"Natalie won't be home for another 20 minutes or so. You're welcome to stay here while I finish dinner, though." Diana said to Henry at the door.
"Oh…um…well okay..thanks."
"20 minutes with Mrs. Goodman! Alone! Awkward!" He thought. They walked into the kitchen.
"Sit down, do you want something to drink?" Henry sat down at the table,
"No, thank you." He said. Diana went over to the stove and resumed cooking. She popped something in the oven and then sat down across from Henry.
"So…you're officially my daughter's boyfriend?" Diana asked, smiling.
"Um…yeah." Henry said.
"And how is everything?"
"Um…good."
"Please go back to cooking." Henry begged in his mind.
"I like you, you're a nice kid." Diana said, smiling.
"Thanks." Henry felt himself blushing. Suddenly Diana rolled her eyes and turned around and began talking to the air
"Gabe! I pretty much picked out your whole date outfit – you pick a tie!" She cried. "Or better yet – Henry, which one of those ties should Gabe wear for his date tonight?" Henry looked at the air – making sure he wasn't the one seeing things – and once he was positive that nobody was there he began stuttering.
"Um..well…uh…I…..um….." Suddenly the front door opened and Natalie walked in.
"Mom, I have a piano competition on…." She began to say.
"Hold on Natalie." Diana said, holding up a finger, and gazing carefully at the air. "The blue one is a bit….but then the red one is….Natalie; Henry and I were just helping Gabe decide which tie to wear tonight." Diana muttered, still deep in thought gazing. Natalie's jaw dropped. Not only was her Mom in la-la land, but now she had somehow managed to drag Henry with her! Natalie dropped her backpack and ran for the stairs.
"Nat!" Henry yelled, following her.
"Helping him pick out a tie! Oh, how kind of you Henry!" Natalie screamed sarcastically, trying to shut her bedroom door but Henry stopped her.
"Natalie, I wasn't! C'mon!" He cried, fighting her. Eventually his weight conquered hers and he got inside her bedroom, where he saw her cheeks were tear stained – her eyes filled with heartbreak. "Natalie…"
"Now he's more important to you too?" Natalie asked sadly.
"What! Of course not, Natalie he's dead. I know that, your Mom knows that, she just…"
"Wishes he weren't. Wishes I were…"
"That's not true."
"Henry, may I ask how you ended up helping Gabe with his fashion crisis?" Natalie asked dryly.
"I got here early and your Mom and I were talking – and then suddenly she started yelling at him to pick his own tie and then he asked me to help him and then you came in. I was trying to figure out what to say when you got here." Natalie continued softly crying and Henry held her.
"I thought she was better. Dad said she was getting better!" She yelled.
"Shh...She's getting there. I'm sure she is. She'll be better someday." Henry whispered.
"Can you go get me some water?" Natalie asked quietly.
"Sure." Henry said. He walked out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen, where Diana had resumed her cooking.
"I don't know why she's so jealous of you." He heard her say softly.
"Mrs. Goodman? Who are you talking to?" Henry asked, gently.
"Well…he's right here Henry..don't be silly!" Diana said, chuckling.
"Mrs. Goodman? There….there's no one there." Henry said, sensitively but firmly. Diana stopped cooking and looked up at him, and thought heavily for a moment. He watched her face fall, and her eyes fill with shock and tears.
"You're right." She whispered, at a moment of realization. "Henry…I'm so, so sorry." She said, beginning to cry. Henry put a hand awkwardly on her shoulder.
"It's alright." He said.
"Natalie must hate me…"
"She doesn't. Everything's gonna be fine." Henry assured her.
"Thank you….I doubt Natalie will leave her room tonight after all that – but I'll wrap up the food and if either of you get hungry you can come get it." Diana said.
"Thanks." Henry said, grabbing a water bottle from the refrigerator and walking upstairs. He got to Natalie's room to find her, still crying a bit, watching a movie from her bed. He smiled gently and handed her the water, and slid next to her on the bed to watch, cuddling close to her, and letting the smell of her perfume fill his nose.
An hour later….
Dan came home to Diana weeping at the kitchen table.
"Di, Di? What happened." He asked gently, getting on his knee and rubbing her back.
"He was here….he was here again. And Henry, and then Natalie came in and got upset..and…but he was back Dan!" She cried. Dan sighed.
"Okay, okay. We'll call Dr. Madden. Alright? Everything will be okay? How's Natalie?"
"Miserable upstairs I'm sure. She hates me." Diana cried.
"That's not true." Dan said, kissing her cheek and walking upstairs to check on Natalie. "Nat, honey….." He opened the door to find her and Henry laying in her bed beside each other. A movie was on, but Natalie with her tear stained cheeks was asleep. Dan looked at his daughter sadly. Henry gave him a weak smile and Dan nodded a silent hello to him, and began to leave but quickly snapped his head back in. He pointed at Henry
"Out of the bed." He whispered firmly.
"Yes sir." Henry responded quickly, and practically leaping out of the bed and onto the floor. Dan gave him a look with his eyes that said "I'm watching you…" And Henry saluted him, as Dan closed the door.
3 hours later….
Henry decided that Natalie wasn't going to wake up again and decided to leave. He kissed the top of her head and walked downstairs, where Diana was on the couch.
"Henry?" She called.
"Yeah?" She stood up and walked to him, and he tried to ignore the heavy tear stains on her cheeks.
"Thank you. For being here for Natalie, she really needs you. You really are a good kid, and it means a lot to her and to me that you put up with all of this." Henry smiled gently.
"She's worth it." He whispered. Diana chuckled lightly.
"She is, isn't she?" At that moment Henry realized that Natalie was worth all of this insanity to him – but that she was worth all of the meds and treatments and doctors to Diana. Diana was perfectly happy living with Gabe at her side – but she sacrificed it all for Natalie. Henry never would have thought that in a million years him and Diana would have something in common.
"Yeah." Henry muttered.
"Goodnight." Diana said.
"Goodnight Mrs. Goodman."
Thoughts?