Michaela sat staring off in space. Why was this happening to her and her family. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. It couldn't be possible.
"Are you sure Andrew?"
"Yes I am very sure. The cancer is in both of your lungs."
"And there is nothing you can do?",asked Michaela even though she already knew the answer.
"Well there are treatments that we can do that can make you feel more comfortable, but we don't know much about cancer of the lungs yet. I wish I could tell you everything would be fine.",replied Andrew.
"Yes I understand. Andrew I would like to keep this between you and me. I will tell them on my own."
"As you wish Michaela."
Michaela left the clinic. As she walked down the street. So many people who were her dearest friends said hello and waved to her. So much life was all around her. But now she would not get to experience a full life of happiness. Her husband and children would be taken away from her.
As she reached the cemetary she passed by Abagail and Hannah's graves. She thought of how much pain and loss Sully already had lived through. Now he would lose yet another of his loved ones. Michaela fell to her knees and put her hands up to her face and cried.
Michaela rode Flash home that night. She put her in the barn. When she walked into her home. Her husband and her two children Katie and John were playing with their toys by the fire.
When Katie and John saw their mother they ran to her. Michaela accepted her children into her arms. The children that she thought she might never have. She was grateful everyday for God giving them to her.
Later on that night as Sully was reading by the fire. Michaela stared at the family picture on the mantle. It was of her, Sully, John, Katie, Alex, and the twins. It had only been taken month ago. Now she would leave her children without a mother. She knew that Katie and John would remember her, Alex might remember her, but she knew Danielle and David were too young.
Sully went over to the table where his wife sat deep in thought. He pulled a chair out and sat down beside her. He grabbed her hand in his own. Then he pulled it to his lips and kissed it.
"How did you appointment go with Andrew?"
Michaela felt tears threatening to fall from her face. But the more she tried to fight them the more they threatened to fall down her face. She finally stopped fighting them and let them fall.
"Sully he says that I have cancer in both of the lungs."
"Is it fatal?"
"There is almost 99% chance of lung failure."
"There has to be something they can do?"
"There are treatments that can make me feel more comfortable to breath"
"No I won't accept that. There has to be a surgery or a medicine, something that can save your life."
"Sully there is nothing. All we can do is prepare the children and pray about it."
"Michaela I won't let you go. I can't let you go. You are everything to me. If I loose you how will I be able to go on. I can't just sit by and watch you die. I have to do something anything to help you."
"Sully you can stand beside me. Help me through this. Love me through this."
Sully pulled his wife close to his chest. He held onto her tightly. As if he could keep her from the death that awaited her. He wouldn't let her die. He couldn't let her die. She had so much to live for. So many people she needed to live for. He vowed that somehow he would find a way to save her life.
A few days later Michaela and Sully sat down with Brian, Colleen and Matthew in the living room of the homestead.
"Kids your Ma has something she needs to tell you.",Sully told his children.
"A couple of days ago I saw Andrew for and appointment. He diagnosed me with cancer of the lungs. Which is almost always fatal. I know that this a lot for all of you to take in all at once, but I need you to be prepared for this. I want all three of you to know that I love you very much and that I never want any of you to think that this is your fault.",Michaela said with tears of pain falling down her face.
Colleen felt her own tears falling down her face. Her mother was dying at such a young age. How would their little brothers and sisters live without their mother. Colleen looked over at her brothers. Brian and Matthew sat quietly. They were as white as snow, and they had a look of shock of fear on their faces.
Colleen ran into her mother's arms. She never wanted to let go. Her mother was her mentor, her courage, her faith. She had given her so much wisdom and guidance in the years since she had known her. It was going to just about kill her to have to say goodbye to her.
Brian and Matthew also went over and hugged their mother, but they did not cry. They had been taught that men do not cry. They stood strong, but yet inside everything was threatening to fall apart. They knew that they were going to break if they didn't get out of their soon. They couldn't bare to see their mother see them cry.
As the weeks went by Michaela grew worse. She had been to dozens of doctors all over the country. There was nothing that any of them could do to save her life. Her breathing was short and irregular. Her once beautiful skin was so pale. Her body was so skinny that you could see the bones of her small frame showing through. But yet she still maneged to smile for her children.
Sully sat beside his wife on their bed. She looked so pale. But yet she was still so beautiful. She reached over for his hand. She took it inside of her own. Then she pulled it up to her cold lips and kissed it.
"Sully I'll always be with you no matter what happens. I'll stand beside you, hear in your heart. Never forget how much I love you when I'm not here and your doubting yourself. Just look inside of yourself and there I'll be waiting for you whenever you are in the darkest place I will be your light and lift you up."
"I know but, that doesn't mean I won't miss you. I don't know how to go on with you. When I needed someone to help me find my way, there you were. All these years that we have faced so many challenges you were always there standing beside me. I found my strength inside you, but I'm afraid that when your gone. That my stength won't be enough to carry me on."
"You will find the strength inside of yourself, our children, and our friends. They will be your strength and they will carry you on. The long road you will have to face will not be easy, but if you believe in me I'll be your beside you through it all."
Sully leaned in and held onto her and began to cry. They held one another that night and cried for all of their fears. The tears just kept coming and wouldn't stop. He held onto her because he knew that their moments together grew fewer as the days passed on.
Matthew was working on building a new fence on his property. He had been throwing himself into his work. Sleeping and eating very little. He couldn't think about his mother or that she was so close to being taken away from them. He slammed the hammer against the fence. He pounded and beat at the fence until all the anger and frustration was gone. Then he dropped to the ground and cried. He cried for all of the moments they had shared as a family, and all the moments they would have to share without her.
Brian was outside cleaning the barn.Brian couldn't bare to watch his mother die. She meant so much to him. When his real mother had died she had been there when he needed someone the most. But know she was dying and who was he going to turn to know? He picked up the bridel that had fallen and tried to put it back up on the post. He began to beat it against the post with all of the strength within him. He beat it out all of his anger and frustration of not being able to help his mother in any way. He ran from the barn. He ran and ran to any place but where he was. He stopped by the creek he had gone fishing so many times as a child. He sat down beside it and finally let his tears fall. The tears he had been fighting for weeks.
Sully was downstairs. He knew how much this was tearing up his family. His older children were filled with anger and frustrated from not being able to save this woman that they all loved and needed so much. Sully felt the same way. He would give his life if it could save his heartsong, but he knew it couldn't. He dropped to the floor and he prayed up to God for the first time in many years.
"God if you can hear me don't take away my Michaela. She is everything to me and our family. We will be lost without her. She is all we have left. We all need her so much Lord. It is tearing my family apart while she lays on her death bed. Please spare her life. I would do anything in this world to save her. I ask you please do not take her from me."
Michaela could feel her children and husband's pain. They were all hurting so much because she was dying. She could feel that this was the final hour. That what ever was going to happen would happen soon.
"Dear God, I beg for you to watch over my husband and my children. Let No harm come to them. Let them no when I am not here that I still love them and that I will never forget them. Please let them be able to accept my death with as much little pain as possible."
Michaela saw the light. She knew that this was it. She felt her soul leaving her body. Matthew, Colleen, Brian, and Sully knew that she was passing on. Sully ran up to the bedroom and he held onto her body. As if he could will her spirit back into her know lifeless body.
Michaela saw her husband crying over her body. She didn't want to leave him or their children. Then out of the light she saw a bright light and then she was back inside of her body. All of the pain in her chest was gone. She had been cured from the cancer. She held onto to her husband.
Even in her darkest hour he had stood beside her and not let any harm come to her, not even death. She knew that his faith had given her the strength and it had been a miracle that she had lived. He had stood beside her even in death.