A Second Chance Read online

  “Just a trip.” The weight of her deception was heavy in her chest. She’d never lied to Carlos in all the years she’d known him. It wasn’t easy to do.

  “Sure. That won’t be any problem.”

  “Great. I really appreciate it.”

  “Sure. Oh, Maddie, don’t say anything to the kids yet about Kathy moving in. I want to surprise them.”

  She cleared her throat. They were going to have a lot of surprises. “Okay. Thanks, Carlos.”

  She disconnected the call and put her head between her knees. Kathy had moved in. She knew Carlos well enough. They’d be married in six months.

  Christian pushed around the cereal in his bowl. “You really have to go for three weeks?”

  Madeline watched him as he tried to act uninterested, but that wasn’t Christian. His heart was always on his sleeve. “You’ll be with your dad and Kathy. You’ll be fine.”

  He only nodded his head.

  Clara smeared jelly on her toast. “He said I can hold Tyler on Saturday. Aunt Regan and Uncle Zach are going out to dinner, and we’re watching him.”

  “You be careful with him,” Madeline warned.

  “I will be.”

  Eduardo shuffled through the kitchen. “Well, sunshine. Glad you could join us.” She turned to kiss his cheek.

  His eyes shot open, and he took a step back. “Wow, Mom! Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “You’re burning up.” He put the back of his hand to her head as if she were a child. “Maybe you’d better go back to bed.”

  “I’ll lie down when you all get on the bus.” She forced a smile through the sickness that was taking over her body. “Do you have your presents for your teachers? It’s the last day before break. There isn’t a second chance to get them to them before Christmas.”

  “Yeah, Mom.” Eduardo nodded and continued with his worrying. “Why don’t you call Matt and see if he can come over and take care of you while I’m at school. He could at least do that much for you.”

  She was sure that if a breaking heart could make a sound, they’d have heard it. She forced a smile to her lips to ward off his worry. “I’ll be fine. I have the day off. I can rest. Sit down and eat your breakfast.”

  Cancer had turned her into a liar. Every day she waited for her nose to start growing like Pinocchio’s. She’d even called her parents and asked them to fly to Nashville so she could have a routine surgery. When her mother had asked what routine meant, Madeline told her she was having a growth removed. The lie had some merit—she didn’t want to upset her parents. Her mother had agreed, but then had gone on talking about the vacation they wanted to take. She’d never even asked what kind of surgery. Madeline only hoped they’d get there in time.

  Christmas was a blur. She and Carlos had shared their time with the kids between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

  The morning after Christmas, she took the kids to Carlos’s house and waited in the driveway for them to get all of their things from the car.

  Carlos appeared at the back door and waved. She plastered on another fake smile and waved back. “I think they brought the whole house.”

  “We’ll try to keep track of it all,” he laughed as Clara walked toward him. “Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”

  That was so Carlos. He was her best friend in the world, and she couldn’t tell him what she was going through. Her skin chilled under her heavy coat. “No. I have to finish packing.”

  “Send us a postcard.”

  She nodded, kissed her kids good-bye, and drove away in tears.

  Her parents hadn’t made their flight, and she’d been forced to call her boss and ask for the biggest favor any employee could request. She needed a ride to the hospital at four the next morning and would have to have her there until she was wheeled into surgery. By then her parents should be there and everything would work out.

  Sylvia, her boss, was an expert with all the paperwork and helped her understand what it was she was signing. She was also an expert on the process and she did everything she could to keep Madeline calm, but it wasn’t working very well.

  The check-in process took an hour, then they escorted her to a room. As the sun came up the nurses prepped Madeline for surgery. In a few hours they would go in and remove the cancer along with her breasts. Swallowing hard, she tried to relax. As long as she was able to remain on the Earth and have her children, she didn’t care what she looked like.

  Dr. Curtis Keller slung his commuter bag over his shoulder and rubbed his eyes. He’d been at the hospital for thirty-six hours. It was time to go home and crawl into bed for the next three days. He stepped back from the elevator to let the nurses push the gurney toward surgery and then he stepped into the elevator, only to step back off.

  He watched as they pushed the gurney through the doors to surgery and he turned back toward the desk. There on the wall was the surgery schedule for the day. M. CARSON was written under Dr. Martin.

  “Samantha.” He leaned on the desk and gave a slow wink to the nurse who sat in front of a computer. “Hey, what’s Martin got going on this morning?”

  Knowing she could get in trouble, she rolled her chair closer to and leaned in. “Mastectomy.”

  “Shit,” he whispered. “Mr. Carson? Is he in the waiting room?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t think there’s anyone here. A woman was with her when they checked in and said that Ms. Carson’s parents should arrive before she’s out of surgery.” She held up a finger and rolled back to the computer. With a few keystrokes, she opened the file and quickly closed it. “Mr. Carson is not listed on her paperwork. Next of kin is listed as Carlos Keller.” She knit her brows together. “Relative of yours?”

  “You certainly could say that.” He reached out and touched her arm. “Hey, I owe you one. Dinner this week?”

  “Can’t. Catch me next week.”

  “Deal.” He turned toward the waiting room.

  Matt Carson wasn’t anywhere. Curtis shook his head and pulled out his cell phone. The family waiting area was one of the only places his cell phone was allowed.

  The phone rang in his ear and before his brother could even mutter the word hello, he was firing off questions. “Carlos, hey, where’s Madeline?”

  “What? She’s out of town for a few weeks. The kids are staying with me.”

  He gave a cluck with his tongue and shook his head. He’d known Madeline as long as Carlos had, and he knew what she was doing. She didn’t want anyone worrying about her, but she’d once married into the wrong family for that. “Can you get down here to the hospital?”

  “Okay, bro, you’re freaking me out. What the hell is going on?”

  Curtis rubbed the tension out of his neck then scrubbed his hand over his face. “Listen, I don’t want to freak you out, but…” He blew out a breath. “Madeline was just wheeled into surgery.”

  Curtis was right where Carlos expected to find him. He sat in the corner of the family waiting room, his head propped up against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He was sound asleep.

  Carlos nudged his arm and Curtis jolted up in the chair.

  “Now tell me what the hell is going on. I ran out of the damn house. I made Kathy call into work and tell them she had some emergency, and all of this was done without the kids hearing any of it. Now I’m freaking the hell out and so is Kathy.”

  “Shut up for two damn minutes and sit down.” His brother rubbed his hands over his eyes and sat up in the chair as Carlos took the seat next to him. “I happened to pass them as they were taking her into surgery. I didn’t know she was here, did you?”

  “I told you. She said she was going out of town.”

  Curtis nodded. “She checked in this morning. She’s scheduled for a double mastectomy.”

  Carlos chewed on his bottom lip and inched in closer to his brother. “You’re going to pretend like I’m really, really dumb. What the hell does that mean?”

  “She has breast
cancer, Carlos.”

  He felt the blood drain from his face and he knew his brother had seen it, because he jerked Carlos’s shoulders and shoved his head down between his knees. His stomach knotted and he felt like Curtis had just punched him.

  When he could, he sat up. Curtis stood before him with a cup of water.

  “Drink.”

  He did as his brother told him. After looking around the waiting room, he looked up at Curtis.

  Curtis shook his head as if he’d read his mind. “Matt’s not here.”

  “Why the hell not? If your wife is going through this, you’re here!”

  “He’s not listed on any of her paperwork. She’s listed as single, and you’re listed as the emergency contact and next of kin.”

  His mouth fell open. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know.” Curtis rubbed the back of his neck with his hand then fell into the chair next to Carlos. “I checked with the nurse, and it’ll be a few hours before she’s out of surgery. I’m going to see to it that you can be there when she wakes up.”

  Carlos nodded. That was right where he wanted to be.

  “Do you have any way to get in touch with Matt?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll call Kathy and ask her to look in my contacts on my computer. Maybe Eduardo knows.”

  “Okay. Let me go see if there’s any news.”

  Carlos sat in the waiting room, surrounded by family members of other patients. He felt sick. Every part of him hurt, especially his heart.

  When he was calm enough he called home, and Kathy answered the phone on the first ring. “Sweetheart, what happened? Is she okay? Was there an accident?”

  “I’ll let you know all about it when I get home.”

  “I can come down.”

  “No. I need you to be calm and just be with the kids.” He swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed when he thought about the kids finding out their mother was sick.

  “Okay.” He heard her take a deep breath.

  “I need you to look in the contacts on my computer. I need to find Matt Carson’s phone number.”

  Sounds from the keyboard filtered through the phone. He looked at the small table next to him and noticed there were a notepad and a hospital pen laid out for those who waited here, unprepared in more ways than just lacking writing implements.

  He heard Eduardo’s voice in the room with Kathy. “What are you looking for?”

  “Matt’s phone number,” he heard her say, and he shook his head.

  “He moved out,” Eduardo said, loud and clear.

  “Kathy, let me talk to Ed.” He heard the phone pass hands. “What do you mean he moved out?”

  “They’re getting a divorce. He moved out before Thanksgiving. She didn’t tell you?”

  “No.” Carlos took a deep breath. “Neither did you.”

  “I guess I figured she would have told you. She tells you everything.”

  Evidently, she was keeping a lot of secrets lately.

  “Let me talk to Kathy again,” he said, and the phone changed hands. “I’ll fill you in when I get home and I have more answers. She’s fine, and I don’t want the kids to know until I tell them.”

  “Okay.” He heard the lift in her voice. He could trust her to keep quiet until he could talk to his children.

  Carlos drank three cups of coffee and paced the floor while Curtis slept in the corner of the waiting room. He’d told him to go home, but Curtis wouldn’t move. He was stubborn, and Carlos was happy to have him there. He needed his brother.

  When the nurse entered the room and began to speak to Carlos, Curtis shot right up. “They’ve moved her to recovery. As soon as she’s stable, you can go back and sit with her,” the nurse said, and Carlos nodded.

  “Thank you.” His mouth was dry. The room was still spinning, and all he could think about was gathering Madeline up in his arms and holding her tight.

  Guilt washed over him.

  He’d professed his love to Kathy and moved her into his house. When would he stop thinking of Madeline as his wife and feeling as if he needed to take care of her every moment?

  The color was returning in her skin, and the monitor on her heart began to beep a little faster.

  Carlos watched her carefully as her eyelids began to flutter. A few moments later, she fully woke up and turned to him. He’d been sitting by her side for over an hour, whispering words of encouragement in her ear. Now he kissed her cheek.

  “You did great.” He smiled.

  “What… are you”—she tried to swallow—”doing here?”

  “Did you think anything would escape a Keller?” He brushed her cheek with his fingers. “Curtis saw you being wheeled into surgery and called me.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t…”

  “Shhh. Don’t talk now. We’ll have time for that.”

  Madeline nodded and her eyes drifted closed.

  He’d gone down to the cafeteria to get some real food when they’d moved her to an actual room. A smile crossed her lips when he entered and he knew she appreciated his being there.

  “The doctor says the surgery went well.” Her words were now fluid and he could tell she was feeling better. Her eyes were glassy from the pain medication, but her smile was genuine.

  “Good.”

  “Thank you for being here. I didn’t think it would matter to have someone there when I woke up, but it did.”

  “You should have asked me to be here.” He pulled a chair close to her bedside and leaned into her. Careful not to disturb the wires and tubes attached to her, he eased his hand into hers. “Do you want to tell me why I think you’re on a vacation?” He raised his eyebrows.

  She diverted her gaze out the window. “I was scared. I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on until it was over. You’re kind of a worrywart,” she said, turning her misty eyes back to his.

  “You’re kind of important to me.” And that was an understatement.

  “That means a lot to me.”

  “Now”—he set his jaw and leaned in closer—”when did Matt leave?”

  She took a deep breath and shook her head. “He’s been gone for a month. We’re just waiting for the finalization of the divorce papers. We split amicably, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

  Carlos shook his head. He’d thought he was angry when they got married, but it wasn’t even comparable to how he felt now, knowing that Matt had let her down. “Maddie, I’m so sorry.”

  She shook her head again. “Don’t be. I’m okay with it.” Her brow furrowed and she turned her head directly toward him. “You shouldn’t be here. You should be home with Kathy.”

  “Kathy knows where I am. She’s worried about you.” He reached his free hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “I’m going to be here until they kick me out and then I’ll be back in the morning.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You need to be home with the kids and Kathy.”

  “You don’t get it, do you?” Carlos stood and walked toward the window. He looked out over the other buildings on the campus and thought of all the people who lay in the beds with someone who loved them by their sides. “You’re very important to me. Jesus, Maddie, we have a life together, still. What would have happened if this didn’t go well? I’d get some mysterious call that…” He couldn’t say it. “Damnit, does Matt even know?”

  Madeline shook her head. Tears were falling from her eyes.

  Carlos pulled a tissue from the box on the table next to her and wiped away the tears. “Don’t you think he’d want to know? You’re selling yourself short, thinking that none of us matter.”

  “I just didn’t want anyone to worry.”

  “Well, it didn’t work. Getting a call from my brother telling me he just passed you being wheeled into surgery was a bit of a shock this morning.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said again. Her eyes then flew open wide. “The kids?”

  “They don’t know a thing yet. But they sure a
s hell will when I get home. You can’t keep this from them. They have a right to know.”

  She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Will you stop it?” He sat back down and took her hand. “You’re not alone and you’re not going to be. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

  “But Kathy…”

  “Knows how I feel about you.” Of course he’d downplayed that quite a bit. He still felt very deeply for Madeline, and it ripped at his heart when he thought about having told Kathy he loved her. “She’ll be here for you too.”

  He’d left her side around dinnertime. The drive home gave him plenty of time to think about what he was going to tell them. He wished he didn’t have to. God, how he wished she were on a three-week vacation with her husband.

  Dinner had been cleared by the time he opened the door and walked into the house. The kids were putting away the last of the condiments and wiping down the table. Kathy stood at the counter, a cup of coffee in her hand, and watched him walk through the door.

  “Hey guys.” He forced a smile.

  “Hey, Dad. Where have you been?” Eduardo, the most observant, was the first to ask.

  Carlos took a deep breath and set his keys on the counter. He kissed Kathy gently on the lips and gave her a look to say thank you and then he turned to his children. All eyes were now on him. All movement had stopped. He pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down. He nodded to Kathy to do the same, and the kids followed suit.

  “Before I even begin this conversation with you, I want to start by saying everything is okay.” He made eye contact with all of them. “Do you understand?” Three sets of dark eyes kept on him as they nodded.

  “Your mom isn’t on vacation. She had surgery today and she didn’t want you to worry about her.”

  “She’s sick, isn’t she?” Eduardo slapped his hands down on the table. “She’s run-down and the other day she had a fever. She’s really, really sick, huh?”