Adopted by Heathers- The Threequel!

Chapter 14

"Are you sure you can take the kids?"

"I'm sure. It's fine." Shirley said on the other line.

"I mean, you've taken them pretty much every single day this month, it must be a lot on you at this point-"

"Catlynn! It's. Fine. Do what you need to do, Cesca will be around to pick them up in fifteen minutes." Shirley said, and I heard her bang something on the other line. "Sorry, doing laundry while we talk."

Jesus Christ. I was taking Shirley away from her daily living at this point.

"Are you absolutely, 100%, positive?" I clarified again.

"Oh my God, McLemore, you're my best friend! Of course I'd be okay with it!" Shirley said. "Look, I get you're stressed with...everything going on, but I promise- I swear on my life that I'll be here for you. And so will Cesca and your family and my family and anyone and everyone you ever knew. Okay? Okay."

"Alright." I sighed, looking down at my watch. "I gotta go to work. See you, Shirley."

"Love you, McLemore. Cesca's on her way." Shirley said.

"Can you-"

"Hm?"

"Sometimes I forget Red isn't home." I muttered. "Can you- can you have Cesca reroute to the children's hospital where I work? I'll drop the kids off in the playroom there and you can just pick them up from there..." I said, muttering curse words under my breath.

Red was in the hospital. Two streets down from where I work, the love of my life and my best friend was in the hospital. I visited her as much as I could, but between my own job and juggling three kids who didn't fully understand what was happening to their mother, it was hard sometimes.

And as much as it hurt for me to admit this, no one was sure how much time Red had left.

"Alright." Shirley said. "Just texted her. She'll be there in about twenty."

"Perfect. I'll meet her there." I said. "Bye Shirls."

"See ya, McLemore. Love you a million."

I smiled and hung up the phone, grabbed all the stuff I needed for work, got Levi from his crib, and headed to the kitchen, leaning on the counter with Levi in my arms.

"Ollie! Eleanor!" I called. "Come on, we're leaving!"

"Are we seeing Mommy?" Oliveira said, tugging on my sleeve. "Please? Can we see Mommy?"

"Yeah. I miss Mommy." Eleanor responded.

I sighed, hoisting Levi up and turning to my daughters. "We'll see your Mommy later today, okay? Right now I have to go to work, so you're going to hang out with Shirley and Cesca again!"

I tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible. I really did, trust me. But as young as the girls were, they were smart. I think they were starting to realize that me holding out hope wasn't really working.

I sighed, pushing some hair behind my ear. "Come on, you two. I'll get you two ice cream after work?"

"It's the middle of March. March is winter. Winter is cold." Oliveira said matter-of-factly.

"Milkshakes?"

"YAY!"

I stepped outside and unlocked the cars, the girls buzzing with excitement and talking to each other about what milkshakes they were getting later.

In that moment, I just wanted to lean on the steering wheel and cry. I wanted to crawl into bed and take in Red's scent on my pillows and pretend that the whole world was just paused for a second.

But alas, I had to keep on driving to work.

As hard as it was, I had to keep on driving.

~~~

"Alright, sweetheart, you're done!" I said to one of my patients, handing her a sticker. "That's for you, for being so brave...I need to talk to your mom for a bit and then you're good to go home!"

"Yay!" the little girl said, bounding off of the exam time.

That little girl almost reminded me of Oliveira in a way. Which tugged on my heartstrings a little more than I'd like to admit.

"Alright, so, your daughter has an ear infection, it should go away in a week with antibiotics. I just sent a prescription over to your local pharmacy."

I felt my pager buzz the second I said that.

"Your prescription should be ready in about an hour. Head to the front desk to check out, I'd like to see her in about a week for a follow-up."

My pager buzzed again.

"Thank you, Dr. McLemore-Ashley."

"My pleasure." I said, shaking the woman's hand as her and her daughter left my office.

I sat down at my computer the second they left, working on charts and just trying to get my mind off of everything happening in my personal life.

"Catlynn?"

"Yeah-" I started to say, then I realized what was going on.

My coworkers only called me by my first name when something was wrong.

"Is...everything okay?"

"You have the rest of the day off. It's...it's your wife."

"No."

~~~

I ran up to the front desk of the general hospital, sweating and hyperventilating and just generally crying and in a disheveled state. The world felt like it was blurring- I just wanted to get back to my job, or better yet, home.

I crashed into the desk, gripping the edges of it for dear life, not even caring that the receptionist seemed deeply concerned for my sanity.

"I- I'm here for Eliza-Elizabeth Ashley..." I said, choking on my words and trying not to sob. "I'm- I'm her wife, Dr. Catlynn Mc- McLemore-Ashley..."

The receptionist sighed and typed something on her computer.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Elizabeth passed ten minutes ago. I'm so sorry."