24 THE PAIN THAT THEY'LL NEVER KNOW

Time is gold and time flies so fast no matter how much want to stop it.

At last, Hana's day off came around again. This time, she planned to watch a movie with her brother. "Bro, let's watch DreamWorks Dragon Movie. The second one. I have not watched it yet."

"Sure. Let me buy the tickets. Would you like to get the popcorns and drinks?"

"Okay! Once you're done at the ticket booth, just wait for me here." Hana reminded her brother and ran off to get their snacks. It wasn't everyday that she gets to relax with her brother like this after he started working. Hana skipped happily towards the snack bar with a smile on her face. "Hi. I'd like to get one salted caramel and one BBQ flavored popcorns-the newly cooked, plus two bottles of mineral water and two colas."

"Please wait a moment ma'am." The sales lady started packing her order while she checked her wallet to pay for it.

"Hana?" a woman called out her name making Hana turned around and found her doctor and his wife.

"Dr. Zurich! Dr. Monique!" she exclaimed when she saw them standing behind her. "Are you guys on a date?"

"Sort of. The kids wanted to watch this animation about dragons. Since it is very rare for us to have the same day off, we decided to bring the kids outside." Dr. Monique answered her honestly. "You are with your brother?"

"Ah yes. How do you know?" Hana inquired while handing the bills to pay for her items.

"We saw him at the ticket booth. The kids are now sticking with him. Your brother really knows how to take care of people. No wonder my kids are so close with him." Dr. Monique stated. The whole time they were speaking, her doctor was just watching her, observing and noting her expressions.

"My brother knows how to spoil kids. Don't let your kids be spoiled because of him." Hana gave them a friendly reminder.

"You are wrong. You are the only one he spoils a lot. Don't you know that because of him, my kids are taking their studies seriously now? They are not picky with food as well and they don't demand whatever toys they see out there. They are well behaved since they met him few years ago."

Dr. Zurich ordered their own snack so she chatted with Dr. Monique. "I didn't know that side of my brother. In fact, he spoils me more than my parents do. I never thought he would discipline your children. I hope you aren't taking that against him."

"Of course not!" Dr. Monique was waving her hands in front of her hurriedly. "I am thankful to your brother instead."

"I am happy to know that." Hana responded with a smile. Even her eyes curved in to a half moon shape and she looked really lovely with her smiling eyes and lips. "My brother is really a good person."

"I agree on that. How long has it been? My eldest wasn't even born yet when you were hospitalized. Ten years?"

"Hn. It's been ten years."

"I'm really sorry to hear that you have suffered so much." The kind doctor rubbed her arms gently. "Your case is the first type of illness that my husband and his team encountered. So, they didn't have much information about it."

"That's actually fine. I have prepared myself for the worst scenario. In fact, I am only doing this observation thingy for my parents and for Adam. They aren't giving up on me so why should I?"

"But it's painful, right?"

"I'm used to this pain."

"Just because you are used to the pain doesn't mean you aren't hurting." Dr. Monique commented. Dr. Zurich was done buying their snacks as well and they were heading back to where Adam and the kids were waiting. "I heard from Zurich about the medication you are taking."

"Well, it can't be helped. I needed something that can reassure my parents even if it doesn't really do anything to help me."

"I'm sorry." Monique stated again as they follow Zurich back to the meet up place.

"You know what doc, I was ready to give up my life long ago. On the day that I decided to end it, I met a person in the park. He was happily playing with children and I like watching him smile. When I met that person again, he never smiled even once. I tried doing the best I can but he never smiled at me."

"You like that person?"

"Hn. But he doesn't know and he will never know. I don't intend to tell him. After what happened to my past relationships, I gave up already."

"You were taking so long." The two kids in Adam's hands complained when they saw their parents. "Hi Hana. How are you?" the eldest kid, Joseph, asked Hana.

"I am doing fine Joseph." Hana smiled but her body betrayed her. Two streams of blood ran down her nostrils.

"Hana!" All of them exclaimed. Adam gave her the handkerchief as soon as possible to cover her nose.

"Are you alright?" Adam asked her in a voice full of worry and concern.

"Aren't you used to seeing this?" Hana chuckled as she spoke. "Let's get inside. There's nothing we can do here."

The kids were holding Adam's shirt while watching her anxiously. They went inside first while Dr. Zurich and Hana stayed back to talk. "Did you bring your medicine?" Dr. Zurich asked her.

"Yes, doc. I think my head is going to split from pain." Even though she said it was painful her smile didn't vanish from her lips. All these years, she had been fooling her parents and Adam with her smiles. Though, Adam wasn't really fooled. He knew that what was bound to happen will happen. No matter how much he wanted to stop the time, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Dr. Zurich opened her sling bag for her and took out the small box of capsules. He opened the water bottle for her and let her drink the medicine first before they went inside the cinema.