Faith Hope Love Repeat pt.21
Adam looked down at his hands and sighed.
"I don't... really know how I feel." Adam sighed. "Sometimes... I feel glad that I killed him and sometimes... I'm ashamed. I'm scared to death, Brian. I jump whenever I hear noises. I just... I don't know."
Brian moved closer and hugged Adam who was getting upset. Adam rested his head on Brian's shoulder and tried to relax.
"We'll get through this, Adam. We'll get through this." Brian whispered. Adam nodded and exhaled. Brian pulled away and Adam tried to rest.
A couple of days later, Adam had his procedure done. When he woke up, he saw Hannah looking down at him.
"Hi." Hannah whispered. "How do you feel?"
"Sore." Adam mumbled. "How bad is it?"
"They're still looking, but Dr. Wolf will be here soon with the results."
"I feel a little sick."
"That's normal. Get some sleep, honey."
Adam nodded and went back to sleep. Dr. Wolf walked in and sighed.
"Well, everything points to inflammatory bowel disease. We are still determining which one. It's all over his intestines but it's not as severe as we expected." Dr. Wolf said.
"What can we do?" Hannah wondered.
"We'll start some medications and see if they help. He will have to change his diet to help, but this would explain most of his problems."
Hannah nodded and looked at Adam who was sleeping.
A few hours later, Adam woke up and groaned. He could feel little hands on his stomach and he opened his eyes and saw Briana looking at him. He smiled and looked up at Hannah who was concerned.
"What's wrong?" Adam wondered.
"You have inflammatory bowel disease. It's not too bad, but bad enough. They've started treatment, but there's no cure. All they can do is manage it." Hannah answered. "They're still waiting on further tests results."
"SO, this will be the rest of my life?"
"Yeah, but it won't be this painful all the time. It'll go away for a while and it could come back. They don't know."
"I know."
Adam sighed and Hannah squeezed his arm in comfort. Briana cooed and Adam caressed her cheek and smiled sadly.
Over the next week, Adam continued to recover from his infection and started treatment for his health issues. It was hard for everyone to continue living their lives because they wanted to help Adam, but Adam would put them in their place.
One evening, Daniel came home and saw Dakota reading. He kissed her and Dakota kissed back.
"How was work?" Dakota wondered.
"Horrible." Daniel answered as he sat down beside Dakota. "Everyone that came in today felt that I need to hear their problems or listen to their advice. They had all sorts of advice for the two of us. Most of it, I'm not repeating with kids around."
"That bad?"
"Yeah. I was told how to hold a baby, how to care for a baby, how to treat you etc."
"I see. Well, you're home now and you can rest from that."
"Yeah. How are you feeling?"
"Ready for these babies to be born. The kicking is almost unbearable. I can't keep anything down and I'm basically living in the bathroom."
"I'm sorry, baby."
"Just 3 more months."
"Yeah."
Hannah walked in and Holly and Riley ran up to her.
"Mommy, look at what we made." Holly exclaimed as they held up their blankets.
"Oh, those are beautiful." Hannah gasped.
"Mine is blue with green stripes."
"Mine is yellow with orange stripes." RIley answered.
"They're big too. Who are they for?" Hannah realized. The girls snickered at each other and ran off. Hannah raised her eyebrow and looked at Jane. "What was that about?"
"I'm not at liberty to say." Jane chuckled. "How is Adam?"
"He's starting to get restless. He's having a lot of aches in pains in his joints from not working and being outside. Brian is over there now trying to keep him from jumping out of bed broken legs and all."
"Knowing Adam. He would be the one to do that. He is just like his father and his grandfather."
"Was someone talking about me?" James asked as he walked in.
"We were just talking about how stubborn your grandson is." Hannah answered.
"Yes, well if you're referring to Adam, remember this, he is also like his mother. She too was very stubborn. You could not keep her tied down for long."
An hour later, they all sat down and ate supper. Riley pushed the food on her late around.
"Mommy, I don't feel good."RIley said.
"What's wrong, honey?" Hannah wondered. RIley started crying and continued to push the food around on her plate.
"I miss daddy."
"I know, honey. He misses you too."
"I can't eat knowing that he's sick."
"I know."
"Can I go play?"
"Sure."
Riley got down and ran out of the room crying.
"Poor child." Jane sighed. "Even when distracted, she worries for Adam."
Hannah looked at Holly who was worried about Riley.
"You can go to your sister, Holly." Hannah said. Holly jumped out of her seat and ran after Riley.
Holly found Riley in their parents' bedroom and she walked in. She sat down on the bed next to RIley and hugged her.
"I miss daddy too." Holly sighed. "I wish that man didn't hurt daddy. Then daddy would be home with us."
"Daddy was gonna take us swimming. Now, he can't. He can't even get out of bed because of his legs and now he's sick." RIley answered.
"I hope daddy feels better when we give him and mommy their blanket."
"Me too."
The girls hugged for a while.
After supper, Hannah went upstairs and saw the girls in her room on the bed. She sat down and hugged the girls close.
"Mommy, I want to see daddy." RIley cried.
"I know, honey. And he wants to see you." Hannah answered. "He's really sad, and he misses his girls."
"Can I see him tomorrow?"
"Maybe. The doctor wants him to rest as much as possible."
"But I'll be quiet. I just want to be with him."
"I know."
"Then why can't I see him? What does daddy have?"
Hannah sighed and looked at the girls.
"You know those tummy aches daddy has?" Hannah wondered.
"Yeah." The girls answered.
"Well, it turns out that it's from his intestines. And you know what those are."
"Yeah. It's where the food goes after it's in your tummy." RIley replied.
"Well, daddy's is inflamed and they realized today that he actually has ulcers. But it takes very strong medications to make it better, and sometimes not even that helps. It's very painful and it means he won't be able to do a lot till it's gone which could be years." Hannah explained. "And even then, it could come back again and again."
"Oh. Then that's why I have to see him. You said that being around people you love is a good pain medicine."
"It is."
"Then I have to be with daddy so he's not in so much pain."
"You win, but you have to do as you're told. You have to take your bath and go to bed."
"Yes, mommy."
Riley did as she was told and the next morning, she went to the hospital with Hannah. They walked in and saw that Adam was starting to wake up.
"How was he?" Hannah wondered.
"Not too great. He's in a lot of pain." Brian answered. "Doc says the therapist will be here soon. I don't like the idea of Adam seeing a therapist. We both know he won't talk and he actually gets worse."
"I know, but maybe this time will be different."
"Maybe."
RIley climbed onto the bed and sat next to Adam. Adam woke up and smiled.
"Hi." Adam said.
"Hi, daddy. How do you feel?" RIley wondered.
"Better now that you're here."
"I miss you, daddy."
"I miss you too. I can't wait to get home so I can snuggle with you and your siblings and your mommy."
"Without all these wires."
"Yeah. What were you up to?"
"Grandma taught us how to crochet with our fingers. We made a pillowcase and now we're making blankets."
"Wow. Are they any good?"
"They are. I saw them last night." Hannah said.
"Who are they for?" Adam wondered.
"Uh... we don't know." Riley lied. "We haven't decided."
"Oh, I see."
Riley picked up Adam's hand and looked at the bandages.
"DO you still have stitches?" RIley wondered.
"Not anymore. They pulled them out yesterday. It's why daddy's in a lot of pain. It didn't feel good." Adam answered.
"I know."
"I know you do."
Adam and Riley talked and a couple of hours later, a doctor walked in and Adam became quiet and upset.
"Hello, Adam. I'm Dr. Mills. I'm here for our appointment." Dr. Mills said.
"Riley, we have to leave for a little while." Brian answered.
"Yes, I would like to be alone with Adam."
"No! I want to be with daddy." Riley protested.
"Honey, go with Brian and mommy. I'll be ok." Adam said.
"No!"
"Riley, it'll only be for a little while and then we can spend the rest of the day together, ok?"
"Ok."
Riley kissed Adam's cheek and Adam kissed hers. Then Hannah and Adam kissed and Hannah took RIley out of the room with Brian.
"Now, Adam, how do you feel?" Dr. Mills asked.
"Like this is a waste of time." Adam answered. "But if you must know... I feel like a was hit with a ton of bricks and now I'm being run over by a steamroller."
"Believe me... that is not my intention. I only want to know how you feel. You went through a terrible ordeal and there are people who feel that you're a hazard to yourself and the people around you."
"Everyone is a hazard to someone else. And what makes you think they know what they're talking about. They're the same people who called me a demon more than 10 years ago because I chose to raise my brothers and continue running my father's business. They are the same people who abused me physically and verbally for most of my life and they are the same people who would spew nothing but lies just to watch someone else suffer. Next time, get your facts from a more reliable source instead of listening to gossip. We're done here."
"I'm afraid we're not. I still have more questions and we have a little under an hour to talk."
"I'm done talking to you. I don't need you nor do I want you. I have my support and I have my therapist and she is the best person for the job and she happens to be my wife. I also have 6 brothers and my grandparents and a lot more family. Heck, even my kids are better for me than you will ever be. I also have friends who are gonna stand by me and help me through this. You're not needed here."
"You say that now, but how does your wife really feel about your... condition?"
"What condition?"
"Well, you've just been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. That can't be pleasant to hear for either of you. It's gonna be a burden on her when you're realized. And she may not be looking forward to the task."
"You listen to me. My wife loves me and I will never doubt her. She has always been by my side. If she was really as pathetic as you say, she would have left the day we married. When we dated, I didn't tell her a whole lot about my family. We eloped and then she met my brothers and instead of running away, she dug her feet into the ground and started to become a part of the family and I am so proud of her for that. She has carried my burdens with me and I have done the same. We can handle this. This is no different than anything else we have faced." Adam explained. "Now, leave."
Dr. Mills scoffed and stood up.
"You say that now, but one day, you'll be back." Dr. Mills scoffed.
"I'd rather die." Adam hissed. Dr. Mills left the room and looked at Hannah, Riley, and Brian.
"A very stubborn man. It will come back to bite him."
Dr. Mills walked away and the three walked in and saw how angry Adam was. Riley ran up to Adam and they hugged carefully.
"I never want to see that man till the day I die." Adam said.
"Riley, I know you don't want to leave, but I think mommy and daddy need to talk. How about we go for a walk." Brian suggested. Riley groaned and rolled her eyes, but followed Brian out of the room.
"What did he say?" Hannah wondered. Adam explained everything.
"I know that you're with me till the end and I'm with you till we die. But I also know that this is different. This is lifechanging for both of us." Adam said. "This will cost us a lot of stress and money and I wish it wouldn't. I know that our lives are stressful enough."
"But we can do this. We went through two miscarriages, my mom's visit, and a whole lot more. We can make it through this. I married you for you, not your body. I know that there will be a lot of days where I will have to help you around, but I can handle that. What I can't handle is not sharing this with you. It hurts to watch you suffer alone and I don't want that for you. Adam, I love you so much. And I want to be with you to the day we die."
"I love you too. I knew how you felt about this. I just wanted you to know that I don't expect you to carry the world because I can't."
"I won't, but don't think that you have to carry the world alone. We're in this together."
"Partners till the end."
They kissed and Adam smiled when Hannah pressed her forehead against his.
A little while later, RIley and Brian walked in and RIley walked over and sat next to Adam. They spent the day together and it was the best day Adam had had in a week.
Over the next couple of weeks, Adam continued to recover and his bones healed enough so that he could start moving around a little more.
"Just move your right leg carefully." Dr. Wolf said as he watched Adam lie in the bed and move his leg. Adam tried as hard as he could and then groaned when it moved.
"It hurts. It's heavy." Adam panted.
"It will be."
"Can I... rest now?"
"Sure."
Adam went to sleep and Hannah looked at Dr. Wolf.
"He was doing better than this before that infection." Hannah said.
"I know. But he is in a lot more pain than he was then. Just give him time." Dr. Wolf answered.
At the ranch, Holly and RIley had finished their blankets.
"Done, grandma." Holly said.
"Good. Now, I'll crochet them together so it's extra warm." Jane answered.
"Can we give it to them tomorrow?"
"I think I'll be finished by then."
"Ok."
Holly and RIley ran upstairs to the nursery where Briana and Luke were playing. Jane smiled when she heard the four playing noisily together. Brian walked in with Crane and yawned.
"You look exhausted." Jane said.
"I am. I haven't slept the greatest since Adam's attack. Every move he makes wakes me. Can't keep still to save his life." Brian yawned.
"Go get some sleep. I think Guthrie's in there, but you can kick him out." Crane answered.
Brian went to bed and Guthrie walked out and sat down on the couch.
"I wish Adam was home." Guthrie said.
"He will be soon." Crane answered. "He just needs a little more time."
"It's hard having to do my chores and his, plus babysit when everyone else is busy."
"You can live with it. Where is everyone?"
"At Daniel and Dakota's house. They're painting today."
"I guess I'm gonna go over and check it out. Want to come?"
"No. I just want to rest before Eddie and I go fishing later."
"Ok."
Crane went over to Daniel and Dakota's house and helped paint. That evening, Molly came home and walked into the busy house.
"The colors are beautiful." Molly gasped. "It's not too dark, but not too bright."
"That's what we wanted. They worked beautifully with the wood." Dakota answered.
"Should you be in here? What about the baby?"
"All the windows are open and we have fans blowing the air outside. I am fine. Besides, I'm going over to the house anyway."
They walked over to the house and helped with supper. Daniel and Crane walked in and hugged their wives.
"The house is going up like crazy." Daniel said.
"Yeah, and it's pretty nice." Crane answered.
"I can't wait for it to be finished. I'm looking forward to having more peace and quiet." Dakota sighed.
"Speaking of peace and quiet, have you had your nap?" Daniel wondered as he kissed Dakota.
"No. Why? DO you want to join me?"
"That's why I asked."
They went upstairs and took a nap together.
TBC