How could Mandy be so sick? She’s so young and yet she has cancer. I drove her home and she sat in complete silence the whole way.
“Are you okay?” I asked gently. She slowly turned and looked at me.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about things. Why me? You know, stuff like that.” She said, a tear slipping down her cheek. My heart ached for her, for our kids, for me.
“You’re going to do the treatments right?” I asked fearfully.
“Yeah. At least then I’ll have a chance at recovery.” When we got home, we picked up the kids who were at the neighbors. When Mandy saw them, she burst into tears. Chad and Krista looked horrified.
“What’s wrong Mommy?” Krista asked, for it was not an everyday occurence for Mandy to cry.
“It’s okay Krista. Mommy’s fine.” Mandy said drying her eyes. Krista looked at her with wide blue eyes and then threw her arms around her. It was a touching sight. That week, Mandy started chemo. A tube was put in her neck and that was attached to a pack that was around her torso. She quickly adapted turtleneck t shirts as her main wear. She looked gaunt and pale, not her vibrant self. It hurt to see her like this, slowly slipping away.
***********************
(6 weeks later)
Toward the end of her chemo, Mandy’s hair started to fall out. She woke up screaming and I was jolted awake.
“What is it? Where’s the fire?” I asked looking around. Mandy held up a clump of brown hair.
“My hair is falling out!” She exclaimed. I looked at her pillow which had clumps of hair all over it.
“It’s okay. We knew this would happen. You get off chemo in a week anyway.” I said, trying to cheer her up.
"Yeah well, it’s not your hair that’s falling out.” Mandy countered. She got up to find something to wear. I left the subject alone. Mandy insisted that she drive herself to the hospital. When she returned, she happily declared that she was through with chemo.
“But,” She said, pausing to look through the refrigerator. “I have to go for bloodwork every six weeks and Dr. Matthew’s wants a CT scan in May.”
“So you’re okay for now?” She nodded
“Yeah. I hope it’s over. It’s hard.” Mandy felt fine and before we knew it, it was may and Mandy went to get her CT scan. When she came back tears were streaming down her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, fearing the worst.
“There’s a mass in my chest, located here.” She said, putting her hand on my chest, next to my heart.
“Do you have to go back on chemo?”
“They’re going to do radiation to try to shrink it so they can operate and remove it. Dr. Matthew’s said I can go on tour but to be really careful.” She was sick again. Would this nightmare ever end?
“Tour? Mandy you have to be kidding me! They just found a mass in your chest and you want to tour?”
“I can go on tour. I feel fine.” Mandy said, grabbing her car keys to go pick up Krista and Chad. About ten minutes after she left, Bonnie and her daughter Nicole came over.
“Hey Bon. Hi Nicole.” I said, kissing them both on the cheek. I invited them in and Nicole was happily playing with Krista’s toys on the floor.
“I’m worried about her Bon.” I said nervously.
“So am I since I heard about the tumor. Is she going to stay home?”
“No. She wants to go on tour and she might be leaving next week. I’m so scared Bonnie, I really am.” I whispered close to tears. I imagined something happening to her up on stage and millions of horrible thoughts ran through my mind.
“She’ll be okay Justin. She wouldn’t go on tour if she didn’t think she could.”
“Yeah but both her and Stacey thought they were invincible. Stacey thought she couldn’t die.”
“Do you think about Stacey a lot?” Bonnie asked quietly.
“All the time. I married her twin. I love Mandy for being Mandy but I see Stacey when I look at her.” I pictured Stacey lying on the street.
“It must have been hard. I can’t imagine anything worse.”
“I can.” I said quietly. “Losing Mandy too.” We were silent for a couple of minutes until I heard a car pull up. Chad and Krista ran in followed by Mandy.
“Hey Bonnie.” Mandy said sitting down in a chair. Krista, Chad, and Nicole were playing together on the floor.
“Hey Mandy. I thought I’d stop by on my way to court.” Bonnie said.
“What’s wrong now?” I was clueless.
“My ex wants millions of dollars and threatens to kill me and nicole. He doesn’t heed the restraining order. The list goes on and on.” Bonnie shook her head.
“Um...could somebody fill me in?” I asked, my cheeks turning pink.
“My ex husband used to abuse me and now, since I married JC and we had a baby together, he threatens to kill me and Nicole if he doesn’t get sixteen million dollars. I thought JC told you.”
“I better go. I’ll see you guys later ok?” Bonnie said, picking up Nicole and walking out to her car. Her ex used to beat her? It was a lot of information to digest at one time.
“I should have told you. You are my husband.” Mandy said, looking down at the ground.
“It’s okay. I know now.” I said quickly. The doorbell rang and I got up to answer it. A man of about twenty four stood on the porch.
“Can I help you?
“I’m looking for Mandy Lewis. Is she here?” The guy asked, attempting to look inside.
“Are you a fan or something?” The man shook his head.
“I’m an old friend.” Mandy looked over my shoulder.
“Tallon?” She asked, tears filling her blue green eyes.
“It’s me Mandy.” I was appalled. Why did this man have such an effect on her?
“I have to go. I’ll see you later Mandy.” I said grabbing the keys to my car. I had no idea what to expect from the man who had suddenly showed up on our doorstep and had a drastic effect on my wife. All I knew was that I had a bad feeling about him.
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