Take My Breath Away

"Yes, there are," Blair replied. "I often feel this pain in my liver in the evenings. I never took it seriously, that is, until my digestive tract bled this morning. After checking the test results, the doctor told me that it was terminal liver cancer." Niles had informed Blair about all the symptoms a patient with terminal liver cancer would have, and had asked her to memorize all of them. So, she had no trouble answering his question.

Wesley held the medical report tightly in his hand. His brow furrowed. This was too sudden and too harsh, and it was hard to believe. How could a young girl like Blair possibly develop terminal liver cancer out of the blue? He stroked her cheek gently and soothed her, "Don't cry. There must have been a mistake. I'll go ask the doctor myself."

"Don't go! The doctor said that I only have a few months left. I want nothing more than your company in these last few days of my life. Don't go anywhere. Stay with me, will you?" Her weeping was muffled as she buried her face into his chest. He patted her head slowly.

"I'll keep you company. But let me just talk to your attending physician. There is no way that your days are numbered. It must be a mistake. Trust me." That a perky girl, who was always smiling, developed cancer and had only a few months to live was unacceptable, even to a tough guy like Wesley.

Cecelia had threatened Blair's attending physician into cooperation, but even so, Blair was worried that the doctor might give their plan away. Besides, it was never easy to slip one over on Wesley. She wrapped her arms around his waist and mumbled, "Okay. But can you wait until I fall asleep? I want to be with you."

"Sure," he agreed without any hesitation. He put the medical report back on the table.

With one hand holding onto Blair, he dialed Niles' number with the other. "Wesley, what's up?" Niles asked once he got through.

"Do you know a Dr. Zaria?" queried Wesley without any greeting. Blair's heart leaped at his question. But it didn't seem like he doubted her.

"Of course. She is an expert hepatologist. She was the one who did the medical examination on Blair. Wesley..." Niles choked. "I can't believe this. This can't be true, right? Blair is so lovely and pretty. She doesn't even have a boyfriend yet. How could such a horrible thing happen to her? This is so sad..."

Then he cried out into the phone loudly. Wesley felt as if he were listening to a pig's squealing as it was being taken to be slaughtered. It was disturbing to say the least. "Shut up!" he snapped, rolling his eyes. "Where is Mom?"

It was Cecelia who had broken the news to him. And she liked Blair a lot. Logically thinking, she should have been at the hospital with Blair in such a critical moment, but she wasn't.

"Mom is devastated by the news. She is resting at my place. Wes, take care of Blair. The men in our family are always grateful and faithful to their women. Blair has always loved you so sincerely. Why don't you marry her and make her happy in the final days of her life?" Niles suggested.

The ward was so quiet that Blair heard everything he said. She stifled her laughter and secretly admired Niles' performance.

"You don't have to tell me what to do. Take care of Mom. Tell her not to worry about Blair," Wesley told his brother.

"All right. Spend as much time with Blair as you can." Saying that, he started wailing again.

Annoyed by Niles' bawling, Wesley hung up quickly.

Wesley looked at the girl in his arms. He gently kissed Blair's hair and asked, "Does your uncle know about this?"

She shook her head and whimpered, "No. I just learned about it a while back. I don't know how to tell them. I want to wait for a while."

Wesley nodded. His brow was knitted the whole time. "How are you feeling now? Do you feel any pain?"

"No, I'm feeling fine now. It's no wonder that I never got fat." Her voice was thick with grief.

Wesley closed his eyes to hide the sorrow that was enveloping him. "Did the doctor say why this happened?"

"Yes. She said that the malignant tumor had transferred slowly from my uterus to my liver," Blair replied, trying to stick to the script. 'Did I say that right?' she wondered. Wesley already knew that there was something wrong with her uterus. She thought that telling him the cancer was caused due to some problem in her uterus would be more convincing.

Sure enough, Wesley fell silent. He hadn't imagined that a small problem like that could have gotten so serious.

The injuries to her hands and feet hadn't healed yet. Now, she had also been told that she had liver cancer and it was terminal. It was all too much for a young girl to face. Wesley decided that he would be by her side to help her get through this dark phase.

"Wesley, I'll be seeing my parents soon. They must be missing me..." The thought of her parents brought back so many memories. Genuine tears streamed down her face this time.

It was the first time Blair had spoken of her parents after they had passed away. Wesley felt a prick in his heart as she wept. "Don't be silly. I'll take you to a different hospital for another examination. I've never heard of this Dr. Zaria before. She must be a quack. You'll be fine." If Blair really was sick, Wesley planned on taking her to the best doctor in the world. He would spare no cost in her treatment as long as there was still hope.

Her tears stained his clothes. Those were real tears. She missed her parents. And she was also moved by Wesley's genuine concern.

He held her quietly so that she could let out all her sadness. His heart ached as she sobbed uncontrollably in his arms.

After a while, Blair wiped her eyes, which were red from crying, and said to him, "I'm okay now. Thank you for being here with me. You have work to do. Go now. Don't worry about me. I'll put on a smile and make the rest of my life meaningful, no matter how short it is."

"I'm not busy." He wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumbs. "Don't give up. Medical technology is highly advanced now and we have medicines for most diseases. There will be a cure for you. I will find it."

"Hmm. Thank you, Wesley," she said sincerely.

Blair lay down to take a nap. During this time, Wesley went to the nurses' station and asked, "Where is Dr. Zaria's office?"

The nurse being asked blinked as she paged through some medical records. "Dr. Zaria is off the clock. And she's taking the next couple of days off. She won't be here until two days later."

'What?!' Wesley couldn't believe the nerve of that doctor. 'Her patient is going through the darkest moment of her life, and she decided to take a vacation? This lady is the most irresponsible doctor I've ever heard of.'

He fished out his phone from his pants pocket and called Carlos. "I need a favor."

"Shoot," said Carlos. He was just about to get on a plane for a business trip.

"Find me the best hepatologist you know."

"What's wrong? Who's sick?" Carlos asked.

"Blair. Terminal liver cancer,"

Wesley replied after a pause. Carlos was silent for a moment. "I'll put Emmett on it."

"Thanks."

Both Blair and Cecelia were surprised to know that Wesley would go to such lengths to find the best doctor in the world to cure Blair.

In the ward

Blair leaned against Wesley's chest, immersed in his tenderness. "Wesley, will you be my boyfriend for the next few months?" she asked expectantly.

Wesley looked at her with mixed emotions. But he remained silent, giving her no reply.

Blair got nervous. "If you don't want to, it's fine. I'm already used to your rejection anyway."

He gave her a comforting kiss on the forehead. If she really had only few months to live, then he would spend all those days making her every wish come true.

In the following days, Wesley, who usually tended to be busy all the time, stayed in the ward every day to take care of Blair. She felt ecstatic the first two days, but on the third day, guilt overwhelmed her. This was just a trick. She didn't want it to cost Wesley's career.