He can’t die. That’s all there is to it. Nobody saw this coming, least of all me, but now that it’s here, we have to deal with this head-on. Denial won’t solve anything. I don’t have time to fall apart- he needs me now. There will be time to lose it later, one way or the other. Right now, I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and praying that this nightmare will end, for his sake and the children’s. There are others who will help me see this through, but God, I feel so alone.

(99 – word count)