All Chapters of Decisions I made : Chapter 211 - Chapter 220

The house felt different when they returned from the funeral. It was strange how quickly a place could change without anything physically being moved. The furniture was still in the same places, the Christmas decorations were still hanging from the walls, and the tree still stood in the corner with the lights glowing softly. Yet the house felt quieter than it ever had before. Everyone had spent the last several days surrounded by people, doctors, hospice nurses, funeral directors, relatives, and friends. Now that the funeral was over, there was finally nothing left to distract them from the fact that Wayne was gone.Jack walked through the front door and stopped. His eyes immediately went toward his father's chair. Nobody had moved it. His blanket was still folded over the armrest exactly the way he had left it. Jack stared at it for several seconds before quietly saying, "He should be sitting there." Lela slipped her hand into his and stood beside him. She didn't try to tell him that

The first morning back in Georgia arrived quietly, almost as though the world had decided to give them a little more time before demanding that they return to normal. Pale sunlight slipped through the curtains of the bedroom, stretching across the floor and stopping just short of the bed. Lela woke slowly, her body still heavy with exhaustion, and for several seconds she forgot where she was. Then she heard the familiar hum of the air conditioner and felt Jack's arm wrapped securely around her waist. She opened her eyes and looked toward the other side of the room. Their suitcases were still sitting near the closet, only partially unpacked, and one of Jack's uniforms was draped over the back of a chair. Everything about the room said they were home, but Lela knew neither of them felt completely settled yet.Jack was awake.She could tell by the way he was staring at the ceiling."You're thinking again," she whispered.He looked down at her."I wasn't sleeping.""I know."He sighed and

The weeks that followed the accident changed the way Jack looked at Lela. Before, he had worried about her because she was pregnant, because her feet had been swelling, because she had already been through more than enough during the pregnancy. Now, there was something different behind his eyes whenever he watched her. He noticed every glass of water she drank, every meal she skipped, every time she rubbed her stomach or quietly lowered herself onto the couch because standing had become too exhausting. The doctors had confirmed that Lela had gestational diabetes, and while they reassured both of them that it could be managed, the diagnosis meant another layer of appointments, blood-sugar checks, dietary changes, and monitoring. Lela tried to take it all in stride, insisting that she could handle it, but Jack could see what she refused to admit: the pregnancy was taking more from her every day.At her next appointment, the nurse placed the scale beneath her feet and asked her to step o

The next morning, Lela woke up to the unmistakable feeling that something had changed. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was at first. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the familiar heaviness in her body to settle. Her stomach felt tight, her legs were swollen again, and there was a dull ache in her back that seemed to have become a permanent companion. She rolled onto her side and reached for the glass of water on her nightstand, taking several slow sips before she even attempted to sit up. The room was quiet, but somewhere downstairs she could hear Jack moving around. He had apparently decided that since his wife was pregnant, he was now responsible for making sure she ate, drank, rested, checked her blood sugar, and did absolutely nothing without his approval."You're awake," Jack called from downstairs.Lela smiled."Unfortunately."She heard his footsteps coming up the stairs."What's that supposed to mean?""It means I'm tired."Jack appeared

April seemed to disappear almost as quickly as it arrived. One minute Lela was looking at the calendar and realizing she had only a few months left, and the next she was standing in front of the nursery closet, folding tiny pink onesies and wondering how someone so small could possibly need so many clothes. Her due date was April 23rd, and everyone around her had started counting down the days. Her mother called constantly asking whether she felt anything different. Her father had developed an entirely unnecessary habit of checking in every morning and every evening. Jack was worse than both of them combined.Every little ache made him look at her.Every time she put a hand against her stomach, he asked what was happening.Every time she stopped talking for more than thirty seconds, he wanted to know whether she was having contractions.Lela finally told him one afternoon, "When I actually go into labor, you will be the first person to know."Jack looked at her seriously."Promise?""