Only Lonely

XVIII. Sweet And Bitter

Cara was in the same room as her parents.

She would be able to handle anything but this look they were giving her, she wished it was that of disappointment instead of this -pity.

"Mum, dad," she gulped back tears as she continued. "please, don't look at me like that."

"We are always here for you, honey. Why did you keep this away from us?" Her mum asked with a worried but soothing voice.

"Mum, please stop, this is why I didn't tell you, I don't want your pity." Cara said stoically while dying inside from the situation.

Her dad looked at her for a moment before speaking

"Bone Marrow Cancer can be deadly if not treated on time, did you stop to think for once what your demise would bring upon this home? How devastated we would all be?"
Cara looked at her father and saw the misery in his face and her own face reflected the same misery.

It wasn't easy learning your only daughter will soon cease to exist. She looked into her mother's face and what she thought was pity was simply love shining through.

"Am so sorry." She broke down in tears. "I started treatment as soon as I knew but the treatment is killing me faster than my hope of finding a complete match." Cara sobbed.

"You don't have to do this alone anymore honey, we are here for you, the Cara I know is a fighter not a quitter." Her mom hugged her filling her with motherly warmth which made her sob harder.

"I was tired of you and dad  constantly fighting, the divorce, it made everything ten times worse."

Her mum held her hand and said. "There is something your dad and I want to say."
Cara looked up at them,the dad drew close and spoke.
"We aren't getting divorced anymore Cara. We were planning to tell you after Hailey's party before Grey rang us up to inform us of your illness."

               **Flashback**

"Why did you hide the fact that you have cancer, why did you hide it from me?"

"H-how did you know?" She stuttered when she finally got her voice back though she was still in shock as to how Grey found out.

"I work in the same hospital where you attend your radiotherapy sessions Cara. Sooner or later I was bound to come across your case file and there is only one Cara Sullivan I know of. " He said agitatedly.

"You have n-no right snooping around." Cara stuttered trying to defend herself.

"It was by chance or maybe fate but that is not the issue here." He studied her for a second. "You weren't planning on telling anyone, were you?"

Cara remained speechless as she tried to rein in her tears.

"How could you be so selfish, Cara?!"

This made Cara snap.

"Selfish?"

"Yeah, selfish!" Grey reiterated harshly. "The Cara I know is not the one standing in front of me."

At this juncture, tears were pouring down Cara's face in torrents, Grey wanted to comfort her but he couldn't do that yet he still needed the truth, he turned his face away from her tears but snapped his head back to look at Cara when her tone changed.