Once my little meeting with Sophie ended, she went straight to meet Florian, while I headed to the hospital. Today was the day I had to meet mama's doctor, and I wondered what he had to say.

It was both an exciting and nervous situation. Throughout my ride, my teeth kept tearing at the soft skin of my lips in anticipation, and I was sure my palms would have small crescent shaped marks from my fingernails.

Though Florian had reassured me, I wasn't sure about anything until the results were revealed. Upon arriving here, mama had to immediately go through a flurry of tests and now that the results were out, it scared me to the core.

Her health was already deteriorating back in France, would it get better here? Or, did it change for the worse?

Hurriedly climbing the steps of the hospital, I found my way towards where mama resided. Her assigned doctor's office was on the same floor, so I just pressed number twelve on the elevator. A minute later, the doors opened, and I stepped into the pandemonium of cries, shouts and moans.

Walking through the hallway, I reached a door at the end of it. An assistant led me inside a well furnished, modern office. The room was quite commodious, and there was a huge mahogany desk in the middle of it. Behind it, sat Dr. Pharrell Matthews, my mama's doctor.

"Good afternoon, doctor." I greeted him, and his brown eyes lit up in recognition.

"Ah, Miss Fontaine, right? Good afternoon, dear. Come, have a seat." He addressed me quite cheerfully, and the enthusiasm in his voice already diminished my worries.

After I was seated down, he pulled out a file full of mama's test reports, and the woozy feeling returned to me. Dr. Matthews must have seen the color drain from my face, as he reassured me immediately.

"Don't worry, dear. It's not as bad as you're thinking."

"But, back in France, her results weren't so good. I don't know if there will be a solution to this, and it worries me a lot." I said, finally expressing my concern.

The doctor replied, "I know about it, I'd seen those results too. Honestly speaking, our results aren't that different from what you had given to us, but, there is definitely room for improvement."

I perked up at his words. Ever since I'd learned that mama's condition had worsened, I couldn't even sleep or eat properly. My days passed by in mindless worry, and it was eating me alive. Today, I had heard something which would be the first ray of hope for me after a long time.

"There is? What is it, doctor?" I asked him, getting more and more impatient by the second.

"Well, since your mother has already gone through one surgery, partial gastrectomy is out of question. Since the tumor has returned, and is increasing, it's safe to diagnose her with a Stage IV cancer. It's a serious condition, but we will try our best to cut the cancerous cells down with radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Both of them will be used on her, so that we can kill the growing cells as soon as possible."

He told me the process in detail, and I listened to him quietly. There wasn't much I could do or say in this matter. All I had to do was to follow his words, and leave mama in his experienced hands.

"As you already know, there will be side effects of this process. After every session, she will need someone to take care of her. I heard you're her only family, so you will have to be there for her. You will have to be by her side, and give her the comfort and strength she needs. That's how you will support her, Miss Fontaine." He told me, and I nodded dutifully.

"I'm ready to do whatever I can. If you can, please give me a schedule of her sessions, and I'll be there. Whatever I can do, I will do it. No matter what."

My seriousness appeased him, and he seemed quite relieved. The tension in my body slowly dissipated, making me feel so much better. Dr. Matthews smiled at fondly, and I saw his enthusiastic self coming back to him.

"Okay then, this was it for our first meeting. You can go visit your mother, and prepare her mentally for the upcoming weeks. My assistant will message you the schedule, so I'll see you next time."

I stood up from my chair, and extended a hand towards him. The doctor stood up as well, and took my hand in his. His warm hand comforted me immediately, and I smiled at him in gratitude.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much for your help." I thanked him profusely, him being the only savior for my mama right now.

"No need to thank me, dear. It's my job, after all."

I smiled at him one more time, and bid my goodbye. There was still hope for my mama, not everything was lost.

I left the hospital feeling much lighter than before, and as I sat inside my car, Sophie called me.

"How did it go?" I questioned her before anything else, and she chuckled.

"Can you not greet me first? I spent an excruciating half an hour with a man I hate so much; I definitely deserve some fresh air." She said, and I smiled silently. Always the blunt one.

"I know, it must have been hard. So, are you ready to take on the challenge now?" I asked her again, and this time, she replied.

"But, as much as I want to escape this building and go on a vacation in the mountains of France, I can't. I have a fashion show on my list, and my boss is finally giving me a prime spot. I don't know how you did this Liz, but you've literally worked a miracle. He didn't speak a word of admonishment, reiterated your words, and gave me a last warning. I felt as if I was dreaming."

The energy and joy in her words warmed me to the core. As I compared her dead personality from the first day I met her, she already felt so much better. Indeed, it was true how circumstances changed people's personalities.

"So, now that you've confirmed everything, shall we get down to business? Although I know a lot about the theme I picked, I have no idea how to actualize it. Firstly, I'm a new designer, and secondly, I have no connections whatsoever in New York." I told her, and she bit back almost immediately.

"Well, that's a given, since you're a new designer," She said, giving enough emphasis on the word, 'new'.

I chuckled lightly, giving into her snappy humor. "Right, right. I should have thought of that. So, what's the plan of action?"

"Hmm, I might have not been a prominent figure in this industry for the last two years, but I do have some fantastic contacts. So does Maria. I'll need you to guide Martin and the twins with the designs, while Maria and I will do the fieldwork."

"That's a great idea." I said. I liked Sophie's plan; she was meticulous and quick.

"Also, can you come to the office right now? I wanna see those designs you made, and we'll give them to your team, so that it can act as a reference for what to create further."

I didn't answer her question immediately. I could have gone to the office again, as there was plenty of time left, but I had other plans. Soon, it would be evening, meaning I won't be able to catch André afterwards.

I had to talk to him, and somehow convince him to marry me. He was the only one not going according to my plan right now, and as selfish as it seemed to be, I had to do it. It was the only way I could escape my atrocious past and get out into the world to fulfill my lifelong dream.

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I have some things to do tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow. But, I'll email you my designs, so you can get started without me. Take care."

And André would be just a little step towards reaching that goal. He would be just a little catalyst to bring about the great change in my life. Nothing more, nothing less.

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