Chapter 3

December brought snow, Christmas, and Manny's visit home. Emma was so excited to see her friend and to start shopping for the nursery. The pregnancy so far was progressing really well and the families were all excited about the newest member. About two weeks before school let out, Emma's morning sickness had fully subsided and she was able to eat normally again. Soon Manny's arrival was here and Emma was picking up her best friend and Jay from the airport.

"Wow, Em. It is so great to finally see you." Manny said as she hugged her friend. The two girls continued to embrace and share secrets for a couple of moments while Jay stood next to them with all the luggage.

"Hey, Jay. Sorry about that. How was the flight?" Emma finally asked as she caught the expression of neglect on his face.

"Thank you, Emma. It was long. I swear you two never know what is going on around you when you get together."

"Jay, we have not seen each other since our visit back in May. Give me some time to reconnect."

"Where is Spin?" Jay asked as he loaded their luggage into the taxi.

"Oh, he had to take care of some things at The Dot and then his mom wanted him to go to her place for something. He will be home later tonight, so it is just the three of us for dinner."

The entire ride to the Nelson-Mason home was filled with Manny's questions about the pregnancy, the baby, students at Degrassi, and business at The Dot. Jay was finally included in the conversation when Emma asked about the newly opened garage in L.A.

"So far we are doing excellent. I swear rich dudes will pay a fortune to have their cars tricked out. In a few months I will be able to afford that bid Hollywood wedding I have been promising Manny for years."

"Mom and Snake have invited all of us to dinner on Christmas Eve so don't make any plans with your family until Christmas day." Emma said as they hauled the luggage into the guest room.

After dinner, Jay and Manny went to visit her parents. Emma cleaned up the dishes and waited for Spinner to return. She was so glad that Manny was here now and she could share her happiness with her best friend. She never realized how much she missed Manny until they were able to see each other.

"Emma, I am home. Sorry I was so late. Where are Manny and Jay?"

"They went to her parent's house for a few hours. How were things at The Dot?"

"They were fine. I went to the bar after I went to Mom's. That is why I am so late."

"The bar? You hadn't had a drink in years. What is wrong, Spin?"

"Mom had some bad news. She finally came clean with a secret tonight. Kendra was home to visit so she wanted to tell both of us."

"What is it, Spin? Tell me."

"You know how Mom had been looking unhealthy over the past year and we thought it was because she was so lonely? It turns out she has leukemia."

"What? How long has she known?"

"Since February. She did not want to worry Kendra and me because she thought we were too busy with our lives. Can you believe it? My mom has been suffering and fighting this alone because she thought it was better for us. That is also why she did not want you to be there tonight. She did not want to risk you getting upset and harming the baby."

"What?" Emma said as tears were starting to fall down her face. "I have heard of selflessness but she has been fighting cancer by herself for almost a year? But why is she telling you now?"

"Well it turns out she was pushing me on the grandchild topic because she thought it would give her the motivation she needed to beat the cancer. When we told her you were pregnant back in September she had hope, but yesterday she had an appointment with her oncologist. They say the treatments are not doing so well and she needs a bone marrow transplant. She needs for me to get tested. Kendra will get tested, but there is a good chance she will not be a match since she was adopted."

Spinner was now starting to fully comprehend the severity of the situation. He had lost his father to cancer and had cancer himself. When was this awful disease going to stop terrorizing his family? Also, why did this have to happen at a time in his life when he should be rejoicing over the approaching birth of his own child? The tears were starting to come now, and he could no longer pretend to be strong for his wife. He just wanted his mother to not be suffering again. He did not want to be an orphan either.

Spinner and Emma sat in the darkness and held each other. Emma was so scared for her husband and knew how close he was to his mother. She knew he would not be able to live with himself if he could not help save her life. Plus, they were in the middle of the Christmas season and she was four months pregnant. How were they going to be able to put on a joyous face in the midst of a cancer battle? Emma just wanted Irene to be cancer-free and able to look forward to holding her grandchild.

"Honey, we just need to try and stay strong for your mom. She will be able to beat this." Emma finally broke the silence.

"I cannot lose another parent right now. Losing my dad was hard enough."

"Stop talking like that. She is going to live and be able to spoil her grandchild for years and years to come."

"Hello. We're back. Where are you guys?" Manny called out as she opened the door.

"What is wrong?" Jay asked as he saw Spinner and Emma's tear-stained faces.

As they told Manny and Jay the news, Emma realized this was not going to be the Merry Christmas they hoped it would be.