Three Weeks Ago...

"Where would you like me to start?" He asks.

"Start with why you left," I order, taking a seat back on the bench.

Noah sits next to me, his fingers interlaced on his lap. "That's a bit of a long and complicated story."

"Than uncomplicate it," I say more distraughtly, fighting to keep eye contact with him as he's gazing down. "You know that I deserve an explanation."

He unleashes a strong sigh as his lips part, his eyes still refusing to look up. "Okay." I feel uneasy as he begins his story, now feeling unsure if I want to hear it or not. "About a week before the car crash, I started getting these headaches. They were nothing at first, but then they started getting worse. I was starting to see double of everything and I was sleeping excessively. My mom thought it was just allergies or a cold." He pauses for a moment as he looks off into the street, watching as dozens and dozens of cars scream as they pass by. "Then I started to feel pain on my left side."

I begin to imagine the worst. Noah never told me any of this before. If he had, I would've remembered. But he chose to keep this to himself. Even when we were together and all seemed well, he kept this from me. He was in pain and I didn't know about it. This just makes me wonder what else he was hiding from me back then. "Was this during the week you didn't answer my phone calls or text messages?" I ask.

Noah nods. "Yeah, it was.

"Then why didn't you call back?"

"Well when the pain started, my mom scheduled an appointment with an infectious disease specialist. She thought I could've caught something during the school trip to Mexico and wanted to be sure. But after a few tests... I was sent to a hematologist," he explains with great sadness. I know what a hematologist specializes in. They treat blood diseases and disorders. What I don't get is why Noah would be sent to one. "Both doctors had a theory, Nyc. And after a few blood tests, that theory was proven to be correct... and they had the damn paperwork to prove it."

I'm silent, but I let my body do the talking. I slowly shake my head in denial. His words carve their way into my brain, those horrible, horrible words. Though he doesn't emphasize on his main point, I know what he's talking about. Why else would he be sent to a physician that treats blood cancers, diseases, and disorders?

Back then, before Noah left town, I knew something was off with him. I haven't seen or heard from him for a few weeks before the accident. I was worrying out of my mind about him. His mom wouldn't say anything either, and every time I went over to their house to check up on him, no one would answer the door. I guess even then I knew that our relationship was over, but I didn't want to admit it. I was caught in the stage of disbelief, just as I was when Mom died. And now it's happening all over again.

I watch as I tear rolls down Noah's cheek. This conversation is undoubtedly hard on me, but it takes a greater toll on him. "At only sixteen, I was diagnosed with Polycythemia vera," he says. His voices reflects the emotions in which he refuses to let into the light. That one terrifying word is enough to break anyone, and in one simple breath, he continues. "Mom was heartbroken, and the doctors hooked me up to so many machines like I was some kind of freaky lab experiment."

"You're not a freak," I tell him.

His eyes water even more, allowing more tears to fall. Noah instantly wipes them away with his sleeve. "Do you know what PV is?" He asks, and shake my head. In truth, I know nothing about it, other than how it's a very rare type of blood cancer. "Well they called it a devastating misfortune. While most people who have it are diagnosed in their later years, I was lucky enough to be diagnosed before I even got to live," he explains. I can see the spiteful anger fortify in his eyes. "The red blood cells in my body were too thick, so they put me on blood thinners... which is why my mom took me out of school."

"Because if you bled out, there'd be too many health risks and you could die," I say.

"Exactly."

Now it's beginning to make sense. We learned about the effects of blood thinners in health class. If Noah was on blood thinners, the risk of him bleeding would have been too great. Even a small papercut can cause major health problems for him. If his blood reached the oxygen, he'd have the potential of fainting, and in extreme cases, he may never had woken up.

I also learned that a disease like this one can be deadly if not treated properly. I could've lost both my mom and Noah two years ago. Thankfully, he managed to live long enough to explain to me why he left so suddenly at a time when I needed him most. He came back here and risked his own life for me.

Noah sniffs deeply and lays his hand upon mine. A tear abruptly falls onto my lap. "When I was taken out of school, my mom also thought it would be a good idea to move. She thought I'd be safer living with my aunt and uncle in Michigan," he says.

"Well what did you think?" His hesitation says it all. "Yeah, that's what I thought," I say.

"Rowen, it's not like I wanted to leave. I just felt that if I stayed, you'd feel entitled to take care of me and worry about me at every waking moment."

"Of course I would have!" I rip my hand away from his. "I would've done anything for you! I would've sacrificed everything!"

"And that's why I left!" He cries. Ambling eyes begin to swerve in our direction, so I keep my head down. Long locks of blonde shroud my face. With both hands, I take hair from both sides of my head and tuck it behind my ears. I can feel Noah's blazing urge to comfort me from a mile away, even if we're inches apart. Instead, he clasps both of his hands into a ball and allows them to rest on his knees. "I knew if I told you what was really going on, you'd drop everything and everyone in your life for my benefit, and I just couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let you push everyone away for me," he says.

I find myself staring off into the street, gloom prowling like a rabid fox, and joy is the prey. "Would that have been so horrible? Me taking care of you?"

If he had told me about his sickness, that is probably what I would've done. Noah was my first love, so naturally, I was new to the whole thing. Of course, I would've made him my top priority. He was more than just my boyfriend - he was my best friend. I would've gone to the end of the world for him. But it seems he went to the end of the world without me, and no explanation of his can spell out redemption.

"You becoming my caretaker and catering to my every need? That is not what I wanted for you, Rowen," he says. It's strange not hearing my nickname with his voice. I guess it's for the best. Afterall, I'm barely Nyc anymore. "I wanted you to live your life. And with me in the way, you never would've done that. So yeah, I left with my mom to Michigan, and you want to know what it was like?" I'm silent. "I hated every moment of it."

I scratch the bridge of my nose, flipping my hair away from my face once more. Then looking into his brown eyes, I say, "You still could've called. You could've given me something to go off of."

"I wanted to," he says, clinging onto every word for dear life. "I wanted to call you every day... but I never brought myself to do it. I knew you would ask questions that I couldn't answer, at least not over the phone. But when your mom died..." My face turns woeful as I begin to draw away from this conversation, but Noah stops me. "Rowen, when I heard about the accident, I was a wreck. I knew then that I made a mistake when I left you and the baby all alone."

When he brings up my baby, my eyes suffer from an overflow of tears a result. It died on the same night that my mom did, and many other things died along with it, including my feelings for Noah. "You know, I never even knew the gender. I never got to feel he or she kicking. I never even thought up any names," I say somberly. He doesn't say another word. He may have an incurable sickness, but it doesn't change anything. It changed nothing. "I have to go. I thought I could do this but I can't," I tell him, wiping away the last of my tears.

I hurriedly get up and walk to my car, and Noah doesn't stop me.

~~~~~

Like a famished mouse, I fiercely bite down on my lower lip. The atmosphere around me seems to spin like a broken down ride at a crowded theme park. Doctors and nurses surround me, each yelling over another's voice. Through all this commotion, I only focus on Noah, who is only half awake as he's rolled down the spotless hallway in a gurney. I clutch his hand firmly and not once do I think about letting go. His grasp isn't nearly as strong.

We round a corner and the doctors lead us into an empty room. I try my hardest to keep my hand inside of Noah's. "It's going to be alright. You're gonna be okay, Noah, just stay with me," I say over the combination of frantic voices.

Even in a half-conscious state, he still manages to let a comforting smile shine through. He tries to say something but I can't hear him over the other four doctors in the room.

A female doctor gently takes me by the arm. "Hun, I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside," she says.

"No, I'm staying with him!" I cry.

"Nyc, it's gonna be fine," Noah says, taking my hand with both of his.

I look back at the doctor as she urges me out of the premises, away from Noah. I finally give into her orders and do as she says. I walk out of the room, leaving she, Noah, and the other doctors inside. It kills me that I can't do anything to help him. If only I had stopped him from confronting that thief in head-to-head combat. If I had, none of this would have happened and Noah wouldn't be hurt.

I despairingly walk into the waiting area and sit down in a dark blue chair, immediately sinking my face into my hands. I can't help but think about the worst outcome of this situation as nervous tremors case my brain to go ballistic. A few people sit around me, looking even more anxious than I do. What I'm guessing is a couple sits to my left. The wife rests her head on her husband's shoulder and he runs his hand along her back. They may have a child in here somewhere. Whether he or she is in here because of a sickness or an accident, the fear is fervent in their eyes, as it is in mine.

"Rowen?" A voice asks smoothly. The vividness in his voice resonates in my ears and thoughts.

I gasp and look upwards. "Silas?" I stutter. Across the hall stands the one and the only person that can help me through this heartache, and I practically jump out of my seat. I don't know why he's here but I'm so glad that he is.

He walks toward me with a tense look in his eyes, almost studying me as we make our ways toward one another. "Hey," he says as our eyes meet.

"Hey," I reply. "What are you doing here?"

"My dad broke his leg, remember? I texted you earlier saying that I had to bring him in," he explains. It all comes crashing back. He had texted me right before Noah and I were confronted by the mugger. "But what are you doing here? Are you hurt?" He asks.

Shaking my head, I answer, "No, I'm fine, but-," I stop myself and run a hand through my hair.

"But what? What's going on?" Silas and Noah haven't met yet, and I want to keep it that way. But knowing Silas, he's not gonna stop until he gets answers. Telling him about Noah and my history with him would be problematic. This is just another secret that I'll have to keep from him.

I take in a deep breath and think about my words carefully. One mistake can very well send him off the deep end, and I don't want him to worry about me. "There was an accident and a friend of mine got hurt. The doctors are taking care of him now," I say. I look over my shoulder towards the door to the room that Noah is in, wanting someone to walk out and tell me that he's going to be okay.

Silas follows my gaze. "What kind of an accident?"

I turn back around, striving to find the words. It's difficult to even think about what happened. "Look, things are just really complicated right now, so I need you to trust me," I say. If he were smart, he wouldn't trust a single word I tell him.

"Yeah, of course," he tells me, his luxurious eyes consoling me to the best of their ability. Though his intentions are pure, I can't focus on him long enough until thoughts of Noah come storming back. I feel obliged to listen and act upon them, once again turning away from Silas to look upon Noah's limp body.

Through the window, I can see that he is unconscious. The wound on his hand is already bandaged up, not a single drop of blood remaining. The doctors who were working on him before no longer have worry painted on their faces. I guess that's a good thing. Maybe there's a chance he'll walk away from all of this with nothing but a distant and cold memory. Maybe he won't even remember what happened and this whole thing can stay in the past.

It's unlikely, but I doubt this accident will change his mind about staying here. He made it quite obvious that he's staying, despite the dangers that threaten him every moment of every day. There's no way that I can convince him to leave so I won't even bother trying. True, his presence in this town can very well complicate my relationship with Silas, but as if now, that is the least of my worries. Right now, Noah is powerless. He is trapped in his own mind and I can't provide him with the passage out. My feelings toward him hold no end at this moment. The anger and betrayal don't matter so long as he is hurt and there isn't anything I can do to help.

Memories of our colliding pasts play vividly in my mind as the movie that is my life plays on repeat. Approaching tears build a barrier of gloss around my eyes, melting away my sight of Noah. I surrender to their forces and let them fall.

I feel arms wrap around me and I lose myself in Silas' embrace. He holds me close, stroking my hair as he allows me to cry into his chest. And as the world and all its flaws crumble around us, we stay like this.

A / N :

Hello, my loves! If you've made it this far into the story, the truth about Noah was finally revealed! Were you expecting it? What were your other theories? Feel free to leave this amazing theories down below! I can't wait to hear your feedback!

Be sure to vote if you enjoyed the chapter!

XOXO