Once relaxing, Cainan speaks “You call—”
“Your card—” they both stop, realising that they are speaking in unison.
“Go first,” Cainan urges with a hand gesture.
“So you know, I talked to Shawn, and I told him the truth like you asked me to and he broke up with me.”
“I’m sorry—”
“That said,” she continues, cutting him off like he wasn’t even talking. “I will accept the help you’re offering and I just need to know what the catch is.”
She finishes, but Cainan doesn’t start speaking as he isn’t so sure she’s done talking.
She clears her throat, and he looks at her. “I can talk now? I didn’t think the queen had finished speaking.” He says, emphasising ‘the Queen’.
Neriah rolls her eyes, “I’m done.”
“Okay, first off, I know you and Shawn broke up.” Neriah frowns, but he continues speaking to clear the air with what he means, “It explains him not coming to work for three days because I know I didn’t fire him, so I knew the only other option was that he was heartbroken.”
“Are you going to fire him for missing work?” She asks, her tone wary and her face wry.
“That’s not your business,” He responds, coldly shutting her down.
“But was I not the reason you gave him his job?”
He nods his head in agreement, “Yes, but honestly it isn’t because of the role you played.”
“What are you talking about?” She demands.
“I initially employed Shawn so I could convince him to break up with you. I saw how much you loved him and I wanted to ruin you, and that was one way of doing that. But I knew he wouldn’t immediately because he loved you more than he did his job, so I was going to wait until he once again committed himself to the job and I was going to make him break up with you. Well, all that changed after I found out about your condition.”
Neriah wants to feel angry, wants to get mad at him for knowing this truth, but she can’t. She can’t bring herself to harbour any negative feelings towards him or anyone at this moment. She feels tired of everything and she feels tired of literal life itself.
“You finally got your wishes met, right? He’s finally broken up with me.” Her eyes grow glassy and tears run down her face from the pain before she can get to stop herself.
“Yes, but it gave me no joy to know then, and neither does it now.”
Neriah doesn’t know if she believes him, or if she cares, but “how do you plan on helping me?” She asks, going straight to the point.
“Like I said over the phone, I know of a few hospitals, one of which is in the states that deals with cancer and their methods have been tested and trusted. I will take care of the cost. All you have to do is take the treatment.”
“What’s the catch?” She asks, and Cainan feels like he’s heard this question for the hundredth time today.
He finally looks at her, and his gaze was fixed on hers. “There’s no catch, Neriah. I want to help you. That doesn’t change the fact that I still don’t like you.” He adds, matter-of-factly.
“I still don’t like you either,” she instantly returns unapologetically.
He smiles, “Then good.”
Cainan brought her over to the Hope general hospital where she received immediate treatment. They conducted tests to determine the extent of the disease.
Cainan received debriefing about the whole procedure and although none of the previous cases was as advanced as Neriah’s, they promised to do their best, which was what Cainan needed.
...
“Am I going to lose my hair again?” Neriah asks Cainan, who’s looking out of the window.
Cainan is holding a rose flower in his hand at the door. Neriah doesn’t notice the flower and if she did, she doesn’t put her heart to it as she concentrates more on the mirror in front of her on the bed.
“Well, if you do, you can always grow them back.”
Although it’s meant to cheer her up, she frowns and her nose scrunches up.
It’s been six days since she’s been here, and the treatment has fully begun. Cainan has visited her all those days she’s been here and although she felt sceptical of him, she’s been able to work her way around that and find some comfortable spot in it all for herself. She’d gotten comfortable in his presence and she doesn’t feel the need to pick out every one of his words anymore and she doesn’t feel so tense when he’s around anymore.
She gives him the eyes that said he wasn’t helping, “Easily said than done! You’re a biracial child. Everything must come easy to you.” She says, and no one has to tell her to let her know she’s stepped on a wrong wire and he is going to burn her or turn it off.
Surprising her, he moves closer to her bedside and says, “If that were true, I would have been married to Clara with three kids two of which are adopted, I’d have my father with my mother and you, cancer-free.”
The last line held powerful words in it, words that make it hard for Neriah to keep her eyes on him as they blur up. She wasn’t this emotional; she grew up with low tendencies to tears but something happened last year after she found out her fate and since then, she’s had a hard time controlling her emotions.
“These are for you,” he tells her as he hands her the flower in his hand.
She takes it from his hand and brings it to her nose, inhaling the sweet smell of the rose. “Thanks,” she smiles up at him.
“Don’t,” He stops her. “Shawn said they were your favourite, so he should be the one you thank.” He says, and before Neriah can ask what that means, he steps away from in front of her to reveal Shawn at the door.