All Chapters of Decisions I made : Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

The next few weeks settled into a strange rhythm.Jack went to work.Lela worked on the nursery.They talked about names.They argued over whether the baby needed an entire closet before it was even born.And every night, Jack asked the same question."How are you feeling?"Every night, Lela gave him the same answer."Good."But she wasn't always good.Some days she was exhausted.Some days she felt perfectly normal.Other days, the slightest cramp or strange feeling sent her mind racing back to the emergency room.She didn't tell Jack every time.She didn't want him worrying over every little thing.Instead, she kept her next appointment circled on the calendar.Thursday.That was the day she would see Dr. McGehee again.And she couldn't wait.Thursday MorningJack was already dressed when Lela came downstairs.He looked at her."Today's the appointment, right?"She nodded."Yep.""I'll take you."She smiled."I thought you had training.""I moved it.""Jack.""What?""You didn't hav

The holidays arrived faster than either of them expected.By December, the house in Georgia was filled with little reminders that Christmas was coming.Lela had put a small tree in the living room. Jack insisted on hanging lights outside, although half of them stopped working the moment he plugged them in."You bought these last year," Lela reminded him."I know.""They're broken.""They're not broken."She pointed at the dark section of lights."Jack."He stared at them."Okay. That section is broken."She laughed.Despite everything they had been through, this Christmas felt different.It was their first Christmas as husband and wife.And it was going to be their first Christmas knowing they were expecting a baby.They had decided not to make the holiday about themselves.They wanted to spend it with family.So they packed the car and headed back to Pennsylvania.Christmas EveThe house was overflowing when they arrived.Lela's parents had decorated everything.There were lights eve

Christmas morning had started with laughter.By the end of the day, nobody was laughing.The Christmas tree still glowed in the corner of the living room, its lights blinking softly against the darkened room. Presents were stacked beneath it, untouched. The smell of Christmas dinner still lingered throughout the house, but nobody had the heart to eat.Lela sat on the couch with her phone clutched tightly in both hands.She had been checking it every few minutes.Nothing.No call.No message.She knew Jack was at the hospital with his father, but not knowing what was happening was almost unbearable.Her father sat in the chair across from her, watching her carefully."He's going to call," he said quietly.Lela nodded, although she wasn't sure whether she believed him or was simply trying to convince herself.Then her phone rang.She nearly dropped it.Jack.She answered immediately."Jack?"His voice was quiet."Lela."Something about the way he said her name made her stomach drop."Wh

Lela had always known that Jack's father loved Christmas.Everyone did.But there was something the family had forgotten in the chaos of the last few days.New Year's Eve was his favorite.It wasn't just another holiday to him.It was the night he loved most.Every year, he made a celebration out of it. He wanted everyone together. He wanted music playing, food on the table, champagne glasses raised at midnight, and somebody inevitably yelling at everyone to hurry up because the countdown had started.He loved the idea of ending one year and starting another.A fresh beginning.A chance to leave the bad behind.A chance to celebrate surviving another year together.And now, December 31st had arrived without him.The Morning AfterLela woke up early.She had barely slept.She rolled over and saw Jack sitting on the edge of the bed.He was already dressed.She knew immediately that something was wrong."Jack?"He didn't answer.She sat up."Hey."He finally looked at her."I keep thinki

The days leading up to the funeral became a blur of phone calls, paperwork, visitors, casseroles, flowers, and decisions nobody wanted to make.Lela had always assumed that when someone died, the family simply planned a funeral and grieved.She was quickly discovering there was nothing simple about it.There were funeral-home arrangements to finalize, cemetery decisions, flowers to choose, people coming in from out of town, an obituary to approve, clothes to buy, and seemingly endless phone calls from people wanting to know what happened.And in the middle of all of it, Jack was fighting with the Army.His father had just died, and somehow he was still expected to explain why he needed to remain in Pennsylvania.Jack couldn't believe it.He had already notified his leadership that his father was terminally ill. He had explained the hospice situation. He had told them the family was preparing for the end.Now his father was dead.Yet his emergency leave still hadn't been properly appro