“Good.”

“Thank you for being here. I didn’t think it would matter to have someone there when I woke up, but it did.”

“You should have asked me to be here.” He pulled a chair close to her bedside and leaned into her. Careful not to disturb the wires and tubes attached to her, he eased his hand into hers. “Do you want to tell me why I think you’re on a vacation?” He raised his eyebrows.

She diverted her gaze out the window. “I was scared. I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on until it was over. You’re kind of a worrywart,” she said, turning her misty eyes back to his.

“You’re kind of important to me.” And that was an understatement.

“That means a lot to me.”

“Now”—he set his jaw and leaned in closer—”when did Matt leave?”

She took a deep breath and shook her head. “He’s been gone for a month. We’re just waiting for the finalization of the divorce papers. We split amicably, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

Carlos shook his head. He’d thought he was angry when they got married, but it wasn’t even comparable to how he felt now, knowing that Matt had let her down. “Maddie, I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head again. “Don’t be. I’m okay with it.” Her brow furrowed and she turned her head directly toward him. “You shouldn’t be here. You should be home with Kathy.”

“Kathy knows where I am. She’s worried about you.” He reached his free hand to her face and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. “I’m going to be here until they kick me out and then I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You need to be home with the kids and Kathy.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Carlos stood and walked toward the window. He looked out over the other buildings on the campus and thought of all the people who lay in the beds with someone who loved them by their sides. “You’re very important to me. Jesus, Maddie, we have a life together, still. What would have happened if this didn’t go well? I’d get some mysterious call that…” He couldn’t say it. “Damnit, does Matt even know?”

Madeline shook her head. Tears were falling from her eyes.

Carlos pulled a tissue from the box on the table next to her and wiped away the tears. “Don’t you think he’d want to know? You’re selling yourself short, thinking that none of us matter.”

“I just didn’t want anyone to worry.”

“Well, it didn’t work. Getting a call from my brother telling me he just passed you being wheeled into surgery was a bit of a shock this morning.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again. Her eyes then flew open wide. “The kids?”

“They don’t know a thing yet. But they sure as hell will when I get home. You can’t keep this from them. They have a right to know.”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

“Will you stop it?” He sat back down and took her hand. “You’re not alone and you’re not going to be. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

“But Kathy…”

“Knows how I feel about you.” Of course he’d downplayed that quite a bit. He still felt very deeply for Madeline, and it ripped at his heart when he thought about having told Kathy he loved her. “She’ll be here for you too.”

He’d left her side around dinnertime. The drive home gave him plenty of time to think about what he was going to tell them. He wished he didn’t have to. God, how he wished she were on a three-week vacation with her husband.

Dinner had been cleared by the time he opened the door and walked into the house. The kids were putting away the last of the condiments and wiping down the table. Kathy stood at the counter, a cup of coffee in her hand, and watched him walk through the door.

“Hey guys.” He forced a smile.

“Hey, Dad. Where have you been?” Eduardo, the most observant, was the first to ask.

Carlos took a deep breath and set his keys on the counter. He kissed Kathy gently on the lips and gave her a look to say thank you and then he turned to his children. All eyes were now on him. All movement had stopped. He pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down. He nodded to Kathy to do the same, and the kids followed suit.

“Before I even begin this conversation with you, I want to start by saying everything is okay.” He made eye contact with all of them. “Do you understand?” Three sets of dark eyes kept on him as they nodded.

“Your mom isn’t on vacation. She had surgery today and she didn’t want you to worry about her.”

“She’s sick, isn’t she?” Eduardo slapped his hands down on the table. “She’s run-down and the other day she had a fever. She’s really, really sick, huh?”

Carlos placed his hand atop Eduardo’s and nodded. “She’s very, very sick.” He saw Clara’s eyes begin to pool and soon the tears had fallen. He reached for her and she climbed up on his lap. “She doesn’t want you to worry about her, and she’d be sad if she knew you were.”

“What’s wrong with her?” The question came from Christian, who usually sat quietly.

Again, Carlos took a deep breath. “Your mom has breast cancer.”

“Oh, God!” Eduardo’s eyes filled with tears.

Christian pushed from the table and went to his room.

“Listen, that’s why she had surgery. Hopefully, they got all of the cancer and she’ll be fine. She’ll have another procedure in a few days to take out some tubes they had to leave in there. She’ll have to go through chemo, and then she’ll have some reconstruction done.” Kathy lifted her hand to her chest and batted away tears he saw lingering in her eyes. He looked at Clara. Her face was creased with confusion. Eduardo’s face, on the other hand, was set in anger. He understood that. He was angry with Madeline for not telling him the truth. He was mad at Matt for leaving her. And he was pissed off at the cancer for attacking the woman he loved. “But for now she’s in the hospital and they’re keeping a close eye on her.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell us? That’s not fair. She can’t do this to us.” Eduardo shook his head squeezed his hands into fists, popping his knuckles as he did so.