After Garroth got his presents, we thought we were done. After all, what can a one year old do with so many toys?

I hold him on my lap, stroking the few curls he has left. He plays with the wheels on the new car that he has. It's perfect for his age, as there's big wheels and bright red colors. Garroth smiles at me, laughing a tiny bit. I smile back at him. He holds up the car and shows me.

"I see, half-pint. Isn't it cool?" I ask him.

I pull him closer to me, his back against my chest. I can tell he's getting tired, as his eyes are drooping a little bit. I watch him play with his car gently, since he's too tired to play like he usually does.

Everyone's silent. Tobin got pretty tired earlier and went to sleep. It's just Zianna, her mother, Garroth and I sitting in the living room. We talked for a bit, and it almost seems too tense to not talk. Ziannas mother smiles at Garroth and Garroth smiles back. I notice and kiss Garroth's head.

"Do you wanna hold him?" I ask her mother.

"Of course I would!" Her mother says cheerfully, standing up and gently taking Garroth. She sits back down as he plays with his new car that he seems overly interested in.

I scoot next to Zianna, who seems to be spacing out as though she is smiling at her mother and Garroth. I place my arm around her. She smiles slightly and rests her head on my shoulder. I kiss the top of her head.

"So," Zianna's mother breaks the silence. "How was Afghanistan Garte?"

"It was... stressful, I guess. I hated being away from all of you." I say, smiling slightly at Garroth who is examining the details of the toy car.

"We missed you, too." Zianna says, looking up at me. I look back down at her and smile.

There's no way I could love her any less than I do. She's the strongest person I know, stronger than my own mother. Zianna's amazing and beautiful in every way. And even if I'm in Afghanistan for a few months, I can't imagine my life without her.

Garroth begins to whimper a little bit. All of us notice. Zianna's mom tries to calm him down to the best of her ability, whispering that he's okay to him. He drops the car with tears in his eyes. He begins to try and get out of her arms.

"Is he hungry? It's been a while since he's eaten." Zianna's mother is.

"I think he wants his daddy." Zianna says, getting off my shoulder and scratching her eye.

"I think so, too." I say as I walk over to Garroth.

His little, skinny arms reach up for me. I gently take him out of Zianna's mom's arms. His head immediately rests on his shoulder. I rub his back in a circular motion. He begins to breathe slower and his eyes droop.

"He looks pretty tired." Zianna says. She looks the same way.

"I'm pretty sure he is." Zianna's mother says. "You guys go to bed, I'll clean this up."

"Thanks, mom." Zianna says as she tiredly gets up.

I wrap my arm around her waist and we walk into the guest room. Zianna lies down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. I lay Garroth down on the bed, pulling out the striped blue onesie to put on him. I take off his pants and begin to unbutton his shirt. He let's out small whimpers.

"I know, buddy. You're okay." I say, zipping up the onesie.

"Leave the cap on." Zianna says. "We're leaving pretty early tomorrow."

I nod and pick Garroth up. He seems so tired that his body seems only a little bit heavier. It was scary to see how skinny he is. I walk over to the crib, but he grabs onto my shirt and begins to cry slightly. I assume it's because he's scared I'll leave in the morning.

"Let him stay with us. He won't go to sleep any other way." Zianna says.

I smile at Garroth, agreeing with her. All I want to do is hold Garroth, anyway. I lie down, letting Garroth lie on my chest. His ear is right next to my heart, which is a sound he always enjoyed. I place my hand on his back as he closes his eyes and his breath becomes more steady. Zianna looks at both of us, smiling.

"What do you think he's gonna do when he grows up?" Zianna asks gently.

"I don't know..." I respond.

"He's gonna be a tough guy." Zianna says, her tired voice full of determination.

"You bet he is." I say, making eye contact with her.

He's already strong, even at 1 year old. Zianna tells me all the time about how strong he is at the doctors, how he only cries for a moment when they give him shots or IVs. I look at Garroth, his breath becoming a little less steady as his hands move away from his face. We don't need him waking up, especially not when We're leaving so early.

"You're okay, half-pint. We're right here." I tell him.

It seems as though he wasn't quite awake, as he went straight back to sleep. Zianna kisses his hand, holding it gently. I can tell she loves every single moment with him.

Zianna chuckles a little bit. "I can't wait until he can drive, or when he has kids."

"I know." I laugh, not too much because I don't need Garroth awake again. "Ugh, imagine when he's 18 and moving out."

"No, that'll never happen." Zianna says sarcastically. "He's never gonna grow up."

"I wish he didn't have to." I respond, slightly hoping we don't have to let him grow up.

Neither of us want him to grow up for two reasons. One reason is that we don't want him to grow up so he can be our little guy forever. Another reason is that we want to get the months of his lost childhood back so he doesn't have cancer and we can enjoy him at home and in the park instead of in this hospital.

I look over at zianna. Her eyes are closed and her hand is on my shoulder. I kiss her on the head, rubbing her back gently. I'm sure she's not asleep yet but she's presumably almost there.

"Get some sleep, love. We have a long day tomorrow. "

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Hello I am back with this book.

I hope you enjoyed el chapter!

Thanks for reading! Bye!
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