A Bramble House Christmas (Carrigans of the Circle C Book 6) by CJ Carmichael

Author:CJ Carmichael [Carmichael, CJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2015-10-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Cancer. The word echoed in Finn’s head as he watched Scout storm into his room. Then Willa turned to face him, her complexion pale, her eyes wide and sad.

For a few moments neither of them said a word. A lot of puzzle pieces were falling into place for him. The strange feeling he’d had that first morning, watching them make that snowman. Willa’s over-protectiveness. Scout’s vacillating moments of bravery and fear.

He couldn’t imagine how tough it had to be for a little guy like Scout to have to deal with a serious illness like cancer. It seemed so wrong. And it must have been even harder for Willa, to be the mother and fully capable of understanding the gravity of the situation. No wonder she sometimes got so tense and worried. She’d probably spent years on the alert for the smallest change or problem with her son.

Willa’s gaze turned to the door. Fearing she was going to dash off, Finn put a hand on her shoulder. “Tell me.”

Her thick dark lashes gleamed with unshed tears. She expelled a long, shaky breath, then found her voice. “It’s true. Scout’s been...a very sick boy, for a long time. He’s better now, but at times, it’s hard for either of us—mostly me—to believe it’s true, that the cancer really is gone.”

Every worry and every question he’d had in the past six months—regarding his father’s will, regarding the Brambles, regarding pretty much everything—suddenly seemed inconsequential. “What kind of cancer was it?”

“Acute lymphocytic leukemia.”

“And it’s gone now?”

She nodded, but there was no relief evident in her eyes. “So they say. But it can come back, so it’s impossible not to worry.” She glanced at the closed door to her room, then lowered her already quiet voice to almost a whisper. “Boys are at a higher risk for relapse than girls.”

Instinctively Finn reached out to her, and as she let him draw her near, he rested his cheek against the cloud of her hair. “I’m sorry, Willa. Sorry you and Finn had to endure something so awful.”

After a few seconds she drew in another deep breath, then pulled away. “Thanks. The hug—felt good. But I should get back to Scout.”

He tried to put himself in her shoes. No doubt she had to be worrying about Scout’s cold, if it truly was just another bug, or a sign the cancer could be coming back. Being alone all day probably wasn’t what she or Scout needed.

“Would you and Scout like to come to the matinee this afternoon? I think there’s a two o’clock showing of It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“I thought you were going skiing?”

The prospect of chasing powder suddenly seemed unappealing. “The snow will still be there tomorrow.”

She studied his face, probably trying to figure out his motives. Finn couldn’t blame her. He’d been pretty unfriendly the past week or so.

“I apologize if I’ve been preoccupied recently. Some family stuff came up and I let myself get buried under it all.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“It’s complicated. Maybe another time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.