Free Best Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson Roby Page B

Kassie’s hands. “No, sweetie. They caught mine very early. Once I heal up from my surgery, though, I’ll need to have something called radiation.”
    “Will that hurt?”
    “No, but I might be a little tired from it.”
    “Will you have to stay in the hospital a long time?”
    “No. When I have my surgery, I’ll be home later that same day. I won’t have to stay there for any of my radiation treatments, either.”
    “Will I be able to come to the hospital with you?”
    “Not for the surgery, but you’ll see me after school.”
    “Is Daddy going to be off work so he can take care of you?”
    Celine tried to think quickly, but she wasn’t sure how to answer. The same as she hadn’t wanted to lie about her diagnosis, she didn’t want to lie about Keith.
    “I’m going to have a lot of people helping to take care of me.”
    “Like Auntie Lauren and Uncle Jackson?”
    “Yes, and they’ll be helping take care of you as well.”
    “I’m glad, because I don’t think Daddy can take care of us by himself. Remember that time you had the flu, Mom?” she said, giggling. “He burned up our breakfast, and then he burned the shirt he was trying to iron. And then he accidentally put some bleach on our jeans!” she said, laughing louder.
    Celine couldn’t help laughing with her. “Yeah, I remember all right.”
    “That was funny,” she said, still smiling.
    “But back to what we were talking about. Do you have any questions?”
    “Can I catch your cancer? I mean, when I get older, will I have it, too?”
    Celine hadn’t been counting on this particular question, either. Not from a ten-year-old. But then, Kassie had always been wise beyond her years. She had both book and common sense.
    “Well, it’s not contagious, but none of us ever knows what we might get down the road. Our job is to pray that God protects us and keeps us healthy.”
    “Is that why you got sick? Because we didn’t pray enough? I pray for me, you, Daddy, Uncle Jackson, Auntie Lauren, and all my friends every night. But maybe I didn’t say the right things.”
    “Oh, sweetie,” Celine said, caressing her daughter’s face. “This isn’t your fault. It’s nobody’s fault, okay?”
    Kassie didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t argue.
    “You hear me?” Celine said. “There’s nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening.”
    “You really mean that?”
    “Yes.”
    “Well, then why did this happen to you?”
    “Because it just did. People sometimes get sick, but then they get better.”
    “I hope you get better really soon. I don’t want you to be sick.”
    “I don’t want to be sick, either, and I believe God is going to heal me.”
    “I believe He will, too. Pastor Black says that we just have to ask and believe about anything, and that’s what I’m going to do, Mom.”
    “Good for you. And no matter what, I want you to know that I love you and I always will.”
    Kassie moved closer to the edge of the bed next to her mom and hugged her. “I love you, too, Mom, and I’ll do anything you want. I’ll help you the whole time until you get better.”
    Celine held her baby girl tightly, trying to fight back tears. Kassie was so innocent and caring. So loving and genuine. She was a major blessing from God and the kind of daughter every parent should have.
    After watching the rest of Kassie’s Disney program with her, Celine went downstairs to her office. But then she heard Keith walking in. She knew he might try avoiding her, so she went into the kitchen.
    “We need to talk,” she said.
    “I already told you my mind is made up.”
    “That’s not what this is about, and since I don’t want Kassie to hear us, I need to talk to you privately.”
    Celine could tell from Keith’s body language that she was the last person he wanted to be closed up in a room with. But he followed her back to her office anyway.
    Celine shut the door. “Didn’t my biopsy results cross your mind at all today?”
    “No,