Love Someone {Hardzello love story}

Eleven

Joe refused to talk about it. Refused to acknowledge it. He completely ignored it and that was what angered Ben the most. This wasn't something you could just ignore. Something you could pretend like didn't exist.

Joe had been feeling ill for a while now. He pushed it off like it was nothing, but it wasn't anything. He had been complaining about headaches, about dizziness. He had been having trouble sleeping and would wake up in pain. Some of the people on set would tell him how Joe would have to wear sunglasses because the lights were just too bright.

Any time Ben would bring it up Joe would reflect. It wasn't something to worry about. To put thought into. He was getting old, his eyes were getting sensitive. That was all. Ben wanted to believe him and almost did until it got too much to ignore.

Ben had been on set when he got the phone call. It was from Emmy. At five years old she was smart enough to comprehend most things, and they taught her how to use the phone in case there was an emergency.

She called Ben before calling the police because she was scared. Scared because Joe wasn't speaking, wasn't awake. Emmy said they had been playing and suddenly he was out cold on the ground. Daddy had fallen asleep and wasn't waking up.

Ben feared the worst, imagining Joe having an aneurysm or something worst while at home along with the kids and dying right there in front of them.

JJ was crying in the background and Ben could see Emmy was crying too, though she was trying to be brave.

Though young, Emma was wise for her age and Ben had her do something a bit drastic. Having to prepare for a role always came in handy and Ben instructed her to take a glass of any kind and hold it to his mouth, his nose, to make sure he was breathing.

The only glass she could find had juice in it and Ben told her to toss it to the floor. They could clean it later. She did as she was told, though obviously terrified. She told Ben that there was fog coming from daddy's mouth and Ben allowed himself to relax a little.

Ben stayed on the phone with her and had the director of his shoot, Dexter Fletcher, send an ambulance to his home. Ben rushed home as quickly as possible, sending a text to Gwilym to ray with the kids since he was in the area now.

Seeing their father lying on the floor completely unconscious wasn't something Ben ever wanted for his kids. Emmy held onto him tightly, her brave face now gone as she was in the arms of her Papa.

He stayed with them for a little while longer, calming them down and putting them to sleep. Emmy welcomed JJ into her bed, cuddling with him as they drifted off.

Gwilym stayed with them, not wanting to leave them alone with the nanny while their parents were gone.

When Ben arrives at the hospital Joe was awake. He was angry and wouldn't speak a word because he knew this was his fault. He ignored the signs and tried too hard to act like everything was okay.

The truth was he was scared. Scared because he recognized the signs far too well and he didn't want to face the fact that he may have what his own father had. That he may lose his life and his mind the same way his father lost his.

Ben was angry but he didn't want to fight. They had to handle this to be the best of their abilities. They couldn't ignore this anymore. They couldn't pretend. They had to handle it no matter what the results were.

"How am I supposed to handle this, Ben? How am I supposed to go home and look our children in the eyes knowing I may never do it again."

"You don't know that. They have treatments for this."

"Treatments that don't work. My own father had treatments and all it did was drain him. I watched him wither away into nothing. I don't want Emmy and JJ to do the same with me."

"So you'd rather just ignore it? You'd rather them find you dead on the floor like they almost did today? Treatment can at least help you. Not fighting it won't make it go away. You have to face this."

Ben reached forward, taking his hand. Their wedding bands shining in the bright hospital light. They hadn't spoken of it, what would happen if one of them died. It didn't seem possible. Like some dark alternate universe. Neither wanted to handle it, but it was just something they'd have to discuss.

"We're in this together," Ben told him. "You and me, forever. Remember?"

Joe looked away, tears welling in his eyes. "I don't want to let go of this life," he confessed, his voice broken.

"Then we fight. Do you hear me? We're going to fight this."

Joe bobbed his head, crying freely. Ben pulled the man into him, hugging him tightly and holding onto one another as they wept and cried.

It was a little less than an hour later when the doctor got to them. They had run all sorts of test on Joe and to their relief, everything came up negative. It seems the brunet has been suffering from a migraine that would need to be handled with medicine but other than that he was free of any possible cancers.

Ben had never been so relieved in his entire life. This wasn't over, not by a long shot. Joe still had a long ways ahead of him but for now, they could relax and return home to their family, without worry of the future.