Free A Second Chance by Bernadette Marie Page B

were any other time, he’d
have found a wall to put a hole in, but as it was he gritted his
teeth. “He was having an affair?”
    She nodded again. “It doesn’t matter.”
She adjusted to rest against him again.
    “ It does matter. You don’t
do that! You don’t marry someone and then change your mind.” He
couldn’t control his anger, and now he wasn’t sure if it was
directed at Matt for leaving Madeline or Madeline for leaving him
five years ago. Sitting there with her in his arms was confusing
his thought process.
    “ I know I should be upset,
but I’m not. I never loved him. Not like I should have.” Her
shoulders dropped and her face turned into his chest. He could feel
her breath on his neck and his heartbeat grew faster. “Not like I
loved you.”
    A sharp pain resonated in his chest.
“You should get some more rest.” In his present state of mind he’d
better not say any more. He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be here when
you wake up,” he promised her as she rolled to her side.
    He took the quilt from the foot of the
bed and laid it over her. His mother had made it for them when
Christian was born. It meant the world that she still used it and
kept it close.
    While she slept he made plans for the
next day. He’d call in a substitute for one more day. He could
afford to do that. They’d go to the doctor and he’d hear for
himself how she was doing. From where he stood, it didn’t look like
she was doing very well at all.
    He met the kids at the bus stop when
they got out of school and drove them back to Madeline’s. When
Christian and Clara had made it into the house, he took hold of
Eduardo’s arm and turned him toward him.
    “ You’ve been lying to me.”
He narrowed his stare at his son and he could see anger rise in
Eduardo’s eyes. “She’s lost ten pounds and has been sick for days.
Her hair is falling out in clumps. She can hardly walk she’s so
weak, and she sleeps all day. What part of that is fine to
you?”
    Eduardo pulled his arm back from his
grasp. “Dad, she didn’t want me to say anything to you.”
    “ You needed to.”
    “ I was doing what she asked
me to do. You’re so busy with Kathy, she didn’t want to worry
you.”
    “ Too late.” It all boiled in
his stomach. Madeline, Kathy, the kids…it all seemed so
complicated.
    “ Why are you here? Did she
call you?”
    Carlos shook his head. “No, your
brother called me from school because he was so worried about her.
Ed, you needed to tell me. You’re not here during the day to take
care of her. She needs more than you just making her breakfast and
making sure she’s getting into bed each night.”
    “ Dad! Is that all you think
I do?” His voice had risen to match Carlos’s anger.
    Carlos rested his hand gently on his
son’s shoulder. “No. No, I know you’re taking good care of her. I’m
sorry.” He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a breath.
“It kills me to see her like this.”
    “ Trust me. I know. I’m
scared that every morning I’m going to go in to wake her up and she
won’t. It’s almost a relief to hear her throwing up because I know
at least she’s alive. I watch her when she falls asleep on the
couch trying to help us with our homework. I watch her chest rise
and fall. I ask her every morning to let me stay here, but it’s
Mom, she refuses.”
    “ Of course she
does.”
    “ I’m sure this is what
happens on those meds. I asked Uncle Curtis and he said she sounds
normal. But it’s hard to watch.”
    “ It is.” He put his arm
around his son’s shoulders and walked with him toward the house.
“I’m taking off tomorrow to go to the doctor’s appointment with
her. I’ll find out all I can. If you have questions, let me know
and I’ll try to answer them or get answers to them.” He kissed his
son’s head as they walked through the front door of the home they
all once shared. Carlos held open the screen as Eduardo walked
through, and he let out a breath. If