Free Learning to Live (The Infinite Love Series Book 1) by Kira Adams Page B

do you hear me?”
     
    I’m surprised that he even has the balls to talk to me like he does. And normally, I wouldn’t accept it. I’d have him laid out in a heartbeat. But I can tell in his eyes how much he cares about her. He’s in love with her. I wonder if she even knows. I put my arms up in surrender. “Just find out if she’s okay, and you have my word, I’ll keep my distance.”
     
    He nods, his lips in a tight line. “Good.” He spins on his heel, and scurries off.
     
    I feel sick to my stomach. It can’t possibly be because of the agreement I just made…can it?

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Ciera
    So much for avoiding unnecessary costs. After Topher brought me home, my migraine returned two-fold. I couldn’t even get out of bed the following day, I was so weak. By the time today rolled around, my mother insisted we had to go see a doctor. I know she wants me to follow through with the procedure. I know she has faith that it will make a difference, but I’ve seen the doctor’s eyes. I know I’m past the point of no return. There are no guarantees, and they make that painfully obvious every time we meet with them.
     
    Life can change at the drop of a dime. Everything you think you know, suddenly changes. It’s unfair. I worry about her all the time. I want to be as optimistic as she is, but it’s my body, and I can feel it changing.
     
    I know she thinks I’m giving up. I know she wants me to fight. But what I really want is to be able to spend the rest of the time surrounded by people I care about. I’ve done so much research, and I’ve come to the conclusion that when it’s all said and done, at least I will still be me.
     
    We are at Doctor Brown’s office, a place we’ve become all too familiar with the past couple of months. He’s a gentle soul. I see the way he handles my mother, and I appreciate it. He takes care in every statement he makes, in every piece of information he shares. I think he has a soft spot for my mother. She’d never notice it, with everything going on. But, I know he will help her after I am gone.
     
    Dr. Brown enters the exam room, and his face is downcast as usual. I know his news won’t be favorable. His brown eyes dart between my mother and me, before he sighs, exhaling deeply.
     
    “It’s getting worse…isn’t it?” I ask.
     
    I am thankful he never sugarcoats anything. He always tells me like it is. It’s been an unspoken agreement we made after the first episode I had.
     
    He nods his head, frowning. “Ciera, it’s too dangerous to try to remove it now. It’s growing too rapidly. Unfortunately, it’s only going to get harder from here.”
     
    My mother stifles a sob, and I feel my heart tense up. She needs me, and I want to be there for her more than anything.
     
    “How much time do we have?” I ask the question that is more than likely on both of our minds.
     
    He looks up at me through lowered lashes. “It won’t be much longer before the tumor begins to affect your motor functions. Before headaches and seizures become more frequent, more unstable.”
     
    I look at my mother, and her shoulders are heaving up and down viciously. I blink rapidly, my cheeks growing hot. I need to stay strong for her.
     
    “Can we order the medicine?”
     
    When we first found out about the tumor, I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t understand how I could look so healthy on the outside, but be slowly withering away on the inside. For weeks, I battled with accepting the truth. In the beginning, the migraines were the only reminder that my time was numbered. And then the fatigue started, and soon after, the seizures. Little by little, my body began giving up. Dr. Brown wanted to try and remove as much of the tumor as possible, but even then, it would only stunt the growth, not stop the inevitable. He insisted radiation, but I read about the repercussions, the physical and emotional changes, and I knew right away it wasn’t the right path for