Free and clear until the bedroom...

You walk up to the front door, and swing it open. You enter the house a look around, everything as you remember it, except a new picture on the mantle.

Curious you walk up to the mantle and pick the picture up. It’s of a little girl, perhaps three, maybe four years old. The girl has Doe’s strawberry blond hair, and her blue green eyes. The shape of her face is different though, and oddly familiar. You shrug and put the picture back where it was, then head towards the stairs. Taking them two at a time you quickly get to the top, and stroll down the hall towards your parents room.

The door is partially open, and you glance in. Doe is in the room giving your mother a shoulder rub.

Your mother, her head clean of any hair, sighs at Doe’s ministrations of her shoulders. “That feels good dear.”

“My pleasure Mrs. Jones. I know how the treatments can make people stiff. And I’m glad to say the worst of it should be over.” Doe says, smiling at your mother lovingly over her shoulder. “Seven more treatments and you should be out of the woods.”

“That’s a good thing, dear.” Your mother reaches up and pats Doe’s hand. “Before you go and pick up Courtney, could you put a pot of coffee on?”

Doe smiles, “Of course, you know I would do anything for you.”

Watching this scene causes your heart to ache. You remember all the times the two of you were being cared for by your mother, and to see Doe returning the favor, well it makes you think of things that could have been. Of childhood dreams. Dreams that you had been afraid to try.

Swallowing, you knock on the door, and push it the rest of the way open.

Doe inhales sharply as you enter the room, flushing bright red. “OH! John!! You’re here already.”

Swallowing you go to your mother. “Hey mom, how are you?” You bend down and give her a kiss on the cheek, your hand brushing against Doe’s. She take another sharp breath at the momentary contact.

Your mother frowns, “I’m feeling well now dear. Cancer can’t keep a good strong women down, that’s for sure!” She looks over her shoulder at Doe who is now looking away, sadly.

You straighten up, and look at Doe, “How are you? How’s Hank?”

“I’m fine. Peachy in fact. I’ll go put the coffee, and then go pick up Courtney at school.”

Your mother nods as Doe leaves the room.

You stare after her as she gets to the stairs and starts down. You turn back to your mother who is just frowning sadly, and shaking her head. “Messed up again I guess, huh?” you say, smiling sadly as you scratch the back of your head.

“Go talk to her. She’s missed you terribly, and you just totally ignored her.”

“Mom, I came to see you. You are the one with the cancer. Now granted what I just heard seems to indicate you are in remission, but…”

Your mother glares at you, “John. Go and talk to her. Or I will not speak to you. Now get out of my room.”

Surprised at her tone, and the words you back out of the room. You head back downstairs and head towards the kitchen. You pause at the door, hearing female sobs, and a male voice saying there there.

“He…he wouldn’t even look at me. It’s like I didn’t exist to him.” you hear Doe sob.

Your father’s voice cuts in, “I’m sure he was just apprehensive. Unsure. You two hadn’t seen each other in a long time.”

“I know…it’s just…oh god.”

“Did you tell him yet?”

“No…no not yet, like I said he wouldn’t look at me. And when he did, he asked about Hank. Didn’t you tell him we were divorced? That after a year he started hitting me and…”

You inhale sharply. You hadn’t known that. Even if your parents had said anything about her, you stopped reading the letter, not even wanting to think of her.

“We put it in the letters we sent, but every time we talked to him he, well, he’d say, he didn’t want to know. But you should relly tell him about…”

“Not now…not now. L-later maybe.”

“No maybe, he deserves to know. He has to know.”