Chapter 37

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Chronic leukemia.

Was what the doctor told us.

His mother's legs gave way as she fell back onto a chair, her frail body trembled as she cried with her face buried in her hands.

His father's frustration was clearly written all over his face as he grabbed onto a bunch of his own hair with one hand while the other punched the nearest wall.

His brother's expression was no less worried than any of us but I could tell that he was trying to stay composed to comfort those around him.

As for me, my mind went blank, unable to process the information. Nothing about this entire scenario felt real. Is this really happening or am I dreaming?

"Hero..." I muttered. "I have to see Hero."

The siren on the ambulance turned on, blaring loudly to signal to other vehicles to pave the way. Inside the ambulance, was another battle as the medical staff applied enough pressure onto Hero's head where blood was gushing out. His skull might have cracked from the fall, they think.

When we arrived at the hospital, the ambulance stopped right outside the Accident & Emergency unit. A couple of nurses rushed outside to receive the patient. With the perfect team work, they moved Hero swiftly but carefully onto the emergency stretcher that the nurses had rolled out.

Then, they quickly pushed the unconscious him inside as I followed every step of the way. I was denied entry into the operating room and was advised to wait outside and perhaps contact his family, if I could.

With trembling hands, I dialed Heath's number on my phone and stuttered when he answered. Despite my poor sentence structure, Heath kind of understood the gist of my message as he said that he will be here as soon as he can.

I didn't know how much time had passed, all I knew was that the wait for the lights of the "In Use" sign to go off, was the most arduous and painful wait that I had to go through in my life. The helplessness grew when his family arrived. I was barely in the right state myself, much less possess the energy to console his crying mother.

The rest came as well, after I somehow managed to send my location to Nat. All of them must have been worried sick themselves but they still tried to comfort me. At the rate that my tears are falling, my body is probably going to be dryer than the Sahara desert.

Finally when the illuminated light switched off, a man in a surgical gown exited the operating theatre. While he was removing the mask covering half his face, we rushed up to him, eager to know the results. That was when he told us Hero suffered a mild concussion from the fall but luckily there was no internal injury but would still need to be kept under observation for a couple of days.

Then, he asked to speak to Hero's family members privately. I wasn't about to join although I very much wanted to, but I wasn't exactly family. Just then, Heath pulled me along as he went.

In what seemed to be the doctor's office, he delivered the worst piece of news.

Hero has been diagnosed with chronic leukemia.

The moment when the doctor mentioned headache as one of the symptoms, my immediate thought was to blame myself for not being able to see the signs.

"It's not your fault. The doctor did mention how there may be no obvious signs until it's too late." Heath said as he gave me a comforting pat on my back. I know Heath was trying to be nice but nothing anyone said could ease the guilt that I felt. I've spent the most time with him so I should have been more observant.

Earlier, the doctor also explained that for chronic leukemia, there is no all cure as of now but Hero can try chemotherapy or targeted drugs therapy to slow down the symptoms. Thinking that Hero might not take the idea of chemotherapy that well, his parents decided that he starts with the drugs first.

"I think Hero should know the truth about his condition." I blurted.

"Emily, hun, I'm afraid he may not take it too well." Margaret bit on her lower lips, clearly in dilemma as well, as she turned to look at her husband.

"He has just slightly more than a year to go until graduation. Let's not let this derail him from the remaining of his college life." Cain suggested.

"But it's his life, shouldn't he know the truth so that he can decide things for himself?" I insisted, trying to hold back my irritation, frustration, and all sorts of mixed feelings, be careful not to vent them onto Hero's family.

"Emily, I think this is not a good time to tell him yet." Heath spoke gently.

"There is never a good time!" I thought.

"How about we just let him rest for now? And I kind of agree with my father, maybe let's let him complete college without the burden of knowing his condition then tell him?" Heath added.

"He does deserve to live his life like other healthy college kids..." I muttered.

It was getting late and there was no point in crowding the room so everyone else has left except for his family and myself. After Heath's persistent persuasion and assurance, Margaret agreed to take a rest so Cain accompanied her as they went to find a nearby hotel room to check into.

I sat by Hero's bedside. Since his life was no longer in imminent danger, after the operation, he has been moved into a private room in the general ward. Hero was to be placed under observation for a couple of days due to the trauma he had sustained on his head when he collapsed. Holding onto his cold hand, I wondered if we were making the right decision to keep him from knowing the truth.

Using my phone, I played 98 degrees' 'Because of You' softly on repeat.

Then I pressed my cheek against the back of his hand as tears streamed down my face while I hum along to the melody of the song.

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