Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Who's calling me in the middle of the night?

Although bewildered, I stood up to answer the call.

Much to my surprise, it's my brother who's calling me. I pressed the answer button.

"This better be important, Archeus Saphiro," I feigned a stern tone.

"C-Cleo."

I frowned when I discerned the fear in his tone of voice.

"Arch, is everything alright? You're making me nervous."

There was a deafening silence on the other line. I could hear a peculiar static sound, but I don't know what that is.

"It's about mama."

My heart skipped a bit. "W-What about her?"

His heavy sigh made me even more nervous. "She's at the hospital right now."

My breathing hitched and my hands quivered in fear. I could feel my heart hammering against my chest.

"W-What?" I shook my head. "Please tell me that this is just one of your stupid jokes, Arch."

I know my brother would never jest about such a thing, but my mind is in a state of chaos and could not process his news.

"I wish I am, but I'm not, Cleo. She's sleeping inside the emergency room at the moment."

I felt weak and vulnerable. The tears I was supressing earlier fell down.

"W-What happened, Arch? Why is she hospitalized?" I asked while trying to keep my sanity intact.

He puffed out a heavy breath.

"This afternoon, while she's watching television, she hyperventilated and couldn't breathe properly. She was okay earlier. But that happened..."

My lips quivered.

I couldn't imagine how hard it was for her. I witnessed her going through the same thing when I was still in the province, and it was hell for us.

My mother's illness makes her feel shortness of breath sometimes. But that incident was almost a year ago, and the last time she had a check-up, the doctor said her condition is getting better. Hence, I wasn't expecting that this would happen again.

"Fortunately, I was able to bring her to the hospital immediately. Uncle Darius helped me," Archeus added, referring to our kind neighbor.

I swallowed a lump. "H-How is she now, Arch? Please tell me that she's alright."

"The doctor told me that her vital signs are stable. She just needs to rest and stay in the hospital for a few days so they can monitor her condition, but she's fine. You don't have to worry. I just called to inform you."

That at least gave me a sense of relief.

"I-I'll go there as soon as possible. Tomorrow, I'll try to buy tickets."

It's an impetuous decision, but that's what I want to do right now. I want to see my mother. I want to be beside her while she's recovering.

If only I could teleport myself, I would do that without a second thought.

"Are you insane? You have work to do. Stop worrying about us here, Cleo. I won't attend school for the mean time so I can look after her. She will be fine, I promise you."

"But-"

"Please listen to me, Cleo. I know you're already exhausted. Stop stressing yourself more. I know you're making decisions out of your impulse, and it might just put you in harm. Who knows what could happen if you travel while you're too abstracted?"

I want to stand my ground, but I know my brother has a point.

I let out a sigh of defeat. "Fine, but you have to promise me that you'll always message and call me regarding Mama's condition. And if her condition gets worse, you can no longer stop me. I'll fly there."

"I will, Cleo."

I drew out a deep breath as I ended the call. I pulled my hair in distress and stared at the ceiling. Tears are once again threatening to fall from my eyes.

God, don't take my mother away from me. I already lose my father. I don't know what to do if I lose her too.

When the call ended, I mindlessly stared at the walls in my room. My mind is filled with thoughts about them. I couldn't even sleep no matter how hard I tried. The image of my mother lying on a hospital bed kept replaying in my mind.

So I pulled myself up from bed and got a jacket. When I exited my room, I was greeted with silence. I opened the door that leads to the backyard.

I walked towards the chair near the gazebo and sat on it. I reclined and stared at the dark sky.

I inhaled a lungful of air in hopes that it would calm the turbulent storm in my chest, but it didn't. I still ended up getting bombarded with horrendous thoughts.

Although my brother assured me that our mother would be fine according to the doctor, I still couldn't keep my heart at bay.

"What are you doing here?"

I jolted when I heard a voice from behind. I turned around and was surprised to see Garren.

I didn't hear his footsteps.

"S-Sir. Y-You already arrived," I stated the obvious.

He didn't reply and continued staring at me. His brows snapped together.

"Are you crying?"

My eyes widened. I quickly looked away and wiped my tears off. I put on a smile before facing him.

"I-I'm not-"

"Yes you are," he cuts me off.

He closed the door and sat on the chair beside me.

"Why are you crying?"

Are my ears just tricking me, or does he really sound concerned?

"How did you find out that someone is here, sir?" I asked instead of answering his question.

"You left the door open," he replied. "But don't divert the topic. Why were you crying?"

I pursed my lips, reluctant.

"I know we started on the wrong foot, but if you need someone to talk to right now, I'm listening."

I was flabbergasted. Is this really Garren beside me?

"But if you're not comfortable, then you don't have to force yourself."

I stared at him for a couple of seconds. I don't know what had gotten into me, but I just found myself telling him everything.

"It's about my mother," I began. "She's currently at the hospital."

He frowned. "Why?"

I smiled bitterly. "She was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease years ago, and this is one of those times that her sickness attacks her."

An expression of pity passed through his eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she gets well soon. Who's looking after her anyway?"

"My brother is with her."

"I know he will take care of your mother."

Silence rose between us for a couple of seconds. The sound of crickets was the only thing that could be heard.

"My father was diagnosed with coronary heart disease almost two years ago."

I don't know why I'm telling Garren these things. Even the people I've been with longer on Obsidian didn't even know about this story.

Perhaps it's because the emotions in my chest are overwhelming and I can no longer bottle them up. I have to vent these out.

"I was in my second year of college and pursuing my education degree when that happened. We were in debt to pay his hospital bills. Our problems piled up, and I had no choice but to temporarily stop attending school to lessen our expenses and help my mother."

Garren sits there without saying anything. He just listens to me, and I really appreciate that.

"We were able to prolong my his life. But maybe they are right. If your time is up, you can't do anything about it. Because on the exact night of my birthday, my father left us. He fled with a faint smile on his face."

I can still recall everything. The wounds that it carved in my heart are still here. The pain that I felt when I held his cold hands is still vivid in my mind.

His death became our worst downfall. It was the most painful moment in our lives. All of us were devastated. It felt like my father brought a fragment of our hearts with him.

"Because of that, I was forced to permanently stop studying so I could help with the expenses. My mother was against my decision at first, but I was determined. It was the only way we could continue living."

I secretly wiped the tears off of my eyes.

"After a couple of months, when I thought that we were slowly recovering from that peril, it was my mother who was diagnosed with the same disease." I laughed bitterly. "Life really loves fucking us."

I breathed deeply. "That's the exact reason why I flew here in the city where there are more job opportunities, even though it's against my will. I have to work my fingers to the bone to aid my mother's medication and to finance my brother's studies. I have to make some sacrifices because no one else will."

I saw a star gleaming faintly, as if it's beaming at me, telling me that everything is going to be alright soon.

How I wish it's that easy.

I glanced at Garren. He's just staring right at me, and it made me flustered.

"I admire you."

My heart skipped after hearing that.

"You're probably one of the bravest people that I've ever met."

I smiled. "Thank you, sir."

He averted his gaze. "If I were in your shoes, I would have given up a long time ago. But you... you didn't. I couldn't imagine the emotional torture that you've been through when you lost your father and having to watch your mother suffer from her illness. But instead of giving up, you stand fiercely in the midst of the downpour, not just for yourself but for them as well."

I feel warmth in my heart hearing those words from him...

"I'm pretty sure that wherever your father is, he's proud of you."

Despite the pain I'm feeling, I felt a sense of happiness.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome." He laughed all of a sudden. "Now I regret being a jerk to you. You had dealt with enough shits and I even added to your torture."

I scratched my cheeks sheepishly. "But you already apologized, though. Let's just bury that behind."

He hummed as a response.

Silence hovered between us for a couple of minutes, until he spoke.

"I know you're going through a hard time right now. You're swamped with fear and anxiety because of your mother's situation..."

From the heavenly bodies above, he diverted his eyes to me.

"But I just want to say that even though I don't personally know your mother, I know she will get through this. She gave birth to a valiant and fearless soldier, so I believe that she's as brave as you."

I feel tears brimming at the corners of my eyes. But this time, it's because of bliss.

Garren stood up and stretched his arms.

"Everything is going to be okay for you, Cleo. Perhaps not tomorrow, or even on the other days... but soon you'll get better. Like they always say, there's a rainbow after the rain."

He patted my shoulders. "Goodnight, Cleo. I hope tomorrow will be kinder to you."

I watched him as he went back inside the mansion until he faded from my line of sight.

I smiled.

Who would've thought that the man I loathed before would be the one to sit beside me in the middle of the night?

He's the last person I expected to listen to all the bullshits I had to confront in my entire existence.... but well, life is indeed full of unexpected things that will knock you off your feet.