When Love Hurts

Elsie sits across from Atticus at the support group, her sister's hand trembling in hers. She assumes he's here for someone else-a brother, maybe a child. But when he speaks, his voice cracks. "I'm stage four," he admits, and the room falls silent.
Elsie can't stop thinking about him. Weeks later, they meet by chance at a coffee shop. He's hesitant, distant. "You don't need this," he says, gesturing to himself. But she sees the way he smiles when she laughs, the way his eyes light up when they talk about music.
One night, he collapses in her arms. The seizures are getting worse. She stays anyway.
What happens when love means choosing pain?