The Heart Wants What It Wants

Chapter 27

Maya's POV
20th July 2026
Sunday

My skin turns pale, and I widen my eyes.

Just as dread threatens to engulf my body, Luke calls out to his aunt for help. Riley quickly rushes over to stop the triplets from tickling each other.

I breathe a sigh of relief, and continue to text Lucas back.

Pancake: I miss Charlie.

Cowboy: You miss me.

Peaches: .......................

Cowboy: I never stopped loving you Maya.

My phone finds itself lying on the floor like a dead corpse, and I find myself curled up in a blanket of doubt.

I think, a small piece of my heart, still belongs to Lucas.

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Luke and Hope clutch my bony hands tightly, as a delightful smell slithers through my nostrils like a serpent. I navigate my way through the hospital, forcing myself to look away from the hospital food and coffee.

Luke knocks on the door of a white room, and Dr. Cerveau opens the door. In the blink of an eye, Luke and Hope bounce onto their father's bed, and curl up next to his feet. A smile creeps across my lips, watching a feeble hand make its way towards the children. Monitors beep, and nurses scurry along the corridors outside like mice. Charlie's chocolate brown eyes turn to look at me, and my heart breaks. All I can see is agony, spiralling into his life and ebbing at his spirit. His skin is as white as the sheets he is wrapped up in, and his lips are cracked and as dry as a desert. His hair is a bird's nest, and a beard is slowly growing along his cheeks.

"How did the scan go?" I interrogate bravely, clenching Charlie's limp hand.

Dr. Cerveau fiddles with his wire-rimmed spectacles and sighs. "Mr. Gardner has developed a meningioma tumour. A meningioma is a tumour that forms from the tissues around the meninges-the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Mr. Gardner's meningioma is atypical stage 2, which means that it is neither cancerous nor cancer free. In most situations, meningiomas can be removed via surgery, but Mr. Gardner's tumour has formed around the carotid artery. He will have to undergo some extensive radiotherapy treatment."

Charlie's nails dig harder into my hand, as if they are digging for treasure.

"Does this mean Daddy will become a robot?" Luke asks innocently, and Charlie chuckles gruffly.

"If only little penguin," Charlie rasps.

If only.

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Farkle's POV
21st July 2026
Monday

I bang my hands against the door of the apartment.

"LUCAS!!" I shout, slamming my feet against the dark oak door.

I hear a curse being uttered, and the doors swings open. I am greeted by wine bottles, and really, really, really bad breath.

"Fffffaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrkle," Lucas garbles. His breath smells like pickled onions, noxious nectarines and decomposed rat liver. I wrinkle my nose in disgust, as Lucas shoves me into the apartment. The pimple on his face is astonishingly big, and I make a mental note to wash my face more often. The apartment has fallen into despair ever since Riley left. The walls are covered in a collage of wine stains, and a carpet of ash covers the floor. Beer bottles are littered all over the place, and dirty clothes covered in a curious white substance form pyramids of laundry in every single corner of the apartment.