“Benjamin isn’t just anyone else. He’s the man who saved my life,” stated Kathleen as a look of utmost sorrow formed on her face.
Samuel felt that this was a rather ridiculous line of reasoning.
“I’ll leave since you don’t want to see me,” declared Samuel calmly as he shot a long and meaningful glance at her before he turned to leave.
Kathleen felt utterly helpless at that moment. At the rate things were going, she felt like she had no choice but to donate her bone marrow to Nicolette, but at the same time, she couldn’t fathom how someone could turn out to be that greedy.
To be fair, Kathleen knew that she was being greedy herself. She wanted the opportunity to stay by Samuel’s side and fervently hoped that he would notice her and fall in love with her. When it came down to it, she realized that she paled in comparison to even a moth that dove straight into a flame. This was because the flame that represented Samuel didn’t burn for her in the first place.
Forget it… I’m exhausted. We should just finalize the divorce earlier. I can’t wait to leave this place. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt because of me…
With that, Kathleen took a moment and calmed herself down before she slipped her shoes on and padded out of the sick room.
She wanted to drop by to check in on how Benjamin was doing. Just as she arrived at the entrance to his room, she saw Gemma seated diligently on a chair placed right outside.
She walked over and asked, “Didn’t you go home, Gem?”
Gemma’s eyes were swollen red as she turned to face Kathleen and shook her head vigorously.
Kathleen was worried and asked, “How can you continue on like this? You need to take good care of yourself at a time like this. After staying up through the night, you should head home to get a good rest.”
“Don’t bother persuading me, Kathleen. I won’t go. I’ll never leave Benjamin’s side,” declared Gemma in a raspy voice.
Kathleen pursed her lips as she replied, “Even so, this isn’t the way to go. You haven’t been eating or resting sufficiently. How can your body continue to go through such torture?”
“I’m afraid, Kathleen!” exclaimed Gemma as she wrapped her arms around herself to seek some measure of comfort. She added, “I’m afraid that he won’t be around anymore by the time I wake up, just like what happened with my mom and dad. They said that they were going on duty, but they ultimately never returned!”
“That won’t happen, Gemma. Benjamin will be fine. I promise you that,” replied Kathleen soothingly as she sat down gently beside her and wrapped her in a warm embrace.
“I’ve already lost both my parents, Kathleen. I can’t afford to lose my brother as well. What you don’t know is that my life was a living hell back then when I had just gotten adopted. I missed my parents, my brother, and you as well. I survived through that hell and finally got the chance to make contact with Benjamin. He’s the last remnant of a family that I have,” wailed Gemma in her raspy voice which was punctuated by the occasional sniffle.
Kathleen didn’t know how to respond.
Gemma blew her nose and continued, “Benjamin and I aren’t as fortunate as you. Old Mrs. Macari seems to like you so much! You’re basically living in paradise! Although Benjamin and I may not be living in a literal hell, we do look upon you sometimes with the occasional tinge of jealousy. If something were to happen to him, I would truly be left utterly alone in this world.”
“Nothing will happen to Benjamin, Gemma! I’ll stay by your side and wait till he regains consciousness,” promised Kathleen as she gripped Gemma’s hands reassuringly.
“Kathleen…” wailed Gemma as she dove right into Kathleen’s embrace and began sobbing earnestly. Despite her best efforts, Gemma ultimately couldn’t hold her emotions at bay anymore and let it all out.
Kathleen patted her lightly on the back and consoled her. “I’ll stay by your side and wait with you until he wakes up. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid.”
Gemma grunted and nodded her head in acknowledgment.
Just like that, the pair continued to sit on the chairs, and the silence continued for some time. Kathleen was about to offer to get some food for Gemma when she suddenly saw Wynnie making her way over hurriedly.
“Mom,” greeted Kathleen awkwardly.
Why is Wynnie here?
“I went over to your place to look for you but saw that both you and Samuel weren’t around. Later on, Maria told me that you were hospitalized. What happened to you? Are you feeling discomfort anywhere?” asked Wynnie worriedly.
“I’m fine, Mom,” replied Kathleen as she gently shook her head. She added, “Sorry for the wasted trip you made.”
“What’s there to apologize for? You should have told us the second you got hospitalized! It’s such a huge matter! You’ll only make us more worried and hurt by hiding it from us like this,” admonished Wynnie with a frown.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: All Too Late