“Out you go,” she said to Sophie.
“Why can’t I go with you?”
“’Cause you’ll have more fun with Aunt Molly.”
“I want to go with you and Grammy,” Sophie protested.
“Not this time,” Arianna said firmly. “Say bye to Grammy.”
“Bye, Grammy,” Sophie said miserably. She got out of the car and slouched her way up Molly’s front walk, Arianna rushing past her.
“No problem,” Molly said when Arianna hastily explained. “Come on in, darling. You can watchWheel of Fortunewith me,” she said to Sophie, and ushered her in.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” Arianna said in a low voice.
“Don’t worry about it. I still have a spare key to your house. If we have to fetch jammies for an overnight, we will. I’ll let the others know.”
Arianna shot her a grateful look, then kissed her daughter and raced back to the car.
At the emergency room Arianna explained to the admitting nurse what was going on and everyone went into hyperdrive. Before you could say help, Mia was checked into a room and hooked up to fluids. Arianna had hoped to see Alden, thought maybe he’d turn out to be one of the nurses helping her mom, but then realized his shift hadn’t started. It added to her devastation. She’d worked in this hospital for years, but Emergency wasn’t her area, and she longed to see a familiar face. His familiar face.
She was thankful that a bed had been found so quickly for her mom, but it was the only thing she could think to be thankful for. “Oh, Mom,” she whispered as she held Mia’s hand.
Mia squeezed hers. “It will be okay.”
If she lost her mother, nothing would ever be okay again.
It looked like it was going to be a long night, and since Molly had to work in the morning, Sunny volunteered to take Sophie home to Mia’s house and stay with her there.
“When’s Mommy coming home?” Sophie asked.
“It might be a while, sweetie,” Sunny said to her. “Your Grammy needs some extra help and your mommy wants to stay with her.”
“Grammy’s sick,” Sophie said.
“Yes, she is.”
“When will she get better?” Sophie wanted to know.
With cancer, it wasn’t a question of when but if. How to answer this question? Would Arianna want her to lie?
She opted for vague. “I don’t know. But your mommy’s working real hard to help her.”
It was the right answer. Sophie nodded. “Mommy’s a nurse. She’s good at taking care of people.”
“Yes, she is,” Sunny agreed. “So, missy, I bet it’s getting close to bedtime. Does your mom have you take a bath before bed?”
“Yes. And then we read a story.”
“How about I read with you tonight?” Sunny offered.
Sophie frowned, but then said a resigned, “Okay.”
Later, as they sat side by side, reading one of Suzanne Selfors’s latest children’s books, Sunny couldn’t help wishing they were doing it under happier circumstances. Arianna hadn’t checked in with anyone yet, and in this case Sunny worried that no news didn’t mean good news. It put her own problems in perspective. What was a bratty teen compared to a life-threatening illness? Hopefully Bella would eventually grow up and come around to seeing Sunny as a friend and not an invader. But Arianna’s story didn’t look as hopeful. If Mia died...
The story ended and it was time for bedtime prayers. “And God bless Grammy and make her all better,” Sophie finished. “Now Grammy will be just fine,” she told Sunny as Sunny tucked her in.
“You sleep well now,” was all Sunny could think to say to that.
