Goodbye, Mr. Regret

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.

remarry, find some perfectly healthy woman to be Henry's

these were the first things she worried about-afraid that a stepmother might mistreat

he was born, she

now, maybe none of that

her as nothing but a source of

was better not to

arrived, pale light creeping into the

dragged his exhausted body through

been in the wrong

bedding could have been explained easily-Jessica would

a gust of air fluttering a slip

was a stickler for cleanliness, and Jessica always kept the house spotless. It was strange to find a scrap of paper on

as soon

him, strode

"Yes, sir. You're home."

"Where's Jessica?"

"She's not

Mabel didn't know where she was,

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

"Of course."

out his phone

number you have dialed is currently

taken her to the hospital-she'd been in pain all night. She'd finally managed to fall asleep, and he'd rushed home as soon as

in line for more than half an hour at Velvet Fork to buy Jessica her favorite pastries. Afraid they'd be cold by the time he got home,

wasn't taking care of the house, her phone was off, and now she

off his