Thanks to all of you who left me replies. They were really encouraging, I appreciate them a lot.

This chapter is a little lighter than the first one, I wanted to break away from having this story be extremely dramatic, but also leaving the main heartbreaking theme in.

I hope you enjoy it and continue to read on….

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Floral wallpaper lined the walls of the small bathroom, giving the room a shockingly smaller feel than what was comforting. Overhanging the one sink was a florescent light that flickered, throwing the room into eerie flashes. Anyone who ran to this bathroom to seek comfort, should turn around and run someplace else; this room was more depressing than sitting in the doctors office, hearing his life changing words of doom.

Pushing past the tan colored stall door Jude grabbed for the toilet paper roll that was left carelessly on top of the dispenser. Tears pooled from her lids while natures protest on her sinuses dripped from her nose, leaving her red blotched and miserable. Wadding the thin paper sheets into a tight ball she harshly wiped her eyes before blowing her nose, making no effort to stifle her gut wrenching cries that echoed off of the tiny boxed space.

Her hand shook slightly as she wiped yet another round of warm tears from her cheeks, almost matching the jell-o like consistency her legs were wobbling in.

Everything had changed for her in just one moment, the year before she had been so relieved and excited when Dr. Jacobson had informed her and Tommy that he had fully gone into remission. Now with her shoulders drooping and resting along the wall of the restroom stall, her heart was hanging by a thread, moving slowly back and forth in front of her, as if being dangled over the edge, just waiting for the perfect breeze to finally push it over. Teetering on thin ice.

"You okay in here?" Jude jumped and spun around, clutching tightly to the wad of tissues in her hand.

"Not really," Jude quietly replied.

An elderly woman who had to be pushing seventy stood just inside the doorway, her hand still held on to the doorknob.

"I heard you crying," Shaking her head in quiet pity she pushed away and stepped fully into the small room, "Never was one to let a crying person pass by without offering them a shoulder."

"I just need to be alone."

"No one wants to be alone child," The light from the room shadowed her face, leaving Jude to wonder if the woman was smiling at her or frowning.

"Sure they do."

"I never once wanted to be left alone when I found out about my Arthur."

"Arthur?" Jude questioned.

"Yes," Nodding she motioned for Jude to step out of the stall, "Come on out here honey, let me get a better look at you."

To Jude's surprise, she obeyed, clutching the tissues in her right hand she exited the stall. The elderly woman smiled a genuine smile at her, resting her small frame against the sink she offered her hand to Jude.

"I'm Lucy, never liked Lucille," Shaking her head in quiet disgust she locked her eyes with Jude's, "Mama had a habit of passing on family names."

A small smile lifted the corners of Jude's mouth as she limply offered her hand to Lucy. The older woman's grip was stronger than Jude expected it to be, she looked so small leaning against the sink. Never judge a book by its cover filled Lucy to a T.

"I'm Jude, my dad had a habit of naming his kids after Beatles songs."

"Hey Jude," Grinning Lucy shook her head as if speaking the song title assailed her with past memories, "My Arthur loved the Beatles."

"Is Arthur your husband?"

"How did you know?"

A wave of sadness passed over Jude's face before she could reply, "Each time you have mentioned his name, your eyes light up," A tear slipped from Jude's eye as she spoke, "Same way mine do when I talk about my husband."

"Your husband the cause of all these tears honey?"

"Yeah."

"I meant it when I said I offered a shoulder," Reaching out Lucy took hold of Jude's shaking hand in her frail aged one.

"His cancer came back," Jude lifted her free hand, running the tissue over her blood shot eyes before continuing, "They say there's nothing they can do this time around."

"Do they know that for sure? Some doctors can be royal pains in the ass if you don't keep on them to run tests."

"This is the second round of lab results we've had to sit through," Sighing when Lucy squeezed her hand comfortingly, "Tommy, my husband, he started getting sick a month or so ago, after two weeks he went to the doctor, they found some spots, and well that lead to the initial tests, and then they sent in for another set to confirm what we were just delivered with today."

"How long?"

Jude answered already knowing what Lucy was asking, "One year."

"What a shame, Arthur fought Colon cancer for five years before it finally went away."

"And now?"

"And now?" Lucy's eyes briefly filled with tears before she willed them to dry up, "Well honey now my Arthur is battling lung and throat cancer."

"I'm so sorry---," Jude began before Lucy interrupted her, "Now now don't say that, things happen, and well we just have to roll with the punches."

"But how?"

"Takes time to learn, but eventually you have to make the decision to get out of bed and live what life we do have rather than letting it fall to pieces."

"How long did it take you to learn?"

Lucy closed her eyes, the memories of her past slammed into her body so fast she forgot to breathe. Learning to get out of bed again, learning how to talk without turning into a crying mess, learning to walk without stumbling, her lessons had been painful, to this day the memories were still like small daggers poking into her heart.

With her eyes still closed she whispered, "A long time after Charlie passed on."

"Charlie?"

"My baby," Slowly her eyes opened to gaze up at Jude, "Died twenty-five years ago."

Jude's heart broke for the older woman, "Oh my gosh, how terrible."

"He was only fifteen, had his whole life ahead of him," Smiling at the memory of her son she shook her head to erase the building cobwebs, "He was the apple of my eye, it took me and Arthur ten years to have a baby, we were so happy when I finally got pregnant. Charlie was the biggest blessing we could have ever been given."

"I have no idea what I'd do if I lost a child."

"Do you have any kids Jude?" Lucy questioned.

Nodding Jude smiled, "One."

"How old?"

"One month."

"Wow a newborn, must be a joy."

"It's totally different than what I was expecting, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"That's how I felt when I had Charlie," Lucy's voice filled the small restroom, "I wonder every day what he would have grown up to be like, what he would look like, would he go gray early like his dad, would he be married, would I be a grandma."

"I'm really sorry about your loss."

Pulling at a piece of lint on her shirt Lucy's remorseful voice broke Jude, "Me too. He missed the bus that morning. I had to take care of his papa, Arthur was so sick back in those days. By the time Charlie was able to get out of the house the bus was long gone---I told him if he walked he could make it to school in time. There was no way I could drive him, Arthur needed me at home," Pausing she cleared her throat, "Two blocks away he was crossing the street when he was hit by a speeding car. Witness's said Charlie was thrown quite a ways before he landed in a patch of grass. I half wonder if that was God's way of bringing him comfort before taking him home."

"How do you move on from a loss so big?"

"You don't, you learn how to live day to day, but the pain never leaves you," Pulling her hand free from Jude she used it to wipe away one of Jude's tears, "After Charlie died I hated Arthur, I never hated anyone before and not one person since, but I grieved in a way that Arthur became my punching bag. If he wasn't sick I would not have had to be with him, Charlie would have made the bus, and well he'd still be alive today.

"That was not the way to grieve, I figured that out one day. I was finally able to pull myself out of bed. Arthur had been crying from the next room--- I made my way to his room and there he was sitting on the floor holding on to one of Charlie's favorite shirts. Clutched right against his heart, I fell to my knees in front of him and we cried together, morning the loss of our precious baby, and morning for the sickness that was eating away at my husband."

"I can't even imagine," Jude spoke softly as her own heart mourned the loss of Charlie.

"Two years later Arthur's cancer went away, he was fine for twenty-three years until he was diagnosed with throat and lung cancer, and now that he's up there in age, there's no way he'll bounce back from this."

"How long does he have?"

Lucy shook her head before she smiled sadly, "We decided not to ask, when the day comes the day comes, I don't need to spend any time in between worrying about that."

"Wouldn't you want to know how much longer you have left?"

"We have the time we have, nothing is going to change that fact for us."

"But---" Jude tried to speak but Lucy held her hand up to silence her.

"Honey, Arthur and I come from a different generation than you do, we think differently," Jude shook her head in confusion, "My husband is a stubborn old goon, when he makes up his mind that's it, there's not fighting with it---so that's how I see it now. I can't know the haunting date, when the day comes my Arthur has to go home and be with the good Lord, that's the day."

Overcome with emotion Jude closed the distance between her and Lucy and wrapped her arms around the small woman. A sob escaped her lips when Lucy tightened her grip, holding on to Jude as if she were a small child in need of a band-aid. Jude was in many ways, she was wounded, her heart was bleeding out from the gap that had been cut loose just minutes beforehand.

Lucy closed her eyes against the wave of tears that brimmed her lids, so long she had gone without holding on to a child, giving them comfort. All these years she only cared for her husband, now Jude, crying against her chest brought her heart to a new extreme. She felt overwhelmed with love for the young woman. She may have just met Jude but she connected with her on a level no one could understand.

Kissing the top of Jude's head Lucy whispered against her ear, "You go home tonight, you pick up that baby of yours and you hug him to your chest. He will be the one that will get you through this year, that little bundle and your husband combined. I can already tell that you are a strong woman, love your husband like you always have, there's nothing else you can give him right now, besides love there is the comfort and care that will come naturally. That baby will be the one that will brighten your days when they seem to be so gloomy."

"Thank you."

"Thank you honey," Pulling Jude to arms length she cupped her chin before smiling, "You gave an old woman a great gift."

Sniffing Jude asked, "What's that?"

"Through you I felt like a mother again, ever since my baby left I lost that connection."

"You gave a young woman comfort," Jude smiled through her tears, "I'm glad you followed me in here, I'm forever in your debt Lucy."

"Call it even then."

"Deal," Hugging Lucy again Jude kissed her cheek before stepping away from her.

"Go find your husband now, hug him and tell him you love him."

"Will you hug Arthur for me?" Jude shyly asked.

Smiling in surprise Lucy chuckled, "Of course honey, as soon as I track down that old goon, he has a tendency to wander away when I'm not looking."

Lucy waved to Jude before pulling the door open and stepping out, leaving Jude standing in the small room, with the tacky wallpaper and the flashing florescent lights.

Blowing her nose once again Jude sighed before following Lucy out the door, walking down the opposite side of the hall, in search of Tommy. When she found him she would make sure to hold on to him, with no intentions of ever letting him go.