Mama Tiger

Chapter 11.

Chapter 11.

"Why does Mom have to get chemo if they got the tumor out?" Jude asked, chewing a mouthful of cereal.

"Well, Honey," Lena explained. "There could be cancer cells the doctor can't see. This way, whatever bad cells are left will get killed."

"I can't wait to see Mom," Callie breathed, sitting down at the table and peeling a banana. "This day can't go by fast enough."

"I know," Mariana sighed. "I wish we didn't have to go to school today."

"You guys have missed far too much school already," Lena pointed out, putting her bowl in the sink. "Mom will be here when you guys get home." It was three days after Stef's surgery, and she was to be discharged that day. Lena was thrilled that her wife would soon be home. The house wasn't the same without Stef.

"Okay, kids," said Sharon, once everyone was done eating. "Last one to the car is a rotten egg." The kids groaned and playfully rolled their eyes, then came to kiss Lena goodbye.

Before Sharon left the house, Lena look her aside. "I can't thank you enough," she confided. "You've been such a help. Not just to Stef, but to me and the kids, too. I don't know if I could do it all alone." In spite of herself, tears filled her eyes.

"Sweetheart," Sharon breathed, taking her into her arms. "It's no problem. I would do anything for you and Steffi and my grandbabies. Anything at all." She pressed a kiss to Lena's cheek. "I love you as if you were my own."

"I love you, too," Lena told her, drying her eyes with a napkin.

Sharon looked back and laughed. "Guess I'm the rotten egg. I'd better get going."

"Bye," said Lena. She watched out the window as Sharon and the kids pulled out of the driveway and headed toward Anchor Beach. Then, she got dressed and left for the hospital.

When she arrived, she went to the nurses' station on Stef's floor to sign in. "Can I help you?" a receptionist asked.

"Yes," Lena nodded. "I'm here to see my wife, Stefanie Adams Foster. I was told she was being discharged today."

The young woman pulled up a file on the computer. "The doctor should be in to visit your wife shortly. He may want to discuss some concerns with you."

"Concerns?" Lena asked, furrowing her brow. Unintentionally, her mind went to a scary place. "Is Stef okay?"

"She's stable," the receptionist assured her. "You're welcome to wait for the doctor with her."

"Thank you," said Lena. She turned and hurried to her wife's room, stopping to sterilize her hands.

Stef lay her her bed, her eyes half-shut. Her blond hair was a mess, as if she'd been tossing and turning. Lena approached her slowly. "Hi, Sweetheart. It's me."

Stef opened her eyes fully, and her mouth turned up in a smile. "Hi."

"How are you, Honey?" Lena asked her. She still couldn't shake her feeling of concern.

"Better, now that you're here," Stef replied, raising her head a few inches from the pillow. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Lena told her. "Are you in pain?" She touched her wife's warm hand.

Stef nodded the best she could. "It hurts to move," she confided. Her eyes were glassy, and her cheeks were flushed. "And I miss my babies." Callie's teddy bear was tucked protectively in the crook of her arm.