Chapter 5

Jacob finally reached his studio apartment with a bandage around his chest and a small one above his eyebrow. He settled down, groaning on his couch. If asked, he wouldn't be able to tell what hurt him the most—the physical pain he endured or the emotional pain of watching his wife leave him for someone like Alex. He could use a little liquor, but it was a little far off, and he wouldn’t get off the chair.

“You should really change your locks,” Christine said, walking out of the shadows.

“For fuck sake!” He jerked, and the pain struck like an electric shock. He groaned as he held his rib as it curled a little. 

“Oh my god,” Christine rushed to him. “What happened to you?” she asked.

“I am okay…” Jacob stopped her from touching him. “I just need to rest.”

“Rest? What happened to you?”

“It was an accident.”

Christine stopped, her lips quivering a little. Jacob raised his head to look at why she suddenly went quiet. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, shaking her head a little. “I just have this thing when someone talks about accidents and... Jacob, how did it happen?”

“It’s a long story, and it’s just, I don’t know, just, umm, just an accident,” Jacob said, looking to her. “Now tell me how you got in here.”

"Well, I know someone who knows someone,” she said, sitting down beside him.

“So you broke into my house to do what exactly?”

“Broke into your house?” Christine chuckled. “That’s deep.”

“What are you doing here?” 

“Fine, I see you don’t have a sense of humor. To see why you haven’t cashed your ten million-dollar check yet.”

“It’s barely been a day since I got tt…” Now the pain was subsiding again.

“It’s been a day and five hours. And not a lot of people need as much time as barely a day to run to the bank for such an opportunity.”

“I was busy today, and that’s it. I’d cash it out tomorrow,” said Jacob.

“Plus, you should really consider keeping a check in a safe place” She nodded toward the check in the center of his table. 

“Okay… Thank you for breaking into my house to tell me that. I really need to get to rest now.”

Christine got up from the couch and said, “I actually came to ask when you’d need the lawyer for the divorce case, but obviously you need a doctor first."

“I already did,” Jacob said, sounding cold.

“Did what?”

“I already signed the divorce form, and it’s finished.” Jacob made sure his feelings didn’t leak out of him.

"Oh, that's interesting. When did you sign?”

“Today?”

“Before or after the accident..."

"Does it matter?”

“So are you?"

“Christine, I need time to get my sh*t together before jumping into a marriage and..."

His phone rang, and they both looked at the phone.

“You can’t reach it, can you?”

"No, I can’t. ”

"Of course,” she said, helping him with it.

His heart felt like it had stopped, and his breathing became even more difficult. It was the hospital calling. They don’t call until his sister needs chemotherapy, but it wasn’t even due until the next month. He had made sure he had paid all in advance for three months, and it was only the beginning of the second month.

“Jacob?” Christine called. Jacob raised his head and she asked, “Aren’t you picking?”

Jacob swallowed, looked to the phone, and with a deep breath—not enough to make his chest hurt—he picked up the call. “Hello. " Yes, this is he. Yeah. Sure. When? Tomorrow! I don’t understand! Can I speak to... I’d be there tomorrow. I don’t understand why you can’t just tell me... For fuck sake! , I’d be there tomorrow.” He hung up. 

“What’s going on?” Christine asked.

…

Jacob, still trying to believe the stranger he stared at was the same sister he grew up with, sat down beside her. Riley's blonde hair was gone; she couldn't breathe without tubes. She lay there on the bed, pale as snow, tired and frustrated. 

Where was the energetic sister he had? Where was that one person who would argue with him till it pissed him off just for the fun of it? 

“I’d leave you two,” Aunty Jen said as she grabbed her old purse and walked out of the room.

“How long?” Jacob asked immediately.

“Four weeks or less.”

“I have enough money now, Riley,” Jacob said, moving to the edge of his seat. “We can move you away from here and..."

“...Jacob.”

“...and treat you; we can save you.”

“Jacob,” she said. Her voice wasn’t half as strong and confident as it used to be. “You should stop.”

“But…”

"The doctors said I have four wonderful weeks to live, Jacob. It’s stage four now. But I can finally finish Harry Potter, and I just started the Game of Thrones,” she laughed.

“Riley?”

“I have this cool app Aunty Jen downloaded for me. It plays novels for you and all."

“Stop… Stop Riley… Just. Stop.” He couldn’t stop the tears any longer.

“Jacob, don’t pity me. And don’t you ever feel like you could have done something different? It’s not a blame game, and if it was, it was never your fault.”

Jacob wiped his tears as he sniffed. “If only I could..."

“But you did. You did all that you could. And for the past two years, you’ve been living your life for me to have a life; that’s more than I could ask for.”

“Riley, I wish..."

"Don't, Jacob, don't,” she said, forcing a smile. Even though her eyes were already glossy with tears, she was fighting back. “And what about Madi?” she asked.

Jacob looked at her in the eyes, his heart racing to decide what to say. They’ve always been close—closer than he had imagined.

“Jacob?”

"She's... she’s happy,” Jacob said.

“That’s great. I wish she had come too.”

Jacob sniffed, and he said softly, “She wouldn’t.”

“Yeah… I understand,” she coughed, then continued, “Madi has always been a very busy person.” Riley smiled like she was remembering things: “Tell her I miss her, and I wish I could have some of her strawberry coffee.”

Now Jacob’s tears couldn’t hold back. “Riley?”

“Jacob?”

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t tell her that Madi and he were no longer together, not when she was about to die.

“I’m sorry… I.”

“It’s fine, Jacob,” Riley said, “and you should really stop making me teary.” A tear slid down her face to the bed.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen Game of Thrones." Jacob tried to distract himself.

“Yeah, it actually is a death threat to see the show.”

They both laughed, and then came the silence.

Riley tried to raise her hands a little, and Jacob grabbed them softly.

“Jacob,” Riley said, looking into his eyes with compassion, “promise me you’d have fun, you’d travel, you’d go to movies, and you'd do all the amazing things I have robbed you of for the past two years. Promise me.”

Jacob nodded. “I promise.”

Riley smiled. “That’s all I wish for, and if you don’t do it. I’d haunt you.”

“Shut up, Riley." Jacob smiled back.

Jacob got up and said, “I love you, Riley.”

“I love you too, Jacob.”

…

Jacob came out of the hospital to meet Christine’s driver, who was still waiting. He struggled to get into the car and removed his shirt; the pain was killing him, but he didn’t want to give Riley a reason to worry. He winds down the glasses in the SUV and allows the fresh country air to blow into his lungs.

It was ten minutes into the drive when the driver looked back to where he was and asked, "Sir, where are we going?”

Jacob looked at him. “We are going to the bank," he said, then whispered, “I made a promise.”