"So, Byleth. Tell me how this really happened."
Byleth and Jeralt had arrived in Manuela's clinic. Unlike usual, it wasn't overflowing with clients; it was empty except for the three of them. Manuela was dressed in her usual fluffy doctor's coat, but underneath were her teal pajamas. Her hair was ruffled and there was no makeup on her face. It was weird to see Manuela bare faced. Byleth sat on the table with her legs swinging back and forth as Manuela checked her heart rate.
"I was waiting for Claude to be done packing up after singing," Byleth started off from the beginning. "This lady came in to try and coax Claude back to his company."
"Leicester, right?" Manuela interrupted. Byleth nodded, surprised she knew, until she remembered Claude was basically a celebrity.
"Well, it's selfish...But I don't want him to go back. Anyway," Byleth felt her cheeks heat up from slight embarrassment at that fact, but she rushed past that. "We were arguing...and I slipped. I said something about how happy he was making me in my last moments, and he heard it. I worried him...I was anxious about him finding out, and then I fainted. That's what I remember, anyway."
"I see," Manuela scribbled something into her notepad, her writing slower than usual. "Did you feel anything abnormal before you fainted?"
"Uh...I started feeling dizzy?" Byleth shrugged, trying to recall the fuzzy moment. "My heart was beating faster, I think..."
"It looks like this really was just caused by stress," Manuela confirmed, much to everyone's surprise. They all had expected something crazy! "But Byleth, this means your heart is weak. I think I'm going to take another scan, alright?"
"That's all you can do for now?" Byleth asked, dismayed. She didn't know what else to go on about her condition. Everything she'd found had been combatted with "yes, but...you're you". Which was the truth, but Byleth was starting to get desperate for answers. Seasons had changed, and the disease was still taking it's course.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"It's alright," Byleth reassured her worried father before stepping off the table. "I'll be okay until then. Let's go."
Manuela took her to a darkened room, where Byleth laid on another table, a machine above her body. She laid there until it was done, and then they returned back.
"Alright...these results aren't instant," Manuela reminded them. "So come back in about two weeks. I'll call you guys."
"Thank you, Manuela."
"How is her heartbeat now?" Jeralt questioned. Manuela sighed and rubbed her eye with one hand before answering.
"It's fine. That's the thing that's weird," Manuela paused. "Your vitals are all normal, but it's not working for you. Your body is just rejecting all this...normalcy."
"So do you think the new scan will even do anything?" Jeralt questioned, a suspicious and concerned look in his eyes.
"Yes. Last scan," Manuela walked over to her files before holding up the last scan's results. "We saw that there was something mutating within her heart. Maybe now we'll be able to see it. Perhaps we could have people perform an open heart surgery, but...Quite honestly, that in itself just might kill you, I'm not sure. Everything is uncertain."
"I really...don't want to get surgery if we don't know what's wrong," Byleth shifted uncomfortably. "Especially since we don't know if it's certain."
"There's always a chance that it could succeed, but yes," Manuela agreed. "We would be sending surgeons in with no direct orders. Since you're so different, I think we'll most likely end up worse off."
"So...all we can do is wait?"
"Pretty much," Manuela tucked her tussled hair behind her ear, a look of irritation on her face as it came loose once more. "I'll keep looking for other alternatives, but...more than likely, I'll come up empty since you're special. Feel free to keep looking as well, but..."
"Yeah, I get it," Byleth nodded. "Thank you, Manuela."
"No problem," Manuela began to pack up her stuff, stifling a yawn behind one of her hands. "As always, call me. I know the scan is in two weeks, but I'd like to see you for at least one other checkup in this time. Call me to schedule, okay? I won't remember if you tell me now."
"Sounds good," Jeralt replied. "Thanks, Manuela. See you around."
The Eisners left the clinic, boarding into Jeralt's car. Byleth sighed, and Jeralt turned to her as he started the car.
"What's wrong, Kid?"
"...Claude's going to ask me about what's happening tomorrow," Byleth kept her gaze downward. "I just...wanted to keep it secret, I guess. I don't want him to know..." Byleth paused, trying to think of another reason. "And I don't want the pity. He's known something is wrong for awhile now..."
"...Claude's gotta be astute for him to pick up on it earlier," Jeralt mused. "Maybe he'd be able to help us figure this out."
"W-What? No! He wouldn't be able to do anything," Byleth frowned. "I just...Really don't want him to know, okay?"
"Why not? He could help!"
"...What if he leaves?" Byleth finally blurted out what been bothering her for awhile now. She hadn't spit it out until just now. He stared at her blankly before Byleth continued in a softer tone. "Dad...Why would anyone stay knowing that...that I could die at any moment? Why would anyone waste their time with that? With me?"
"Kid...why would you ever think Claude would leave?" Jeralt frowned. Byleth stayed silent, fiddling with her fingers. "Have you not seen the way he looks at you?"
"Um...what...?"
"...He's not going to leave if he knows. Trust me on this one," Jeralt said firmly. "Kid...He really adores you. He's not going to go."
"How do you know that?" Byleth whispered. Jeralt reached over to gently ruffle her hair.
"Because he looks at you the same way I used to look at your mother."
YOU ARE READING
Race Against Time
Fanfiction"BYLETH, YOU'RE DYING." Those were the words Byleth Eisner had heard her entire life...but it had never rang true. She had always known that the doctors were wrong, that she was going to keep living, but the fear of death was constant. Born with a h...
