Daniel's POV

"Shhh...You're a fighter. You're my fighter. You can do it. Sometimes a little will and a courage is what it takes to go through this thing." Her words were true but they seemed so distant.

"Phoebe, I know that but still..." I averted her eyes as I had run out of excuses. Every one of her words were true yet it seemed so far-fetched to call myself a fighter.

A moment of silence followed as we held on to each other. Time seemed to have stopped for a minute as the whole world turned to focus on us, just me and her.

"What does your mom say?" she broke the silence.

"Shocked beyond words," I remembered mom's expressions and how the news had broken her completely. "She was holding me and repeatedly saying that she loved me. You know, after being in prison and then all those therapy sessions, my distance with mom had gone on increasing until this happened. Hell I wouldn't mind risking my life to get back her acceptance," I shouted.

"Your mom had always loved you. How can you even think of it? Whatever a son does, a mother can never turn away from them. Even a murderer son is loved by his mother as much as a priest is by his. It's your mistake in perception of that love," she argued.

"Maybe," I agreed. "That reminds me, when is your mom coming home?"

"She got trapped at my grandma's house and I don't think she'll come tonight. She had actually kept dinner ready in case she got stuck and that has happened."

"Oh, I'm holding you back from dinner. Please. You must be hungry."

"Tell me you aren't serious about dinner especially in the face of recent circumstances. I'm not an alien. Besides mom had cooked for you, I have my own feed and I doubt you had your dinner too," she snapped.

"I don't think I can eat anything..."

"Neither can I if you won't. But if you're willing to try, I will take my feed too. There's no point in starving yourself. You need the strength," she crossed her arms in defiance.

"Fine," I got up from the seat, "As you wish."

"But aren't you staying with your mom for the night?" she was surprised.

"My mom was so upset that I let her go with Uncle Patrick. Besides..."

"Besides?" her eyes were laced with worries.

"My mom knows my priorities. It's you. It has always been you. It's not like they're going to operate on me today!"

"When is the operation scheduled?" her eyes turned moist again.

"I'll get admitted at ten in the morning for the antibiotic sensitivity test and pre-anaesthetic checkup and the surgery is scheduled at eight in the evening. And you aren't coming there," I added seeing the resolve form in her eyes.

"Of course I'm coming there. Do you honestly think you could keep me away?"

"No," I announced, "you need your surgery as much as I do. So you're going to Doctor Phillip with your mom. No need of any arguments. I want to see you free from that cancerous growth or whatever it is when I open my eyes. Is it clear?"

"No Daniel, I can't do that. I need to be with you..."

I knew there was that part of me which didn't want her to see me in my worst state. I knew it was a fruitless argument and she would end up there at any cost, but I had to try to keep her away from the pain and the shock of seeing me so weak and vulnerable. I needed to be her strength, her pillar. Seeing me weak and crumpled won't help her with her fight in any way.

"Fine then we make a deal," I gently kissed her trembling lips, "You go do your surgery. I bet it won't take up much time. Once you're done and patched up, you can come to see me at the hospital."

I made up my mind to call Doctor Phillip and coax him to advise her bedrest though I doubted she would pay heed to a doctor's warning as much as she would listen to her heart.

"Fine, it's a deal," her jaws hardened. "But don't go back on it or try to dissuade me further."

"Hands-on my heart."

She gave an exasperated sigh, "Sometimes I don't know who you are."

"Come have your dinner." she went into the kitchen.

I shook my head and followed.

Dinner was a quiet affair. I stuffed myself with the cheese and lettuce forcefully as she had placed her chair and stand in a way that she could keep a watch on me even while feeding.

The moment I stopped, her hands would go to the roller clamp and I could see her silent threatening. The situation seemed highly comical and I couldn't help a small smile each time I did it. Soon enough I started to deliberately stop eating to tease her into reaching out to her clamp.
She understood my trick and closed the clamp completely and sat with her arms folded, throwing me a challenge. I shrugged and started eating, exhaling in relief as she opened her channel too.

"So," I mumbled, looking around. "If I'm guarding you for the night, where do I stay?"

"In my room, of course," she said in a matter of fact way.

"Is there a couch where I can sleep?"

She stopped, frozen at what the implications of us staying in a room meant.

"I doubt either of us can sleep tonight," she gave a dry smile, "So you can as well share my bed with me."

"No!" there was pure panic in my voice.

"Yes," she affirmed, determination in her voice, "you're sleeping with me. And no need to have wild fantasies. Clothes stay on."

"Ah...um...okay," I mumbled.