Chapter 27: CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Monday morning reared its ugly head. It was a rainy and dull and cold Monday. Which he supposed was why no one liked Mondays. Normally, Savannah woke him up with a call, a text, or a surprise visit. But there would be no more of that he realized. Stretching like a leopard, he tossed one leg over the bed and then the other.

Since he was no longer spending any time with Savannah, he had time to focus on his house. And focus he did. The walls in his room that had been a bare white were now steel gray with light gray horizontal stripes going across. He even painted Isabelle’s room and created a reading nook after watching a ton of YouTube videos. She also had a handmade bookcase, a new desk and a princess castle. He had been busy indeed.

He yawned as he walked towards the bathroom. He smiled after peeking into Isabelle’s room and seeing her small frame hanging off the side of her bed. She was a wild sleeper. One of the reasons he preferred that she sleep in her own bed.

It was officially one month since he had seen or talked to Savannah. His ring arrived at his office the Friday before by way of a courier service. The note was of few words. A simple ‘I’m sorry. And thank you.’ He shrugged off the memory. He hadn’t wanted her apology then and just thinking about it didn’t change his mind.

After dressing in his usual attire of dress shirt and slacks, he fought with Isabelle to get dressed while he made her breakfast. She sat at the kitchen table, kicking her chair and swirling her cereal around with her spoon. “Where’s Ms. Savannah?”

“I told you Izzy.” Dwight sipped from his coffee mug. “Ms. Savannah needs time alone to spend with Jake and Nicky.”

“But I like spending time with Jake and Nicky too.” She pouted and looked up at him. Tears threatened at the rim of her eyes.

Dwight knelt down in front of his daughter, grabbing a hold of her hands. Gosh, she looked just like her mother, who mysteriously had been MIA for the past few months. Something he was incredibly thankful for. “Isabelle, I’m sorry. But we have to respect other people’s wishes. How would you feel if you wanted something, and somebody gave you something different?”

“Ms. Savannah wants hugs, Daddy. She told me so. She really likes mine. How can I give them to her?” And then the tears flowed. He cleared his throat and pulled her into his arms. The last thing he wanted her to see was him bawling like a lost child.

“I know baby. How about you come to work with Daddy today?”

An hour later, Izzy was sprawled across the floor in his office, playing with the million and one toys that she managed to stuff into her book bag. She hadn’t mentioned Savannah since earlier that morning, and he released the breath he had been holding. Dwight stood near the window gazing. Maybe it was time to move on.

Savannah stood at the window, peering through the curtains. She was expecting Thomas any minute. Her appointment was in three hours and she wanted to work on a presentation she was doing for the referral that Duncan had given her.

So far, she was okay with time and wasn’t panicking but she knew Thomas. So, she panicked a little. She heard Jake before she saw him. Or rather she felt him before she heard him. She felt like she was being watched. Carefully. Intently. She turned.

“Hey buddy. Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing. Nicky kept taking my cars. And I got mad. And I remember that you said that I should walk away when I get mad.” He walked over to her and wrapped his short arms around her body. “You okay, Mommy?”

“Just waiting for your daddy.”

“Can’t we go see Mr. Dwight? It’s been a long time since we saw him.”

“I know baby. But sometimes people need to move on so they can focus on the things they have to do.” Gosh, why did he have to be so inquisitive? She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “Can you go check on your brother?”

The knock on the door scared her. She raced to open it for Thomas. “Wait here. I’ll get the boys.” Savannah felt like she was racing for her life. By the time she returned to the front door, she was winded. “Thanks.” She managed to say.

“You going by yourself?” He asked, helping Nicholas into his jacket.

Savannah brows furrowed at the question. “Not sure you should worry about that.”

Thomas stood up and stepped closer to Savannah. “I’ve been hearing things. I know you’re still running around with that guy I caught you with a few months ago.”

“I don’t believe you caught me doing anything. Nothing I do personally is any of your business. I don’t bother you and Angie. I suggest you don’t bother me.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared.

“Normally I wouldn’t say anything. But I have people walking up to me in the streets. And I’m worried about the influence this dude has on my kids.” Thomas knew he was crossing a line. The intense expression on her face confirmed it. But all he had been thinking about since that drunken night was Savannah wrapped up with that guy the way she used to be wrapped up with him.

“Mind your business. Bring my children home around seven. Sharp.” Ushering him out of the door, Savannah flopped down on the couch.

“Your numbers are looking good Savannah.” Dr. Sloan smiled at her. His silver hair had been recently cut. His beard was recently trimmed. Savannah considered him handsome in a professor type of way.

“So, what does that mean?”

“We’ve been monitoring the cells in your breast, making sure that they aren’t growing. Your scans look good. Your hair is still thick even though you lost some. How has the nausea been? Are you still getting sick?” He sat on the edge of his desk.

“Not as much as before. I’m still really tired though. And I get winded faster.” Savannah could feel her voice about to break but she steeled herself and focused on what her doctor was saying.

“I want to watch for a few more weeks. If your cancer continues to respond the way it has been responding, then we can lower the amount of radiation. Try some other forms of therapy. Would you like a prescription for B vitamins?”

“No thank you. I should be fine.”

“Where’s Dwight? How is he handling all of this?”

“We… umm. We decided that given the circumstances we should go our separate ways. It was for the best.”

“And it was mutual?” His eyebrows hinted that perhaps he didn’t think so. She could not begin to fathom how the doctor would know whether she was lying. She shrugged it off.

“It was.”

“Such a shame. Well, you need someone to help you through this. Cancer and the treatment of cancer can take a toll on someone emotionally, physically, mentally. There should be someone that can help you handle that.” He scribbled something down on a pad. “Here is that prescription. If you change your mind. See you in two weeks.”

Savannah grabbed a muffin from the hospital’s food court and nibbled at the edges. Dr. Sloan was right. She did need someone to talk to. And she was quickly running out of options. Kim had become more emotional over the past few weeks of her helping Savannah so talking to her would not do.

She and Dwight had not spoken or seen each other in weeks. If she was being honest with herself, she would admit that she missed him. Terribly. And she was pretty surprised that he had not made some overt romantic gesture to get her back. Regardless of that, he was no longer available to her. She did not really have any close friends and sharing anything about her personal life with Thomas would create more problems than it would solve. She sighed and nibbled. And within moments, she was up and headed to her car, a light bulb hanging over her head.