Chapter 15: Chapter 15

"We're going to my house," Ego blurts when mum asks where we are going. I look at her in bafflement. Did she just lie? Osita is waiting outside to take us to the venue for his party and here she is talking about her house.

"Be home on time." Mum nods in approval and Kemi pulls me outside before I can say a word. Turns out Kemi has met Ego before so they are acquaintances.

"What was that all about?" I ask once we are settled in the black Lexus Osita brought. According to him, his mum let him use her car since it's his birthday.

"What? The excuse I gave on your behalf?" Ego questions, arching a brow. I roll my eyes.

"Duh, obviously."

"What? Were you going to tell her the truth?" Kemi asks and I give her a surprised look. Why not? "Oh, so you were going to proudly tell your mum that you are going to a club?" I freeze. A club? Again?

"Why are you celebrating it at a club?" I ask, making Osita roll his eyes.

"Well, why not? Do you want him to think you’re a baby?" Ego asks with a taunting look on her face. Just because I mistakenly told her about Jasper's challenge, she's using it to blackmail me. But I'm not a baby.

"Look, it's just a gathering of a few friends, not some huge party," Osita explains.

"And, we're going to my house before leaving for the club," Ego adds and I heave a sigh of surrender. At least the excuse held part of the truth.

"Hi." I turn to see a tall dark guy looking at me with recognition in his eyes.

"Hi," I respond, unsure if I know him or not.

"You look familiar."

"I do?" I ask, adjusting on the spot. He snaps his fingers in realization.

"That's it. We met at this club some time ago. Patrick introduced you to me, remember?" Wow, that was October! Good memory.

"The name is Kunle," he adds when I remain unresponsive, snapping me out of my reverie. I chuckle in embarrassment and he smirks.

"I think I remember," I say and he nods in understanding. I only have a vague memory of who he is because Patrick practically introduced me to the whole club. Even the manager!

"So, what are you doing here?" he asks, taking the bar stool beside me. No, I am not taking tequila or any of that. I'm sipping grape wine.

"Uh, I'm here for someone's birthday." I gesture with my hand towards the table where Osita and the rest are seated and chatting.

Recognition lights his face and he speaks. "Oh, that um, Osita guy right?"

"How do you know him?" Don't tell me everybody knows everybody in this city.

"I’m kind of the assistant manager here," he says with a toothy grin and my lips form an o. Then it hits me. Of course.

"You're the guy that was with the manager... what's his name again?"

"Bode"

"Yeah. That was you right?"

"Now you remember me," he states with a smile and I nod.

"Yeah."

"So, remind me of the name," he starts and the conversation continues.

***

7:35. Oh my gosh, mum is soo going to kill me.

Turning the door handle, I slowly push it in. Oh great. Busted. Mum is pacing the foyer, worry marring her usually bright face. Is she that worried about me?

"Mum?" I say lowly as I walk towards her. The entire house is enveloped in a deafening silence and I can't shake off the feeling that something is amiss.

"You're late," mum's voice finally cuts through the silence but its dull and…cold. Concern immediately spreads across my face.

"I'm sorry. I―"

"Why didn't you tell me?" I turn to see Nes standing at the foot of the staircase. I did not see her come down.

"Tell you what?" Am I double-busted? My heart rate picks up. What am I not getting? The look on her face is scaring the shit out of me. Her eyes are red and swollen like she has been crying. I turn to mum for help but she is looking at Nes.

"Agnes―" mum starts but is cut off by Nes herself.

"Why didn't you tell me that Alex collapsed months ago?" The question hits me off guard. How did she find out?

Then a more horrifying realisation hits me.

"Where's Alex?" The panic is rising uncontrollably now.

"If you had told me―" Nes begins to raise her voice but mum beats her to it.

"Agnes stop! It's not her fault. If you continue this way, you won't be going to see him at all."

"Mum!" I shout drawing her attention back myself.

"Isabella, calm down okay? Alex is in the hospital." I freeze.

"If you had told me, I would have been careful." Nes is saying but I have zoned out. All I can do is say silent prayers for my brother.

"Dad!" I rush to him the moment I see him in the hallway, a questioning look on my face. I had to spend about an hour at home until mum dimmed it fit for Nes to come to the hospital. I did not argue because if Nes had come to the hospital in her state, she may have fainted.

"Isabella, is your sis―"

"Dad, where is he?" Nes quizzes immediately she reaches us, eyes darting around wildly. Dad holds her shoulders, trying to calm her down but she moves away and fresh tears well up in her eyes. When I said mum and I worry too much, I meant we worry in a calm way but when Nes is worried, that's a different case altogether.

"Agnes? I told you not to cry. Because if you do, I’m taking you back home," mum states firmly and Nes hurriedly wipes the tears and sniffs.

"They are trying to stabilize him. He'll be fine," dad tries to assure us even though he looks unsure himself. I move towards Jason, who is seated beside Patrick on a long waiting chair. He shuffles to the side, making room for me to seat. Me and Patrick acknowledge each other with nods before I sit.

"Tell me the truth," I state, my voice sounding cracked. I really want to know the truth but at the same time I don't. I am scared of what it might be. He remains silent for a few seconds before responding.

"I don't know," he sighs sadly. My chest tightens. He looks intently at Nes before averting his gaze.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Are you?" he returns and I sigh. Patrick excuses himself to go the restroom.

"Fair enough." A brief moment of silence ensues before he speaks again. His voice is low so that I have to scoot closer to hear him clearly.

"Sometimes I feel like…like I'm not a part of them, like I'm just a third wheel." The statement takes me completely unawares.

"What do you mean? Nes is the last of you three."

He sighs. "I know but they are so close, I sometimes feel like the odd one out. You know, like I forget that I have triplets." He searches my face for any sign of understanding but I am sure he finds none.

"But you and Alex are close. I mean I know you're not one to talk so much like the both of them but that doesn't make you any less a part of them," I confer.

"I know," he insists. "But when we do things together, it's until I look at him and see a mirror image of myself that I realise he is my triplet." I understand what he is going through but I am not sure I know how to help. Just like he said, Nes and Alex are so close and he is so different, you could forget he is one of them. I would feel dejected if it were me. He exhales sharply before continuing.

"Gosh I feel so guilty right now," he mumbles but I hear him clearly. His statement surprises me and I frown.

"What are you talking about?" I question. Sitting upright, he brushes his hand through his hair; a seemingly involuntary act of his when he’s hesitant about something. I pull his hand down, giving him a firm look and he gives up.

"And don't mumble your words to me," I add before he speaks, knowing fully well that is another thing he tends to do when unwilling to give in. That is one of the traits he shares with his triplets. He rolls his eyes before confiding.

"I knew." I silently wait for him to continue. "I knew he wasn't well, Bella. I don't know if that contributed to what is going on now but he told me he had frequent headaches and sometimes, vision issues," he pauses to take a breath.

"He didn't want me to tell anyone and I…I felt that was one of the few secrets he kept with me so I…" he stops.

Realising what he is implying, I add. "So you didn't tell anyone."

"Because I wanted to feel the bond between us more," he says, nodding repeatedly. "So you see? I was selfish," he adds with a guilt-filled expression and I must say, I feel his pain. I never knew he was going through so much. I rub his thigh reassuringly and he forces a smile.

"You know, Nes blames me," I say and a curious expression spreads his face.

"I don't know why." I shake my head. Our conversation is halted there when the doctor walks out of the room. Patrick, who returned few seconds ago stands up.

"Doctor, how is he?" dad asks, rushing to him. Nes and mum remain seated. She seems too transfixed to make any moves so mum stays by her side.

"He's been stabilized. He’s already awake, even," the doctor informs us and the A.Cs in the hallway seem to start working again. Blood seems to return to Nes' feet as she springs up and dashes into the room.

"Agnes!" mum calls but the doctor signals that it's okay.

"But I strongly advise he undergoes an MRI scan." MRI scan? Why?

"Why?" For the first time, mum's voice comes out shaky. She has been acting strong for Nes and now that she is out of earshot, she is cracking.

"To trace out the root of the problem," the doctor simply says.

"Can we do that now?" dad asks but the doctor shakes his head.

"I suggest we wait for some time. Say, tomorrow."

"But can we go home?" I ask and once again, the doctor shakes his head.

"He should remain here till tomorrow when we will carry out the scan. He needs to be monitored." And with that, he walks away.

"Aren't you coming?" I ask when I notice that Jason is unwilling to move. He has a sombre expression on his face.

"Go on, I'll come in a bit." Instead of doing as he says, I grab his arm and pull him towards the door. Everyone turns their head when we step into the room. Alex's head is resting on the raised part of the bed and he smiles weakly. Gosh, Lex has never looked this weak before.

"Hey bro," I say, smiling and he chuckles lightly. We stay one more hour before mum finally cajoles us to go home while she spends the night with him. All through our stay, Jason hardly says a word and though it seems normal to everyone else, the reason is clear to me. His actions make me begin to wonder if his usual silence has always had a motive. I fear that he feels lonely.

But whatever it is, I must try to help him out of it.

***

"Bee?"

I turn to Nes and silently wait for her to go on. The usual liveliness in her voice and spark in her eyes have been replaced by gloom. We have hardly spoken a word to each other since yesterday.

"I-I'm sorry I blamed you." I remain quiet and she ventures further.

"You didn't want me to get upset so you didn't tell me. It's actually my fault. I was chasing him and he suddenly fell when we got downstairs. I thought he was just messing around but when I got close―"

"We're here," dad announces, ending our conversation. We climb down from the car and walk towards the entrance to the hospital.

"Hey." I stop Nes at the entrance to the room Alex is in. "It's not your fault." I pass her a reassuring smile which she returns. We walk in.

"Good afternoon mum," Nes and I greet in unison and mum smiles weakly. She looks twice as tired as she did last night. I look towards the beeping heart monitor then at Alex who is lying on his side, sound asleep.

"Are the results ready yet?" dad asks and as if on cue, the door opens to reveal the doctor, whose name, I discovered, is Dr. Timi. He regards everyone with a nod and sighs deeply.

"So, the results are ready but I don't have them here. Someone is going to bring them soon," he explains.

"Okay, thank you doctor," dad says.

"I'm speaking based on my observations. The vomiting, headaches and seizures―"

"Seizures? Alex doesn't experience seizures," I cut in when the doctor pauses and look at everyone. The look on their faces prove me wrong. What?

"He had a fit last night," mum says solemnly.

"And yesterday when he fell," Nes adds and I look at Alex in terror.

Surely they're not talking about this delightful ball of sunshine, are they?

"With these symptoms, my best guess would be...a brain tumour," Dr. Timi states and a deathly silence envelops the room. I don't exactly know much about brain tumours but I'm not very eager either.

"What?" Jason asks in alarm.

"It's a condition where there is an abnormal growth of cells on a part of the brain. And it can require surgery," the doctor explains calmly. "But let's hope I'm wrong," he quickly adds but it's too late. My heart has already chanced my stomach and the stomach; I don't know where that one is. I am too stunned to notice the expressions on the others' faces but I can hear Nes sobbing already.

Just then, someone in blue scrubs walks in and hands a large envelope to the doctor.

"A colleague of mine has examined the results and..." He takes out the paper and looks through it with brows furrowed in concentration. When he looks up we already know the answer.

He was right.

He only purses his lips and nods, confirming our fears. Oh gosh, how did this happen?

"Doctor, can we speak in private?" dad asks and Dr. Timi nods. But mum stops them.

"No. Speak here in―" dad cuts her off.

"Arabelle, please." He ushers the doctor out and follows.

A few minutes later, my phone rings, cutting through the quietness and I rush out to pick the call because the silence in the room is killing me.

"Hello?"

"Who's ready for some more holiday stuff?!" Melody squeals into the phone as usual but I am far from okay to process anything.

"Hey Mel." I greet in a dull tone.

"What do you say we go have ice cream tomorrow?" she suggests in excitement, still oblivious to my tone.

"Um...um." I realise I am completely short of words.

"Why are you um-ing me?"

"Uh..." There is brief silence on the other end.

"Bee, what's wrong?" The concern in her voice is now evident. I suddenly taste salt in my mouth and realise I’m crying.

"Bee! Talk to me," Melody presses on but I burst into sobs, unable to tell her what is going on. She lets me gather myself before speaking.

"Bella, please you can talk to me."

"A-Alex. H-he...in the hospital." I am not sure she understands me and neither do I care.

"Which hospital?" she asks calmly, clearly trying to keep herself together. I tell her and she says her house is close by.

In no time, she is at the hospital, asking what on earth happened after we hug.

"He has brain tumour. That’s what the doctor said." Her face goes pale and she takes in ragged breaths.

"Brain tumour," she breathes out.

"You know much it?"

"My brother has told me about it before." I gesture for her to follow me into the room but she looks hesitant.

"How bad is it?" If I am not mistaking, she sounds quite fearful and it feels strange. I quickly make a mental note to talk to her about it.

"He's awake." She finally follows me into the room.

The moment Alex sees her, his countenance changes. I can't read the expression but it looks like he is trying to look better than he actually is. She greets everyone and asks him how he is and he replies with a smile and a nod.

"Dad? What happened?" Nes asks the moment he walks in. Melody holds my hand and squeezes and I smile. Dad sighs before speaking.

"We're flying him abroad for surgery."