“And then I climbed up into a tree and uh… oh Dad had to get me down because I didn’t wanna. He got the ladder,” Ezekiel giggled as we talked on video, Alexander was busy helping my parents clean their house as I sat on the couch, “but I got in trouble, Caelan.”

“Well, when your Dad tells you to get down, then you need to listen. You weren’t being respectful, Ezekiel.”

“Are you mad at me?” his eyes grew damp and I smiled gently, shaking my head.

“No kiddo. Never. You were just trying to explore. It wouldn’t be nice of me to be mad.”

“Why does everyone around you look sad?”

My family members had been passing behind me, all with downtrodden expressions as today had been Oliver’s funeral. We had a celebration of life at my parent's house and Alexander had been taking care of all the kids as I supported my siblings. It was clear that something was wrong even to Ezekiel, no one truly happy or comfortable with life right now.

“Today was when we laid my Papa to rest. That’s all. Everyone is a bit sad.”

“Oh. I forgot. I’m sorry, Tuakana,” he stuck out his bottom lip and I tilted my head.

“Tuakana?”

“It means big brother in Maori,” Ezekiel giggled, making me smile, “you’re Alexi’s boyfriend so that means you’re a brother to me too.”

“I suppose I am.”

Alexander joined me, resting his chin on my shoulder from behind and I reached up to rub his cheek, “Hi Zekey.”

“Hi! I was talking to Tuakana. What are you doing?”

“Helping Caelan’s parents. I miss you. We should be back soon. We have a bit to do in Indiana before we can move home. I don’t quite know when though.”

“Okay. Mum said the box she sent should be there in two days. It had to be looked at by people.”

“Had to clear customs, make sure your Mum wasn’t sending anything illegal,” I laughed as Cosette came running over to me, her blonde curls bouncing, “Hi Cozy.”

“Uncle Cae! Uncle Alexi!” Cosette wiggled, “My sisters were born! Papu just told me!”

“Really?” I gasped, looking at Alexander who smiled gently, “Oh that’s amazing.”

“Mhm. But I can’t see them yet,” she pouted, crawling into my lap and realizing I was talking to Ezekiel, “oh! Hi!”

“Hi,” Ezekiel giggled, “who are you?”

“My name is Cozy! Are you Uncle Alexi’s little brother?”

“Mhm. I’m Zeke. Wait… Alexi, if Cozy is Caelan’s niece does that mean she’s mine too? That’s weird!”

“Well Cae and I aren’t married but I guess she would be technically.”

“Not if you don’t want that, Zeke,” I shook my head, “you can just be cousins. You’re so much younger than us, it would be a little odd.”

“Mhm okay. I wanted a cousin. Oh, Cozy! Do you have any pets?”

“No,” she frowned, “Daddy and Papu told me we can’t until my sisters are bigger.”

“Oh. I have a puppy. His name is Scout.”

“Do you two want to talk alone for a bit? You can have Zeke meet your cousins,” I handed Cosette my phone and she bounded off my lap, racing for her playroom where Carson and Camden were playing, “there we go. They should bond if we plan to bring Zeke out here. He’ll need people to play with.”

“You’re so gentle with him,” Alexander whispered in my ear before kissing the side of my neck, “he adores you. You know that, right?”

“I adore him too. I love our little talks. I think I talk to him more than you do.”

“Can we go outside for a second? There’s something I need to share with you.”

“Sure?”

I followed Alexander outside and into the small forest near my parents' home. We stopped next to a group of pine trees and he ran his hand along the bark before sighing softly and looking at his shoes.

“Alexi?” I whispered, placing my hand on his chest.

“If something happens to my parents, I get custody of Ezekiel. I just… wanted you to know this. Mum has already had leukemia. Dad has bad kidneys that will probably need to be replaced at some point. I just…”

“If something terrible happens, if we lose your parents, we can raise him together. I promise, Alexander. I’d never leave you to deal with that alone.”

“Swear?”

“Of course I do. I’m your partner.”

Alexander gently cradled my face before kissing me, his hands shaking. I gripped his arms, humming gently between kisses in the hope that he would relax but he slowly started to cry, wrapping me in a tight hug.

“What else is wrong?” I kissed the middle of his chest.

“Mum’s cancer is back,” he hiccuped and I shot away, looking at him confused, “Her doctor sent me all of her scans, tests, everything. It’s so bad. It’s called triple-negative breast cancer. They caught it late. It’s already starting to spread into her lymph nodes and they found one in her brain. I need… to go home. Okay? I want…”

“We need to go to Taupaki. Not just you. What can they do?”

“She’s having a double mastectomy in three days. Then a lymphadenectomy to remove the lymph nodes that are swelling. Radiation and chemo for the one in her brain. They’re throwing everything they can at it. She was sick when we were there but so excited to meet you that she just… hid this until now. Dad told me.”

“Okay. We need to get flights then. I want to hopefully be at the hospital during her procedures.”

“Caelan,” his eyes grew wide and I smiled, touching the necklace he gave me as I used it for strength.

“You flew to Montana with me to be here when we lost Oliver. I refuse to accept that Ruthie is going to leave us. I won’t stand for it. She needs support and hope. Does Zeke know?”

“He knows she’s having surgery but doesn’t know why and Mum won’t let us tell him.”

“Then we don’t. Come on. Let’s get ready.”

We headed into the house again, packing our bags as Remington watched us confused.

“We’re going to Taupaki,” I called as Cosette brought me my phone before running away and after ensuring the call with Ezekiel had ended I looked at my father again, “Alexi’s mum has cancer. Again. It’s spreading and we want to be there while she has surgeries to hopefully extend her life. Ruthie is young, Baba.”

“How young?” Remington whispered, immediately jumping in to help us pack.

“45,” Alexander called over his shoulder, “my Dad is 44 almost 45. They were 15 when I was born. 33 when Zeke was.”

“Jesus…” he sighed, “okay. I’ll drop you at the airport. I want constant updates. Your family is ours too, Alexi. If you need anything, and I truly mean anything, Teddy and I can be on a flight to Auckland as soon as you call. I want you to rely on us too, okay?” Remington quickly pulled Alexander into a hug as he started to cry loudly, the adults in my family joining us with confusion but they hugged Alexander as well, offering him support.

“What’s happening?” Teodoro came to me, looking confused.

“Alexi’s mum is… I don’t want to say dying. I refuse to accept Ruthie leaving us. She lets me call her Mum as well. She has cancer. Three different kinds at once. They’re doing a few surgeries, chemo, and radiation starting in a few days. She’s already had leukemia. We’re heading back to be there with them. I might need a favor from all of you. Okay? Is there any way one of you can go to my house in Indiana and get Hobbes from Delaney? I’ll pay for whoever to fly to Taupaki and bring him to me. We’ll be there for a long time, I can tell. I’ll let my coworker know I’ll sell my house to her while we’re there. I don’t really know what to do about getting my stuff but…”

“We’ll go,” Cassian smiled, rubbing Alexander on the back, “I’ll take Cyrus and our parents. Cruz would come but with Athena and Artemis being born he can’t. We’ll clear out both houses and start shipping things to you. I’ll drive your car back for Cruz just leave the title with me.”

“I’ll bring Hobbes to Taupaki. Is the paperwork I need for him at your house?” Teodoro smiled and I nodded, staring at my family, “We’ve got you both, you should have known this Caelan.”

“Just forgot. Alexi? Does this work? Moving there now?”

“Yes,” Alexander hiccuped, cleaning his face as Cadence held him, the only one still with him, “Cadie?”

“Shut up. You need it,” Cadence muttered, “we’re sorry this is happening. Honestly.”

“She’s going to be okay. I know it. She got through leukemia before, she can do this now. My mum is strong.”

“I can tell,” Teodoro smiled, “get your stuff together. We’re heading to the airport.”

Once everything was packed, Remington and Teodoro took us to the airport as we continued to plan how to ensure all of this would work. Alexander called Delaney as we sat at our gate and she agreed to meet Teodoro at the airport with Hobbes in two days so that he could bring my cat to Auckland. Teodoro was spending one night in Auckland before heading back home and I agreed to spend the day with him, wanting to show him around and discover new things myself.

“It’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, Alexi,” I kissed Alexander’s arm and he smiled, his face a bit red.

“Promise?”

“I promise, baby.”

“I believe you.”

We once again reached Auckland two days later, our constant trips leaving us exhausted and confused. Jacob was waiting for us alone and rushed over, hugging me before Alexander.

“You’ve never hugged me,” I laughed, rubbing his back.

“Sorry. I just… thank you, Caelan,” he whispered in my ear, “I know you’ve had it rough lately. I’m sorry about your grandfather. But I just…”

“Your wife is sick and you’ve been together for a long time. I understand, Jake. What can we do?”

“I want to take Alexi to the hospital to see Ruthie but I can’t bring Zeke in the room because of the radiation. The doctors told me it could make him sick. Is there any way he can spend the night with you?”

“Duh,” I smiled, “why don’t I stay at your place so he’s comfortable? I’ll sleep in Alexi’s old room. But I want to see Ruthie as well. Can we go to the hospital first? Where is Zeke?”

“With Harvey but he needs to go to Leeds tonight to get Ruthie’s mum. She’s scared to fly alone. My parents are already on their way up. We can go see Ruthie for a bit then I’ll take you to our place.”

“Wait,” Alexander shook his head, “no. Take us to our house. I’ll get my ute for Caelan. You’re getting a crash course on driving here but I don’t want to leave Mum tonight. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. My father Teddy will be here soon with my cat. We’re going to spend a day in Auckland together before he flies back to Montana. I’ll be away from you for a day as well. Both of my parents are also willing to jump on a flight as soon as we need them. They probably would have come now to be fair if my Papa hadn’t just passed. I’ll just work on the moving stuff while we’re here. I have my visa with me as well as my license. No one will question me driving until I get it updated and you already put me on your truck insurance. Everything is fine. We’re here, Jake.”

“Thank you. Truly. I am so glad Alexi met you,” Jacob aggressively wiped a tear away and I had gathered that he was not one for showing much emotion.

“I’m glad I met him too. Let’s go.”

After getting Alexander’s truck and tossing our stuff into the backseat, we followed Jacob to the hospital. Alexander had me drive, surprised as I took to the change naturally, only making a few small mistakes at turns. We reached the hospital and immediately ran inside, putting on masks and disinfecting per a nurse before we were let into Ruthie’s hospital room. She was lying in the bed, reading a book calmly, and looked shocked when we came in. Ruthie was clearly weak, her cheeks slightly sunken, and I couldn’t understand how the woman I met a few weeks ago had taken such a rapid turn for the worse.

“Alexi?” Ruthie whispered, setting her book down, “What in the world?”

“I insisted we be here,” I called softly, “We’re moving now. I don’t want to be away from you, Mum. My family understood and are helping us with everything. I just wanted to see you before I went to your house to take care of Zeke.”

“Oh Caelan,” she smiled as I came closer, “you’re such a good man. I’m proud of you. The coldness in your voice is gone finally.”

“I found more family that I care for,” shrugging, I carefully ran my fingers through her hair, “what can I do?”

“Take care of my boys, okay? In the off chance I don’t make it through my surgery or things progress to a point I can’t stay here with all of you. Jake isn’t going to handle it well.”

“Ruthie, you aren’t going anywhere,” Jacob huffed, using a sharp tone to hide his fear, “you promised.”

“I know, honey. But let’s be true to ourselves. If this is all handled, if I manage to go into remission for the second time in my life, it can happen again.”

“I…” was all he said before sitting in one of the chairs and raking his hands through his hair, “Okay. I…”

“We’ve been married for twenty-seven years. Did you know that?” she smiled at me and I shook my head, sitting on the side of her bed as Alexander joined his father, openly crying, “We got married at a catholic church when Alexi was three. We’re catholic after all, even if we disagree with some teachings of the church we still go every Sunday before we take Ezekiel to the beach. When it’s my time, I know I’ll be safe in the arms of our Lord. My father will be waiting for me. I have a few regrets if it’s coming on this quickly. I won’t see Alexi get married or Zeke grow up. I’ll never get to be a grandmother.”

“You are though. If you want,” I smiled, fighting down tears, “I have 8 nieces and nephews. They would love to have a grandmother. We’re going to Montana in December, remember? You wanted to spend the holiday with my parents so Zeke could play in the snow. My family is yours. My parents keep telling me that.”

“Oh. Right of course! Tell me, what are their names?” she closed her eyes and I continued to pick knots from her hair.

“In order it’s Carson, Cosette, Camden, Annamaria, Athena, Artemis, and little Oliver will be born in a few months.”

“Beautiful names,” she hummed before snoring softly and I gently kissed her forehead.

“They have her on morphine don’t they?” Alexander called and I nodded.

“I believe so based on how fast she fell asleep. I need to get to Zeke now. Keep me updated okay?” I whispered and Alexander wrapped me in a hug from behind, “She’s not going anywhere, Alexi. I swear.”

“I hope not. I can’t say I believe you, I know the signs better than most. This is bad, Cae,” he buried his face into the side of my neck and I ran my fingers through his hair, “god it’s bad. She’s deteriorating too quickly.”

“If you were her doctor, what would you do?”

“Exactly what they are. Unless she decided to not fight it. I’d have her stay in the hospital on medication and allow open visiting hours for her family to be here.”

“Okay. Then they made the right choice. I’m here, no different than you were when we lost Papa.”

“I know, baby. Thank you,” he whispered, “thank you, for everything you do for me.”

“I do it because I care for you, Alexander. Our life is hard right now. But we will get through it together.”

“I know.”