*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much.
*Apologies on the delay of an update. I was trying to get my schedule with work and dance class together since the season just started. Also I had to make a decision about where I wanted to take this story. It was a tough decision but I made it.
A couple weeks later Judson was getting worse. He barely did anything or wanted to do anything. He only wanted to sleep and it hurt him to even move. He tried his best not to move and would just lay on the couch everyday where he would sleep most of the day and watch TV the moments he was awake. It was killing Nicki to see her son in so much pain and she cried every day that she had to witness his pain. She anxiously waited for the results of the superstars that were tested to see if any of them were a match. "How are you feeling today, Buddy?" asks Nicki as she brings him a drink.
"Tired," he says weakly. "very tired."
"I'm sorry, Buddy," she says as she sits down next to him. "Do you want me to massage anything?"
"No, Mama," he says as Nicki gives him a drink. He is in so much pain that he can't hold the cup himself. Nicki's heart tightens as she watches him struggle to just drink. Watching him only eat smashed food and baby food when he was hungry was just as heart wrenching for her. She needed a miracle to happen. She was desperate. Judson stops drinking and lays back down. "I'm tired, Mama. I'm going to sleep now," he says.
"Okay, Buddy," she says with her heart aching, lump in her throat and tears in her eyes. She puts a blanket over him when she stands up and leans down to kiss his cheek. "I love you, Judson."
"I love you," he says with so much weakness in his voice and his eyes close.
Nicki walks away and sits down on the chair to watch him sleep. He looks so peaceful and serene as he lays there sleeping so soundly. Many times when he was a baby Nicki would just sit and watch him sleep. She would often check on him to make sure he was still breathing like most new moms do. Now was no different. She would watch him sleep for hours and occasionally check to make sure he was still breathing. She knew she would never be able to handle if he would stop. She couldn't imagine her life without him. He was everything to her and she loved him more than life itself. It had been those two alone for the last two years where they bonded and became closer. With every Chemo treatment she was by his side and every time he had radiation she was there. On his best days she was there and even on his worst she was there for him. Even now she was with him and she wasn't going anywhere.
She sat watching him until John knocked on the door. She gets up and walks over to the door. She opens it to see John standing there holding a stuffed animal. "Hey, Beautiful," he says to her but she felt way less than beautiful. She knew she was a mess with her hair unbrushed, no shower in days and wearing old sweatpants and a t-shirt. She also hadn't been feeling well so she wasn't very motivated to do any of those things.
"Hey," she says as he walks into the house.
He gives her a quick kiss and then says, "how is he?"
"He is getting worse," she says, "when are we going to find out if there is a match? I am getting so impatient. We need a miracle, John."
"I know," he says as he walks into the living. He lays the stuffed animal down by the couch and gives Judson a kiss. "He looks so precious."
"I know," says Nicki watching her son. "He tried to stay awake till you got here but well he was too tired."
"It's okay. I understand," he says wrapping his arms around her. "We can spend some time together until he wakes up."
"Yeah," she says half-heartedly.
"What's the matter? Are you still feeling sick?"
"Yeah," she says. "I have thrown up so much today and my stomach is in knots. I am so stressed out it's making me sick."
"Well, maybe you should relax and take a nice hot bath to calm your nerves."
"But what if he wakes up?" she asks.
"I'll be here. He'll be all right. You need to take care of you," says John. "Okay?"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I'll draw your bath," he says before kissing her on the top of her forehead. He takes her hand and leads her to the bathroom where he starts the hot water for her but as he is drawing her bath she gets the urge deep down inside her stomach. She can feel the nauseous feeling and the lump in her throat. Her tongue gets salty and soon she is hung over the toilet vomiting. John puts his hands on her back and comforts her as she vomits. "It's okay," he says. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry," she says when she's done.
"It's okay," he says. "Everyone gets sick."
"You don't," she says.
"Trust me, Nicki, I've had my share of days being sick. I'm not perfect. I get sick too."
"I never see you sick."
"Because I work through my sickness but believe me I still feel like crap."
"I bet," she says sitting down next to the toilet. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now relax," he says. "Just take it easy."
While Nicki is relaxing in her hot bath John sits in the living room with Judson as he sleeps. He starts to stir and his eyes flicker open. "Hi, John," he says. "Where's my mama?"
"She's taking a bath right now. Do you want something?"
"Some water," he says.
"Okay," says John. He walks to the kitchen to get Judson a cup of water and comes back into the living room and holds it for him as he drinks it. "So did you watch the show on Monday night?"
"No," he says. "I was sleeping."
"Oh," says John, "well, Daniel Bryan and I are facing each other at the pay-per-view. I'm putting my title on the line."
"Oh," he says. "That's cool. I like Daniel Bryan," he says wearily.
"He is a good guy," says John. "He is one of my best friends."
"Cool," says Judson. "I hope I get to see the pay-per-view."
"You will," says John. "I promise."
"In case you didn't know," says Judson in barely louder than a whisper, "I'm dying."
"You're going to get better," says John.
"John, I'm going to die."
"But they are going to find a match," he says with tears in his eyes.
"But look at me," he says, "I only weigh 25 lbs. and I can't move. I don't know if I'm going to make it, John."
"Judson," he says with tears in his eyes. His heart was hurting hearing a 7 year old talk about dying. It was as if he had accepted the fact he was going to die.
"John," he says, "promise me that you will make my mama happy. She really loves you. She never loved anyone the way she loves you. Okay?"
"Okay," says John; his heart was breaking to pieces. "Let's watch some TV."
"Okay," says Judson but during their TV watching Judson drifts off to sleep.
Later that evening John and Nicki enjoy a dinner together while Judson sleeps. Nicki was feeling better after her bath and was ready for the night ahead of her and John. She hadn't seen him for a couple weeks so she was ready to spend some time with him. When dinner was over they were in the living room watching a movie when her cell phone started to ring. She looks down to see it's the hospital calling her. "John, pause this, it's the hospital," she says.
"Okay," he says grabbing the remote to pause the movie.
"Hello," she says.
"Ms. James," says the voice on the other end.
"This is she," says Nicki.
"Hello, Ms. James, I am calling on behalf of Judson's doctor. We have the results of the bone marrow tests," he says.
"Okay," says Nicki as her heart is in her throat.
"We have found a match! We are going to get in touch with her and try to get this transplant done as soon as possible."
"That's wonderful!" says Nicki with tears of joy in her eyes. "They found a match."
"That's great!" says John.
"Can I ask who it is?" asks Nicki.
"It is a Brie Bella," he says.
"Brie Bella is a match," says Nicki to John.
"Cool," he says.
"Well, thank-you for calling," says Nicki.
"You're welcome, we will be calling you back in the morning to set up a transplant as soon as possible. Have a goodnight," he says.
"You too," says Nicki as she hangs up the phone. "They found a match!" she says.
"I know," says John with a smile. "This is great news. Should we wake Judson up to tell him?"
"Let him sleep. We'll tell him in the morning. He has another day," says Nicki with a smile. "We can go celebrate."
"Okay," says John.
John and Nicki celebrate the good news most of the night. Nicki wakes up the next morning with a smile on her face. They finally had a miracle. This is what she had been waiting for. Her first stop was Judson's room to wake him up to tell him the news. She walks into his room and sees him sleeping. "Judson, it's time to wake up." He doesn't respond. "Judson," she says again but he doesn't move. She moves over to the bed and gently moves him. "Judson, it's time to wake up," but he doesn't move. "No," she says with tears in her eyes. "No." She checks his pulse but she can't find it. She tries to find his breath but there is none. "JUDSON!" She yells before she sobs. "NO! JUDSON! PLEASE!" She cries over his body.
John wakes up to Nicki's screams. He runs out of her room and over to Judson's, "Nicki, what's wrong?"
"JUDSON!" she yells again as she cries over him. John hurries over to the bed. "He's gone, John. Judson is gone," she says before she breaks down into uncontrollable sobs.
*A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read.