Chapter 5 No.4

SEB

She looks at me with exasperated sighs. "I just told you to go, and now you're telling me to go home instead? Go home early once in a while, Seb. You already have enough money that can feed this whole country for years. The company won't lose anything if you go home early once in a while," Elle explains.

Before I can respond to her, my phone vibrates in my suit pocket. It's probably from my mother who's already aware of what happened in the meeting, I'm sure Dad filled the gap for her. I fish it out, and surprisingly, it's not Mom. It's Mike King, Dad's old friend. The owner of hotel chains and restaurants.

He's one of the few people I respected most. One of the richest men, and he's currently funding research for cancer treatment that has lesser side effects. Unfortunately, his wife has suffered from cancer once. Now Catie is a cancer-free.

I answer, pressing the phone to my ear. "Mike, what a surprise?"

I hear a long sigh from the other line. "Son, I know it's unusual for me to call you if it's not business-related." Then he pauses.

Unrelated business again? Could this day be any worst?

"I'm with my wife at the hospital, she's asking for you, and I would appreciate if you can come over. I will be in debt-" I don't let him finish what he's about to say.

"I'm on my way." I know which hospital she is treated. I once visited her during her chemo when my parents were out of the country. I rush out of my office door and find my PA on her desk. "If anything important, let me know. I'm leaving."

"Good to know you follow my advice once." She winks.

I sprint to my private elevator, and I know Elle has already informed my driver and bodyguard. As expected, a six-foot and five inches ex-navy stands in front of the elevator.

Lincoln White, which contradicts his color, he opens my door, and I get in my car after I tell him where to go.

After twenty-five minutes without traffic, I'm at the hospital when a man in a black suit approaches me. I recognize him as one of Mike's men. I follow him with Linc. The smell of antiseptic-the usual smell of hospital reaches my nose, the white walls, staff on scrub suits, rushing ambulance stroller, and an overhead pager.

I once admitted to the hospital when I was in high school for allergies when my classmate pranked me.

Some staff recognizes me, which makes me sick. They probably remember me on the tabloid page or in the gossip sites. This is ruining me. Good thing, my lawyers are good at their jobs, and I'm paying them hefty of money to deal with my mess.

I slightly knock on the door as I arrive at her room. Mike opens the door and looks stressed. We do a father and son hug.

"Thank you for coming, Seb. It means a lot to me, especially to my wife." He runs his hand over his hair that he probably run them a couple of times.

He looks so miserable with dark circles under his eyes, a five o'clock shadow on his face, and he looks a decade older than the last time I saw him.

"This is what friends do when times like this, Mike. Helping each other," I say sympathetically.

I face his wife, and she's lying in a slightly elevated bed with a nasal tube on her nose. Her hair is neatly tucked in a blue scarf. So the latest chemo doesn't cause baldness anymore.

The Catie I knew is far different from the woman lying in front of me. I almost can't recognize her. The jolly, intelligent, and beautiful woman I knew is far long gone.

Nobody says a word, and the only sound I can hear is the beeps from the monitor and her ragged breathing. I examine her from head to toe. Her eyes are half-closed, but I know she's awake, and she's aware of my presence. She looks so frail that I'm afraid I might break her bone when I touch her, and her lips are even drier. There is an IV hooked on her left hand.

I sit in an empty chair, hold her hand, and it's warm. I squeeze it slightly, and she squeezes it back.

"I'll give you both some time," Mike says. He comes close to his wife and kisses her on the lips and her forehead. He holds her left hand a couple of seconds before he releases, and walks away, leaving us alone.

"Hey, playboy. You always look handsome." She moves her face to my side, and I remain silent because I don't know what to say to her.

I lick my now dry lips and swallow hard. I clear my throat. "You're not bad yourself either, even lying here in bed." I don't know if it's right to say, but she chuckles, and it feels good to cheer her up.

"You're always charming. I'm glad you survived otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now talking to me." She reminds me that if not because of her, I'm not sitting here beside her. I raise the head of her bed until she feels comfortable, and now she's facing me well.

"I won't last long anymore, Seb. It spread so fast than we anticipated. We thought I still have at least months left, but five days ago, I fainted on our way back home from our honeymoon."

I gasp and stare at her with my wide eyes. I don't notice I'm holding my breath longer that I forget how to breathe. I see now why Mike looks so wrecked like he's carrying the whole world on his shoulders.

How do you even accept when the people we love are leaving us so soon? And what worse part is, we know when it's going to happen, but we're not ready to let them go. I think that is what Mike is feeling at this moment.

I remember them having a daughter in college. Why isn't she even here for her parents? For her mom.