Just for Tonight

60.

She remembered that day perfectly. As soon as she returned from Paris, the cab had dropped her off at the hospital. Her heart and mind were completely focused on Ville, and a vague smile floated across her face. Her doctor had received her immediately. Her life was about to change, and she didn't realize it.

Ten months earlier

"Chloe, I'm going to be straight with you. Following the results of the blood test, I've gone back over your entire medical file. We missed something months ago", he said, in an apologetic tone.

She looked at him, bewildered. In her mind, this blood test had been nothing more than a routine check-up.

"Can you explain it to me simply? Without too many medical terms, the facts, and nothing but the facts?" , she asked in a blank voice.

He showed her the X-rays of her head, taken just after her assault at her home.

"See there? That indistinct white shape, at the base of your neck? It could be ... a tumor. That's why I called you in this morning. I'd like to ask you a few questions, and have you respond honestly."

"Go ahead." Her voice was a whisper.

"Are you feeling unusually tired at the moment? Do you have any headaches?"

"Yes, the tiredness is definitely there, and the migraines are frequent. But you know, my life is a bit crazy right now. Since the book came out, it's been a bit of a perpetual race...".

"Here's what I'd like to propose. I'd like to take a closer look at that tumor face. I'm going to give you a new X-Ray today, right now. We'll see if it's moved, if it's grown. I'll see you as soon as I get the results. Do you agree? ". 

"I guess I have no choice." She sighed deeply. All she wanted was to go home and take refuge in Ville's arms.

He took her to the medical imaging department. The X-rays took only a short time. She returned to the waiting room. An hour passed, each minute seeming longer than the last.

He finally received her, with another doctor he introduced as "his colleague". She stood in the office, unable to move.

"Chloe, as I feared, your tumor is cancerous". He didn't sugarcoat it. His experience had taught him that it's better to tell it like it was, without making a fuss.

She sat down abruptly.

The second doctor, an oncologist, showed her the difference between the old X-Ray and the one she had just had. The whitish shadow was now sharper, and had doubled in volume.

"Am I ... am I going to die?", she asked in a neutral voice.

"We will immediately begin a protocol of care. The tumor is ... inoperable. We're going to try to reduce it, slow it down, or better yet, destroy it with chemotherapy."

"What are my chances?" , she asked, her voice now broken.

"It all depends on how your body responds to the treatment. On your will to get through it, too. But I know you're a fighter, which is an extremely important point.".

"How long do I have left, best case scenario?" , she asked again.

"At best, a life expectancy of five years." He took a deep breath. "Chloe, this battle isn't going to be easy. Are you... well surrounded? You're going to need support."

She plunged into thought.

"I have a family ... my friends." She looked the doctor straight in the eye. "When do we start?".

---

She had walked out of the house for good, after one last look. In her eyes, however, he had read so much love and sadness at the same time.

"Don't try to contact me. Otherwise, we would end up hating each other."

That's what she had told him.

He had suspected Migé of knowing something. Had she fallen in love with someone else? He couldn't believe it. He had asked him, often, if he had heard from her. If they were still in touch. Migé was vague.

Six months earlier.

"Migé, I just want to know ... Is she still here in Helsinki?".

Uneasily, Migé stared intently at his feet. "Yes. As she promised you, she hasn't ran away to God knows where. But she's done with your story, Ville. Leave her alone, let her live her life".

Linde, Burton and Gas remained silent, aware that Migé was keeping quiet about things that only he knew.

Ville sighed deeply. Large dark circles encircled his eyes, which had lost their sparkle.

"Let's call it a day. I can't concentrate." He gave them an apologetic look.

They were all aware that once he got home, he would lock the door. He would lock himself in, with only his solitude for company. And no one knew when he'd leave the house again. Maybe when the music called again. But not before.