When I Shall Say Goodbye

When Jia woke up many hours later, she was already tucked up comfortably in a bed. Looking up at the ceilng and the walls around, she realized that she was not in their bedroom. On a far side of the room, she saw Anthon curling up in a couch and was asleep.

She slowly sat up and slid out of the covers. She was already in a set of cotton sleepwear and a pair of socks in her feet. She got amused in seeing that pink covers in her feet because she never wore socks in bed.

Then, all of a sudden, she remembered that she was in the shore, dipping in the knee - deep water as she kneeled down in anguish over Jim's loss.

Who changed her into this pair of a dry and comfortable lingerie? Could it be Anthon? She shuddered at the thought...Though she submitted herself once at him, she could never imagine him removing her tiny pieces, cleaning her up from the grains of sands and dressing her up into a new set of clothes.

Glancing up at him, she felt ashamed. She slid back into the covers and waited until he would wake up and get out of the room.

As if her wish was heard, she saw him straightened up and walked out of the room. But few minutes after, he came back with a tray of food. He, then, placed it in the table and walked towards her.

"Jia, get up. I saw you getting out of the bed awhile ago. You need to

eat. "

"Leave it there. " She said softly then turned her back on him.

Anthon sighed and watched her curling up. He turned to leave but then he changed his mind. He bent down, instead, removed the covers, slid his arm under her shoulders and her thighs then lifted her up into the couch.

"I want to see you eat even just a little. "

Anthon looked at her tenderly. Why did he always love to coax her up while hated Anna's sweet approaches? Why would he not get disappointed at her stubborness while flared up at Anna's slight objections?

Seeing that she did not move, he picked up the plate himself and placed some food into it. As he raised a spoon into her mouth, Jia gazed at him.

"What's the latest news? " She asked.

"Eat first!"

"Put the spoon down. "

When Anthon put the spoon down, she picked it up and forced some food into her stomach. Tears started to stream down again and it mixed into the food she was eating. Seeing that her tears would further spoil her appetite and that he couldn't do something to stop her from crying, Anthon pulled out his hankerchief and quickly wiped her tears away.

Jia looked up to him again and stopped from eating.

"When are you going back to

Dubai? "

Thinking about what would this conversation lead to, he did not answer right away.


"Why? "

"I thought you left few days ago but why are you here again?" Her questions started to make his heart race.

"What's your point in asking that? "

He held his gaze at her, sensing that her next words would not be pleasing to his ears.

"We both killed him, Ton. If not because of us, he would have not allowed himself to die. He would have taken his medications. "

Anthon stared at her in disbelief. He now understood the magnitude of her guilt. If only he could tell her how Jim entrusted her and his children to him.

"Anna, Jim was never a believer of Hailey's Pill. Even before you met him, his illness was already there. According to the records and as confirmed by Dr.Roy, Jim underwent several treatment courses. He tried every possible way to survive. When he underwent a complete remission, he thought he was already safe. Thus, when his relapse was confirmed, he couldn't accept it anymore. He knew, as a doctor, that his chance to live at this relapse, was then very slim. He, then, totally gave up the hope even with the ongoing progress of Hailey's treatment course. He may had thought that it was just one of those promising treatment courses that would still fail in the end. " Dr. Aijohn explained when he overheard their conversation as he entered the room to give her another dose of sedative.

"Who is Dr. Roy? " Jia asked.

"The senior cardio in Catherine Fields, Georgia. "

"Why did he not tell me about it? "She said angrily.

"Anna, patients have rights to confidentiality. "

Hearing this, she cried again. He was so unfair! He lifted up her pain and loneliness when she ran away from Anthon but she did nothing to comfort him in his fear. She did nothing to alleviate his pain. She was not there by his side during his chemotheraphy and radiotherapy sessions. He endured all those lonely stretcher trips alone!

" One of the reasons why he entrusted the business to Anthon was because he knew this would happen. So, Anna, don't put the blame on you and Anthon. "

"It would be unfair for Anthon if you put the blame on him. He chose to live in a lonely, foreign land, leaving his businesses here. He went home to donate his bone marrow and he raised the price of Hailey's Pill to

1M. Do you still think he deserves to be blamed? "

"Ko, from now on, I don't want you to call me Anna. "

Aijohn laughed while he winked at Anthon.

"Because it makes you...jealous? "

Jia glared and soon her pillow came flying towards him. The more Aijohn laughed.

"Both of you go out! "