Try


"Theo." Kelise said with surprise, standing at the door where Theo and Cassie stood at, along with Chase and Lena in her stroller.

"Hey, Kelise." Theo nodded.

"We… We weren't expecting you." Kelise said, "I didn't think… you don't normally…" Kelise paused as Theo nodded.

"I know." Theo understood her confusion and surprise. She had been in his life since he was a young boy. Calling her a step-mother was a little far-fetched since he barely saw her. They didn't have a bad relationship. They just didn't have any kind of relationship.

"Please. Come in." Kelise nodded to them, clocking eyes on the stroller and raising her brows, "You had another baby?" She smiled.

"Yeah." Cassie smiled, "This is Lena." She nodded, tilting the hood of the stroller back a little as Kelise looked in at Lena who was fast asleep.

"Oh, how precious." Kelise placed her hands on her cheeks, "She's just gorgeous. And very fashionable." She added, nodding to Cassie with an impressed smile.

"Yeah, Cass has a different outfit on her every day. I have no money." Theo nodded sarcastically, "She's got more dresses than the queen."

"He's not gonna tell you that he's the one that buys most of them." Cassie added as Kelise just smiled.

"Oh, well she's just beautiful. Congratulations. Both of you." She nodded.

"Thank you." Theo said.

"And Chase? Look how big you're getting." Kelise put her hands on her hips, looking on at Chase who stood closely beside Theo, "You look just like your dad. Does everyone tell you that?" She asked.

"Yeah." Chase nodded whilst Theo placed his hand on top of his head sweetly.

"This is… really a surprise." Kelise admitted. She wasn't sure what to think. She knew what terrible relationship her husband had with his sons, having witnessed most of it through the years.

"We're here for the month." Cassie inserted, noticing Theo was looking around the house, "A little vacation. And I'm making Theo show me everything about the place he grew up."

"I tried telling her there's nothing much to see but she insisted." Theo put his hands up.

"Oh, there's plenty to see. It's no Chicago, is it?" She smiled to Cassie.

"Definitely not. Less concrete, that's for sure." Cassie nodded.

"Is my dad in?" Theo asked, before he went running in the opposite direction.

"He is." Kelise nodded wearily, "Out in the yard. I'll take you through." She told them both, walking on through the house whilst Theo turned to Cassie.

"It's gonna be alright." Cassie nodded to him, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly before they headed through the house and out to the yard.

"Raul." Kelise said, making her way up to the back of the yard where Raul was sitting reading a paper, "We have visitors, Raul." She announced happily as Raul sat his paper down, watching as Theo walked down the yard with Cassie pushing the stroller.

"Theo." Raul raised his eyebrows, "What… What are you doing here?" He asked, genuinely confused.

The last time they'd saw one another was last Christmas, where he was more than brought to speed with how his son and his family felt about him. Since then he'd kept his distance, never expecting a visit in his wildest dreams.

"They're on vacation for a month." Kelise answered whilst Raul got to his feet slowly, clocking onto the stroller.

"Is this another baby?" Raul asked.

"Yeah, this is Lena, dad." Theo nodded, "She's five-months old."

"Let me see." Raul said, making his way over and peeping in the stroller, "Oh, well isn't she a beauty." He nodded, "Congratulations." He looked at Cassie who smiled, "Cassie." He placed his hand on her arm, "Are you feeling ok?"

"What?" Cassie shook her head, turning to Theo with confusion.

"You just smiled." Raul said as Cassie rolled her eyes, "And it's a beautiful smile." He patted her cheek sweetly as she nodded along.

"I will make some drinks up. And some sandwiches." Kelise announced.

"You don't have to." Theo shook his head.

"No, I will." Kelise nodded, "But I might need some extra help." She turned to Chase, "Would you give me some help?"

"Not before I get a hug." Raul said, "Where's my hug?" He opened his arms to Chase who looked over at him. He wasn't all familiar with Raul nor Kelise, simply because he never saw them.

"He's… not really a hugger." Theo lied, feeling Chase pressing himself against his leg.

"What about a fist bump then? Like all the cool kids do?" Raul asked, holding his fist out as Chase gave him a fist bump, "Good boy."

"You don't want to help Kelise with the sandwiches?" Theo nudged Chase.

"We could make a milkshake too, what about that?" Kelise asked as Chase looked at Cassie.

"On you go." Cassie encouraged with a smile as Chase followed Kelise back into the kitchen, a little more persuaded at the talks of a milkshake.

"Theo, he looks exactly like you did when you were that age." Raul said, sitting back down on the chair around the lavish garden table, "The hair and everything… it's just you."

"We're both very handsome." Theo agreed, walking over to a chair, sitting down at the table with Cassie who parked the stroller beside her.

"What's going on then?" Raul asked, "Is something wrong? Something wrong with your brother? Is he dead?"

"What?" Theo shook his head, "No. Matthew isn't dead." He scoffed.

"Nothing is wrong then?" Raul asked, "Cause I didn't really think you'd come visit me willingly. Without good reason."

"Well there is good reason, dad." Theo said, impressed by how well his father kept his ill health invisible, "I spoke with Manny. He told me." He said, "Told me about the cancer." He said.

Nothing was said for a minute or so. Raul took turns at looking down at the ground, fumbling with his newspaper and staring across at them blankly.

"So that's why you're here." Raul nodded to himself.

"You never thought that was something I should know? Something Matthew should know?" Theo asked.

"Matthew? Matthew hasn't spoken to me since he was sixteen." Raul shook his head, "And you… well you never know if you're coming or going with me. Most often than not you're going. And I don't need an audience." He added angrily.

"So you were just going to say nothing? Wait until you…" Theo paused, not wanting to say it, "I'm telling Matthew tonight. I'm going to call him. And I'm going to call mom."

"Your mother?" Raul laughed, "Please. Jill has been waiting years for some good news like this." He shook his head.

"Dad." Theo shook his head, unimpressed.

"So what do you want Theo?" Raul clasped his hands, "I should have known. Both of you walking in here on your best behaviour. Of course you both knew. I should have known when Cassie cracked a smile at me."

"There's a reason you never see me smile." Cassie said calmly.

"This cancer does not need spectators. I don't need your pity." Raul said.

"It's not pity." Theo shook his head.

"Then what is it, Theodore? Huh?" Raul asked, "You're certainly not here because you care."

"How the hell do you know what I feel? You know nothing about me." Theo shook his head.

"Well you never let me know anything about you." Raul mumbled, "Took off with your mom and left me in the unknown the entire time."

"You're literally impossible." Theo stood up, speaking angrily in Spanish at his father whilst Cassie placed her hand over her forehead stressfully.

"What'd I tell you and your brother growing up?" Raul said angrily, "You don't speak Spanish when people are around who can't." He pointed to Cassie, "It's rude."

Cassie watched as Theo left the table, walking back towards the house whilst she turned and looked at Raul.

"I… actually knew what he was saying." Cassie admitted, "He's been teaching me." She shrugged as Raul looked at her in silence, "He wants to be there for you."

"Because I'm dying?" Raul questioned.

"Because he's your son and… despite the lack of pretty much everything you've gave him in life, he still wants to be there for you at a time of need. Because he is a good person. A much better person than I am." She said as Raul rubbed his head stressfully.

"You and I don't get along." Cassie said, "That's fact. We might never get along. But I'm willing to try. Have we ever tried?" She asked him.

"No, I don't believe so." Raul said truthfully.

"It's not too late." Cassie nodded, "I know you love your son. And I know he loves you. Give each other a chance."

Meanwhile Theo made his way into the kitchen to curb his anger, watching Chase standing on a chair to reach the kitchen counter, making a milkshake with Kelise, who he had to admit, was always nothing but wonderful with him.

"Not too much chocolate in that, huh?" Theo said as Chase grinned deviously, "I know that smile. I've worn that smile." He pointed.

"No such thing as too much chocolate." Kelise shook her head, "You put more ice-cream in." She told Chase, sensing Theo wanted to talk to her, making her way into the living room with him.

"I'm not getting anywhere with him so I figured it's best to ask you the finer details." Theo folded his arms, "Manny said lung cancer?"

Kelise had been watching out of the kitchen window and assumed Theo knew about Raul's illness.

"Yeah." Kelise nodded.

"Has he had surgery? Chemotherapy?" Theo asked.

"He's had chemotherapy, yes." Kelise said, "It shrunk for a little while but… then they did another scan and… well it's spread to his bowel now." She looked down, swallowing the lump in her throat, "And his lymph nodes."

"Jesus Christ." Theo shook his head.

"There's no other options with how quick it's spreading. They've… doctor said he has months. Maybe even weeks, depending on the rate that it spreads." Kelise said as Theo ran his hand through his hair.

"Do people come to the house? Health visitors? You can't take care of him on your own." Theo stated the obvious.

"Health visitors come twice a day. He doesn't want to go to a hospice. So he'll be here until… well…" Kelise nodded, not stating the obvious.

"He looks… ok." Theo observed, "Is he getting around ok?"

"He struggles walking any distance. By distance I mean from the yard to the house." She said as he nodded, "Is this why you're here?"

"Yeah." Theo nodded, "But if he doesn't want me here…"

"He does, Theo. He has a funny way of showing it. But he does want you here. More than anything. You and your brother." Kelise assured him.

"I'll call Matthew tonight but I don't know what he'll do." Theo said, "Is there anything I can do right now to help you? What about groceries and stuff?" He asked.

"We're ok." Kelise nodded, "You always were a sweet boy." She smiled, "Your son is just like you."

"Thanks." Theo nodded.

"Will you stay for dinner tonight?" Kelise asked, "I'll go to the butchers-"

"Please don't go to any trouble." Theo said, "I don't know if he wants me here right now. We barely even said much and we already started at one another." He said.

"Let him adjust. His mind hasn't been his own these days. You can understand that. I know most times he hasn't had an excuse for how he behaves with you but… well, it's a little different now." She said.

"I'll ask him. If he wants us to have dinner together." Theo compromised.

"Ok." Kelise said, walking back through to the kitchen, seeing to Chase who had dumped almost an entire carton of ice-cream into the blender, "Oh, look at that. The whole carton is in there." Kelise panicked as Theo chuckled.

"It fell in." Chase assured her.

"Oh, it did?" Kelise smiled over to Theo.

"Portarse bien!" Theo pointed to Chase who rolled his eyes, "Si?"

"Si." Chase repeated, watching as Theo stuck his tongue out to him, smiling to himself.

Theo made his way back towards the door which lead out to the yard, giving himself a pep talk, walking outside and pausing as he saw his father holding Lena whilst Cassie sat beside speaking to him.