It was clear what the cancer and chemotherapy had done to Mackenzie’s body. Her skin looked a greenish tint, she had dropped about twenty pounds in total, her hair was now almost completely gone now, but for some reason, Nick couldn’t convince himself that she wasn’t the same beautiful person he had met years ago. There was a knock at the door. “Visiting hours are over Nick,” the doctor announced.
Nick leaned over and kissed Mackenzie’s forehead and squeezed her hand. It was then that he realized that the engagement ring was still on Mackenzie's finger. "Some day Mac," Nick whispered. "We'll be together forever." He then turned and left the room. Twenty minutes later, Nick was receiving a large piece of blueberry pie from a local diner that he found impossible to eat.
Meanwhile, Brian, Howie, AJ, and Kevin were sitting around a table discussing what they were going to do now. It was now common knowledge that Mackenzie chances at survival were very minimal. The more she stayed in a vegetative state, the more her odds turned against her.
“What did management say Bri?” AJ asked.
“Well, they aren’t exactly happy that we cut off the last show of the tour, but they understand, I guess.”
“They should,” Kevin added angrily. “Nick’s fiancee is basically on her death bed.”
“Calm down Kev,” Brian said. “And don’t say ‘death bed,’ it’s bad luck.”
“It’s just frustrating. Especially with the state Nick’s in. He hasn’t said a word in a week.”
“Well, maybe Mackenzie’ll come out of it soon and he’ll forgive himself, because right now, he’s the only one beating him up,” AJ said.
“Mom…” Corey, Mackenzie’s brother snuck into the dark of the office where his mother, Linda was sitting in front of the glow of a computer screen. “Mom…”
“What Corey?” Linda said softly.
“Nothing, I’m just coming in to see how you’re doing?”
“I’m all right, how ‘bout yourself.” Linda turned away from her computer to face her son.
“Okay. How’s the baby?”
“Still kickin,” Linda said, putting a hand on her stomach so she could feel the faint pulses of little feet.
After a long silence, Corey looked up at his mother again. “Mom…is Mackenzie dead?” he asked, tears burning the backs of his eyes as he attempted to be the strong 15-year-old boy who had never cried before, even when his dad slammed the door on the family 9 months ago, just 5 months before Mackenzie left for the tour. “I mean, she’s in a coma, right? Why hasn’t she come out of it yet?”
“Corey, “ Linda began. “Mackenzie is trying so hard to wake up but her body is in such bad shape that she can’t right now. She will though…I prom…” Linda was cut off by the a sensation that she had four times before. “Um…Corey…my water just broke…the baby is on its way.”
While Linda was on her way to the hospital in a taxi, Corey stood by, in charge of the whole house. He woke everyone up one by one to tell them that mom had left for the hospital to have her baby. 13-year-old Jack hadn’t fully comprehended, Haylee wanted to stay up and wait for her mom to get back, and Natalie, the littlest one, had just rolled back over and gone to back sleep.
“Did you ask momma about Macky?” Haylee said to Corey.
“Yeah,” Corey said shortly before saying to no one in particular. “Why is mom having her baby now when Mackenzie won’t even be awake for a long time? Why the hell does that baby have to come now?” It was then that Corey allowed for a tear to streak down his face.
“Because Corey,” Haylee began in her 10-year-old antics. “Maybe God finally decided that we needed a little joy in our lives."
Chapter Twenty-Two
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