The metal benches felt cold. The air was heavy. Worry, fear and despair floated in the waiting room. Doctors in white coats ran up and down the long corridors. Families stood staring at the clocks on the white walls. Others paced nervously from side to side or ran to the coffee machine for another dose of caffeine.
Minutes seemed like an eternity.
But it hadn't been more than an hour since Jayden and I had brought Evelyn to the emergency room.
"She's going to be okay," I told Jayden softly, placing my hand over his.
But how could I know if Evelyn was going to be okay? I could hope for it. I could pray that everything would be alright. But I had no way of knowing if that would be the case.
Yet, I had to say something.
Jayden didn't reply. He just looked at me with his kind eyes and nodded uncertainly. Then he continued to watch the passing doctors, hoping that one of them would be the one to bring us information.
"Do you want me to get you something from the machine?" I asked him after several minutes of silence.
"No, thanks," he replied shortly.
Silence ensued.
"Good afternoon. Are you with Evelyn?" A doctor finally approached us.
Jayden stood up. "Yes."
"She is already conscious. We did tests, a scan, and nuclear magnetic resonance. We expect the results soon. You may see her now."
The doctor pointed us to the room.
Evelyn was lying in the hospital bed. She tried to smile after seeing us, but her smile quickly sagged. Her face was pale. Her usually cheerful eyes now looked haggard.
Jayden walked over, took her hand, and kissed her forehead.
"My boy." She stroked his face.
I approached the bed. "How are you, Evelyn?"
Stupid again. What kind of question was that? She didn't look well at all.
"I'm a little dizzy. It's probably the worries and stress that are taking their toll."
"Doctors will soon receive the results of the tests. Has this ever happened to you before, Evelyn?"
Jayden's question went unanswered.
"I'm fine, my boy. Don't worry." Evelyn took his hand again. "However, I suppose the doctors will keep me in the hospital for a few days, so now go. No need to stay here. And Jayden, I'll have to ask you to watch over the motel while I'm here."
"Do you think I would leave you here alone?"
"Evelyn," I interjected. "If you don't mind, I can take care of the motel."
"I can't ask you for that, Savi."
"You're not asking me. I offer it." I insisted.
"Okay. Thank you! I will repay you!"
"Don't think about that, Evelyn. You need a rest now. We'll be expecting you back very soon."
Jayden put his hand on my back. "Ev, I'll take Savi to town and come back again. I hope the results are out by then. It's probably nothing serious, and who knows, you might be discharged tomorrow." A small smile accompanied his words—a fake one, but a smile, nonetheless.
I said goodbye to Evelyn. Jayden drove me to the motel and immediately returned to the hospital.
I took a quick shower, changed my formal pants for jeans, tied my hair in a high ponytail, and went to the reception.
Two of the rooms had become vacant. I cleaned them and changed the bed linen and towels in the bathroom. Later I welcomed and accommodated new guests.
I was so worried. Would Evelyn be okay? Was I doing well at the motel? Somehow, quite imperceptibly, I completely turned my back on my own problems.
The evening came. But I still didn't have any information from the hospital. I stood there at the reception, waiting for the phone to ring. But both times this happened, it was people calling for reservations, not Jayden.
Fortunately, shortly before 10 p.m., he appeared at the door.
"Jayden! How is Evelyn? Are the results out? Is everything alright?"
He looked at me with a look I had never seen on his face and shook his head.
"I'm so sorry... What... What's happening with her?"
Jayden rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want to come with me? I will tell you."
"Sure," I replied.
I locked the storage room, which also functioned as a kind of office, and followed Jayden.
Once we got to the front of the caravan, he went inside, got two beers, and we both sat on the front chairs.
"She has cancer," Jayden said after taking a sip, staring off into space. "The doctor said that the metastases in the brain were extensive, and they caused the seizure."
"God." I breathed. "They... Um, the doctors... Did they offer any treatment?"
"There's nothing they can do." Jayden turned his head to me, his eyes filled with tears. "Evelyn had been diagnosed a year ago with inoperable cancer. The doctors gave her at most six months to live."
"Then how... I'm sorry... but how—"
"Dr. Beckett said it is a miracle that she made it this far; they can't even medically explain her relatively healthy condition during this year. However, she believes that it is thanks to James that she is still alive."
"How so?"
Jayden picked up the bottle, drank the rest of his beer, stood up, and tossed the bottle forward. "My God, Evelyn! Why hadn't you told me? Why did you hide such a thing?"
I jumped out of my chair and hugged him. There was nothing I could say to calm him down. There were no words that could ease his anxiety. But I could be there. Next to him. The way he was there for me from the moment we met.
"James passed away half a year ago." Jayden began to explain. "Heart attack. Exactly half a year after Evelyn's diagnosis and the bad medical's predictions. She believes that James has taken her place. That he has given her these months of life."
"God... That sounds so—"
"Impossible? I know. Probably just a coincidence. But she believes in it."
"Can't some therapy be done?"
"Early on, they tried chemotherapy. She and James told us they were going on vacation, though they were actually at a hospital. Carmen took care of the motel while they were gone. Unfortunately, the therapy didn't help. Evelyn has been advised to go home and live out the rest of her life with the people she loves as quietly as possible." Jayden released his embrace, looked me in the eye, and then down to the ground. "She's dying, Savi. Whatever the reason... whatever miracle happened that kept her outliving doctors' predictions—it seems that it could not last forever."
"Then you will be by her side. In the last months, weeks, days, or hours. No matter how much time she has left. In the last moments, you will be by her side. She will no longer be alone in this ordeal." Tears streamed down my cheeks. I tried to suppress them but couldn't, although I had to be the strong one now. "And I... I'll be there for you both."
Jayden cupped my face and rested his forehead on mine. "I called Carmen. She will come in two-three days when her current temporary job is over. At least that's what we can give her, right? Not to be alone..."
"Yes. I'm sure that's all she needs right now."
***
The next few days passed slowly. But they were quick at the same time—we were counting down the last moments with someone we cared about.
I continued to take care of the motel. Jayden spent days and nights in the hospital. Once a day, he would go back to the caravan to shower, take me to the hospital, then drive me back before he returned there.
With each passing day, Evelyn looked worse. The beast lurking inside her for so long had been released and spreading through her body. It was eating her up inside. We watched as life left her little by little. There was nothing we could do. The doctors could do nothing. We were just watching.
For several days there was no sign of Evelyn we knew. Gone was the sparkle in her eyes. Gone was the blush on her cheeks. Gone was the energy. The laughter was gone.
Carmen arrived on Saturday. Her shock at the devastating news was as great as Jayden's had been.
I somewhat understood Evelyn's actions. The fact that she did not share the news about her illness allowed everyone to live their lives normally. When you don't talk about your pain out loud, it doesn't make it any less real, but you don't see pity in people's eyes. You don't hear questions like How are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything? every day. Instead, you just keep living. As much as you can. As you can. And you receive people's love, not because they pity you, but simply because they love you.
***
Sunday morning
Jayden came to pick me up, and we went to the hospital together. It had been a day since my last visit.
"Savi, Savi," Evelyn said my name with effort and beckoned to me. "Honey, come for a moment. Sit down." She patted the end of her bed lightly, then turned to Jayden and Carmen. "Dears, will you leave us alone?"
They left the room, and I sat on the bed beside Evelyn.
"Thank you, honey," she whispered, taking my hand. "For everything."
"You don't need to thank me for anything, Evelyn."
"Please, Savi..." She could hardly breathe as she spoke. "I want to ask you one last thing."
"Of course. Just tell."
"Take care of my boy, Savi. Ever since you came here..."
"Evelyn, please. Save your strength." It broke my heart to see how emaciated she was.
"I want to finish... Please hear me out, Savi. Jayden... he's like a son to me. James and I loved him like our own son. His life hasn't been easy... And even though he found the peace he needed here, I always... always knew he was missing something. And since you... came..."
Evelyn's difficulty breathing began to become more rapid. "Evelyn, please—"
"Savi. Ever since you came here, he's been... he's happy. Please... take... care... of... my... boy. He... deserves... to... be... happ—"
Evelyn's hand, which had been gripping mine with surprising strength a moment earlier, fell lifelessly down.
Her eyes closed for eternity.
❤️ A/N ❤️
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