A week had passed since Walter had left the society, and I had not heard a single word about him since the day he left. I kept looking out of the window and imagining that his car and his guards were coming along with him. Then, I would imagine that he came to my office and was sitting in front of me with his green eyes looking into mine and his grin spread all over his face. I missed him and the way he used to talk sarcastically. The time I had spent with him was great, but it seemed like he was gone forever. Every night I would sit and think about him, and would end up sleeping very late. It eventually became a habit with me, and I would wake late in the morning.

One morning, I awoke to find Jennie ready to go out. She had already eaten her breakfast. These days she didn't wait for me anymore because I was very moody and I didn't eat breakfast most of the time anymore.

"Where are you going, Jennie?" I asked her. She came over and sat on the edge of my bed. "I'm going for a walk. Would you join me?"

I smiled at her and then jumped out of bed to get washed and dressed. As I ran down the stairs, I hustled my jacket on. Jennie was surprised to see me ready so quickly, but she didn't bother me about breakfast. She knew that it would just irritate me.

We went for a long walk by the Blackstone. I felt a little at peace as the weather was calm and mild. I remained quiet and let Jennie do the talking. She told me about how much Paul loves and cares about her, and about the very expensive diamond ring he gave her for their engagement. She said that they were planning to move to Mexico after their marriage. I just listened and was silent, because I wasn't in the mood for talking.

Our walked ended at our beloved coffee shop. We found John sitting there by himself so we told him to join us at our table. We all ordered our favorite coffees: black coffee for John, Affogato for Jennie, and Cappuccino for me. When our coffees were brought to us by the waiter, John got out of his chair and cleared his throat:

"Ahem, ladies. I want this to be a memory," he said taking his camera out. I sighed and rolled my eyes. We posed with our coffees and he snapped pictures of us.

Later that day, we went shopping and John chose a new dress for me. He liked helping me with my shopping because I guess he was like a brother to me. In the evening, John asked me if I wanted to go anywhere. I smiled and linked my arm with his. He smiled and winked because he knew my favorite spot. We grabbed a bottle of water and chocolates and we went to the library to spend a few good hours reading books.

My days passed randomly and I had the same boring life as I had before I met Walter. And the children at the society would not stop asking me about Walter and when he would come. Every day they would ask me the same question and I was tired of explaining to them that Walter would come soon but that I didn't know when.

My most beloved patient, Andy, was seriously ill as he was now suffering from the third stage of cancer. His condition was becoming worse day by day and that made me extremely upset. He had no family around except his uncle and aunt, but they hadn't contacted us since the day his parents died. The poor soul was lonely and he loved me so much because I was almost like a mother to him. He loved Walter too and he really wanted Walter to come again. Unfortunately, I couldn't fulfill Andy's wish to see Walter because I didn't even know where he was. Surprisingly, Jennie also kept asking me about Walter, but I showed no interest as usual. I didn't want to discuss anything about him, not even with Jennie.

One fine Saturday morning I got up early and left the house, even before Jennie was awake. I went for a walk by myself today because I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. But I wasn't quite alone. Walter was in my thoughts, although I found myself hating every little bit about him. But I couldn't forget him and he was all over my mind. I knew that he was a jerk, and he was a heartless man, but still, he saved me a couple of times. I wandered along the roads, lost in my thoughts, for a long time.

When I finally was able to shake of my thoughts, I realized that it was late and I quickly left for work. I reached the hospital only to find Jennie looking at me angrily and John with his arms folded across his chest. I looked at them for a second, and then ignoring them went to my desk. I didn't say anything until Jennie spoke.

"Laura, did you forget that we three were going to breakfast together at the coffee shop today?" she asked me. I swallowed and bent my head over my papers. It had completely slipped my mind.

"I... I forgot. I swear." I managed to say.

"How could you? You seemed so excited when we first planned it," John sounded hurt.

They both left my office and I clenched my fists. Damn that Walter for hanging around in my thoughts. Now John and Jennie were both angry with me because I was being rude by forgetting about our plans. I promised myself that I would make up to them.

At noon, I found them in the cafeteria about to order lunch. I walked silently towards them, and kept wishing that I had never forgotten about our morning plan. I cleared my throat. Both John and Jennie turned and looked at me:

"Guys, I'm sorry about this morning. I am to blame. Won't you forgive me?" John put an around me and told me that it was okay. Jennie kissed me and looked into my eyes. "It's alright," she whispered.

"Come on, Jennie dear, and you too John. Let's eat out," I said holding their hands. We had a wonderful time that afternoon and everything was great again.

The next morning, just as Jennie and I were sitting down to breakfast, she began to speak, "Laura, dear, I have to tell you something important." I looked at her with a thousand thoughts running through my mind, but she was smiling so I decided that her news couldn't be bad.

"What is it?" I asked, still standing.

"Paul and I are going to be formally engaged, so we are going to throw a party in two weeks," she said excitedly.

For a moment, I was shocked and I stood still clutching the back of my chair tightly. I was staring at her, speechless, and my hands were shaking. I knew that I had to say something, so I just managed to say, "Oh that sounds great!"

I tried to eat my food, but I couldn't, so I excused myself from the table and left. My heart felt like heavy lead. I knew that Jennie was going to marry Paul but I didn't expect their engagement to be so soon. I suddenly was very lonely and I felt like I was drowning in despair.

I went to my office with only one thought in my mind. I started my search for a particular file. I searched desperately for it was a most important file and it took me hours to find it in a bundle of thousands. I found it just as I was on the verge of giving up. It was Walter's file with a picture of him and his contact information. I got his cell number and tried to call him but couldn't because my hands were shaking and tears were falling from my eyes. I tried to control my emotions, but I couldn't.

When Monday morning came around, I felt awful. I went to work as usual but I started coming home late. As soon I finished work, I would go out and walk along the road of the hospital until late evening, often lost in my wandering thoughts. There was nothing else for me to do because Jennie was busy spending time with Paul, so we didn't get to talk much. And John had to deal with some complicated cases this week and was busy, so I couldn't spend time with him either.

One morning, I woke up early so that Jennie and I could have a quiet chat together before I left for work. We talked about her engagement party, and what to wear and who to invite and so on. Then I got up to get ready for work, but Jennie still sat there on the edge of my bed playing with her fingers as if she wanted to tell me something but didn't know how to start.

"Looks like we're going to have great weather today Jennie," I said, trying to get her to speak.

Finally she looked at me and said slowly, "Laura."

"Yes dear," I replied and looked at her with questioning eyes.

"You look ill and pale these days," she said in a low tone.

"Oh, I'm fine," I sighed. "Maybe I'm just tired." I smiled and tried to let on that everything was fine.

"Well, I want you to listen to me carefully Laura," she said with a solemn voice and serious face.

"What is it?" I asked anxiously.

She took a deep breath and then said, "Laura, I want you to marry Paul's best friend, Stefan. He lives in Mexico and runs a multinational company over there. He is rich and handsome, and I am sure that he will take good care of you. I have invited him to the party since he happens to be here and I want you to meet him. You will have a great time getting to know him. Will you think about it?" she asked me with a smile on her lips.

I was dazed and my legs felt like jelly. My heart skipped beats and my stomach started turning. I tried to control my feelings so that Jennie shouldn't see that I was disturbed. I smiled awkwardly at her and then turned away. She put her arms around me and smiled. "Gotta go Laura," she said. "See you later dear."

I sat down on my bed and held my head in my hands. I couldn't tell Jennie that I didn't want to marry Stefan. There was no reason for me to refuse her request. She did a lot for me, she loved me more than anyone else in the world, she taught me a lot of important things about life, and she even sacrificed part of her life for me by never leaving me alone. But did I really owe her marrying some man I don't even know right off the bat? I don't think so.

But, Stefan. Who was Stefan? He was stranger to me, I never met him, and I didn't even know a thing about him. If I decided that I didn't want to marry him, Jennie would wonder why, and then I would have to have to confess to her that I love somebody else. My mind was in whirl as I got ready and left for work.

At the hospital, there was no time for me to think about anything, as we had an important meeting in which we had long discussions about the most difficult cases. The meeting lasted nearly two hours, and after we finished most of the doctors wrote up their reports.

Just I was about to leave for home, my phone rang. The call was from the cancer society and they had terrible news. My heart nearly stopped beating as I slipped down onto the floor in shock and covered my face with trembling hands. I was afraid to think about what they just told me.

John saw me from afar and came running. He pulled me up and held me closely in his arms. He wiped the tears from my face and asked me what was wrong. I told him that Andrew, my treasured and dearest patient, was admitted to the ICU as his condition was severe. John grabbed his coat and together we went to the Children's Hospital where Andy was.

Tears streamed down my face as I ran up the stairs and through the corridors like a mad person. Before I even got to him, I could hear him calling my name and crying. When I reached his room I found him lying there looking so pale and sick. I just hugged him hard and held his little hands tightly. He stopped crying and opened his eyes. He looked at me and told me to remove his mask. I gently removed it and smoothed back his hair.

He smiled and said, "I am gonna be okay, Miss Laura. I will keep fighting and I will be fine, just like Walter".

"Yes dear. You are my brave little boy. You are a fighter and I know that you will be okay," I told him.

He was quiet and held my hand for a long time. John came over and whispered, "Perhaps you should let him rest, Laura."

As I drew my hand away, Andy opened his eye and said, "Don't leave me, Miss Laura. I need you to stay... I need Walter too."

I clasped his hands, and turned my face away. "He isn't here, Andy."

"Please Laura, I want to see Walter. Laura, please," he whimpered. His breath came in short gasps.

"Andy..." I began to say, but stopped. If Andy wanted it, I would do my best to make it happen. I would try to contact Walter.

"Laura, I want to see him again. Please, Laura, you know that I love him. Let me see him again. I need to talk to him," he cried. He was having a hard time breathing and he was in pain. "Okay, I'm calling him right now. I know you will be fine after seeing him, my little Andy," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

I kept on dialing Walter's number put there was not a single response. Andy's blood level was decreasing and he could hardly breathe. "You have to pick up the phone Walter. It's not me; It's a question of life and death," I muttered under my breath, as I paced the room.

I messaged him and called him many times, but he didn't answer. I started crying but I knew that it was of no use. I knew that he was intentionally ignoring my call.

There was a sudden change in Andy's heart rate and the doctors had to take him to the operating theater. His last words were, "Laura, I don't want to leave you and I don't want to leave Walter."

I paced the hall outside the operating room, and prayed that Andy would be okay. John sat on a chair nearby and kept clasping and unclasping his hands, and I could see that he was worried too. We waited for a long time before we got any news. At around 11:00 pm, the surgeon came out and walked over to John and me. He looked at us, and then put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said in a sad, quiet voice, and then went away. I knew then, that Andy was no more. My dearest patient had died, and I had not been able to fulfill his last wish.

I was grief-stricken and lost consciousness. When I woke, I found myself in John's house. He was sitting beside me, with his head in his hands. All the memories of Andy came rushing back to me and I started crying again. John hugged me tight and tried to keep himself from crying, but I saw tears falling from his eyes.

I couldn't help but think that Andy would have lived and perhaps enjoyed life if Walter had come last night. I was angry with myself because I hadn't been able to make poor Andy happy before he passed away. But, fate was to have it that way, and what passed, was passed.

Andy's funeral was held the following day. We attended and I saw a lot of other people there too. I was very sad and to me, the flowers looked like they were now embedded in mud instead of looking beautiful. I cursed myself for loosing another shining star.

The days passed on regularly, and work seemed monotonous. Walter had neither called back nor replied to any of the messages. It was possible that he was travelling out of the country but still, I felt that he was callous and unfeeling. I never really saw this side of him, and now he was a mystery to me.

Every day I looked at pictures of Andy and kissed them. One day as I sat there thinking about him, I suddenly realized that a week had passed since his death. I was frightened by the speed of time flying by. I got a second confirmation of time's speed when I looked at my calendar and saw that Jennie's engagement party was going to be this weekend.

Her party was to be more subdued because of Andy's death, so I did not need to buy new clothes. I already had a new dress anyway, so I would wear that. John had made me buy it, the last time we went shopping together. John had started visiting us daily since the day Andy died, especially to make sure that I was alright. He cared a lot about me, and he hated seeing me upset.

A few days before Jennie's party, John started teasing me about Stefan, and it usually ended with me kicking or punching him. I was a little excited for Jennie, but I dreaded having to meet Stefan. I just wished that Saturday would come quickly so that we could get over the party. When the big day finally came around, I was cool and collected.

The party was held at John's place because his house was spacious. I saw Jennie and she looked more than beautiful. She wore a beautiful long dress and had a simple makeover. I looked around and saw a big crowd. Most of the people were Paul's family members. John's mother was there too, and I greeted her cheerfully. She was the type of person who always made you smile, and I liked her as soon as I met her.

Jennie held my hand and walked around with me, forcing me to talk to other people. When Paul arrived, John announced their engagement in his cheerful manner. There was a loud noise of clapping and cheering. The crowd gathered around them and threw flowers at them. Paul and Jennie kissed each other, and I sighed. They were the most adorable couple that I've ever seen. I looked for John and saw him surrounded by girls as usual. I was going to sit down when I heard Jennie call me.

I saw her coming towards me with man. She introduced him to me as Stefan. I thought he was the best looking man present in the party.

"Hello, dear," he said, bowing and kissing my hands like a gentleman.

"Hello," I replied, feeling awkward.

"You guys enjoy the party together while I see to the others," said Jennie, leaving us alone to entertain each other.

"You look pretty," he remarked.

"I hope you are not lying," I chuckled.

"The truth can't be hidden, and the truth is that you look pretty," he laughed.

We both laughed and I smiled at him, but I didn't feel so great. I didn't like his characteristic of being over-friendly, though he was a perfect gentleman. I wasn't impressed and I felt that he deserved a better, a more sophisticated woman than me. After a few moments of silence, he offered me a dance. I looked at him with no expression on my face, and took his hand. He held my hand gently and we danced slowly. His steps were perfect, but I felt stupid, because I didn't know how to move my feet. I was almost blushing, as I tried not to look at him.

After we finished dancing, John came over and held me in his arms and laughed. I probably made a spectacle of myself, and I felt ashamed. I danced the last dance with John. When the party was over, and I was seeing everyone off, I saw a guy, who looked just like Walter. I ran towards him, but he disappeared through the door. I went out and looked around, but I didn't see anyone.

John took me home and, all the while I remained curios as to who that person was. I finally gave up guessing and decided that perhaps I was thinking too much about Walter. Now I would have to forget him, and try to love Stefan. He was going to become a part of my life. Jennie was happy because she thought I was ready to marry Stefan, but it was a forceful relation. My heart was bleeding inside because I knew that Stefan was not the man for me.

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