Goodbye, Mr. Regret

Henry paced anxiously outside Sheila's emergency room, looking every bit the little grown-up as he wore a path back and forth.

Meanwhile, Timothy was waiting outside the door of Jessica's emergency room.

Jessica had collapsed from a sudden high fever brought on by stress. It wasn't long before she gradually opened her eyes, still groggy. Her attending physician, noticing she was awake, hurried to her side.

"Ms. Greene, you can't keep neglecting your health like this! Your condition is already serious, and now you've let yourself get soaked and come down with a high fever. You have to be admitted for treatment-no more delays!"

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Jessica remembered fainting in Timothy's

arms.

Did he bring her to the hospital?

If he was just outside, it wouldn't take much for him to find out about her cancer.

If he knew, there was no way he'd let her keep working. She couldn't let that happen.

find a way to

answer the doctor's questions aloud. Flustered, she mimed writing in the

a notepad and pen. Jessica, hands trembling with weakness, scribbled a message: "Doctor, I'm sorry, but I can't be admitted right now. My husband is outside. If he finds out I have

was the only way she could appeal to the doctor's compassion, hoping he

this. Your family will find out eventually, and they'll only worry more if you keep it from them.

made plans to go abroad soon, hoping doctors there could give her a better prognosis, maybe even

first, she hadn't wanted Timothy or Henry to know-she thought they wouldn't care, and she couldn't bear to be hurt by their indifference. But now, she

for anyone else, she

specialist overseas. I'm planning to go soon and see if my chances improve. Please, just

secret before, moyed by

facing terminal illness alone. But Jessica's repeated hospital visits, always for some minor complication,

from getting worse. But seeing

back the notepad and pen, closed