FOREVER NOW

CHAPTER 5

"Doc, how is my wife?" William immediately confronted the doctor once he had stepped out of the Emergency Room.

"Right now she's having her rest."

"Is there something wrong? Why did she collapse?" William wanted to know right away. He wished it weren't something serious. Hailey and Jared walked behind their father to listen to what the doctor had to say.

"Sir..." The doctor paused. "Your wife has stage four cancer."

Williams's world seemed to have stopped as he heard it and he seemed to have gone deaf. Patty. His Patty. With stage four Cancer. Hailey and Jared wasn't able to speak too. They couldn't believe what they just heard. They wished it was all a big mistake.

"But..but how is that even possible? She was just fine. She was so well—" William trailed off and the doctor felt sorry for the old man.

"That's Cancer. On the outside, one might look okay but on the inside cancer is already slowly eating up one's system. I have all the tests positive and in her case, the cancer cells had already scattered in her bones and other organs and..."

"And what?" Jared asked impatiently.

"And she might not make it—"

"No! That's a lie!" Hailey cried out. Jared pulled his little sister in his arms as she cried. She wished she had heard it wrong. She wished it was a sick joke but as she entered the cold white room where Patty was in, she knew it was true, it's real. But why her mom? She kept asking herself.

There Patty was, lying on a hospital bed, pale but still smiling. She tried to hold back her tears but it was harder than she thought.

"Hi, mom." Jared talked first. He went around the bed and kissed his mother on her forehead.

"Hello, Jar." Patty smiled and turned to Hailey and William.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" William asked.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry you have to be here, I know how you hate hospitals." She tried to reach for her husbands hand that was resting on her bed.

"Forget about that." He took his wife's hand in his. "Just take a rest. I'll let Jar buy some foods for us to eat later."

Patty nodded still smiling but her eyes resembled sadness. "Thank you." Patty turned to where Hailey was and she sat quietly on the edge of the room.

"Hailey, come here please."

Hailey tried to smile, she moved forward and sat beside her mother and embraced her. She bit her lip to hold back her tears.

If only hugs could cure...

"The doctor had already told me." Patty mouthed. "Cancer. I have stage four cancer." Patty forced a smile.

"Mom, we know." Jared mouthed.

"But we can get through this mom. I know we can." Hailey said in her shaky voice.

"Oh, Dear, if only its that easy. It's already stage four. It's barely cured."

"Mom stop it." Jared said not wanting to hear what Patty has to say.

"I'm so sorry, son. I know this is going to be a hard time—"

"For chrissake, mom, stop talking like that!" Jared spoke and all of them turned to Jared who was now crying. It was their first time to see him like that.

Patty wasn't able to control herself anymore and cried too. "I'm sorry." She said through her tears.

Jared suddenly stormed out of the room in tears and in pain.