterus. They believed that the growths were cancerous, but couldn't be sure. Regardless, the doctor's recommendation was for a hysterectomy. This meant the complete removal of the uterus from Caroline's belly.
“What about kids?” she had asked, as Wyatt drove her back to their mansion. “We won't be able to have kids if I get this surgery.”
“It's better than losing you altogether,” he had replied.
So, after much discussion, Caroline decided to go ahead and get the surgery. It cured the nagging pain that she'd been experiencing for so long and most of her energy came back. She still wanted kids, though, regardless of the fact that she couldn't have her own.
Wyatt suggested adoption, but that wasn't enough for Caroline. She wanted the real thing. She wanted her child to be from the same DNA as hers and Wyatt's. The only real option at that point was to find a surrogate mother. Someone who would allow Caroline to basically rent her body for nine months, to put it bluntly.
They took their time, looking for the perfect surrogate. They wanted her to be young, strong and smart. Someone with a good head on their shoulders and from a good family. Obviously, someone who had a clean background and didn't use drugs.
Eventually, they stumbled upon the perfect girl. Her name was Lily Thompson and she was just twenty-one years old at the time. Caroline loved her from the moment she met her. She was sweet and caring and extremely intelligent. She was the perfect woman to have Caroline and Wyatt's child.
“I don't want you to leave!” Maggie shouted from across the table, shaking Wyatt back into reality. Maggie was sitting there with a scowl on her face now. Mildred was seated nearby, affectionately rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.
“Honey, your Daddy has to go work today,” Mildred said softly. “If you want, we could go to the zoo or the museum for a couple of hours before your swim lesson.”
Maggie didn't respond. She just sat there, staring at Wyatt, until her lower lip began to tremble.
I have to do something, he thought. I can't just let her cry. I hate seeing her cry.
“Hold on, Maggie,” he said. “I've got an idea.”
Her lip stopped quivering and her eyes seemed to lighten up, if only a little bit.
“How about I call your Aunt Lily and see if she'll come hang out with you this afternoon?” he asked, while hoping and praying that the suggestion would be enough to make his daughter happy.