Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Chapter 4

Before she left, Jessica still wanted to see Henry one last time.

After all, he was her own flesh and blood.-

He was only six-just a child, really. How could a mother possibly hold a grudge against her own son?

As she reached Henry's bedroom door, she heard his voice from inside.

"Miss Sheila, my mom is usually very polite. I don't know what happened today. I want to apologize for her. You're an adult, so please don't be mad at her, okay?"

He was too young to understand the tangled web of adult relationships. If Sheila really was Timothy's aunt, then by family standards, there was nothing wrong with what Henry said.

He was trying to defend her.

Jessica felt a bittersweet twinge of comfort.

She was about to push open the door when Henry continued, "Miss Sheila, thank you for being so understanding and not getting upset with my mom. I just wish my mom could talk as nicely as you do. Then I wouldn't have to worry about my classmates making fun of her for being mute."

...

"Yeah, there's a kid in my class whose mom limps, and everyone teases him all the time. I don't want to end up like that being laughed at, not able to hold my head up."

Jessica let go of the doorknob, her breath catching painfully in her chest.

The older Henry got, the less he could accept her shortcomings.

She had barely six months left to live...

When she was gone, Timothy would be Henry's only guardian.

some

were the first things she worried about-afraid that

her world. From the day he was born,

none of

saw her as nothing but a source

better not to see

arrived, pale light creeping into

exhausted body through the front

in the wrong last

hotel bedding could have been

of air fluttering a slip

for cleanliness, and Jessica always kept the house spotless. It was strange to find a

chill. Normally, as soon

door behind him, strode to the living

"Yes, sir. You're home."

"Where's Jessica?"

hesitated. "She's not in the

know

the scrap of paper, Timothy told her, "After breakfast, make

"Of course."

out his phone and called

you have dialed

her ankle just after leaving the house. He'd taken her to the hospital-she'd been in pain all night. She'd finally

than half an

phone

yanked off

went shopping when they