Unveil Me (The Jaded Series Book 3) (3 page)

Andrew

“Uncle Andy! Uncle Andy!” A cute little black-haired girl comes barreling toward me as soon as I exit my car, long black pigtails flying behind her.

She’s out of breath by the time she makes it to me. I squat down just in time to catch her in my arms and scoop her up. As I stand, she lays a big kiss on my cheek. My heart melts at the action, just like every other time she does it.

“Hey, skittles. How’s my girl?” She pulls her head back, wraps her short legs around my stomach, and rests her hands on my shoulders. I take in her face, so familiar, and see pure happiness in her expression. However, her eyes look tired and there are dark rings around them. I can also see she’s lost some weight, and up close her hair looks thinner than it once was. The slight bulge on her upper right chest sends a sharp pain shooting through me. My heart hurts looking at her haggard appearance, and I want to scream at the injustice of what this beautiful little girl is going through.

“I’m doing good, Uncle Andy!” she says animatedly, still trying to catch her breath. “I made a new friend at school. Her name’s Mandy. Mom and Dad said I could spend the night with her tomorrow night for her birthday! We’re going to tell ghost stories and have s’mores!

I smile at her excitement. “That’s great, baby. Sounds like you’re going to have a lot of fun.”

“I am! This will be my first sleepover ever!” she says, before wrapping me in her six-year-old arms and giving me a tight hug. “I missed you, Uncle Andy,” she whispers in my ear.

Fuck, but I love this little girl.
She’s the second and only other person I allow to use that nickname. No way in hell could I ever tell her not to. Hell, the girl has me wrapped so tight around her little finger that I would let her call me anything, and I’d still smile.

“I missed you too, precious,” I tell her, and give her a tickle on the side, making her giggle and squirm in my arms.

“Where’s your mom?” I ask her.

“I’m here,” comes a breathless voice from behind me. I turn and see Becky coming our way. She has on a pair of worn-looking but still nice jeans, a green t-shirt with a few splotches on it, and a pair of black sneakers. Her light-brown shoulder-length hair is a mangled mess. Her eyes look tired, but she still sports a small smile as she walks up to us.

“Ally, what have I told you about running out of the house like that. Next time wait for me,” she scolds her daughter. There’s no heat in her voice, but she tries to look stern as she looks at Ally.

“But, Mom, it was Uncle Andy,” Ally whines, and puffs out her lower lip in a pout. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen him.”

I try to hold it in, but I can’t help the chuckle that slips past my lips. Becky’s eyes turn to me and she tries to give me a don’t-you-dare-laugh look, but fails when her lips twitch.

“Sweetie, you saw him last week. That’s hardly forever.”

“Well, it feels like a long,
long
time,” Ally mutters, causing another chuckle from me.

“Go on in the house and finish packing for tomorrow. Your uncle and I are right behind you.”

“Okay!” she says happily. I set her on her feet and off she goes again.

“You okay, Becs? You look a mess,” I say, as we walk up the steps to the porch and into the house.

“Gee, thanks. I needed you to point that out,” she utters dryly.

I shrug unashamedly. “It’s true. You look like you’re dead on your feet.”

She sighs as we walk into the kitchen. I pull out a chair as she grabs glasses out of the cabinet and pours us both a glass of iced tea. Taking a seat at the table, she takes a swallow of the cold liquid before saying, “Yeah, everything’s good. I’m just running around trying to get the house prepared for Brent’s family. They’re due to get here next Tuesday. The house will be full. I love his family, but I’m not looking forward to our space being invaded for several days.”

I sympathize with her. I love to be around people, but I also like my own space. If I’m going to be surrounded by people, I would prefer it to be somewhere I can leave. Becky won’t have that, because it’s her house.

I pat her hand that’s on the table. “It’ll be okay. Toughen up, Becs. Besides, if they start to get on your nerves, just do what I would do. Set a tent up in the backyard, grab a twelve-pack, and get drunk off your ass.”

She laughs at my suggestion and slaps my arm. “Yeah, I can just see that now. His family would flip out and think I’d gone crazy and try to commit me.”

We sit for a few minutes in silence, the laughter leaving the room. I finally ask the question I’m dreading the answer to, but praying the news is good.

“How is she? Any changes?”

The look Becky sends my way has my heart plummeting down to my stomach. Not good news. The sadness I see in her eyes nearly has me losing my shit. I get up from my seat and pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my waist, buries her face into my chest, and I hear her muffled sobs. It takes iron-will to keep my own eyes dry.

We comfort each other for a few minutes before Becky pulls back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She takes a steadying breath before releasing me and taking her seat. I take my seat as well and wait for her to tell me the bad news.

“The doctors say her white cells are still too high, not as high as they were, but still higher than what they hoped it would be at this point. The treatment’s working, but not fast enough. They want to up the dosage, which will kill any remaining marrow in her bones. Since they’ve already tested you, they know you’re a candidate to give bone marrow. They said to stand by and be available at a moment’s notice.”

I nod, ready to be where I’m needed. I would give my life for Ally. If giving my bone marrow can help her in any way, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. Becky knows this. From the very beginning, when Ally was first diagnosed with leukemia, the doctors had mentioned the possibility of a bone marrow transplant. They tested Ally’s closest relatives to find the match that was needed. Mine was the closest, and there was never any doubt I would do it.

“How has she been feeling?” I ask Becky.

“Tired, mostly. She’s been sick to her stomach a few times. The doctors gave her some medicine to try to help. It’s working some. She also complains of aches and pains. I’m sure you’ve noticed she’s lost weight. The doctors say it’s normal with the treatment.” She looks down at her hands, clasped tightly together on the table, before looking up at me again with watery eyes and whispering, “She started losing her hair a couple nights ago.”

Fuck!
Her words hit me hard. I saw for myself that her hair was thinner than normal, but to see Becky break down again and confirm it tears me up. Why in the fuck would God deem it his plan to put such a sweet and innocent girl through something like this? I want to rip my hair out and howl in agony.

I scoot my chair back from the table and move it closer to Becky. I spread my legs wide enough to put them on either side of hers. Prying her hands away from each other, I take them into my own. I know there is nothing I can do to help make this easier on her, on either of us. The only thing I can do is be here for her when Brent can’t. And I know Becky will be there for me as well.

“I’m so scared, Andrew.” She continues to whisper. “What if the chemo doesn’t work? What if—”

I don’t let her finish, not wanting to even think of that possibility. It’s not the end yet, and I refuse to think Ally won’t make it through this. If I do, I’ll break, and I’m not sure if I could ever be put back together again.

“Hey. Look at me.” My voice is soft but firm, and it gets her attention. She brings her tortured gaze back to mine. “You can’t think like that, okay? Ally is strong, and we have to be strong with her. She’s going to get through this. We’re all going to.”

I lean forward and rest my lips on her forehead. I feel her tears dripping down onto our combined hands. I squeeze my own eyes shut, forcing the tears away.

We pull away a few minutes later. When I look into Becky’s eyes, I see a new determination in them. She’s pulled her shit together, for now at least. A mother can only handle so much when it comes to the health of her child before she breaks down. This isn’t the first one Becky’s had, and I know it won’t be the last. She never has them in front of Ally though, which is good.

“Has Mom been by?” I ask her, and scoot my chair back.

Becky gets up from the table, grabs a tissue from the counter, and blows her nose before replying. “Yeah, she was here yesterday. She’s going with me to Ally’s chemo appointment tomorrow.”

“That’s good. It’s been hard on her as well. I know she wants to be here for you both as much as she can. How’s Brent doing?”

“Better than me.” Her laugh is strained. “He’s been a godsend. I don’t know what I would do without him. Without all of you. I just wish he was here more.”

Brent’s an engineer for a big company that makes textile machines. His position often requires him to leave town when there’s an issue with one of his designs. I know it’s difficult on him, being away so much. He loves his daughter just as much as we do.

The pitter-patter of little feet running across the floor interrupts our conversation. It’s amazing that Ally has so much energy still left in her body after all the poison that’s being pumped into it. Once again, she’s out of breath when she skids to a stop in front of me.

“Ally, sweetie, you need to stop running so much. You’re going to wear yourself out,” Becky tells her.

“Okay, Momma,” she says, breathing rapidly. She then turns to me. “Look at the picture I drew in art class, Uncle Andy!”

I take the white construction paper from her hand and flip it around. The scene on the paper breaks my heart. It’s simple, but so much more. It’s a picture of five people standing out in a field. There are trees in the background and flowers on the ground at the people’s feet. Each person is holding the next person’s hand. The last person in line, the smallest, has one hand up toward the sky, like she’s trying to grab the sun, or reaching for heaven.

My eyes fly toward Becky and see she has her back to us, her shoulders shaking slightly. I bring my gaze back to Ally’s, looking for any signs of sadness or resolve. She’s only six years old, but she knows she’s sick. Her parents decided to not hide it from her, which would be hard to do because of all the tests. They haven’t told her there’s a possibility she may not make it though. That would be too much for a child to handle.

Looking down at the picture again, I wonder if she senses something. Of course, this could just be a child and her imagination. Maybe the little girl, which I know is Ally, really is just reaching for the sun.

“Do you like it?” she asks in a soft voice.

I gather her in my arms and pull her onto my lap, turning the chair away from Becky to give her time to compose herself. Holding the picture in front of us, I tell her, “Of course I like it, skittles. It’s beautiful. Now, tell me who these people are.”

I already know who they are, but I like hearing her sweet voice and excitement. It’s something I may not hear in the future. I wipe the thought away before it has a chance to take hold of me.

“That’s Mom and Dad,” she points to the first two people, “that’s Grandma and you, and then there’s me.” She finishes by pointing to the last three people.

“You did a really good job, Ally. I’m proud of you.” I lean down and kiss her temple.

“Alright, little lady, it’s time for you to get washed up for lunch. I’m making your favorite,” Becky says, spinning around and clapping her hands twice. She has a bright smile on her face for Ally’s benefit, but it’s plain to see to adult eyes that it’s forced.

Ally jumps down from my lap and yells, “Yeah! Tuna fish sandwiches! Is Uncle Andy staying for lunch?”

Becky looks to me for the answer, and in turn, I look at Ally. “Tuna fish sandwiches? Even huge spiders with gnarly teeth and hairy bodies couldn’t keep me away.” I mentally shudder at the thought. Spiders are one thing I do not do.

Ally giggles and skips off to do as her mother said. A few minutes later, she comes back down and we all sit and chitchat while we eat our tuna fish sandwiches, which also happens to be my favorite as well. After, Ally ropes me into playing Barbies with her in the living room while Becky does laundry.

See? Told you she had me wrapped around her finger.