Danger Zone

Daime is sitting near the room of the old lady after asking the nurse if he can see her. The nurse abruptly said no but the doctor gives his permission to do so.

Daime thanks him for letting him see her even in his condition. Unbeknownst to the latter, the reason that the doctor allows him to visit the old lady is because he wants to see how much Daime's condition will progress.

After days of being in the hospital and days of the doctor has been waiting for his result to come out, he can finally give Daime his diagnosis before the disease can go fatal.

"Have you told him, Doctor?"

The doctor looks at the nurse who ask him that question before shaking his head. It's not because he is not confident to give him a cure for the patient's disease but he can't bring himself up on telling Daime about it.

It is a serious disease. Something that is rare and if it is left untreated, the disease will progress and will be fatal in the long run. The doctor sighs as he watches Daime walks towards the old lady's room. 

Daime's chest is pounding but he doesn't know why he is still nervous. After finding out about the old lady's condition, there is something in him that tells him to visit her while she is still alive.

He knocks at the door and waits for the attending nurse tells him to enter that room. A tiny voice coming from the inside of the room serves as the signal for Daime to enter. 

He shakes his head slowly before forcing himself to smile. Daime enters the room carrying that force smile so the old lady won't worry about his well-being.

"How are you, Auntie?"

The old lady coughs out loud as she forces a smile as well. Daime watches her suffering as days passed by. According to the doctor, the old lady has a serious illness that could lead to a potential and permanent damage to her system. 

When Daime asks what causes the virus, the doctor gives him an answer that he will not forget. 

"If you remember that virus that kills millions upon trillions of people around the world, then you know exactly what effects it will show to her."

Daime frowns at the doctor's answer. He stares at him blankly and waits for him to continue. He is not in the mood for jokes because he wants to know how much progression that the old lady's have up until now.

"Fine. I will tell you."

The doctor sighs as he sits in front of Daime with a frown on his face. He fixes his coat and looks straight at Daime's eyes. 

"Mrs. Novinchi has KSHV."

Daime looks at him with a confused face. He doesn't know what KSHV is but he knows that he wants to strangle the doctor in front of him for making him wait with these information. 

"Can you please elaborate and stop with the medical terms?"

The doctor looks at Daime and shows him a sad smile. Daime doesn't know if that smile of his symbolizes something bad will happen or he is joking once again.

"KSHV stands for Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus. It can be transmitted via sexual contact and non-sexual contact. In Mrs. Novinchi's case, she got the virus through transfusion of blood using any contaminated syringes and other medical tools. 

Or the blood that is transfused to her was contaminated."

Daime nods at the doctor before asking his own question about the disease. This is his first time hearing about this virus. 

"What does the virus causes and its effect to the body?"

The doctor leans his back to the wall as he folds his arms in front of him. He looks at Daime who is innocently curious of the disease and he looks like he is willing to help the old lady recover. 

Unfortunately for both of them, the virus has already progress to the point where it is already fatal and the old lady's days are already being counted.

"Kaposi sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in the lining of blood and the lymph vessels. The lesions of the disease may not be painful but you can see them very clearly on her legs, feet or face. 

Since it is a cancer, there are numerous treatment for it but the best way to do is through surgery. Unfortunately for her age, surgery is not as recommended as it is."

Daime sighs when he hears the information. He is hoping that there is a chance of survival for Mrs. Novinchi because he is planning on taking her back to Switzerland but after knowing about her condition, he knows that he needs to stay here for a while until she is okay.

"What saddens me is that Kaposi's sarcoma is not a life-threatening or disabling disease. Even the central nervous system is a very rare site for the virus to acquire any immunodeficiency syndrome.

So, Mrs. Novinchi's case is so bizarre that I need to call a friend of mine in Moscow to check on her condition."

Daime looks at the doctor who is more fascinated to what is happening to the old lady rather than disappointed or sad. 

The younger man just nods at him before asking if he can go to the old lady's room to check up on her and the doctor immediately says "yes".

Daime nods at him and asks him to call him a nurse to help him with the dextrose and other tubes that are attached to his hand. His pale lips are still trembling from the injection that he received last night. 

Whatever is in that shot last night, is what causes his trembling and his sleepless nights. 

"How are you, young man? Are you sleeping soundly?"

Daime shakes his head towards the old lady and frowns. 

"What is wrong?"

Daime moves from his sit to the edge of the bed and caresses her legs slowly as if calming her down before telling him what happened to him last night. 

"I had a shot last night and it made me restless. I should've asked the nurse what it is for."

The old lady chuckles at his answer before coughing away again. Daime moves towards her as he tries to call a nurse to help her but the old lady grabs his arm and stops him from doing so.

"But-"

The old lady shakes her head and pulls Daime away from the cord as she smiles at him. 

"I don't want to disturb the nurses with their busy schedule just because I was coughing."

Daime frowns at her as he watches her having a hard time coughing. He walks towards the water dispenser inside of the room and offers her some water. 

"Thank you. Sit down, child. I am okay."

Daime sadly sighs and pulls the small stool in order to sit in front of her. She looks at Daime with a tired smile before clearing her throat that has been used from too much coughing since last night. 

"Child, I want to tell you something. But first, you need to calm down and don't stress about it. It is bound to happen, anyway." 

Daime nods his head and waits for the old lady to talk about what she wants to say. It has been days since she last talk but Daime is still not used hearing her raspy old voice. 

The one that shows how much impact it caused her when she collapses to the cold and icy ground of the mountain after teaching him how to hunt. 

"There is a suitcase underneath my bed filled with money and a passport with you new name on it. I asked my friends to give you a new identity and a new passport so you can go back to your country without being spotted by your family.

Use the money to buy your plane tickets back home and also use it to change your hairstyle and add facial hair if you want to.

When I die, make sure you will leave everything as it is inside my house before setting in on fire. Bury me with my family under the big rock before going back to your country. 

Leave the guns to the military officer at the foot of the mountain and go on your way. Never look back again, my child. 

Don't worry about me anymore, your health should be your main priority from now on. All of our memories that I will cherish will forever be with my soul when I go to heaven.

I should rest well now, child. Promise me that you will prioritize your life over simple things that can ruin it. 

Don't worry about your Omega too much. He will come to you, eventually." 

Daime painfully smiles at him knowing that he won't have the time to even care or love Aiden the way he wants him to feel. With the pain that he feels in his body and the information that he gets from the doctor, Daime knows that his life is also being counted.

"Of course, Auntie. I will." 

And with that, the old lady soon smile as she closes her eyes and goes to an eternal sleep. Away from the painful realization that it is Daime who met her and not her little Aster.

But she doesn't have much care about that anymore because she finds happiness with the person she thought she will never meet.