Double Trouble

Chapter 20

It was the day before Carrie had to go in for testing and she knew she had to tell the girls. The girls deserved to know. They were family after all and their family kept nothing from each other. Carrie decided that it would be best to tell the girls when they were alone from each other. MacKenzie was at cheer practice when Charlotte came home from school so that was when the mother and daughter planted themselves in the living room to talk.

"I have to tell you something," Carrie started. "I have to go get some tests done tomorrow because I might have cancer."

"No," Charlotte replied. "No, you can't."

"I know it's not what anyone wants to hear but all of us need to stay strong through this."

"Mom, you can't," Charlotte repeated starting to cry. "You can't leave. You can't be sick. You just can't, Mom."

"Sweetie, I am not leaving you and I never will," Carrie uttered wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I'm going to be okay."

"How can you be okay when-"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Carrie asked as her daughter shook her head no back. "Then trust me when I say that we're going to be okay."

The two sat on the couch and cried with each other for a while before MacKenzie arrived home. Carrie broke the news to her and she got about the same reaction. But it was okay. Carrie believed and had all the faith in the world that it was all going to be okay.

The next day was about the longest day of Carrie's life. All of the tests had made her absolutely exhausted. Meanwhile, Mike waited in the waiting room the whole day nervously and anxiously. He was scared. He admitted it. He couldn't imagine seeing the woman he loved the most sick and weak, and that he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. That's what would kill him most.

MacKenzie and Charlotte went to the hospital after school to join their dad in the waiting room. There, they could all keep each other's minds off of what was happening to Carrie. In the back of all of their minds though, it was something that they could not forget.

"Mr. Fisher," a nurse called out. Mike stood up and waved over to the nurse. "The doctor wants to talk to both you and your wife."

"You girls stay here," Mike instructed the girls who nodded back.

The nurse led Mike into a hospital room in which Carrie was resting in. Her face was pale, and all around her eyes were dark, she looked tired and restless. Mike sat down in a chair next to her bed and reached out for her hand, and held it up close to his face to kiss. It gave Carrie a faint smile. The doctor came in moments later.

"From today's tests, we've concluded that Carrie does not have cancer. However we do need to remove some of her bone marrow because it seems to be causing a lot of her health problems. She will be fine after that," the doctor informed.

"Thank God," Mike smiled looking over who was already smiling and crying. Mike gave her kiss after kiss thanking the Lord that she was okay. MacKenzie and Charlotte visited their mother soon after and celebrated. The four gave one big family hug as they were all four in tears. They were a family that was sad together, that was happy together, that laughed together, and cried together. They were always going to be like that

The End.