Chapter Four

Two weeks ago things have changed for Davis a girl appeared at his doorstep at the wrong time when his parents were coming down from Chicago to Clinton Indiana that morning.

And with a lot of overthinking that lasted a few days, he had decided to let her stay until she wanted to leave on her own. But there were times at night when she would cry over her parents but would never talk about it when he asks.

She had kept her word and had been helping around the house and the farm. He was surprised to find out how quick of a learner she was when it came to things she had never done before. While he worked in the fields and was too busy to prepare supper for the past week he was greeted by a smiling girl at the table filled with food. But today would be different his mom would get supper prepared but no girl with a big smile across her face. Because two nights ago Sophie had suddenly felt sick to her stomach and thrown up and was now resting. She couldn't keep anything down but small portions of thin soups and after pressuring her to get checked out by a doctor Sophie eventually gave in and would go tomorrow morning.

Returning home from the fields

He entered the house and was greeted by his mom.

"Hi, honey how was it out there?" His mom asked. She had decided to stay a bit longer when she had heard that Sophie wasn't well while his dad and brother Andy went back home to Chicago.

"It was alright the same as usual." He shrugged catching his eye on Sophie snuggled under a blanket on the couch asleep in the next room. He signed and walked in her direction.

"What did you cook?" He asked his mom crouching beside where Sophie lay.

"Mashed potatoes and meatloaf."

He hummed in response and lightly touched Sophie's face. She slowly opened her eyes and slightly smiled at him. For a short moment she seemed to concern him, she wasn't herself she never gave him a half smile even if she was upset with him at times.

He was yet to get information from her since she never wanted to talk about it and he wanted to respect that but it was honestly getting on his nerves he knew she didn't want to talk about it only because she was hiding something from him and his family. He's tried to have his mom go and talk to her for him since it seemed natural for women to talk to each other more easily than for a woman and a man to have a conversation especially if it was more of a feminist talk. But that seemed to not even work.

"You need to stay hydrated, sip some water?" He told and picked up the glass of water from the stand and held it up to her lips. "Small sips no gulping." He told once more. He couldn't risk having her throw up uncontrollably again when she needed to at least keep more food down.

When she took one last sip he put the glass back on the stand and stood back on his feet to help her sit up by grabbing both her hands. Then his mom walked over with a tray of tomato soup.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Your welcome dear," his mom said. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "The same I guess?"

"Your acting like my son here?" His mom laughed. "He said pretty much the same thing to me when I told him about how the field was?"

Sophie held back the laugh that he had noticed when she looks at him.

"Maybe I'm catching on to what Mr. Davis is like from these past couple of weeks?" She smiled that soon vanished. "Ma'am, may I talk to you about something that's kinda personal?"

He looked back at his mom in surprise maybe she was ready to talk and didn't want to hide it anymore.

"If it's personal don't you think you should tell Davis instead you are closer to him than you are to me after all?"

"I could but I would feel more comfortable telling this face to face to another woman." She told. And his mom nodded.

He knew he should leave for them to talk alone so he went to his bedroom since he was in the need of changed clothes and a quick wash-up. In the bathroom, he turned the faucet of the shower on and then undressed before stepping inside letting the steaming hot shower droplets burn against his bare skin. He didn't care if it burned him so bad that it could leave his body pure red. The only thought he had was in hopes his mother would tell him what it was that Sophie had told her. He wasn't used to Sophie not going to him and not telling him what it was she would want to talk about. Just thinking about it not only frustrated him but made him feel left out.

He bumped the corner shelf and the bottle of soap falls to the floor onto his feet. Letting out a yelp and almost stumbling back through the shower curtain his mom's voice could be heard on the other side of the bathroom door.

"Honey are you alright in there?" His mom asked.

"Yes, mom no need to worry!" He hollered. After that, there was silence his mom must have walked off without another word.

Then after getting dressed, he went to the dining table to eat his supper with a small limp from the soap bottle falling onto his foot, his mom was already eating before he had sat down. He looked behind him in the living room to take a peek at Sophie who was taking her time eating her tomato soup.

"Davis honey there's nothing to stress over she's fine." His mom reassured taking his hand into hers. He exhaled and turned to his mom this time.

"What is it she told you?"

His mom smiled seeming amused. "It's not really serious."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Davis there is a reason why she came to me instead, if she wanted to tell you I'm sure she would have."

He signed and shook his head not wanting to agree with what she said.

"I never would have thought you'd be jealous of your mother over a girl?" His mom laughed.

"I am not why would I be jealous of you." He told with a hint of irritation in his tone.

"Because you like her. She's like a sister you never had and you care about her a lot. I've seen that you are happy when you two are together it doesn't matter if you ride on Belle together or if you're cleaning up the messy stall you always have a bright smile and I can't be happier to see you enjoying your time with her."

She wasn't wrong he's noticed it himself the girl has been growing on him the past couple of weeks and he even enjoys her company but now she was sick and they couldn't take off with Belle around the farm.

"Yeah..." He lightly chuckled.

"Mr. Davis?" Sophie's voice echoed behind him.

"Yes?" He said and pushes his seat back enough to stand up.

"I'm finished with my soup."

He went up to her while he could feel his mom smiling behind him, he wasn't completely sure when she accepted Sophie's stay in his home. It all was like a blur to him like he woke up one morning and she was all for it, but his dad was still not so much he had his mom call him ever so often every day for updates just in case something had happened even though they both weren't able to leave his moms sight. She does call him but she never tells his dad about him and Sophie's rides, that was a secret between the three of them. His mom had more trust in both of them than his dad ever could.

"And could we watch a movie tonight?"

"Ooh that sounds fun we can have a light family time!" His mom told with joy and Sophie smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'm good but you two can watch a movie I need to get out there in the fields in the morning and start planting."

She frowned. "What about my doctor's appointment your not coming with me tomorrow morning?" Her eyes filled with tears ready to cry at any moment.

"My mom would be with you it's not like you would be alone?" He told taking the tray from her lap.

"But- forget it I understand your fields are more important than me and your mom?"

He knew what she was doing trying to make him feel guilty for not spending time with them. He could understand a little bit of why she was doing it because all he had been doing was the fields all week and no family time even though Sophie wasn't family she did live in his house so technology made her family she was like a little sister.

"Couldn't you wait a couple of hours to plant so you could watch a movie with us and go to her doctor's appointment tomorrow morning?" His mom asked pointing with her eyes.

"Alight fine but tomorrow after we get back home I don't want to hear any complaints when I get out there and plant because that does need to be done."

Sophie nodded keeping back a smile from forming. And while he put the bowl in the sink his mom helped Sophie pick out a movie for them to watch.

When he went back into the living room Sophie almost ran into him for how fast she was walking. He looked at his mom confused but she seemed to not realize. So while his mom was scrolling on the tv for a movie he walked through the house to find out what she was doing.

On the other side of her bedroom door, he could hear her giggling he wasn't sure what for but he was happy that she was happy.

Giving the door a light knock he spoke. "Sophie you are the one who had the idea to watch a movie so don't waste all your time in there."

"Give me a minute, please!" She told sounding as if startled.

It seemed every once in a while no matter if she felt unwell she would go to her room for a few minutes looking all happy then come out looking not so good like she was going to throw up at any minute. But whatever it was she was doing he was going to let it be and not ask questions.

Walking out to the living room Sophie came out of her room and trailed behind him a few feet away.

"There you two are. Oh and Sophie I wasn't sure what to choose from so I'll let you pick."

"Alright then everyone get comfortable in your seats I already got a movie in my head. We're going to watch a nice family and kids movie." She surprised him by taking a hold of his arm and pulling him to the couch making him sit. She took the tv remote from his mom and scrolled through for the movie. "Everyone likes the lion king right? Because it's one of the best movies I've watched back- anyway it's a good movie!" She tried to hide her sadness with a smile but he could see that she was hurting on the inside.

And only if he knew what was going on he or at least someone might be able to help her in a way.

"Who wouldn't like the lion king?" His mom said.

"Exactly whoever doesn't is automatically a psychopath in my book."

He laughed at how serious she was about it. "A psychopath don't you think that's a little harsh?" He told with a chuckle.

"Maybe I should find a different word then?" She gave it thought then gave up when couldn't and sat down between him and his mom on the couch and pushed play.

The alarm clock went off meaning he had to get ready for the day and get the ladies up to leave for Sophies doctor's appointment to get checked for anything that was possibly causing her to feel unwell. And even though he preferred to plant the field than go to a hospital where a lot of people were he didn't want to upset her any more than what she was yesterday by saying no to her.

He clicked the off button on his phone and lay in his bed stretching out his arms in the air not wanting to get out of bed. After a minute or two, he forced himself out and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

There was a long day of work for him to do so it was best to start it off by getting the doctor's appointment over with.

His mom walks past with a yawn.

"Mom." He called out and caught her attention. "Is Sophie up yet?"

"No, but I'll wake her."

He went to the kitchen and toasted a few Kellogg's Eggo waffles for a quick breakfast. He set the waffles on a plate and drizzled them with maple syrup.

When everyone was ready it was time to go. Sophie took her last sip of water and set the cup aside on the counter and they all seated in the truck.

The sound of the engine running was pleasing to his ears. His dad had fixed up his truck before heading back to Chicago and he couldn't be happier to drive it again. Though he enjoyed riding his motorcycle quite a bit in the summer, he couldn't ride it in the fall. That would only be an accident waiting to happen.

On their way to town driving on the back roads, unexpected construction was happening even though the road looked perfectly fine to him. It wasn't like there were any potholes or things like that.

Taking a left turn on the first crossroad before going through the rough construction. They eventually made it to the hospital.

He sat in the waiting room while Sophie and his mom were at the desk getting checked in.

He checked his surroundings to see how many people were in the room. He counted four. Then his mom and Sophie came and took a seat next to him and waited just as he had been doing ever since the first minute he stepped into the place.

When Sophie's name was called he and his mom stood but Sophie did not. He looked at her questioningly and without a single word he held out his hand for her to take in the assurance that everything will be okay no matter what may be getting in the way of her daily life.

She took it with a small hint of a smile that she tried to hide with her other hand over her mouth. And they followed the nurse to a room.

When they entered his mom took a seat against the wall and Sophie without letting his arm go sat on the patient's bed as he just stood next to it.

"So I heard that you haven't been feeling so well lately?" The nurse looked at Sophie in question.

She nodded.

"Do you have any idea why you have been feeling so nauseous?"

She shrugged with a slight shake of her head.

"Ok, that's alright because we are going to figure this out together and there's no reason to be nervous I promise I don't bite?" The nurse gave a warm smile.

The nurse asked a few more questions and Sophie answered with a single yes or no.

This was the longest wait of his life he expected it to take at least twenty to thirty minutes but no he was wrong it was much longer.

When the nurse switched places for the doctor things seemed more complicated for Sophie than they should have been. She acted the same way as she would toward Andy. He couldn't understand it.

"Young lady, I only want to help you?" The Doctor told.

"Sweetie, can you please do as the kind doctor asks you?"

She looked up at me for help.

"Don't look at me I'm with mom on this one. We all want to know what's wrong with you?"

"Doctor if I may ask what is your prediction of her current state?" His mom asked.

The doctor put in thought for a minute then said. "Well I'd believe this young lady is to be-"

His heart felt like it had just dropped to his stomach then wanted to vomit it up. It couldn't be true after all that was only the doctor's prediction Sophie wasn't fully tested for it to actually be true not yet anyway.

He looked at his mom who looked too stunned to speak any further.