Michelle

Chapter One: Overcoming Obstacles

"Thank you, sweetie," Martha said, beaming.

Michelle rubbed her mother's back as she drank the water. Suddenly, Martha began coughing harshly, with small droplets of blood appearing in the glass. Furrowing her eyebrows, Michelle grabbed the glass and took a closer look. "Mom... Why are you coughing up blood?"

Martha wrinkled her eyebrows as well and stared at the glass, her eyes widening. She plastered on a fake smile to calm her daughter, but Michelle could see the worry in her mother's eyes. She didn't want her children to stress themselves, especially her daughter who was the family's breadwinner.

"Don't worry, sweetie. It's just blood," Martha said, forcing a smile.

"Just blood? Mom, this is serious! We need to go to the hospital," Michelle said, standing up and grabbing her mother's hand. But Martha pulled her hand away.

"I don't need to see a doctor, sweetheart. Besides, I can still do my chores! Stop bothering yourself."

Kevin entered the living room with knitted eyebrows. "What's going on here?"

As Martha's eyes widened, Michelle turned to him, still holding her mother's hand. "She was coughing up blood, Kevin."

Martha shook her head. "I'm okay!"

"How can that be okay, Mom?! You're coughing up blood and you're telling us you're fine?!" Tears clouded Michelle's vision.

Kevin walked toward them and let out a big sigh. "Michelle, you won't solve this problem by yelling, too."

Martha thought he was on her side, but he gave her a stern look too. "Mom, we're both concerned about your health. We lost dad, and we don't want to lose you too."

Martha nodded and sighed. "I understand, son."

Michelle's tears spilled down her cheeks, and she let go of her mother's hand. She wiped her tears and then hugged them both. After a moment, she pulled away and fixed her mother with a serious look.

"We're going to the hospital tomorrow, okay?" she said firmly.

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"Doctor, can we see the result already?"

It had been days since they went to the hospital for her check-up, and now was the time for the results.

As they both sat in front of the doctor's desk, Kevin stood behind his mother, rubbing her back in support.

The doctor looked up from the papers he was holding and fixed a solemn gaze on Martha. "Mrs. Wright, did you ever smoke before?"

Martha furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head. "Never in my entire life."

"Did you have a family member that has lung cancer?"

Michelle's tone became stern as she interjected, "Wait, wait. Why are you asking those questions?"

The doctor sighed and removed his glasses. "I'm sorry to say this, but Mrs. Wright has been diagnosed with stage two lung cancer."

The room fell silent as they heard the news. They were hoping it was a joke, that the doctor was bluffing and would start laughing at them. But it was a cruel reality that they had to face.

"W-What? Stage two?" Michelle asked, trying to convince herself it wasn't true.

The doctor emitted another sigh. "I'm sorry, Ms. Wright."

"But.... she has never shown any signs or symptoms. How could she have lung cancer?" Kevin asked, threatening tears in his eyes.

"Lung cancer typically doesn't show signs or symptoms in its early stages. Your mom never smoked, so she's either been exposed to secondhand smoke or inherited it from her family."

Michelle slumped her elbows over the desk, covering her face with her palms. Martha looked at her children, tears welling up in her eyes. She remembered how their faces looked when their father died, and now it was happening to them again because of her.

She didn't want to be the cause of their sadness. Yesterday, she promised she would never leave them, but it seemed like she would break their hope.

Silence filled the room until Michelle began sobbing, her hands still covering her face. Kevin instinctively rubbed her back while wiping his tears.

The doctor reached for a tissue box and offered it to Michelle. "Take this, Ms. Wright. I'm so sorry for the bad news."

She removed her hands from her face and took the tissue, wiping her wet cheeks and blowing her nose. "Thank you, doc."

He gave her a warm smile. "Just don't stop praying. Everything will be alright. I'll prescribe the medications she needs, but your mom should also eat fruits rich in vitamins and nutrients."

As they stood up to leave, they thanked the doctor and headed home in silence.

Once they were on the sofa, they all started crying and hugged their mom, just like they used to do when they were kids. Kevin rubbed her back, trying to ease her pain. It was going to be a long and tough road ahead, but they were determined to face it together.

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Author's Note:

This chapter was revised today, Feb. 19, 2023.

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-creepy_stalker199