Your Best Friend, Benedict Cumberbatch

Chapter 35

Two days later, you were in the kitchen, finishing up a phone call. "Ok, will do. Thanks. Bye."

"Who was that, El?" Ben asks as he feeds Kit a spoonful of his breakfast.

"The hospital." You say as you place your phone down, causing Ben to sharply look over to you. "Can you look after the kids for an hour this afternoon?"

"What did they say?"

"They just need me to come in this afternoon to discuss my results." You reply as you lean back onto the counter.

"What about your results, exactly?" Ben swallows.

"Not sure, they didn't say." You replied casually.

"You don't seem to be taking this very seriously?"

You sigh. "How am I supposed to react? I have no clue what they're going to say. I just need you to look after the kids, before the event tonight."

"No."

"What?" You look at him, confused. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I'm coming with you. I'll ask my parents to get the kids earlier." He replies as he gets up to go and grab his phone from the other room.

"Ben, that's not necessary!" You call out, before looking over to Kit. "Oh, did daddy walk off? Naughty daddy." You pick up the spoon in the baby food, and continue feeding Kit.

"Nawty daddy." Amelia giggles as she takes a bite of her own breakfast. Ben walks back in the room and hears Amelia's comment. "What?!" He thinks to himself as he furrows his eyebrows, wondering what he had done wrong. He then looks at you and says, "Right, my parents are coming to get them at lunchtime. What time do we need to be at the hospital?"

---

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!" Ben shouts as he repeatedly hits the steering wheel.

"Ben, stop it. Please." You quietly ask him.

"FUCK!" He shouts even louder before running his hands through his hair, and then turning to look at you in the seat next to him. His eyes scan yours for a minute, wondering how the hell he could calm down. He knew he needed to, for your sake. But it was impossible right now. "Fucking cancer!" He angrily spits, while shaking his head in disbelief, and then hitting the steering wheel again.

You had just got out of your hospital appointment, where you received the devastating news you had breast cancer. It hadn't sunk in yet, and while the doctor was talking to you about surgery and treatment, you felt like they were talking about someone else the entire time. Ben managed to keep it together the whole appointment. Just tightly squeezing your hand, while managing to ask all the necessary questions. However, as soon as he stepped into the car it was a different story.

"Ben, can we just go home. Please?"

He takes a deep breath before turning back to you, and reaching over to hold your hand. "Yes, sorry darling." He looks at you for a bit longer as his eyes start to water. "I'm so so sorry darling," he repeats, as the tears start to run down his face. He squeezes your hand, before letting go and crossing his arms over the steering wheel. Leaning his head into his arms as he sobs. You rubbed his back to comfort him, which made him jump at the realisation of how selfish he thought he was being. "Sorry. I need to pull myself together. Let's go." He sniffed as he slowly lifted his head back up and cleared his throat.

Once he managed to briefly pull himself together, he goes to turn the car on, when you look at him and say, "Ben."

He turns his head to you, and tries to put on a smile for your sake. But his red eyes and snotty nose were a complete contrast. "I'm not going anywhere. I want you to know that."