The Loving Mom Won't Live to See It Chapter 7

Donald barely slept. The knowledge that Audrey had faced cancer alone haunted him through the night.

At eight o'clock sharp, Robert's call shattered the morning silence.

"Donald, Margaret and I have decided to go to the hospital to learn about Audrey's condition," Robert's voice was hoarse. "We need to know what she went through."

Donald gripped the phone tighter. "I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure?" Robert hesitated. "Yesterday you seemed..."

"I need to know the truth," Donald interrupted. "Everything about my wife."

At ten AM, the three met at the oncology department entrance of St. Mary's Hospital. Margaret's eyes were red and swollen, Robert clutched her hand tightly. Donald looked pale but determined.

"We need to understand what our daughter went through during her treatment," Robert told the head nurse. "She kept everything from us, and we just found out about her illness."

"I need to check what we're legally allowed to discuss without patient authorization," the head nurse said gently, "but I can tell you something that broke all our hearts... Audrey came to every chemotherapy session completely alone."

Margaret's hands trembled. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," the nurse's eyes filled with tears, "for three months, she came twice a week for chemo, and never once had anyone with her. All the other patients had loved ones by their side, but she... was always by herself."

Robert's face crumpled. "We had no idea she was even sick."

"We all felt terrible for her," the nurse continued. "After each session, she'd be so weak she could barely stand. We'd ask if we should call someone, and she'd always say, 'They're busy, I don't want to bother them.'"

Margaret broke down completely. "We didn't know... If we'd known, we would never have let her go through this alone."

In the chemotherapy treatment area, Dr. Williams spoke with them about Audrey's condition. The space hummed with medical equipment, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

"Audrey was one of the strongest patients I've ever treated," Dr. Williams said. "Chemo side effects are absolutely brutal—constant nausea, vomiting, total body pain—but she never once complained."

Donald finally spoke. "Why didn't she tell us?"

Dr. Williams shook his head sadly. "She kept saying she didn't want to be a burden. Her exact words were always 'As long as they're happy, that's all that matters.'"

Margaret sobbed uncontrollably. "My baby girl... why did she think she had to protect us from this?"

"I tried many times to convince her to bring family members," the doctor sighed, "but she always refused. She was absolutely determined to shield you all."

At the hospital pharmacy, the pharmacist reviewed Audrey's medication records, his expression growing troubled. "This is concerning... her pain medication dosage spiked dramatically after her hysterectomy."

Donald looked confused. "How does a hysterectomy affect cancer treatment?"

The pharmacist explained carefully, "A hysterectomy is major surgical trauma that severely compromises a patient's immune system and recovery capacity. For someone undergoing chemotherapy, this means the side effects become exponentially worse, and pain management becomes extremely difficult."

Robert was stunned. "Are you saying if she hadn't had that surgery..."

"Her suffering would have been significantly reduced," the pharmacist said sadly. "We strongly advised postponing any elective surgery until after cancer treatment. But she insisted the uterine donation couldn't wait."

Margaret asked through her tears, "Why? Why would she put herself through that?"

The pharmacist shook his head. "She kept saying someone else needed it more urgently than she did. The pain medication levels in her final weeks... they indicate she was in agony."

Donald went pale, remembering how he'd pressured her. "It was me... I pushed her to have that surgery as soon as possible."

Robert froze, then exploded in rage. "What? What are you saying?"

"I kept pushing her to schedule the surgery quickly," Donald admitted, his voice breaking. "I told her Hailey couldn't wait any longer, that she needed to get pregnant..."

Margaret stared at Donald in horror. "You made my daughter have major surgery while she was fighting cancer?"

"I didn't know she had cancer!" Donald protested. "If I had known..."

Robert's anger erupted. "You didn't know? You're her husband! How could you be so oblivious to her suffering?"

"You sacrificed my daughter's health for that woman," Margaret cried, "and made her condition ten times worse!"

Robert pointed an accusing finger at Donald. "Because of your selfishness, my daughter endured unbearable agony!"

Donald completely broke down, collapsing into the nearest chair with his head buried in his hands.

Back home that evening, Donald sat alone in the living room.

"She said the nausea was from switching diet pills," he whispered to himself. "She said the business trips were for expanding her client base... Jesus, how could I have been so blind?"

He stared at the calendar, seeing Audrey's "business trip" dates with new clarity. "Every Tuesday and Friday, she always said she had client meetings... that's exactly when she was getting chemo."

But every time Audrey returned from chemotherapy exhausted, he'd complained that she couldn't join them for family dinner. When she threw up frequently, he'd even criticized her for being weak.

That evening, a phone call from Dr. Martinez at St. Mary's Hospital shattered his remaining illusions about Hailey.

"Regarding Miss Jenkins' uterine transplant candidacy, I need to clarify something about her medical history. Her uterine damage was caused by chronic pelvic inflammatory disease..."

Donald was confused. "PID? She told us it was a congenital condition."

"No, this is classic sexually transmitted infection complications, typically resulting from infections from multiple sexual partners and high-risk sexual behavior," the doctor corrected matter-of-factly.

Donald felt the ground shift beneath him. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Without question. This level of scarring indicates numerous untreated STI episodes over an extended period."

Donald hung up, staring across the room at Hailey preparing Flora's dinner. Rage began building in his chest.

"Hailey," he walked into the kitchen, "Dr. Martinez just told me your uterine problems were caused by sexually transmitted diseases."

Hailey's face went chalk white. "Donald, that doctor doesn't know what he's talking about..."

"Chronic PID from multiple sexual partners," Donald said coldly. "That's your so-called 'birth defect'?"

Hailey scrambled for excuses. "I... I made some mistakes when I was younger..."

Donald's voice turned ice-cold. "So you made Audrey donate her uterus to fix the damage from your reckless past?"

His anger reached a boiling point. If Hailey had lied about this, what else was fabricated? He began questioning everything he thought he knew about her.

"You said you had no family, that you were desperate for a child," he continued relentlessly, "but why do bank records show monthly payments to 'Maria Rodriguez'? Who is that?"

Hailey panicked completely. "Donald, I can explain everything..."

Donald had heard enough lies. Too many red flags had emerged—he needed to know exactly who this woman really was.

At nine PM, the private investigator's call revealed the devastating truth.

"About Hailey Jenkins' background investigation... her entire identity is essentially fabricated."

"What are you saying?"

"Her real name is Hailey Rodriguez. High school dropout, multiple arrests for prostitution. She may have deliberately targeted your family from the very beginning."

Donald stared at Hailey. This woman he'd believed was perfect, this woman he'd thought was better suited for his life than his own wife, was nothing but a calculating con artist.

And Audrey... his brilliant, beautiful wife had faced her final months knowing exactly what Hailey was, yet still sacrificed everything to give him and Flora what she believed they needed.

"Oh God, Audrey," Donald closed his eyes in anguish. "You knew all along, didn't you? You saw right through her from day one... but you still gave her everything, just so we could have what you thought was best for us."