by Lee Wardlow
She nodded. “Her name is Delilah.”
“Fitting. You take it easy while I run out and get things for her.”
“I will,” she promised.
Sophie headed for the backyard to let Delilah outside for a few minutes. She praised her when she did her business then she headed back into the house and snuggled her in a warm blanket while she sat in the recliner with her. She petted her head. The puppy nuzzled her nose against her cheek.
“Yeah, I love you too. Never thought this would happen. Neither did Josh,” she informed the dog. “But you’re a good thing.”
Her phone rang from somewhere in the house. She laid the puppy on the chair while she searched for it. The whimpering started as soon as Sophie left the room.
“I’ll be right back,” she shouted.
On her nightstand, the phone was plugged in and charging. She had a missed call from Kai, she noticed when she picked up the phone and glanced at the screen.
“Hoo boy.” She had to call her back, right? If Roman was in trouble she had to face the music and help him out. She pressed send to re-dial Kai’s number and waited for her to answer.
“Hey, puppy is adorable. She could stay but.”
“Oh Kai.” Sophie didn’t get any further.
“Stop right there. Both Alexander and Roman appear to be allergic to the puppy. They’ve both been sneezing and coughing their heads off. I tried Micki, she said no way. She has her hands full which I agree with. I tried Angel and Cara, their husbands said no. What do you want me to do?”
“Bring her here.” She knew that Josh was going to be upset with her, but she would have to keep them both.
“Are you sure, Josh isn’t going to have a fit?” Kai asked her.
“Just bring her here.”
He wouldn’t be crazy about it, but he wouldn’t say no either. Josh wouldn’t have told her no before the cancer diagnosis and he wouldn’t now, she knew.
Josh had always tried to give Sophie whatever she wanted within reason. Was this within reason though? Sophie knew she was expecting a lot from him by bringing two small puppies in the house.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. My husband and son will be grateful for the relief.”
Kai came over with the puppy a few minutes later. She told Sophie that Roman had called the town and they were going to remove the mother from the drainage ditch. She hadn’t even thought of that. The poor Momma. She didn’t even know what had happened to her?
While they were talking Josh texted her asking what breed she thought the puppy was. He was with a sales associate at the pet store trying to decide what size bed to get.
Sophie picked up the puppy she had named Delilah and glanced at her face. “I have no clue what you are. Kai, any ideas?” She showed her friend the puppy’s face.
Kai shrugged her shoulders, looking at her blankly. “I know less about dogs than you do. At least you had Samson growing up. I had squat.”
Sophie: No clue.
Josh: Send me a picture of her. That will help the associate figure out what she is, so we know how big the bed and a crate should be.
Kai was watching while Sophie played with the puppies. She glanced at her friend. “Josh wants a picture of me with them?” Sophie asked. “I can tell him this way, that we now have two.”
“He is going to murder you, Soph.” Sophie sent the picture that Kai took on her phone to him and waited.
Josh: What have you done?
Sophie: Alexander and Roman are allergic to her. She needs to live here with her sister.
Sophie glanced at Kai. “He didn’t respond. That’s odd.”
Her friend had one eyebrow cocked.
“What?”
“Sophie, Josh has never told you no. You’ve just never brought home two dogs. He’s probably thinking this is the first time I need to put my foot down and tell her no and he’s arguing with himself how to do it.”
She chuckled as she snuggled the little girls close to her. Kai laid her hand on Sophie’s leg. They didn’t need to talk. Kai had been her friend since Kindergarten.
“Mass on Saturday again?” Kai asked.
Sophie nodded. “Did it make you feel better?”
She smiled at Sophie. “I don’t know. It was entertaining watching everyone note that we were back in church, especially your dad and Josh’s dad.”
Sophie had seen that reaction too. “I felt better.”
“That’s all that counts.” Kai got up from the sofa. “I have to go home. Roman was making dinner when I left.”
“Do you have to leave?” Sophie asked.
“I should.” Kai was reluctant if Sophie needed her.
“Go.”
Sophie followed her friend to the front door. Kai was six or eight inches taller than her, so she had to lean over to kiss Sophie’s cheek. “Have fun with these girls and let me know what Josh said about the second one when he gets home.”
“I will.”
She sat on the floor and played with the puppies until Josh returned. She was a little leery when she looked up at him coming through the front door with a huge bag of dog food.
“Everything okay?” She asked.
“Just let me put this down.”
He walked past her, bag on his shoulder, he headed through the living room to the kitchen. She heard it hit the floor. Then he returned and squatted by her. His fingers caressed her cheek that soft gentle way he had with her. Then he ruffled the head of one of the pups closest to him.
“No more dogs, Sophie.”
He stood and went outside. She smiled and picked up the second dog while Delilah pawed at her thigh. “What is your name, little girl?”
Her husband returned to the house with bags of toys, two nice beds. Then she heard him banging around in the laundry room and Sophie wondered what Josh was doing. When he returned to the living room, he plopped down in the recliner. Delilah wandered over to him and pulled on his shoe string. Josh got tired of it, so he leaned over and picked her up. Sophie was somewhat concerned that he hadn’t said anything.
“What was all the noise in the laundry room?” She asked.
“Two metal crates for them to stay in while we are gone.”
“Oh.”
He nodded. “So, what’s that girl’s name?” He asked of the dog in Sophie’s arms.
“I don’t know yet. It didn’t come to me like Delilah’s did.” She gazed at the puppy she was playing with. “Want me to start dinner?”
He shook his head no. “I ordered Italian on the way home. It should be here in ten or fifteen minutes.”
Sophie smiled at him. “Thank you,” she told him.
“You’re welcome. When things get bad I hope they can make you feel better. They say dogs do that, you know…when you’re sick.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile, so she thought he wasn’t too mad at her. “The sales associate at the store thought they were part hound, part something else, she wasn’t sure of.”
“Any guess how big they will get?”
“Maybe fifty pounds, she thought. More or less.”
Sophie glanced at the girl in her hands. She smiled at her. Her pretty, golden eyes were different from her sister’s. “Cleo?”
He was surprised by her answer. “Cleo?”
“Cleopatra but we’ll call her Cleo for short.”
Josh laughed at Sophie. “Two of the greatest femme fetales in history,” he declared.
“Works for me.”
“They do not get in bed with us,” he insisted.
“All right, they won’t.”
Chapter 10
Josh
She sat for three hours for her first chemo appointment then headed home. Madge had filled her port with all kinds of goodies to stave the nausea and headache that sometimes Chemo causes. Sophie told him she wasn’t feeling too badly when she left the hospital.
Later, at home, the headache started. She went to bed. Every time that he checked on her, her legs were moving about
in bed and she was whimpering, just seeking relief from the crashing pain in her head.
Josh returned to the bedroom with another hot cloth. He didn’t know how she was bearing this heat, but she kept telling him that it soothed her, so he made them as hot as he could carry to her.
Sophie had stayed away from the office to give Ally a chance to get on her feet. Josh and Jagger were doing well working with her and each other so that was one less thing she had to worry about. One less thing he had to worry about. Josh knew right now, Sophie could care less about Russack Landscaping.
Heath had stopped in to see her. He kissed her forehead. “Mom, I love you. Just checking on you after chemo. Dad said your head is hurting bad.” Josh stood in the doorway to the bedroom and watched the interaction.
She squeezed his hand. Hours earlier, she told Josh that the even the thought of talking hurt her head so actually, speaking was out of the question. She only nodded at her son.
“I’ll call Dad later and check on you,” Heath promised.
She nodded at that too, Josh could see the movement brought tears to her eyes. He walked with Heath to the living room.
“Will it be like this every time?” Heath asked.
“I would assume so, son.”
“How are staying so calm?”
They stood in the middle of the living room, man to man. He was anything but calm. He was worried about Sophie. It hurt in his gut that she was suffering but he couldn’t do anything and that hurt worse.
“I’m not calm, Heath,” he reassured his son.
“We’re staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s tonight. They’re going to look at houses with us tomorrow.”
“Good luck, son. Let me know what you find.”
“I will,” Heath promised.
It hurt him worse that he couldn’t help his son and daughter-in-law look for houses but right now, Sophie was his priority. After Heath left, Josh went back to the bedroom. He sat in the chair in the corner by the big picture window and watched Sophie in case she needed him. Nodding off again, she continued to sleep fitfully.
Sophie’s mother came over next. Daisy opened the bedroom door and peeked around the room. Josh hadn’t turned on any lights because light seemed to hurt her head as much as talking did.
“How is she?” Daisy whispered.
“In pain,” Sophie croaked.
Her mother went to her side and perched on the edge of the bed, with that serenity that only a mother has in stressful situations, she held Sophie’s hand. It was in that moment, tears started rolling down Sophie’s cheeks. “It hurts, Mom.”
“Momma’s here, baby,” Daisy cooed to her.
The tears only made her head hurt worse, Josh knew. Wetness began to form in his own eyes. He gauged his fingers hard into the sockets, hoping to stop them.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“Mom, it’s okay.” Her throat felt dry.
“I’ll get you some water.” Josh headed towards the kitchen leaving the door open behind him. The puppies chased after him. Usually wherever Sophie was, they were. He chuckled at their cuteness as they nipped at his ankles and shoe strings. They probably needed to go outside. He hadn’t let them out since before Heath had arrived, three or four hours ago.
In the kitchen, he filled one of the many water bottles with ice chips and water. He screwed the lid on tightly. Josh stared over the backyard as dark started making it harder to see what was in the woods. Usually nothing, occasionally a coyote would come into the backyard, reminding him he needed to watch the dogs when he let them out.
Then Josh went to the sliding doors and the puppies ran between his legs. They were sort of cute, he had to admit. He leaned for a second letting the tiredness wash over him. He just felt the relief that the first treatment was out of the way. No matter how bad they were, cancer was worse. One down. He didn’t even want to think about how many more Sophie had to endure.
“Josh, come quick.” Daisy’s urgent cry startled him. He whistled to the dogs who came running for the door. They followed him down the hall to the bedroom. Daisy was in the bathroom with Sophie.
She was trying to breathe through the wave of nausea rolling through her. This was how Sophie was when she had morning sickness. He didn’t know if it was the medication or the headache causing it. “Sophie, what’s wrong baby?”
“I’m sick,” she muttered, hovering over the toilet trying not to throw up.
Josh slid in behind her. She clutched his pants leg. He felt her desperation as he pulled back her hair.
“Daisy, there is a ponytail holder in a cup on the sink, would you get it for me?” He asked her mother.
She fished out a pink one and handed it to Josh. He secured her hair, then squatted down behind her. “I’m right here, baby. I’ve got you.”
She was very sick after that.
“I’m going to sit in the living room,” her mother informed them. Her tone quiet because this scene, her daughter sick from the chemo or her migraine was upsetting her.
“Thanks Daisy.” Sophie laid her head on her arm. She still clutched at his pants leg. “Are you better?”
She shook her head no.
He rubbed her back and across her shoulders. She stopped him, gripping his hands, holding onto them. “My head hurts so bad,” she whispered.
“Want me to put you in bed and get the garbage can for you to be sick in? You’d be more comfortable,” he suggested.
“I don’t know.” She was shaking her head back and forth.
He snorted then he asked her if she could lift her head for a moment. Sophie laid her head in the crook of Josh’s neck. In the doorway, waiting on her, was Cleo and Delilah.
“My girls,” she croaked.
“Let me put you to bed.” He steadied Sophie and rose to his full height. Then he lifted her in his arms. He got to the door and the dogs hadn’t moved yet. “Move ladies so I can get by with Sophie.”
They stepped out of the way but didn’t go far. He laid Sophie down in the bed and went back to the bathroom for the garbage can. He moved things off her nightstand and put it close within her reach. “It’s right here, Soph.”
She was curled into a fetal position and didn’t say anything in response. Beside the bed staring up at Josh were the two dogs. He sighed. Then he scooped them up and laid them by Sophie. They crawled to the top. Delilah went under the covers with her and Cleo stayed by her head.
“I thought you said they couldn’t get in bed with us?” She looked at Josh through bleary eyes.
“Right now, if they make you feel better, that’s all I care about,” Josh informed her.
Sophie didn’t say anything else. She curled onto her side with the puppies next to her.
In the early morning, her hair falling out of the ponytail holder that Josh had put in the previous night she was sick again. He was sitting on the side of the bed holding the garbage can for her. His free arm was around her, steadying her. Sophie alternated vomiting and whimpering. Behind her, the dogs were making the same noise.
Ally opened their bedroom door. Sophie couldn’t look at her, she was too ill. “Honey, Mom is sick. Go back to bed.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Then go to Heath’s room or sleep on the couch.”
“Josh,” Sophie whispered to him. He hadn’t meant to be harsh. He had his hands full with her. Her body shivered almost uncontrollably. She wasn’t cold, or running a temperature, just weak.
She threw up again. Josh didn’t know how there anything could be left in Sophie.
“No, Dad, I want to help.”
“Baby, there’s nothing you can do right now.” He heard the catch to his tone. “Take the puppies with you. This is upsetting them too.”
“Okay.” Ally walked behind the bed and picked up Cleo and Delilah; she carried them out into the hallway. “Dad, I can’t close the door.”
“I’ll get it when I can.” Sophie laid her head in the crook of his neck and Josh caressed her hea
d. “Are you better?”
“I don’t know.” She moved away from Josh and laid on the bed on her side again, so he covered her. “This isn’t what you signed up for.”
He made an unhappy snorting sound at Sophie. “This is exactly what I signed up for.” He got up from the bed and closed the door. “I’d expect you to do the same for me.”
Josh laid down beside her making her smile, but it just didn’t reach her eyes. The chemo was working all right. Josh knew that Sophie felt terrible. He reached out and touched her cheek, Sophie’s eyes closed when his fingers made a line down the side of her face.
“You know your stomach was always stronger than mine. When the kids had the stomach bug, you had to deal with it.”
Josh chuckled then rested his hand in the curve of her neck. “Are you saying you wouldn’t take care of me?”
She shook her head no then cringed. “I would, and you know it. I might need some help though, you’re bigger than me.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “When I had appendicitis, you did just fine. Remember?”
She clung to him, her hand gripping his arm, holding him close to her, forehead to forehead. She nodded. “I would take care of you, just like then. I gagged a lot. Remember?”
“I remember that too.”
They were quiet then, holding onto each other. Holding it together, just barely. Exhausted from a long night.
**
Sophie
Sophie woke with an urgent need to pee. She glanced at Josh, flat on his back, arm thrown over his face, lightly snoring. She didn’t want to wake him.
She sat up. She was so weak. She made it the bathroom. Her body was trembling in places she didn’t know she could tremble.
She washed her hands in the bathroom sink. Brushed her teeth. Looking in the mirror, she saw what a mess she was. Not that she should care. She thought it would probably get worse before it got better.
She took her hair down and brushed it out. She needed a shower but that would have to wait until Josh was awake. He would have to help her with that much.
Tea sounded good right now. Maybe some crackers. She hoped that would settle her stomach. She shut off the bedroom light and grabbed the waste basket beside the bed. She could always put it in the garbage in the kitchen. Josh could take it out later.
