Chapter 8

Aaron and Vanessa parted on bitter terms.

His mood sank, so he pulled the blanket over his head and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

That afternoon, Maya came in to apply medication to Aaron’s skin and woke him.

She told him to keep an eye on the IV bag while she went to start another infusion in a different room and explained that she could not watch it constantly.

Aaron grunted and asked her to raise the head of his bed.

Before leaving, Maya hesitated before asking, “One of my coworkers said a beautiful woman came to see you at noon. She was crying when she left. Who was she?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Aaron never expected Vanessa to cry.

After Maya left, he thought for a while before messaging Vanessa.

He told her that he had only informed Edward and Diane about his illness and that Edward was probably the one who convinced the Eastbridge Geological Survey to move its accounts.

Vanessa replied by calling him selfish. She accused him of telling others when she had not even told her parents.

Aaron disagreed with her but did not continue the conversation.

Two days later, Aaron reviewed his treatment records and realized that a month had passed since his admission.

Rebecca came to examine him that morning and brought his latest test results. His condition remained poor. His immune system had not recovered, and the virus continued to attack his body.

The treatment was not working, so they could only try another approach.

Aaron was already prepared for that possibility. AIDS had no miracle cure, and he knew treatment would be difficult. He simply never expected it to be so agonizing.

Rebecca considered the drug resistance developing in Aaron’s body.

Until they obtained the new medication, they could only stop his current antiretroviral treatment.

She warned him not to leave the hospital under any circumstances.

With his immune system so weak, any bacteria or virus outside could pose a fatal threat.

The medication caused an itchy, painful drug rash.

Stopping the medication brought out another rash, which was just as unbearable.

Complications followed as well.

One bout of pneumonia left him with a persistent high fever and severe difficulty breathing.

Yet Aaron survived every setback. He remained stubbornly alive.

Before he knew it, forty days had passed since his admission.

That day, Aaron was finally able to resume treatment. He felt slightly more energetic, and the rash on his body began to fade, but the lesions on his face stubbornly remained.

With nothing else to do, he read a book.

Then the hospital room door was suddenly kicked open, and a tall, muscular young man rushed inside.

Without saying a word, he grabbed a stool from the floor and swung it at Aaron’s head.

Aaron raised his arm to block the blow. The stool struck with such force that his arm felt as though it had been broken. His skin split open, and blood poured from the wound.

“You bastard! I’m warning you! Stay away from my cousin!”

The young man shouted angrily.

Aaron took a moment to recover, then his temper flared. “Screw you! If I weren’t sick, I’d make you regret this! You’d better give me an explanation, or you’ll be sorry!”

“Don’t go near him! You could catch it!”

A middle-aged woman entered from outside.

She wore a mask and gloves, fully covered for protection, and pulled the young man back.

Aaron glared at her. “And who are you?”

The woman asked, “Are you, Aaron Jones?”

“Yes! I’m Aaron Jones, and I’ve got nothing to hide!”

“Then we came to the right room. Maya Brooks is my daughter! Sleep with any woman you want, but you should never have gone after my daughter!”

“Maya… Are you blind? Just look at me! Do I look like I’m in any condition to be chasing women?”

When Aaron heard that the middle-aged woman was Maya’s mother, most of his anger faded.

For the past forty days, Maya had been one of the nurses caring for him.

She often came by to talk with him as well, making her the kindest person in the hospital.

At that exact moment, Maya came rushing into the room.

When she saw what was happening, she shouted at her mother, “Have you lost your mind? He’s a patient! How could you hit him? Are you trying to kill him?”

The woman replied coldly, “You’re the one who’s lost your mind! You care more about a man with AIDS than you ever care about me. You never show me an ounce of respect.

“I must have raised the most ungrateful daughter in the world!

“So, here’s your choice: come home with me and leave this hospital right now, or he leaves this hospital too, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t survive until tomorrow.”