Chapter 6 #3
“What’s happening to me?” Like every time she was in the room with her, Serenity told her that she’d been diagnosed with a tumor in her head and it was spreading. “I don’t want to die, Sen. You have to make sure I live more than you.”
“They’ve checked me out, too, since you and Helen have tumors in your bodies, and I don’t have one. I’m not dying right now.” Beth told her to fuck off. “Nice. I’m trying to be a good sister and be here with you, but you’re making it hard.”
“I just want you to die, Sen. Why can’t you give me that one thing?” She said she didn’t want to die either. “Too bad. If they were to give me my gun, I’d take care of that problem right away. You have to die before me. I need to have something that simply belongs to me.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do that.” She said a few curse words and put her head back down. “Helen’s marker has been put in place. I went to see it yesterday. It looks really lovely.”
“I don’t care about Helen. She was a sap anyway. But you’re the worst.” He could see that this was hurting Serenity and stood up to take her from the room. “You don’t deserve happiness, and I hope whatever relationship you ever have fails and you’re left alone.”
“That’s not going to happen either. I’ve already found someone that I love.” She looked at him, and he told her that he loved her as well. “I’m going to go on and have the happiest life anyone could ever imagine. Just to spite you.”
When he asked her if she wanted to step out of the room, she told him to go.
She wanted to talk to her sister for a few more minutes.
Telling her that it was hurting her didn’t seem to matter.
Serenity wanted to have the last word, he thought, and was going to have it.
As he left the room, he heard her tell Beth that she was an immortal and going to live forever.
Smiling, he closed the door behind him and thought that this was just what Serenity needed.
To tell off her sister once and for all.
Going back to where he’d been sitting before, Sherman decided to check up on the house.
The kitchen had been taken to the studs, and new wiring was being put in yesterday.
He’d ordered new cabinets to go in the place of the old ones and was glad that he had decided on enlarging the kitchen pantry when it was being built.
Serenity hadn’t had much in the way of say in the house.
She’d toured it with him when he’d heard from the realtor, but since then, she’d been spending her time with Beth.
Looking at the app that gave him access to the cameras that he’d put around the house, he could see that the extra work was being done.
At this rate, they’d be able to move into the house in just a few short weeks instead of the months he’d been told.
Reaching out to Ace, he asked him how things were going with him.
“I was going to talk to you later. I was wondering if you have time to meet me for dinner soon. I’ve missed you being around.
” He said that once visiting hours were over, he could go to his house then.
“Great. I know that Serenity goes back to her hotel, but I was hoping that she could hang out with us as well.”
He told him about how she was going to be staying in the house from now on.
It had become a large expense that she couldn’t afford at the hotel.
He had offered, he told his brother that he’d pay for it, but she said that it was her option to stay there and she was going to pay the bill.
Ace told him that he loved that about his mate; she was smart and frugal.
“She is at that. Between times that she can go and see her sister, she’s been working on things. You should see the spreadsheet that she has about the hours she’s been working. It would make you jealous.” He said that he loved spreadsheets. “I know you do. She likes things organized, too.”
They talked about Serenity for a bit more and set up a time for them to come over for dinner.
It would be later than he liked to eat, but since he got to hang out with his brother, he didn’t mind.
If he were at his house, he could show Serenity his dragon, too.
She’d been asking about it for the past few days.
“Great. Maybe we can get the others to come by and go flying. I know that I’d like that.
” He said that he would as well since he missed them too.
“I know that they’ve been asking about you.
I think they miss you as well. And I know they want to get to know Serenity better.
She’s been at the hospital for a while now. ”
He knew that as well. He was sick of hospital food and the smells.
Being a shifter, he could smell things stronger than a human could, and he just wanted to go home, shift, and take to the skies to wash some of the smell off him.
He realized that he’d missed something and asked his brother to repeat it.
“I asked if you two have talked all that much. I know you can’t sit in the room all the time, but surely you have some time to talk to her about yourself.
” He said that last night they’d spent an hour in the cafeteria just doing that.
“Good. I hope things for Serenity end well for her. Are they sure that Beth is going to die?”
“Yes. Since she’s been here, the tumor has grown again.
It looks like it’s pressing so hard behind her eyes and the rest of her brain that there’s little room for anything else.
She’s in a great deal of pain all the time, too.
” He told him about the IV drip they had her on.
“She’s getting medications, but it’s not making her any friendlier to anyone.
And she has a mouth on her that would make a sailor blush.
Especially when she’s talking to her sister. ”
“I hate that Serenity is going through that. I bet she’s hurting all the time.” He told his brother that she was a great deal. “I wish I could do something for her. But I know that since Beth is a human, she had to progress in the right way or people will have questions.”
“Other than making it so that she doesn’t suffer, I have no idea what we can do for her.
Serenity said she didn’t want her around forever.
I don’t blame her. Beth is hard on the heart.
” He asked if she’d said anything to him.
“I don’t think she notices me when her sister is around.
I know that she’ll look at me, but the medication is making her eyesight blurry.
Not to mention the way she’s losing weight.
Every time they put a feeding tube down her throat, she yanks it out and causes pain for herself.
I think that they’re doing the best they can with her.
Beth isn’t being as combative as she’d been before.
I think she’s just too weak to do much more than complain about things. ”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I know that humans suffering is hard on the family, but I’ve never known one to be honest. And since Serenity is my sister now, I doubly hurt that she is. As I said, I wish I could help her in some way.”
“The only thing we can do is pray for her. I know that a lot of people won’t like me saying that, but that’s all there is left.
” He said he’d do just that. “Thank you, Ace. You’re the best brother a person has ever had.
” He cleared his throat. “We’ll be there tonight, but don’t expect us to eat all that much, especially not Serenity.
I’m worried about her losing weight, too. ”
“We’ll give her something that she’ll want. Anything.” He said she’d been eating ice cream cones from the vending machines. “Then I’ll make sure that we have plenty of flavors around for when she gets here. I might even join her in eating ice cream.”
They both laughed when they closed the connection.
Sherman felt better after talking to Ace, and he was glad that he reached out to him.
One or more of his cousins had been stopping by since they’d been here, and that was good for him as well.
As soon as this was over, he was going to take Serenity on a long vacation and see if he could get her to fly with him.
She might enjoy that more than anything.