Zayn

"Zayn.. wake up." I heard Caroline's soft voice speak into my ear, waking me up.

I sighed deeply as that was something I did when I just woke up and I slowly turned on my other side, trying to stretch my legs.

Caroline opened the blinds and the sun shined right into my eyes, making me groan slightly. "Don't do that, Caroline." I mumbled groggily, rubbing my eyes and turning back on my left side again.

"You need to wake up. You're getting a visitor today." Caroline said, walking over to me with the medical box full of stuff she needed to clean my wound.

I frowned a little and slowly opened my eyes, looking at Caroline's face. "Is mum coming then?"

"No, love. Someone else. I don't know her, but your mum said you did. Your mother is coming this weekend." She said, opening the box and laying stuff down on my bed.

I started to unbutton my sleep blouse and frowned a little. It was a woman who would visit me, but I wouldn't know who it could be except for my mum, sisters or aunts.

"We'll see in a bit. You just need to get dressed and freshed up first." Caroline said as she removed my blouse completely.

I nodded and reached for my beanie which I had put on my nightstand before I went to sleep last night. I pulled it on and watched Caroline as she took off the old bandage.

I bit my lip hard when some of my skin was stuck on the bandage and she slightly ripped it off. My lips parted, a soft 'ouch' left my mouth and Caroline looked at me.

"I'm sorry, love. We all hope this is going to heal soon. It's a long process, but it's looking a bit better, though." She said, carefully cleaning the wound with water. This hurt the most and I tried really hard to think about something else than the pain.

And as it was a natural thing to happen, tears started pricking behind my eyes. I blinked them away and stared at Caroline's face, wondering why her eyes were roaming all over my upper body instead of the wound. She had a slight frown on her face but continued to take care of my wound.

When she was done she stared at my chest once again before looking at my face. "Can you sit up?"

"Okay." I replied, slowly sitting up as I was still sleepy and couldn't do it any faster. I grabbed the duvets and snuggled with them as I was feeling cold with my bare chest, wishing I was still underneath the warm duvets.

Caroline placed her cold hand on my warm back and slowly stroked it, sometimes pressing her fingers onto my skin.

"What's wrong?" I asked, lying back down as she stopped doing what she was doing.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." She said, but her eyes still stood concerned. I stared at her for a while but she shrugged it off, tidying everything up and walking over to my wardrobe. "Sweater and sweatpants?"

I covered myself with the duvets, letting only my face peek out if it. "That's fine." I replied, feeling a little worried about her weird reaction from before.

"Get in the shower. I'll get you your clothes and towel." Caroline said.

I reluctantly got out of bed and made my way over to her. I pointed at the wound and she nodded, got some plastic to protect the wound and bandage from getting wet and she attached it to my skin.

I then stripped down after closing the curtain and hopped into the shower, enjoying the warm water.

"Did you eat soup for dinner?" Caroline asked from behind the curtain.

I smiled instantly. "Yeah, Rose gave it to me." I thought about yesterday. I had so much fun playing the game with her. She knew a lot of things I didn't know, but it was the same with me. We taught each other a lot of new things and I think it had been ages since I had laughed that hard. I wasn't even exaggerating, she was just really funny.

After the game she gave me my soup and when I finished it we went to the living room with more patients, but she went to sit down beside me and we talked for the whole evening.

When I went to sleep she laid a warm blanket over me as she thought I was cold and that action made me feel warm and weird from the inside.

"That's good." I could hear her smiling.

I smiled again and rinsed the soap off my body, enjoying the warm water for another while until I didn't feel like it anymore.

"Can I please have a towel, Caroline?" I said, shivering and shaking because of the sudden cold after I stopped the shower.

She stuck her arm out through the curtain to still let me have my privacy and I took the towel, drying myself and slipping my clothes on after that.

I stepped out of the shower and walked over to Caroline to give her a big hug. I wrapped my arms around her and laid my head on her shoulder.

Caroline chuckled, "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Everything." I said, pulling away then looking at her. "For taking care of me, making me laugh, making me forget about this all just like Ro-" I gulped, widening my eyes at myself and changing the subject.

"I'm happy."

She gave me a warm smile and patted my back, "That's what I like to hear. You smell good, by the way."

"Thanks." I walked over to my bed, made it and sat down on it while staring at the door, wondering who would come and visit me.

Suddenly the door opened and I was really surprised when I saw the old grey lady entering my room. My eyes lit up and a smile grew on my face when I saw the Daphne, the old woman I used to help at my old job and the one who felt like my own grandmother.

"Daphne!" I exclaimed, wanting to stand up but she already stopped me.

"Oh, darling take it easy for me, would you?" She laughed softly, pushing me back down on the bed and pulling out a chair for herself.

Caroline smiled at me and left the room so we were alone.

"How are you doing, Zayn?" She asked, placing her small black purse on the floor and grabbing my hand, holding it tight.

I smiled at her. "Good, considering circumstances." I shrugged slowly and smiled when she placed a kiss on my hand. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I was always wondering where you were! I couldn't imagine that they had fired you. I asked them and they told me you were sick, but they never told me how sick. The flu was what I thought, then I saw your mother and spoke to her. She told me you had Leukemia. I was shocked, Zayn." She shook her head and squeezed my hand for comfort.

"Yeah.." I didn't really know what to say.

I could only wonder what it was like at work without me. I missed working, I hated that I had nothing to do here.

"So did you have treatments already, son?" She asked, making me smile at her name for me. She was such a lovable and inspiring woman.

I nodded, "Immunotherapy, chemotherapy twice, a surgery, radiation and the pills I have to take every day. I have another chemo soon."

She sighed and shook her head, "You shouldn't have to go through all of this. You're still so young and full of life. Did you get really sick?"

"Yeah.. I guess." I said, not wanting to sound like an attention seeker. I lifted up my sweater and showed her the huge scar and the radiation wound which had the bandage on.

Daphne teared up and brushed her shaky old finger over my belly. "Oh darling. This must've been terrible. You were in so much pain. I can tell."

I adjusted my sweater back and looked at her, smiling a little when she brought her finger to my cheek. "Irritated skin. Every little thing will get to you once you're sick. It's unbelievable." She then softly touched my tube and took off my beanie.

I stared at her as she stared at my bald head and I wondered what she was thinking about. She stroked it softly, stood up and pressed a kiss to it. "You're still handsome. The girls miss you at the restaurant." She grinned.

I laughed softly and watched her as she laid my beanie aside. I wondered why and I felt slightly uncomfortable, which she noticed immediately as she was old and probably had too much experience with people.

"You're beautiful, Zayn. Smile as confidently as you would with your beanie on." And exactly those words made me do that.

She smiled at me, "I knew you could do it. I've brought you something."

"Really?" I asked, looking at her bag as she placed it on her lap. She took out a bag full of blueberry muffins- which were her favorites- and a card.

She handed the muffins to me. "You used to sell these to me all the time. Now I didn't buy them from you but for you. Eat one."

"Oh thanks a lot Daphne, but I can't have them.." I pointed at my tube and she rolled her eyes. Not at me, but when I told her the nurses didn't allow me to eat it. "Nonsense. I've worked in the hospital for years and I always made my patients eat. They never died because of it, now eat one."

I laughed softly and took one of the muffins out of the bag, smelling it and smiling when the scent was familiar for me. I took a bite and stared back at Daphne as she was already staring at me with a smile on her face.

She placed the card on my lap, "From me and my husband."

"Thank you." I smiled and read it, feeling loved because of the warm words written on the card. I knew they were genuine, it made it all even more special.

I put the card on the wall which was especially made for cards and I grabbed her old hand. She squeezed it right away. "Thank you Daphne. I'm really happy that you're here."

"Me too! I finally had the chance to see you. It's been way too long. I should probably come by more often. Maybe with your mum. My son drove me today." She smiled.

We both looked up when the door opened and I felt even happier when I saw Rose entering my room. She gave Daphne a smile then turned her attention to me.

"Your medication." She handed me the small bag of pills and I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Rose.." I hesitated for a few seconds, then held up the bag of muffins. "Do you want a muffin? It's from where I used to work. They're Daphne's favorite."

Rose looked at the bag and shrugged slowly, "Oh uhm, sure." I took one out of the bag and handed it to her, feeling a little warm when our fingers brushed.

She felt it too, I was sure. She gave me a sweet smile then remembered something, "Oh, Zayn? I have to do an interview with a patient for school and I was wondering if you wanted to..?"

I nodded, "Sure." I didn't have to think about it. It'd mean I had to spend some time with her.

"Thanks Zayn. Enjoy your time together. I need to go to the next patient." She excused herself, smiling and waving at the both of us while leaving my room.

I smiled by myself but stopped when I heard Daphne grinning and almost giggling. "Young love, so fresh, so exciting."

I gulped, "What?"

"Zayn, it's really obvious. She's a pretty girl. I'm not the only one who thinks that in this room." She stroked my head again and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Did you two kiss already?" She whispered, making me widen my eyes.

"No! And we'll never do that." I said quickly.

Daphne laughed and shook her head, "Don't lie to an old lady. Everybody with a healthy mind knows that you're in love and that that's going to happen."

I gulped again, not knowing what to say. Was she speaking the truth?

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What do you think Caroline saw??

Daphne about zayn and rose?? 😋

Btw if you forgot (what you probably all did but I dont blame you!) daphne was in the prologue.