The Unexpected Journey Part Two

Chapter 24

"I do," Harry nodded, the humor in his eyes softening at her expression. "But you clearly do not." Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward. "Tell me."

"I just..." She sighed, her head tipping to the side. "I don't want to do nothing. I don't want to just sit around when I could be doing something. Surely you understand that? Imagine if your father benched you for months."

"He's not benching you," Harry held up a finger. "But I see your point."

"What do I do?"

"What do you want to do? For work, I mean? Because it took you five days to get here after the first round and we both know that each hit is going to knock you down a little bit harder and it's going to take a little bit longer."

"I know," Maddie could feel the resignation heavy on her shoulders.

"And you have five more rounds of this," he pointed out. "Not to mention the massive surgery that's coming up."

"I know," Maddie looked down at her hands, hating how invasive this was going to be.

"I also think it's worth pointing out that you took time off from all of this for each of the children."

"That's different!" Maddie's eyes were wide as they lifted to him.

"How?"

"I was taking care of a baby."

"Yes," Harry nodded, softening even further. "And now you're taking care of yourself."

She knew he was right. Even as she let out the heavy sigh of surrender. She knew he was right but she hated it. She hated that this was happening, hated the way decisions were being made for her--even if it really was for the best. Biting at her bottom lip, she thought it all over, tossing it back and forth, weighing it out.

"Maddie..." Harry reached across the table to her. "Tell me what you want."

"Invictus," she answered with a bat of her eyes. "Invictus is in a few weeks and I want to be there. I don't have to be at everything but...I want to be a part of it. I've been at every single one since you started it and this is the first time it's been back in England and...I want to be there." Though Harry's mouth opened, she hurried ahead. "And we're talking about wounded soldiers here. We're talking about men and women who have been through worse than I'm going through and the idea of not going because I don't feel well..." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I want to go to Invictus."

"Okay," Harry wrote something down on his notepad. "Anything else?"

"The Well Child Awards."

Harry met her eyes and nodded, making another note. "Anything else?"

"I want to be there for Remembrance Day celebrations and...and I want to do the Sentebale Gala."

"Madeline..." Harry rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm willing to go to my father with you, to ask for something back, but I'm not going to go to him and ask him to load your schedule back up. You're fighting cancer. You're going to feel worse than you do now and The Sentebale Gala is right in the middle, right around your surgery."

"Yes it is," Maddie agreed. "But it's sitting down the whole time, it's eating and being entertained..."

"It's making the rounds. It's small talk and meeting people and..."

"We've been every year since we were married!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Every year and now I'm going to say no?! Because I have Cancer. I'm going to say no to the people who benefit from Sentebale because I'm sick? Come on Harry, work with me here."