Eryna was looking out of the window when the door of her room was knocked.
“Come in!” She didn’t look who it was, because it was obvious that it might be a doctor or a nurse to check on her. She was not allowed to go out for a while is she was feeling a bit lonely.
“Hi! I didn’t see you on the bench for a few days so I decided to look for you here!” Simba spoke while still standing by the door.
Eryna looked at him with twinkling eyes because she had been looking for him through the window and couldn’t spot him down in the garden.
“If you don’t like it I wouldn’t come again,” he stepped away as Eryna hadn’t answered him,
“No!! I mean you can stay, if you want.” Eryna shrugged her shoulders in hesitation.
Simba walked in, he was holding a bag in his hand, Eryna stared at the bag with curiosity.
“This! This is for you, I was told you get bored sitting here all alone so I brought you some things that might help you out,” Simba held the bag for Eryna.
“For me? Why?” Eryna asked.
“That! It’s because…”
“Sigh...Just say it that you like her! You idiot,” Hunter bragged through the door and Eryna was caught by surprise to see him.
“No! Don’t believe him, he is just kidding, I don’t like you—no i mean I like you but not like that—“
“How did you know that I liked to draw?” Eryna saw how much flustered Simba was so she changed the topic, her heart fluttering at the sight of Simba’s blushing face.
“I saw your designs in the school art competition, I was one of the judges,” Simba spoke lightly.
Eryna glanced up at him and back to the notepads and markers.
From then on, Simba would come visit her daily, Eryna loved his presence and she was very positive in her treatment, during the painful nights she would remember Simba’s voice telling her beautiful words, he was her emotional support.
“Why do you come to the hospital everyday?” Eryna asked as she sketched Simba who was sitting across her.
“My father, he is here…” Simba cut short his answer.
“Shouldn’t you be there with him now?” Eryna asked, and glanced up at him. His face was hanging with a hint of sadness.
“No! You can’t be sad, the sketch will be ruined,” Eryna pouted.
“Hah! Okay, I won’t be sad,” Simba laughed.
“He is in a coma, I stay with him for hours but he doesn’t respond, then I come here,” Simba replied softly, and gave Eryna a warm smile.
“Oh!—What about your mother?” Eryna asked while drawing some lines on the paper.
“She was killed,”
Eryna stopped, and stared at the pair of eyes on the paper with horror, she dared not look up at Simba.
“I—I am sorry, I didn’t mean to-“
“Don’t be sorry, you have done nothing wrong, it was her time to leave so she left,” Simba replied softly.
Eryna looked up at his smiling face, she was dumbstruck by his attitude. Her heart boiled up and uncontrollably her eyes filled up with tears, she was regretful. And the tear rolled down her cheek.
“Don’t cry!! It’s okay, you don’t have to cry,” Simba knitted his eyebrows and ran over to her side, trying to make her stop crying but Eryna was already crying out rivers. He cupped her weak face in his palms and stared into her eyes.
“Hey! It’s okay, You don’t have to cry okay,” Simba spoke in a soft yet firm convincing voice.
“Sniff… hmm…” Eryna nodded, and her eyelids began to feel heavy, she took a deep breath before losing all her strength, the sketch book in her hand slipped down the blanket and onto the floor, and her body on Simba’s embrace,
“Eryna?!! Eryna! What happened? Eryna?” Simba was surprised by what had happened, she patted her back trying to get some response.
“Doctor! Doctor!!” Simba shouted desperately while holding her unconscious body.
Valerina ran into the room, followed by Matt,
“Simba, you can step outside, we are going to check on her, “ Valerina patted him and sent him away. While Matt checked her vitals.
Eryna’s cancerous cell had started spreading rapidly through the pancreas. The doctors had a sudden meeting over her case. They had decided on the surgery. Everything happened so fast that Eryna had no time to prepare herself mentally, but with the burning pain in her abdomen making her scream in pain, She had no other choice.
Valerina prepared her for the surgery and she was laid on the stretcher that moved through the hospital hallways towards the surgical room. Eryna’s teeth were clenched in pain, she was sure that she would die in the surgical room. And she partially wanted to die as it felt like the pain would never end. Her chest pumped harshly and she clenched onto the side of the stretcher.
“Eryna! Eryna! Please stop,” It was Simba’s voice, he was running towards her, Eryna breathed heavily as Valerina stopped pushing the stretcher.
“I...I wanted to tell you something once you come back…” he spoke desperately. “Be sure to come back okay! you have to come back—“ he breathed in heavily . “—and listen to what I have to say,” Simba held her hand and pressed it.
“What is it?” Eryna spoke with great effort.
“That…” Simba’s eyes shook as he drew his face near to Eryna’s and touched her forehead with his lips. Eryna trembled as the cold lips touched her skin, it felt like an electric current surging through her body.
“I will tell you once you come back,” he whispered into her ears and retreated. Valerina pushed the stretcher where Eryna layed shocked.
She didn’t know how to respond to what had happened, her eyes were glued to Simba’s figure that stood In the same spot as Eryna moved away into the surgical room. The door closed behind her and he was out of the view but Eryna knew for sure that he was still standing there.