Author's Note: Soooo…Thursday (Aug. 15), I will be getting my wrists checked out by a doctor. Hopefully, there's nothing too serious but if Doctor's Orders say I have to limit my time on the keyboard, I guess that's what I'll be doing. :/ That means one of two things: (1) Shorter Chapters/ more frequent updating or (2) longer chapters, less frequent updating. I'll keep you guys updated! Thanks!
Note #2: I have a "BATB" project and I need all of you loving BEASTIES out there! Please check out my YouTube video (YT address + [/watch?v=D9utbfKgwM4]) for more information!
Disclaimer: I do not own BatB or "One Litre of Tears"
(Yet! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!)
One Litre of Tears
by: Keiko Fujiwara
Chapter Twenty-Eight:I promise I will Move on Ahead
Beauty and the Beast
DATE: November 7th, 2013
Vanessa's POV
I stand outside Catherine's hospital room, waiting for the best time to walk in. As of right now, she's spending time with Vincent and I don't want to interrupt that. She needs all the time she can have with her husband; no one should take that right away from her. I wait for almost twenty more minutes, when, finally, the door opens and Vincent walks out. "You know," he says, "You don't have to wait out here in order to talk to your daughter, Mrs. Chandler."
"I know…I just didn't want to interrupt your time with Catherine."
"For what little time Catherine has left, I don't think we need to slice and dice our times with her, Mrs. Chandler. Catherine is more than happy to spend shared time with all of us; she's missed you, you know?" Vincent says as he opens the door wider. "Go on, go in; I'm going to grab a coffee. You want one?"
"No thank you." I say before walking into Catherine's hospital room. As he closes the door, I approach my eldest daughter, afraid of what she might think of me for avoiding her. "Hey…"
Catherine turns her head towards me and produces a weak smile as she forces herself to wave her hand. Seeing her so weak brings me to tears. I rush over to her and wrap my arms around her frail form. She embraces me as best as she can and when I pull away, I see tears falling from her cheeks too. I can tell she's missed me terribly. "I'm so sorry, Catherine," I say to her as I dry her eyes. "I've been a coward for hiding behind my work desk instead of spending time with you."
She shakes her head and tries to say something but no sound comes out. I notice a notebook sitting on a small table beside her so I pick it up and place it on her little lap desk. She picks up her black marker and writes: I don't blame you.
How can she be so humble after everything that has happened to her—how people have treated her? Not even I could be so merciful if I were in her place.
After a slow yet long conversation, I realize just how much I've missed by not being with my daughter. She's quite the young woman now, even with her disease. I can tell she sees life through a window no one else can see through. Not even me, her mother. I wonder…if not for this disease…would Catherine see life so differently than from the rest of us?
Beauty and the Beast
November 10th—that afternoon
Thomas Chandler's POV
I feel incredibly guilty right now. Not once have I visited my daughter in the hospital since she's been readmitted. I don't think I have the strength to do so. Catherine has no idea how much I love her—how much I want her to be healthy. Just five years ago, she was a very healthy young woman; now she's lying on her deathbed and it's killing me inside. How can I face her when I can't even look at a single picture of her in my wallet or on my phone? Seeing all of those pictures of when she was healthy reminds me that she's not. And I hate the feeling of weakness I get whenever I do see a picture of her.
As I stare outside my office window, the desk phone rings. I pick it up, place it over my ear and say, "Yes, Sharon?"
"Sir, you have a visitor."
"Who is it?"
"A young man named Evan Marks; he claims to be your daughter's doctor?"
"Let him in." I say to my secretary before placing the phone back on its base. My office door opens and Vincent walks through, looking exhausted. "Hello, Dr. Marks. I hope you're faring well?"
"Very, sir." Dr. Marks replies, formally. He takes a step towards my desk and bluntly states his business. "Sir, with all due respect, I came here on behalf of Catherine's health."
"Is she all right?" I ask, concerned.
"She's…not well. She has reached one of the last few stages in her illness. I'm sure you're aware but in case you are not, she has lost her entire voice and her movements are extremely slow. She cannot walk anymore either. Now, it's up to her will in order to continue living."
"I…I see." I reply, trying not to break down in front of my daughter's doctor. "From this point on, what's the expected amount of time she has left?" I swear, I think my voice choked a little.
"Well, it's hard to say…The rate is different for everyone. I've dealt with cases where the patient lives only two months after reaching one of the final stages. However, I've also had patients who live nearly ten years more. It just depends on how much willpower Catherine has left in order to hold on to life."
"So that's it? That's all you have to say about my daughter?!" I ask, outraged. "There isn't a single DAMN thing you can do to cure her disease!? You barge in here, thinking you know what you're doing when you haven't done a single thing aside from telling my family that my daughter's life is pretty much over!"
"Haven't done a damn thing?! Mind you, Mr. Chandler, I have put my career on the line for your daughter! I asked a colleague of mine to borrow one of his lab rats with the same disease so I can test for a cure! I have spent thousands of dollars into trying to save your daughter, not kill her! So if you think I haven't done anything to help your daughter's condition, you are certainly wrong! Just because I've come up empty handed doesn't mean I haven't given up on Catherine! As her doctor, I will never give up on trying to find a cure for her!" he fires back, twice as enraged.
I rub my temples as I sit down in my desk chair. "I'm sorry, Dr. Marks. I'm just…frustrated…. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that."
"With all due respect, Mr. Chandler, I may not be able to find a cure in time to save your daughter but…there is something YOU can do that'll do Catherine better wanders than what I could ever accomplish." He states and I look at him with confusion.
"What?"
"You should go see her." He says softly. "Despite her condition, her mental functions are superb, Mr. Chandler. She knows you're avoiding her because of her disease and, after talking with Vincent a few weeks ago, I found out she blames herself for your distance. She understands that if it weren't for this disease, you would be more involved in her life."
I stare at him, incredulously. I never realized what kind of effect my distance would put on my daughter… I can't believe I'm so selfish! "That's not it at all…"
"I know…but don't you think it's time you set the record straight?" he asks me.
"I'm sorry…I just…Deep down, in my mind, I feel like if I don't see her, her pain and her disease will disappear. The less I see her, to me, the less her condition exists. I can't stand to see her in so much pain." I admit as I look down at my desk.
"I don't think I'm the person you need to apologize to." Dr. Marks replies before starting to head towards the door. "In all honestly, Mr. Chandler, I think it's better to cherish what you DO have with Catherine rather than to dwell in the past and wish for something that can't ever happen again."
Without another word, he leaves my office with such confidence.
"Would you like me to reschedule your meeting with the DA?" Sharon asks me as she pops her head through the door. "I couldn't help but overhear the shouting…"
"No…that's okay. I…have a lot to do so the meeting must go on as planned." I say but she doesn't leave. "Is there anything else?"
"No sir. Let me know if you change your mind." She states before closing the door and returning to her desk.
Somehow, I feel like everyone is out to get me today…
I stand up, rub the bridge of my nose and sigh. "On second thought, Sharon?"
"Yes?" she immediately appears at the door again.
"Cancel all appointments today and tell all clients as well as the DA that I'll personally contact them to reschedule." I say as I pack my briefcase.
"Right away, sir!" Sharon replies and returns to her desk. As I exit my office and lock it, Sharon asks, "What would you like me to tell them if they want to know why you're rescheduling?"
"Tell them…that I have a family matter to attend to." I state before heading out the door. I may not be able to take back the past and revisit the times I've avoided my daughter but I CAN start making amends by spending as much time as I can with her.
Beauty and the Beast
Catherine's POV
As I wake up from a much needed nap, I hear a pair of feet shuffling inside my hospital bedroom. When I turn to look and see who the feet belong to, a small smile forms plays on my lips.
"Hey darling." I hear my father say as he rushes over to me and hugs me. "I'm sorry for being such an ass lately. Will you forgive me?"
I pull away from him and slowly nod. I see tears in his eyes—something I haven't seen in my father for a long time. He kisses my forehead and takes a seat next to my hospital bed. It doesn't matter what I've felt for the past few months anymore…My family is slowly coming back together and that makes me super happy.
I spent the next hour or so listening to my father's apology and reasons for being distant. In the end, I write on my little notepad: I've missed you, Daddy.
"I've missed you too, sweetheart." Dad whispers as he kisses my forehead again. Sometime during our heartfelt reunion, Mom, Heather and Vincent enter the room. Vincent slides into the bed, next to me, as Mom sits in the other chair and Heather stands in the corner. My family is finally in the same room again. As we have this reunion, I see the bright blue sky through my hospital window. I can finally see the hope I haven't seen in a very long while.
Beauty and the Beast
Striving to Live for the Present
In another ten years . . . I'm to scared to think about that.
I have no choice but to live today as earnestly as I can.
Living is all I can do now.
I'm young but I can't move . . .
Dilemma and impatience.
But I'm a patient, so I have to focus on recuperation.
You, one person,
Advise me not to write too much.
Appreciating that,
I put my hands together in thanks.
Thinking on my sickbed . . .
(At this point Aya's handwriting becomes illegible.)
I understand that menstruation - the indication that you're a real woman - stopped if you grew weak from
illness. I also thought that it was a sign of recovery if it started again after six months.
Glancing up from my sickroom,
I saw the blue sky;
It gave me a ray of hope.
(Aya Kitou—Chapter 7)
Beauty and the Beast
Keiko Fujiwara: I hope this didn't seem rushed to you. I was struggling of how I could convey Thomas's feelings about the whole ordeal. Let me know what you think! Please! :)
