Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 6

A few months have passed since El's birthday : Ada has had her baby, Karl, who is in very good health. Grace's baby is growing little by little in her belly and Thomas, it took him a few weeks to digest that Grace was a spy for Campbell but he forgave her because she was expecting his child and couldn't abandon him.

Eleanor opens her blue eyes very slowly, she sees the daylight coming through the window. Arthur, asleep in an armchair. She turns her head to the other side, an infusion in her arm. She looks at the room around her. Little by little, the memories of her birthday come back. She understands that she's in the hospital because she fainted.

"El? "says Arthur as he approaches her. "You're awake! I'm calling the doctor!" He runs to the door and looks for the doctor. A few moments later, he comes back.

"Miss Brown, I am glad to know you are awake, how are you? " The doctor waiting for an answer, examines her.

" Uh... I guess I feel fine"

"I don't see anything to worry about, you look fine to me"

Arthur takes her hand " El, I'm going to phone everyone to say you're awake, they're going to be happy! I'm coming, don't move ! »

She laughs, "I'm not going anywhere, Arthur." Once he's gone, Eleanor looks at the doctor.

"Doctor? Tell me what happened? Please?" He pulls up a chair and sits down next to her.

"You fainted..."

"Yes, I remember, but..."

"but you remained in a coma after you passed out."

"what?" she looks away with such incomprehension "how long, doctor? "she asks as she looks at him again.

"5 months..." 5 months, she thinks to herself, in 5 months a lot has happened, how was she going to recover 5 months.

"I have something else to tell you..." Eleanor did not react and the doctor decided to continue. What else is he going to announce, as if losing 5 months wasn't enough.

"Miss Brown, what I'm about to tell you is going to come as a shock, but know that we'll be by your side...You're sick...you have a brain tumour...that's what caused you to faint and put you into a coma as well..."

Eleanor looks out the window at singing birds. She is devastated by what the doctor just told her. She'd been in a coma for five months, only to come out of it and then die. She wishes she could have stayed there and made it all a nightmare. How will the Shelby's react, her departure more than a year ago had upset them but this, was going to destroy them.

"How long do I have to live, Doctor? " always looking out the window.

" It's hard to say, miss, it could be a few years, it could be a few months, it could be a few weeks. "

"Of course I understand, doctor, please don't say anything to anyone! »

"But your family, your friends must know, you'll be accompanied..."

"No doctor, that's not what I want, I want them to live their lives, respect my decision doctor please »

"All right...if that's your choice, I'll respect it! »

Arthur's coming back to the room.

"There! Everybody's on their way. They can't wait to see you again. »

"Oh great ! I have so much to catch up on, Arthur..."

"I'll leave you now, try to rest when you can, I'll come back and see you later," said the doctor as he left the room.

"Thank you doctor! »

"You're finally gonna see Karl Ada's baby, you're gonna see he's really a Shelby."

"Karl? Like Karl Marx?" They're both starting to laugh.

They talk and laugh, Arthur tells her roughly what's happened in the last 5 months. Eleanor looks at him but without listening to him too much, she knows that he is the most fragile even if he doesn't show it, she is afraid to tell him, she is afraid that he will do something he will regret or worse, that he will put his life in danger. She tells herself at that moment that she will do everything she can to prevent that from happening, she will do everything she can so that no one knows that she will soon die.

Good Evening ! here the next chapter :D

see you soon xoxo