Only You (13 page)

“Camden Elisabeth Shepherd,” Molly looked at her angrily. “Why would you ever think that we would pick Shane over you?!? You are our daughter!!!”

“I know that, Mom. And I probably would have come home sooner, but some stuff happened that stopped me from doing that.” Camden looked at Eric, who smiled softly and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

“Eric and I are not a couple.”

Molly and Jack looked confused by the awkward segue. Camden grasped the photo album in her lap and handed it to her mother. Two tears escaped Camden’s moistened eyes.

“I’m sorry, mommy. I’m sorry, daddy. I just couldn’t put you guys through it. I had already hurt you so much, and I didn’t want you to think I was coming back only to use you.”

Distressed by Camden’s words, Molly settled into Jack’s side and opened the scrapbook. The first page had a picture of a smiling Camden and a smirking Eric. Eric was making bunny ears behind Camden’s head, and they were wearing matching shirts that said “I’m with Stupid” and had arrows pointing to each other. What caused Jack to stiffen and Molly to gasp, however, was that both teenagers were pale, gaunt, and bald.

Molly immediately flipped to the next page and then the next. The scrapbook told the story of her daughter’s first year away from home, and the story was a difficult one to process. Their baby had been fighting cancer and they had never known. It was obvious from the album that Camden and Eric had met in chemotherapy. The bond they had forged created a friendship that became as close as family. Molly was glad for that, but she was angry, too. Tears clouded her vision.

“What if you had died?!?!” she yelled. “Camden, how could you?!?!”

Camden flinched. “Mom, I was protecting you!” she yelled. Eric squeezed her hand to remind her that while she had years to take in this information, her mother was hearing it for the first time. In a softer voice, Camden continued.

"I felt guilty. You had lost me once when I ran away. As far as you knew, I was gone forever.” Molly whimpered at her words, but Camden continued to explain. “Trust me, mom. I felt guilty, but I’d been gone only three months when I was diagnosed, and I was heartbroken, confused, and alone. I started chemotherapy a month later, and I met Eric on my first day.” She smiled fondly at the memory. Eric was a full month into his treatment, and had already lost his hair, but his engaging personality and positive attitude in spite of life’s struggles had been magnetic to Camden, who at the time felt lonely and broken.

“Eric pulled me into his family, and while it was no replacement for you guys, I wouldn’t have survived without their support.”

Jack tightened his hold comfortably around Molly, and looked at Eric. “Thank you again, son, for all you’ve done for our girl.”

“I love her, sir. Can’t imagine my life without her. And that’s why we are here.”

Jack froze. Molly’s tear-filled eyes began to overflow again and she hurriedly stood and crossed the room to Camden.

“You’re getting married?!?!?”

Camden’s eyes widened to saucer-like proportions. Her panicked stare met Eric’s, and he burst into laughter.

“Mom?” Camden calmly tried to remove herself from Molly’s grip.

“Mom, Eric and I are not getting married. We CAN’T get married.” Molly looked at Camden, the smile on her face faltering. “Mom, we can’t get married, because we aren’t together. Eric is gay.”

Inside, Jack began doing somersaults and backflips in celebration. He really liked Eric, but he had seen firsthand Shane’s distress over the last month, and if what Camden said was true, Eric was not an obstacle to her happiness with Shane. Even during their arguing that weekend, Jack had seen that underneath it all, Camden and Shane were meant to be together. Those two kids made each other happy, and he loved each of them with all his heart. He craved his children’s happiness.

“Excuse me,” Jack turned to the others in the room. “I could use something to drink. Would any of you like anything? Camden, your mom has some of her homemade lemonade in the fridge. That always was your favorite.”

Eric ears perked when he heard the word “lemonade”.

“Molly’s famous lemonade? Camden’s talked about that for years. Count me in.”

Jack chuckled and left the room. While he was getting the lemonade, he’d give Brody a call. It wouldn’t hurt to get the boys over here…let nature start taking its course. He imagined it would only take a little push for Shane and Camden to see what he had seen all along.

As he left the room, Molly looked at Camden and brushed her blonde hair behind her ear.

“We need to wait for your dad before we hear the rest of your news?”

Camden nodded, and the three moved back to their seats.

“So Eric, tell me about your family,” Molly prompted, trying to fill the silence with conversation.

“Well, I was raised in foster care, but when I was seventeen, I was taken in by my dads. Luckily for me, they were able to help me come to grips with some things I’d known about myself, but hadn’t yet accepted.” He smiled, as he thought of his parents.

“I thought for sure when I turned eighteen, I’d be on my own, like most kids in the system, but they asked me to stay. A year after that, I was diagnosed with cancer, and they stepped up. After that, there was no doubt they were my true parents. I met Camicake a couple months later in chemo, and she became the sister I never had. So, she, Marvin, and Tim are it for me.”

Camden cleared her throat.

"Oh, and my dads have just decided to adopt a baby, so I’ll soon have a baby brother or sister, although I’m not at home to “grow up” with it.” He chuckled.

"Who wants some lemonade?” Jack grinned as he entered the living room. “I brought a whole pitcher, since Camden can never seem to stop at one glass.”

Camden laughed. “What can I say? Mom makes the best lemonade ever!” Molly blushed at the compliment.

Jack took in the people in the room and smiled. He really like Camden’s friend, Eric. It seemed that Eric was keen on keeping Camden in touch with her family, and he seemed to be good for her. He was supportive and funny, an all-around good guy, and Jack was thankful that Eric had been looking out for Camden while she was gone from home.

“So what did I miss?” he asked the room.

“Oh, Eric was just filling me in on his family.” Molly smiled and turned her attention back to Eric. “And Eric? You can add the Shepherds to that list. You’re part of this family now.”

Eric jumped up dramatically and whooped, almost causing Camden to spill her lemonade. She growled at him, and he smiled playfully. There was that smirk that she loved so much. Camden held her hand over her glass protectively.

"The offer will be rescinded if you mess with the nectar of the gods,” she teased.

“You can’t rescind an offer you didn’t make, baby, and your momma just adopted me into this family. I’ve been dreaming of this for years.” He turned to Molly. “So, when do I get to have your famous lasagna?” He grinned at her.

She laughed and looked to Jack. “He only wants me for my food!” She pretended to be offended, but Jack could see she was delighted to realize that while they had been absent from Camden’s life, they had still been on her mind...enough so that her best friend apparently knew all about them.

“So, I hate to be a Debbie Downer,” Camden began. “But there really is more to the reason we are here today.”

Jack and Molly both became immediately alert, focusing all their attention on the pair seated on the love seat.

“You see,” Camden began. “I had a relapse.”

“Do you have an album from that, too? I hate to see how sick you were, but I like feeling as if I know where you’ve been,” Molly explained.

“No, mom. I don’t have an album.” She paused and chewed her lip. She didn’t miss the look of disapproval on her mother’s face, and she almost laughed at how much she had missed her mother’s nagging over things as simple as biting one’s lip while thinking.

“The relapse is why I decided to come to the camping weekend. Eric didn’t know yet. I hadn’t told anyone, actually, so I figured the weekend was my chance at closure.”

Jack sat forward, hope evident in his hazel gaze. “But your back now, so does that mean it is in remission?”

Camden’s eyes watered and she shook her head. “No, daddy. It’s back, and it’s worse than before. It’s mutated since last time, and it’s more aggressive.”

Molly inhaled sharply, and began to cry. Jack placed his arm around her shoulders and tucked her close to him.

“Are you starting chemo again?” Jack probed.

“Yes, sir. I was supposed to start last Monday, but there was a complication.”

Everyone was so focused on the conversation at hand, not one person heard the front door open and close, or the footsteps sounding in the foyer.

“A complication?” Molly murmured.

Camden reached for Eric’s hand, which was resting in his lap. He squeezed it encouragingly, letting Camden know without words that no matter what, he would be there for her through everything. Her gaze scanned her parents’ faces before breaking the silence with two life-changing words.

“I’m pregnant.”

There was a pause as Molly and Jack took in what this would mean for Camden’s cancer treatment, but also what it would mean for her life in general. They were both torn between elation, at the thought of becoming grandparents, and despair, at the thought of the possibility of permanently losing their beloved daughter.

“YOU’RE WHAT?!?!?!?!”

Four pairs of eyes turned to look at a livid Brody and a pale Shane.

***

Chapter 16

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Brody barreled across the room toward Camden and Eric. Eric was a decent sized guy, but Brody yanked him from his seat by the collar of his shirt as if he was a small child.

"What the hell did you do to my sister?!?!” he demanded.

It was bad enough being hung over (even though Shane’s hangovers were typically milder than his friends’ were), but Shane felt like his heart was trapped in his throat. The pounding in his head mixed with the breaking of his heart into tiny pieces. He had told her that he loved her, and she had run. Now she was back and carrying another man’s baby. How much more could he take?

Shane turned to leave, only to have Camden’s words stop him in his tracks.

“Stop, Brody!” she yelled, as he manhandled Eric. “It’s not his baby!”

Brody froze and stared at his baby sister in confusion.

“It’s not Eric’s baby,” Camden stated again, but this time, Shane had turned around, and he was sure the words were for him alone. Her eyes locked on his, and Shane saw something akin to hope in their depths.

Brody released Eric’s collar slowly, and faced his sister completely.

“Whose is it?” he demanded.

“Brody Shepherd,” Molly finally stepped in, her shock finally dissipating. “You apologize to your sister, AND Eric, this instant,” she scolded.

“I’m twenty-one, Brody. I’m not a little girl, and I don't have to listen to you.”

“And mom, no offense,” Brody look to Molly. “I’m not a little boy. Who is the father?” he asked yet again. Camden shook her head and shoved Brody. She moved around him and returned to the couch, where Eric had already made himself comfortable. He took her under his arm, and spoke calmly, but with authority, to Brody.

“Sit down, man, and your sister will tell you everything you want to know.”

Brody glared at Eric, but moved to sit on the large floral couch next to his father. In all the commotion, no one noticed a stone still Shane, staring at Camden in awe. As everyone settled into their seats, and the room quieted, Shane’s soft voice carried across the room.

“It’s not Eric’s?” he whispered, agony evident in his tone.

Camden’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at him, fearful of his rejection.

“Eric and I were never together.” She forced herself to hold Shane’s stare. “There hasn’t been anyone since graduation night.”

“What happened graduation night?” Brody grumbled, demanding answers yet again. For a smart guy, Eric wondered why Brody seemed so incredibly thick-skulled sometimes. For instance, Camden and Shane couldn’t take their eyes off one another, but Brody still hadn’t connected the dots. Since they were obviously in their own little world, Eric figured he could get Brody to shut up without suffering Camden’s wrath for revealing her personal secrets.

“Camicake lost her v-card to Rob the quarterback.”

“WHAT?!?!” Brody screeched. “You slept with Rob Harris?!?” He started to jump from the couch to break into another lecture when Jack’s hand circled his wrist and pulled him down again. “I knew that red dress was no good,” he muttered. “Stupid Jennifer. I told everyone she was a bad influence, but did anyone listen to me? Noooo. Brody doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Completely oblivious to Brody’s tirade, Shane stepped closer and closer to Camden. Tears sprung from his eyes, and he dropped to his knees. He kneeled in front of the couch, and then wrapped his arms around Camden’s waist. Pressing a kiss to her belly, he whispered, “We made a baby?”

Camden gasped as his deep blue eyes, swirling with a depth of emotion she had never seen, met hers. She began to cry, tears pouring down her face, and she nodded her head. A grin spread across Shane’s face, and he buried his face in her lap and sobbed. Camden ran her fingers gently across his scalp, his hair feeling like strands of silk across her skin.