Circle of Secrets

by Lauren Tisdale

  She smiled at him and patted his cheek. “I will honey. Thank you for your offer. I promise, I’ll let you know if I need you. Focus on Abby, the kids and work. I’ll keep you updated on his condition.”

  They followed the kids to the door as Brent carried Jaxon in his arms, Abby had Olivia. Once they were safely in their car and headed down the drive, Tyson turned the porch light off and shut the door then locked up.

  “That was a nice visit,” he said, wrapping his arms around Helen’s waist as she leaned back against his chest.

  “Yes, it sure was. It was nice to see them…and the baby. Oh Ty, she’s just so perfect. Remember when Maggie was that age?”

  He chuckled and nuzzled her neck, nodding. “I do. I sure do love them when they are that age, but I’m thankful ours are grown. Now we have the house to ourselves.”

  She laughed as his scruffy chin rubbed across her neck, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Have I told you lately that I love you, Tyson Morrison Sr.?” she said, smiling up at him.

  “Yes, in fact you have Helen Jane Morrison, but I don’t get tired of hearing it.” He leaned down as he kissed her lips in a sweet and sensual way. Still in their fifties, their love was passionate, timeless.

  In the past, she’d always compare her boyfriends or suitors to Tommy, her sweet Tommy. Tyson came close to the man she remembered Tommy to be and she had never been happier. With Tyson’s arms enveloping her in a tight embrace, she melted into his arms and gave in to the man she loved. Once they made their way into the bedroom they shared, passion took over and they re-explored one another as they fell to the bed for much needed alone time.

  Chapter Twelve

  Marissa’s dinner date with her parents and Carlos had gone well and she was relieved. It felt so good to see her parents satisfied with her boyfriend. Her mother had raved on and on about him for the past three weeks. Sophia had come home from her summer visit with her grandparents. Samantha had returned home to Lyndsay and she talked her mother’s ear off about the things they did and learned over the summer. Sophia had gone on and on about learning to surf and urged her mother for them to go back to the beach the first weekend after school began so she could show her all her tricks she learned. When Marissa mentioned that Carlos also lived on the beach, Sophia got ecstatic. She wanted to know exactly when they’d be visiting Carlos at his home and she wanted to plan for it. It was so nice to see her so excited about something. Marissa smiled and shook her head.

  “Soph, you are so silly. Are you ready for school to start next week?”

  “Momma! It’s surfing. It’s awesome and no, summer goes too quickly. We were having sooo much fun, and then it was time to come home and get ready for school. That just…isn’t right Momma.”

  Marissa laughed and rolled her eyes playfully. “Soph…you’ll get to go back, I promise. I’m glad you had fun, though. I’ll see when we can go visit Carlos again and you can show us your tricks, provided the water isn’t too cold, missy.”

  “Yay! Yes, ma’am,” Sophia said before sulking back into her room to finish cleaning.

  Marissa was thrilled about the new school year starting in a matter of weeks. She’d had her last meeting with the superintendent who was delighted to have her returning. They were all so supportive of her and glad that she was feeling well. It had been a long road to getting her health back and she wouldn’t stop fighting. She was determined to beat her condition and not let it run her life. With her daughter and now Carlos to live for, she had the will she needed to fight through it. The pain she was experiencing came and went so she didn’t bother bringing it up. It would only cause them all to question her decision to work again and provide constant worry for everyone. Why worry them over nothing? Everything would be fine and work out as it always did. The pain wasn’t even as intense as it had been over the summer. It wasn’t the symptom she was used to feeling when her condition would be getting bad.

  Suffering with glomerulonephritis was a day-to-day battle. It could be temporary or reversible, although sometimes not so. She did not have progressive glomerulonephritis, so that was a blessing. Carlos had warned her that it could always progress or could remain dormant and treatable, it was just a coin toss. She was confident she had things under control and would beat this and keep it in check with the medication he’d prescribed for her. She had so many different pills for so many different reasons; one for blood pressure, one for her immune system and a few corticosteroids to control inflammation. So far it had been successful and was helping her to stay on the right track. She hated taking the water pill because she constantly had to use the bathroom, but it had an important function so she understood and took it.

  Over the next two weeks children everywhere settled back into their school routines of going to bed and waking up early. Sophia put up a fuss at first, but caved in when Marissa convinced her that she had to do what she was told to make sure she was able to pay attention in class. Marissa knew that Sophia was excited about new classmates, new teachers and a new year, even more so now that her mom was able to go back to teaching. She always worried about her mom, especially a year ago, when Marissa was at her sickest. Marissa had been hospitalized for a full week and Sophia stayed with her grandparents. Susanne said Sophia spent the whole time worrying how Marissa was and whether she’d be okay. She’d spent a few times crying in her grandmother’s arms, making herself sick with worry. Sophia and Marissa were very close; she was the only parent Sophia had and she always expressed that she didn’t want to lose her.

  The morning of the first day of school went off without a hitch. Marissa woke earlier to make Sophia her favorite, French toast and eggs. After she had a bit of breakfast and her cup of coffee to wake her and give her the energy she needed for morning traffic, she was ready to go. That was something she did not miss, the morning traffic. Sophia grabbed her book sack and headed for the door as Marissa grabbed her bag that Chantelle had given to her as a gift with the cutest Teacher prayer on it. She placed her lesson plan book and a few other items inside.

  The last two weeks she’d spent almost every other afternoon in her classroom getting it set up and such. She was a perfectionist, and wanted it perfect for the first day. Studies had shown that if the classroom was cozy, students were more likely to feel comfortable and do their best work. The environment was just as vital as the teacher’s ability to connect with her students in her opinion. Many parents, fellow teachers and board members loved Marissa. She was highly recommended and would do anything for her students, even helping after or before school if they were having trouble understanding the lessons. She taught multiple subjects in one day, but focused her free time on how to make it interesting for the kids. Making learning fun was what she loved to do.

  Today was the day, and both of them were pumped up. The ride to school that morning was spent talking about their goals for the school year.

  “I wanna do better in math and get straight A’s this year.”

  “You can do that baby, and if you need help you can ask, you know. I am a teacher, remember?” They both chuckled.

  “I have free tutoring, yay!”

  “Oh, I’ll send you the bill,” Marissa teased as she pulled into the school parking lot for teachers.

  “Today is gonna be great! I can’t wait till our first break though,” Sophia said as she climbed out of the car once Marissa had parked.

  With coffee in one hand, Marissa went around to the other side to grab her things. “You have everything, Soph?”

  Sophia nodded and waited for her mother to lock up the car.

  Once she hit the button to activate the alarm on her key pad, she smiled and turned to Sophia.

  “You ready? Let’s do this.”

  Sophia grinned and nodded, “I’m ready.”

  They both entered the school as Sophia ran to find her friends before the first bell sounded. Marissa was greeted by the principal and colleagues as they exchanged hugs and welcomes. They were all s
o happy to see her in good spirits and looking healthy. One of her good friends hugged her tightly.

  “Oh, I missed you! We need to get together more often, Marissa! How are you? You look so well.” She smiled brightly.

  “Thank you, Rachel, really. I missed you, too, my neighbor,” she teased. Rachel was the teacher who taught across from her. They had a great in-school relationship but had never gotten together outside of school.

  Rachel laughed. “The block hasn’t been the same without you. The kids are going to freak! We are all so happy to have you back.”

  “Thanks, I am so happy to be back. I knew this day would come and thankfully it came faster than I thought. I couldn’t wait to be back here and see the kids and teaching. It’s so good to see all of you again. How was your summer?”

  Rachel and Marissa began to walk to their classrooms as they talked and caught up with one another. “We went to visit some family in Maine, spend some time on the beach. It was relatively quiet and relaxing. But you know in-laws.” They both laughed, “So how was your summer? What did you and Sophia do?”

  “Well, Sophia spent a few weeks with my parents like she does every year. She brought a friend, and they had the best time from what I’m gathering. I…met someone,” she said as she glanced over at Rachel and smiled.

  “You met someone? Oh Marissa, that’s awesome! What does he do? How did you meet?”

  Marissa smiled practically ear-to-ear as they reached her classroom. “Well, he’s a doctor. He’s great with Sophia and I’ve known him for two years now, and we decided to see one another on a more personal level. Things are going slow, but great.”

  “Wow, a doctor! Was he your doctor, is that how you met him?”

  “Yeah, but before we took it any farther I switched doctors.”

  “Oh girl, that is so great, I’m happy for you. Great catch, I bet he’s as amazing as he sounds. You hold on to him honey, doctors are hard to come by,” Rachel said with a wink as she chuckled and turned to her classroom. “Well, they are all filing in so I’ll catch you later. It’s so great to have you back.”

  Marissa nodded and stepped aside as children began to file into her classroom. Some of them recognized her.

  As each child entered the room they each exclaimed their joy at seeing her back. Each "Welcome back, Miss Hayes!" or "Miss Hayes! You’re back!" was met with a hug. She smiled and felt so welcomed by her new class. After they had all entered and taken their seats, she closed the door and with a smile stood in the front of the room. Clapping her hands together once, she held them in front of her.

  “Good morning! I am Miss Hayes and I’ll be teaching you this year. I’m so glad to be back with all of you, and I appreciate the warm welcome. So how about we start out with introducing ourselves, starting with you right here. What’s your name and how was your summer? What did you do?” She smiled as she motioned for the little girl in the front row to stand and introduce herself to the class.

  “I’m Emily, and we went to the hospital where my baby brother was born. I spent the summer being Mommy’s little helper. It was so fun!” The bouncy little pig-tailed girl said with a proud smile.

  “Aw, well, that’s great Emily. I bet your mom appreciates that help. I bet you’re a great big sister.” Emily nodded as her smile brightened, taking her seat again as the next child took their turn.

  “My name is Ben and I spent the summer at our beach house learning to surf. I did well, too, and can’t wait to do it again.”

  Marissa smiled. “My daughter did the same thing, where is your parents’ beach house?”

  “Off the highway 103, going towards Eagle Beach,” he said calmly like such a little man.

  “That’s where she was. She said she had surfing lessons, do you remember Sophia?”

  “Oh yes! I do. That’s your daughter? Wow. Cool.” He chuckled and smiled as Marissa nodded in answer.

  “Yes she is. Small world.”

  He nodded and took a seat with a proud-looking smile.

  “I’m Trevor and we spent the summer at Disneyland in Florida! It was amazing! I want to live there.” The classroom giggled and chatter broke out about Disneyland and each of their wishes to go there. She smiled as she watched her class interact with one another.

  After the class introduced themselves, she had them all comfortable and even some new friendships had been formed. She was ready to begin the first lesson of the day.

  “Okay how about we start with the hard stuff? Get that out the way?” she said with a smile as some groaned, knowing what was coming. “Let’s get your mathematics books assigned. The shelf over there has a number, so once you pick yours I need you to give me your number when I call your name, okay?”

  Each child nodded in understanding or called out “Yes, ma’am” as they all began to rise and move to the bookshelf with their books. Today would be easy, refreshing their little brains about numbers and equations. Assigning textbooks and the things they would use throughout the year. The smell of fresh book pages wafted through the air as some of them opened the books at their desks and looked through them. The school had just received a new edition of third grade math books. One by one they gave her the number inside the book as she logged it in her roll book.

  “Okay, now that we’re all done with assignments, what do you say we go over even and odd numbers? Who can tell me an even number?”

  Emily raised her hand quickly, as Marissa turned and nodded at her to give an answer.

  “Eight!” She said proudly as Marissa nodded and smiled.

  As Marissa stood she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and continued to smile through it. Turning her back to the class so that she could make a pained face, she grabbed the chalk and wrote ‘Even and Odd’ like a chart. Drawing the number eight under the even category, she looked down and gripped the chalk. She took a deep breath as she smiled and turned back to face the class.

  “Very good, anyone else?” Hands began to rise as she tried to ignore the pain. Soon, it had diminished enough for her to get back to normal. She was fine, it was just a few pains here and there nothing to be concerned about. The first day of school continued without a hiccup; Marissa smiled as her last class left for the day. She had missed teaching so much, it felt normal and like home. There was a knock at the door so she turned and smiled.

  “Carlos? What are you doing here?” He grinned and entered the room with a bouquet of flowers. She tilted her head in awe as he approached her with that award-winning smile.

  “I wanted to see how your first day went,” he said once he reached her and pulled her into him with a smile. “I brought you flowers.”

  She chuckled and took them into her own hand and smelled them. “They’re beautiful. Thank you so much. My day was wonderful and even better with this visit.”

  He was dressed in his regular polo shirt and black slacks minus the doctor’s coat. But even he could make that look good. “I was thinking of taking you and Sophia for ice cream to celebrate the first day of school. You up for spoiling dinner a little?”

  Before she could answer she heard a small snicker and muffled squeal. She looked over his shoulder to see Sophia standing there with a large smile on her face. Sophia was up for ice cream, she knew that already. Smirking as she looked back at him.

  “I think I’m outnumbered.” They all laughed and Sophia clapped happily.

  “Come onnnnnnn!” she called out to them. Turning to face her, they both smiled and headed out for ice cream.

  As the weeks passed and routines were easily adopted, things became easier for both of them. Spending more time with Carlos and Sophia showed Marissa that this was blossoming into something even she hadn’t seen coming. When they were all together the laughter almost never ended. Tonight they would even have dinner at her place--Carlos, Sophia and herself. She was excited and couldn’t wait to get home to get everything started. The Thursday night special would be spaghetti, Sophia’s favorite, which just happened to be his, too.

&
nbsp; Friday had started out bright and went great until after lunch, when the pains came back, only stronger this time. With her back to the classroom, she erased the chalk board and tried to push through the pain. The dizziness hit her like a ton of bricks as she closed her eyes trying to take deep breaths. The sounds of the children entering the classroom after lunch made her try to focus. She felt ill, nauseated, dizzy, and the sharp pain wouldn’t go away. The eraser fell from her hand as she collapsed on the classroom floor, everything going black.

  * * * *

  “She’s stirring, let’s let her wake first.”

  “Marissa? Marissa love, can you hear me?” Carlos whispered. She felt a hand holding hers. Her body felt so stiff, her throat sore.

  She croaked out a soft reply. “Wha-what happened?” She blinked her eyes a few times with effort because they felt too heavy. She felt like she’d been asleep for days, months even. Looking slowly around the room, she saw her parents and Carlos. Her doctor, Dr. McKeon, was also there. She was holding a clipboard as she smiled at Marissa. Looking confused, Marissa glanced back at Carlos. “What happened?” He gave her a small smile and kissed her hand before looking at Dr. McKeon and nodding.

  “Marissa, how are you feeling?” Her doctor asked.

  “I feel…tired. Achy…What happened to me? What’s wrong?”

  Dr. McKeon looked down at her chart. “Marissa your kidneys aren’t doing too well. Have you been experiencing any pain or symptoms like before?”

  Hesitating before she spoke, she knew they would be upset that she hadn’t spoken up about her pain. “Yes,” she said weakly, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

  “From the tests it looks like we may have to continue dialysis and bed rest for a while. If it doesn’t improve we must look at the option of transplant. I’m so sorry Marissa.”

  Marissa shook her head as the tears fell from her eyes, rolling slowly down her cheeks. Carlos clutched her hand and brought it to his lips, closing his eyes. She was scared of the outcome, had always been fearful of this very day. The end stages, as most called it. When transplant was your only option, statistically most died before the transplant could be performed because of the waiting list. Bringing her hand to her mouth, soft sobs left her lips, her eyes pressed shut as the tears continued to roll down. She’d finally felt like her life was just beginning. Meeting Carlos, seeing Sophia grow up into a beautiful little girl; she had so much to live for…fight for.