Mike surprised everyone by showing up Monday night to be with Julie and the babies for a couple days. That made it possible that Tuesday, Elizabeth and Julie could both go with Grace to get her chemotherapy. Each of her treatments only took about an hour so they were able to be away from their babies, leaving them with their fathers and grandfather.
It was important to Julie and Elizabeth that they support their mother whenever they could and this was one way they could.
After the session, they rode back in the Escalade, each holding one of her hands. Grace was always exhausted and nauseated after treatment which was understandable and expected according to the doctor.
"Thank you for going with me, girls," Grace told them quietly as they pulled up to the house.
"Of course, Mom." Elizabeth kissed her forehead and fought off her tears. She wanted to be strong even though dwelling on what her mother was going through was making her very emotional.
Robinson opened the door and William was right there, ready to carry Grace into the house and up to their suite of rooms. She had no energy to climb stairs and she had lost significant weight so he had no problem doing it.
"Hi, Gracie," he said with a gentle smile. "Slip your arms around my neck, my love."
She didn't argue, she just did it. Once he scooped her up, he kissed her softly and carried her into the house.
Elizabeth and Julie walked into the house feeling like crying at any moment but anxious to see their children.
As soon as Elizabeth saw Jack, she started sobbing. Joey was asleep and Fin was playing on the rug so Jack rushed over and hugged her. "You ok?"
She shook her head. "I can't….it was so hard to see her like that."
Julie couldn't let herself be sad yet. She needed to take care of the girls before anything else could happen. At least that's what her intention was but they were asleep and didn't need her right then. So she looked around for something to do to keep her mind from going down the same road Elizabeth had and there wasn't anything but a tea cup. She grabbed it and took it to the kitchen. It needed to be washed. Yes, they had a maid that took care of it but Julie needed to wash it.
As she got to the kitchen, she ran to the sink and scrubbed. She kept washing and scrubbing until she felt two hands on her waist and heard his calm voice in her ear. "Jules, it's ok to be scared. You don't need to be so strong."
"I just need to wash this," the second she said it, she knew it was the last thing she needed. What she needed was some guarantee that her mom would be ok. She couldn't get that guarantee.
Mike took the cup from her hands and then wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her tight and being the strong one. "You'll feel better if you just let it out, sweetheart."
"She….she just laid there….the tubes…I…" she couldn't form sentences through her tears. She was thoroughly scared of losing her mother which reminded her of how much Mike had lost when Renee died and how much her own girls would lose if she were to get sick sometime down the road and not survive.
"I know. It's hard, so very hard. She's going to be ok, Julie. She has two more weeks and then she can concentrate on getting strong. You need to remember that."
…..
Jack saw Claire stirring on the blanket where she and Kendall were laying. They were laying nose to nose. He took out his phone and took another picture. He had taken a lot of pictures while the women were away. The one that captured his heart was candid. William had sat down on the floor, in his suit, with Kendall and Claire in his arms. The love that he had for each of them was palpable through the picture, in the way he kissed each of them, his lips lingering on each forehead.
He'd also taken photos of Fin and William playing patty-cake, Fin laughing as William rolled her hands and clapped.
His plan was to make a picture book, or photo album, of the shots he had taken. He hoped in a few days to get some with Grace as well.
Elizabeth picked up Joey and held him close, his tiny head tucked close to her neck. He was going to need to eat soon. She sat down and prepared herself, covering her shoulders and chest with a blanket for modesty. A moment later, Jack heard the gentle sounds of Joey swallowing. He caught another picture of Elizabeth peeking under the blanket, lovingly watching their son enjoying his meal. Simply beautiful. He would make that one black and white and frame it.
Julie walked in as the twins were starting to wake fully. She picked up Kendall and Mike grabbed Claire and they left the room.
"Dadada," Fin said, her hand on his knee.
"Hi, honey bun." He picked her up and held her. "Are you hungry too? Let's go get you a bottle."
…..
"It was hard on them, Will. I never should have let them go with me." He rubbed her back as she lay draped across his chest on their bed, only dressed in a very light weight chemise. She was hot to the touch, which she experienced every week after treatment.
"They will be ok, Gracie. They wanted to be with you and experience it with you."
"Will, I am so tired of this."
"I know. I need you, though. Please don't give up." She reached up and touched his cheek.
"I'm not giving up. I promise." He leaned down just a bit and kissed her. "You've been so strong for me, Will."
"On the outside. Inside this is killing me."
"Do you remember the night you proposed?" Grace asked him, a smile on her face.
"I'll never forget it."
THIRTY YEARS BEFORE, MADISON WISCONSIN
William lit the last of the candles he had placed around the empty living room of the house he had just bought. It was small but it was just a starter home. The one he and Gracie would start their marriage in and hopefully their family.
He heard a car door slam and his heartbeat sped up in his chest. This was it. The most important night of his life.
She opened the door and then shut it, trying to keep the heat out. "Will?"
He leaned against the door frame of the foyer, looking more handsome than she had ever seen him. "Hey."
"Where are we?"
"In my new house," he said with a chaste kiss to her lips.
"You bought a house?"
"Yes. For us."
"Will, I thought you were going to travel before you set down roots."
"I think I had my priorities mixed up." He looked at her, marveling at how lovely she looked. "You look amazing."
"Thanks." He took her hand and led her to the living room. He had set up a picnic, a fancy one, in the middle of the floor, surrounded by candles. In the middle of the picnic, there was a vase with a dozen deep red roses, her favorite. "This is nice. What's the occasion?"
"I wanted to spend time with you."
"That's it?"
"Maybe. We will see." He helped her sit, her long flowy sundress gathering around her ankles. He poured a glass of sparkling cider and handed it to her and then a glass for himself. "To us and our future," he toasted. She gently clinked his glass and then took a sip.
"Will, this seems like more than just wanting to spend time with me." She touched a flower petal and then glanced up at him. They were at his new home, there were candles and roses and fancy food. It seemed like he was going to…
In the middle of her thoughts, she gasped. He had pulled a black box out of his pocket and opened it. "Gracie," he began. "I love you with all of my heart. It happened the moment I saw you walk into that coffee bar three months ago. I knew that night after we had called each other that I wanted to be with you forever. My guess is you would have turned me down if I had proposed to you that night though."
Grace laughed, her eyes filling with happy tears. "Yes. I would have."
"But it's been three months and I can't wait anymore to ask you to be my wife. Marry me, Gracie."
CURRENT TIMES, THATCHER ESTATE
"You said yes," he said quietly, kissing the top of her head.
"Of course I did. I loved you just as much, Will."
They laid quietly, listening to the silence of their room, the ticking of the clock. Grace fell asleep but Will prayed. He was very thankful for the woman in his arms and the daughters and sons and grandchildren that were in the house. He was grateful for the thirty years that they had had together and prayed that they have thirty more.
…..
Two days later, everyone flew home, promising to return sometime soon. Mike and Jack immediately started their on call weeks and Charlotte alternated between Elizabeth and Julie's houses, helping with the babies.
Bill coordinated with a building company to start clearing his land and digging the pond. He had given the check for the purchase to Jack, but Jack told him to have Charlotte payoff the mortgage and then give the rest to Elizabeth to pay their bills. That huge weight that had been on his back for the last year, was gone. Now he could concentrate on keeping it from happening again.
The truth was, being an EMT was something Jack wished he could do full time, but the county wasn't allowing full time employees. So when his and Mike's boss walked into the break room and sat down at the table stating he wanted to talk to them, he was all ears. Usually they didn't see him. The station ran like a well-oiled machine.
"Jack, Mike, we have a new thing we are starting. I was thinking you both might be interested."
"What's that, John?"
"Because you both have been here over five years, you are eligible for tuition reimbursement."
"Tuition?" Jack asked.
"Yes, for instance, if you were to want to take a college course related to this line of work, we would pay 80% of your annual tuition."
Jack and Mike looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. "80%?"
"Yes. Basically you need to register for classes and bring us the invoice showing the total amount of tuition and we would cut you a check for 80% of it."
"Can I speak with my wife about it and let you know?" Jack asked.
"Yes, of course. Just give me a call and then I can help get you started."
"Thanks, John."
When he left, Jack looked at his friend. He hadn't said a word. "Mike? What do you think?"
"I don't know."
"I was just thinking how I would love to do this full time and stop ranching but I knew I couldn't. This could be my chance. What if I went into nursing? I could work at any of the hospitals."
"Nursing. That would be a good field."
"Yeah. Bro, 80% is huge. This could really help both of our incomes."
"I don't know if we can even do the 20%, Jack. I think things are working the way they are."
"Ok. It would be kind of nice to have a friend in my classes though."
…
Jack did some research that afternoon regarding nursing classes. Then he called Elizabeth.
"Hey, handsome."
"Hey, beautiful. How are the babies?"
"Sleeping peacefully. How are you? You seem happy."
"I am. I got some news today and I would like to talk to you about it."
"Well, the babies are in bed so I am going to go down by the fire and we can skype."
"Ok. Whatcha wearing?"
"You will see soon, cowboy." She grabbed the baby monitor and walked down the stairs to the living room.
"No hints?"
"Sweetheart, how old are you again?"
"That's beside the point."
"What is your point?"
She sat on the couch and laughed. "That I miss you."
"I miss you too. I'm going to get you on Skype, babe. I'll talk to you in a second."
They connected a moment later. "Hey, handsome. Mike's not in the room right now, is he?"
"No. He's in the other room talking to Julie."
"Ok." She adjusted the phone so he could see her.
"Holy moly. That is one skimpy tank top."
"You complaining, Jack?"
"Uh, no. I just wish I was there in person."
"Me too."
"Ok, so John came in to chat with me and Mike today."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. He said they are offering tuition reimbursements now of 80% the cost of tuition if we study in a related field."
"80%, babe. That's great."
"It is."
Elizabeth waited for him to speak. "So, what were you thinking?"
"You know that I have been wishing I could work full time as an EMT and quit ranching."
"Yeah."
He gazed at her over the screen for a moment. "What if I became a nurse?"
"You'd be a great nurse, sweetheart."
"I did some research and I think now that we don't have the mortgage, we can swing the 20%." He paused and smiled. "This might not be easy, hon."
"Marriage isn't easy but we are in this together. I support you, Jack. I think you should do this."
"Ok. Then I guess I will."
"Ok."
"I wish I could hold you right now," he told her.
"I'll bring the kids up to see you tomorrow. Maybe we can get breakfast at The Bean."
"Sounds perfect."