restless_heart_syndrome_

Chapter 95

Adie: Billie didn't say a word and silently followed me to the garden behind the hospital.I've spent a lot of time with Charlie here over the past 3 months. In the summer, flowers bloomed everywhere, it was beautiful. The whole garden was then planted with red and purple, lavender and rose. And various other flowers in yellow, orange, blue and many other stunning colors. In the meantime, it had gotten a lot colder, but the garden didn't lose its beauty. There was a bench next to a small pond. I sat down silently and Billie sat down next to me. He avoided looking at me, it seemed to torment him. He had put his hands in his hoodie pocket. He was nervous. I kept wondering what he wanted to talk to me about... Neither of us said anything for a while. We stared lost in the garden... Billie: I wasn't sure how to start this conversation. It took me a few minutes to control my emotions. Seeing this ring on her finger had given me the last blow... I had always hoped that one day she would wear my ring... All these years I wished that she would one day be Mrs. Armstrong, now she was Mrs. Sheppard... I took another deep breath and tried to get started somehow. I couldn't look at her... the pain was too deep. So I looked at the beautiful pond with fish that was next to the bench we were sitting on... "Adie... I did lie to you. I'm not here because of a friend, I'm here because of you. Evelyn called me and told me what's going on with Charlie. I want you to know that I'm genuinely sorry. I..." "It doesn't have to," she interrupted me. "He'll be well soon, and then we can go home." It all seemed much worse than I thought. I turned around to her and saw hope in her eyes. Now it was my job to hurt her... I carefully held out my hands. She hesitated a little, but then put hers in mine. "Adie, I love you. That's why I hate to tell you this. You know I would do anything to help you... and to help him. But you have to slowly accept what will happen, honey... Adie, he won't survive this battle... and you know that deep in your heart..." She pulled her hands away from mine, tears rolled down her cheeks... "Why do you say that? Charlie is strong, he can do it... You don't know him..."