Together (Sequel of 'Broken Hearts')

Chapter 44: Ante

I woke up after a short night; it wasn't easy to sleep in an empty bed and my mind kept going back to Nazar, hoping he was alright. I made some pancakes for Ethan and checked my phone again, just to make sure I hadn't received anything. I put it down when Ethan appeared at the entrance of the kitchen and smiled at him.

"Are you going to see Nazar again today?"

"Yes, I'm going back to the hospital once I walked you to school."

"When is he going back home?" He asked as I put some pancakes on his plate.

"I don't know... I'm hoping to have more info today." I admitted, drinking some coffee.

"Can I come with you?"

"You have to go to school." I replied with a small smile before adding. "But I will tell him you said hi, alright?"

"Can you tell him we're learning how to write stories? When I'm older I'm going to write a book in little dots so he can read it!" He exclaimed and I couldn't help but smile wider at the excitation in his voice.

"The little dots are called braille letters. But I will tell him. I'm sure he will be very happy about it. Now, hurry up and finish eating or you're going to be late for school."

"If I'm late, can I come with you at the hospital?" He asked, looking at me with a small side smile.

"Nice try but no." I winked, laughing a little.

He was getting more confident with us and it translated in these little comments from time to time. I loved it and it was great to see his real personality come out little by little. And, I had to admit that he took some of his humor from Nazar. I put the dishes in the sink once he was done and started washing them while he was putting his shoes on.

We then walked toward his school and I was thankful the weather was nice without being too hot. After one last goodbye, I turned around and started to walk toward the hospital. It hadn't been easy to take the whole week off as it was last minute but Imogen helped me as much as she could and took some patients that couldn't be rescheduled. Once at the hospital, I went to Nazar's room, stopping at the entrance when I saw a nurse was already in the room. I smiled at her when she turned around and she came to see me not too long after.

"How is he?"

"Good. His head is hurting and he is hearing some weird noises from time to time but it's totally normal. Are you planning to stay a little? The doctor will come in a few hours, he could tell you more." She asked and I simply nodded. "Also, we will show you how to clean the wound before he leaves so you can do it at home."

"Perfect, thank you. Can I go see him?"

"Sure. Don't hesitate to press the red button if he needs anything." She replied with a smile before stepping aside and leaving.

I entered the room and sat next to Nazar before taking his hand into mine. "Hey Nazar... How was your night?"

"Lonely." He answered before adding. "I managed to sleep a little but I can't wait to be back home."

"I can't wait too." I said before kissing his hand softly.

We spent the next few hours talking about random things and enjoying each other's company. I would be lying if I said that seeing him like this didn't hurt. He looked exhausted and he was paler than usual. It reminded me of that time his father put him into the hospital, except that this time it was even more serious.

We were listening to some music on my phone when I saw a movement at the entrance of his room, making me turn my head. I instantly recognized the doctor who made a head movement, mentioning me to join him.

"I will be back in a minute, alright? I'm letting the music on." I told him as I got up and put my phone on my seat.

I joined the doctor at the entrance and we stepped into the corridor. I could feel my hands starting to get sweaty and my heart was beating like crazy. I anxiously waited for him to start speaking.

"We managed to remove a big part of the tumor during the operation but we weren't able to remove everything. The rest is deeper into the brain." He explained and I nodded, my stomach clenching at these words. "We have to wait a few weeks until the wound is healed before starting radiation and chemotherapy but hopefully it will remove the rest."

"Couldn't it continue spreading during these weeks?" I asked slowly after a minute of silence.

"That's a risk, yes. But we don't have a choice. It would be even more dangerous if we start before the wound is healed; it could damage the brain."

I nodded before asking a question that had been on my mind since I made some researches online about Glioblastoma. "And if it doesn't work? I've read about patients' survival rates..."

"We will do everything we can to prevent this to happen." He simply replied and tears started to burn my eyes as I understood what he implied. "I'm going to check his wound and ask him some questions to see if everything is alright but he should be able to go back home tomorrow."

"Thank you."

We went back into the room and I took my phone, turning the music off before stepping aside to let the doctor move freely around the bed. I watched as he checked his wound and asked him various questions about how he felt.

"Everything is great. I'm going to let you two together." He said with a smile before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, I sat back down on the chair and took his hand back into mine. "You can sleep if you're tired, I will stay here." I told him when I saw he struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Just a few minutes then..." He whispered and it didn't take him long to fall asleep.

I watched him sleep, not letting go of his hand and strocking it slightly from time to time. If I could take his place, I would do it in a heartbeat. He deserved better, so much better.  He was only asleep for about thirty minutes when a nurse entered the room with a tray of food in her hands.

"Could you give me the tray? I will wake him up and give it to him."

"Sure." She answered, handing it to me carefully.

I thanked her, getting up to put it on my seat before taking Nazar's hand back into mine. I stayed in this position a few minutes, not wanting to wake him up when he seemed to be sleeping so peacefully. But I didn't want his food to get cold so I decided to gently wake him up. He groaned softly and seemed lost for a few seconds before he realized where he was.

"The nurse brought you something to eat. I hope you're hungry."

"Have you eaten something already?" He groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"I will buy myself something once I leave the hospital." I replied as I put the tray on his knees.

He nodded and started to eat. I watched him as he slowly brought the fork to his lips before chewing and swallowing.

"I can feel you staring at me. Stop, please." He said, putting his fork down.

"Why? I'm not allowed to look at you anymore?"

"Not when I'm like this. I feel terrible." He mumbled, taking his fork again and continuing to eat slowly.

"You still look beautiful to me." I said, kissing his cheek.

He usually was the confident one in our relationship and I hated seeing him like this. I took the tray once he was done eating and pushed the red button so a nurse would come and get it.

"I have to go and get Ethan but you're coming back home tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to prepare for your return?"

"Not that I can think of. Returning back home is good enough, no need to worry." He said, sending a small smile in my direction. 

I nodded and kissed him one last time before leaving the room. Ethan was going to be ecstatic to learn that Nazar would be soon back home with us. And I was relieved he would be there when Martha and Jonathan would come to get him on Saturday, in only three days now. It would make things a little easier...