CHAPTER 147: FATE DEALT ME THIS ILLNESS

"Grandma, don’t talk like that. I haven’t even spoken to the doctor yet," Lucien said, tightening his grip on her frail hands as if that alone could anchor her to him.

"Sir, I’ll have to ask you to step outside," a nurse interjected gently.

Lucien looked up. "Why?"

"Since your grandmother has just been admitted, we need to run a series of tests," the nurse explained in a respectful tone. "I’ll call you back in once we’ve taken the necessary samples."

Lucien hesitated, his thumb brushing over Azalea’s knuckles one last time before he slowly released her. With visible reluctance, he stepped back and left the ward.

The moment the door closed behind him, he raked a hand through his hair, pacing the hallway. His mind swirled with his grandmother’s words. The thought that his grandmother’s life might be slipping away gnawed at him deeply.

Lucien froze mid-step when he saw his aunt, Fleur, walking toward him. The tension in his chest tightened.

"Aunt... is it true?" he asked.

Fleur’s eyes searched his face. "Did Mom tell you everything?"

"Yes," he said. He swallowed hard, then pressed again, almost afraid of the answer. "What kind of illness... could take her life so soon?"

Fleur’s lips trembled before the words finally left her. "It’s liver cancer, Lucien." Her voice cracked, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

Lucien stepped forward and pulled her into a firm embrace, feeling her shoulders shake. "I’ll hire the best doctors for her," he vowed, his tone fierce. "I’m not going to let anything happen to Grandma."

Fleur shook her head and slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. "Your uncle already spoke to the best specialists here. Because of her age... her wolf’s healing ability is gone. She can’t be saved. All we can do now is make sure these two months are filled with comfort and love."

Lucien drew in a sharp breath, the reality of her words slicing through him. "Ho... how could this happen?" he murmured, his voice breaking despite his attempt to stay composed.

Fleur stepped closer and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, then let it slide down to his arm.

"You have to be strong, Lucien," she said softly. "I want Mom to stay with us, but she’s insisting on going to you. Maybe that’s why she reached out after all this time. I know she made mistakes... but this is the moment to forgive her."

Lucien gave a faint nod. "Yeah. I will," he murmured, yet, for some reason, the tears refused to come.

"Mom was always worried about you," Fleur continued. "I hope you can give her the happiness she’s yearned for all these years. Your cousins will also be coming to stay with you during this time. Your uncle won’t be able to visit often since pack duties keep him bound, and the same goes for me. But I’ll stay with you for a few days, at least, so you’re not alone in this."

"You all are welcome in my house," Lucien said quietly, guilt twisting in his chest. "And... forgive me for being such a bad person."

Fleur’s expression softened. She gave his arm a gentle caress.

"It’s alright," she assured him. "Right now, we need to be strong, both of us."

"Aunt, what about you? How are you going to handle this? She’s your mother," Lucien said, looking into her eyes.

"I don’t know," Fleur said, holding her tears back.

"Where are Inara and Travis?" asked Lucien.

"They are at home. The cancer wasn’t confirmed until today," Fleur said.

"I see," Lucien murmured, lowering his eyes.

~~~~~

Kieran arrived at the hospital with Leia close behind. They followed the nurse down the quiet corridor. She stopped at a ward and slid the door open.

"Thank you," Leia murmured with a polite smile, stepping inside after Kieran.

"Grandma, Aunt!" Kieran greeted, his gaze instantly catching on the drip needle taped to the back of his grandmother’s fragile hand. The sight made his heart clench in pain. Lucien rose from his chair, walking toward his younger brother with a grave expression.

"What happened? How did Grandma get sick?" Kieran asked with worry.

The room fell silent for a long before Azalea spoke. "I have liver cancer. The doctors... have given me two months to live."

Kieran’s brow furrowed. "Don’t joke with me, Grandma," he said, shaking his head. But when his eyes darted to his aunt, then to Lucien, the look they shared told him everything.

The truth struck like a blow to the chest. Tears welled up so quickly they blurred his vision. He crossed the room in a rush and dropped to his knees beside the bed, wrapping his arms tightly around Azalea’s frail frame.

"How?" His voice cracked, trembling with the fear of loss.

Leia’s own eyes glistened as she watched the scene unfold. Her own mother died because of a sudden illness. Everything from that time became a fresh memory now.

After a while, Kieran’s sobs eased into shaky breaths. He wiped the last of his tears with the heel of his hand, then pulled a chair closer to the bed and gently took his grandmother’s frail hands in his.

"Maybe... maybe there’s a cure," he whispered, his voice carrying a thread of desperate hope.

Azalea shook her head with a faint, weary smile. "There’s no cure for me, Kieran. My nagging has been nothing but trouble for everyone."

"That’s not true," Kieran said firmly, tightening his hold on her hands.

"Then why is Ronan not here?" she pressed, her tone sharper now. "Don’t tell me he’s busy. That brother of yours is still upset with me, isn’t he? All these years... the way I treated him, it must be the reason fate dealt me this illness."

"Grandma, don’t talk like that," Lucien interjected. "Ronan must have just been caught up in something."

"I know him too well," Azalea said, her eyes narrowing as old guilt and bitterness stirred. "He’s angry because I never truly saw him as a Calendrino. He must be celebrating this moment."

"You always think wrong of me!" Ronan’s voice suddenly cut through as he walked in.