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Terms and Heart
Terms and Heart
Author: Peejay

Chapter 1

Author: Peejay
last update Last Updated: 2025-07-22 21:31:33

~Joanne~

The silence wasn't really silent, I could hear the drumming of my heartbeat in my ears, the ticking sounds of the clock at the end of the hallway seemed louder than usual.

I had never been so conscious of time than now. It's been two hours since Nate was rushed into the ER. I'm becoming impatient, I need to be sure he's fine.

***Earlier that day***

“Wake up sleepyhead it's almost time for school”. I said while pulling on Nate's blanket. He groans, letting out an “urghm” sound that I'm not satisfied with.

“You could be late for school” I said this time around ruffling his hair knowing he hates it so much.

“Shit…please stop touching my hair”

“Language, Nate,” I cautioned him with a scrunched up face

“I'm a grown-ass man” he replied grumpily as he made his way out of the bed.

“Grown-ass man my foot” I muttered under my breath as I rolled my eyes

“Hurry up I'm off to prepare breakfast” I said while walking out of his room with a satisfied smile on my face.

I decided to make something fast and easy, toasted bread and scrambled eggs is the first option that comes to mind so I settle with it. I checked the cabinet where I store foodstuff only to discover that I'm almost out of whole grain bread.Letting out a frustrated sigh,I face palmed. There wasn't time for another plan so without delay I settled for preparing breakfast for Nate with the available foodstuffs while I'll grab mine on my way to work.I began to get busy but before I could finish heating the pan,I heard the crashing sound coming from the bathroom and without thinking twice I rushed towards the bathroom.

“Nate what's wrong?” I asked while rushing towards the bathroom door.

“Nate! Are you okay?!” I shouted this time as I banged the bathroom door.

“Easy there, the water supply had been cut off” Nate replied in a flat tone.

I breathed a sigh of relief on discovering that it was nothing serious before replying him

“Oh…yh, about that the bill's piled up, I'll look into it by the end of the week but for now use the stored up water we have”

“Okay…thank you” Nate replied before going quiet.

“Pls hurry up, I'll soon be off to work in a few mins” I informed as I made my way back to the kitchen.

By the time I was done with breakfast, Nate wasn't still ready. I wondered if he was okay because he seemed too off and dull all morning. I made my way towards his room to hurry him up a bit but on reaching there I knocked and knocked but got no response.

“Nate, can I come in…you sure you okay” still no response.

Unease twisted in my guts as I pushed the door open, only to find him sprawled on the floor unconscious.

“Nate!!!” I screamed as I rushed to check if he's still breathing. Yes he was breathing but it's so slow and faint, barely noticeable. I hurriedly picked up my phone and called the ambulance. Rushing back to him I tried to lay him on his side while waiting for the ambulance.

***Present ***

I couldn't sit still anymore.I stood up and began pacing the hallway with tears threatening to fall from my eyes

“Nate you know I can't lose you pls be fine for me”I muttered while pacing around.

The ER door creaked open and I quickly snapped my head towards the opening. A nurse walked out with a file in her hand and immediately I ran to her.

“Nurse pls tell me my brother is fine,” I asked with a choking voice.

“Miss Callen your brother will be fine Dr. Steve will communicate the rest to you” she replied before making her way out of the hallway.

"What did she mean by 'will be fine?"I asked myself as my heart thudded harder.

After a few minutes, Nate was wheeled out of the ER with tubes connected to his body. I hurriedly went to hold his hand but I wasn't allowed to touch him.

“Miss Callen pls follow me to my office, he is being taken to the ICU for close monitoring” Dr Steve told me as he stepped out of the ER before moving to his office.

Nate looked so pale like he was barely alive I felt panic finding its way to my chest.

I let out a shaky breath as I stepped into the doctor's office. The room is quiet except the low buzzing hum in the background, maybe it's from the light or the AC, I couldn't tell—Everything just felt so constricted, like I couldn't breathe.

“Pls have a seat Miss Callen” Dr. Steve called out to me while pointing towards the seat in front of his desk. I looked at the seat and took a heavy deep breath before sitting.

“Please how's my brother Steve?” I asked, dropping all the formalities.

“He’s stable for now Joanne”Steve said as he took a deep long breath before continuing, “his heart went into acute decompensation and he lost consciousness due to poor cardiac output.”

My pulse quickened and my heart thudded. I tried to calm down and not tilt towards the negative side.

“I don't know how to tell you this, we've started him on inotropes but his response is so far minimal. We might be talking of a heart transplant” Steve dropped the news with a calm voice.

I felt my brain shutting down, my mouth became dry and I couldn't breathe properly.

“Wait...what do you mean, he was fine this morning” I said with a choking voice as tears threatened to fall from my eyes.

“How long do we have?” I asked with shaky hands, not recognising my voice anymore.

“The window is tight and we need to act fast, if it doesn't improve with aggressive medical therapy we’ll begin the evaluation process immediately to see if he is fit for the transplant” Dr. Steve replied with a deep breath.

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  • Terms and Heart   Jo-Jo

    ~Joanne~On my way to the hospital, my phone dinged with a text message that read: “Meet me at the Marriage certificate Bureau by 1pm.” I scoffed at the message. Typical Mr. Blackwell — barking orders like he was scheduling a board meeting. “So I'm actually getting married tomorrow,” I muttered to myself, the weight of the whole thing suddenly dawning on me. There was a feeling gnawing on me from the inside that I couldn't quite place. Was it shame? Was it regret? — but it is all worth it, I would make the same choice over and over again to have Nate around. Shoving my phone into my bag, I pushed the thought away and made my way to Dr. Steve’s office. Dr. Steve welcomed me with a warm smile which was kind of soothing. “From the evaluation, Nate is fit enough for a transplant,” he began. “We’ll proceed with finding a donor. If one comes through quickly, we could operate as soon as next week.” A breath I hadn’

  • Terms and Heart   Not my type

    ~Alexander~ “Marry you?!... You're not even my type. I'm barely interested in you,” She exclaimed. I clenched my jaw so tightly I could feel the tension rise to my temples. Was she serious? Women with power, money, and family names that shook the city would sell their souls for a fraction of my attention and yet she, with nothing but a sharp tongue and a paycheck that could barely keep the lights on, had the audacity to say I wasn’t her type? “You’re joking, right?” she asked. I shoved my hands into my pockets, my voice like ice. “Do I look like I’m fucking kidding?” I said, each word clipped. “Be my wife. One year. I’ll cover every damn bill you have, and when it’s over, you’ll walk away with five hundred million dollars.” Her laugh was bitter, disbelieving. “This is ridiculous—who just walks around in broad daylight asking strangers to marry him?” Her voice grated on me. I loathed rejection—loathed it even more when it came from someone who had no idea what they were turni

  • Terms and Heart   CHAPTER 8

    ~Joanne~Time flew excruciatingly slow. I spent the night thinking of how I’d present my miserable story to Alexander Blackwell without sounding so… pathetic. He could help with just a single phone call, but that didn’t guarantee he would. He was infamous for his cold, ruthless heart. I didn’t know what possessed me to even consider asking him for help, yet here I was. I had to take this bold step—Nate’s life depended on it. I stood at the entrance of the elevator leading to the executive floor trying to summon my non-existent courage to step inside. I took deep breaths trying to calm my racing heart from splitting into two. I was anxious and scared at the same time—scared of what I’m to expect, scared of how shattered my life would be after now. He might decide to help or not but either way I know for sure my life won’t remain the same. My fingers hovered over the elevator button. Just press it, Joanne. Just get it over with. I pressed

  • Terms and Heart   Chapter 7

    ~Joanne~ The cold night air hit my face the moment I stepped out of the hospital doors. It wasn’t refreshing. It was biting. And yet, I needed it. I needed something to remind me I was still here. Still breathing. Still trying. Stella had tried to convince me to go home. She tried her best to comfort me, to assure me that everything would be fine—but I didn’t see it. I didn’t know if I could still hope at this point. I didn’t know if I should expect the worst. I staggered to the nearest bench just outside the emergency wing and collapsed into it, burying my face in my hands. My fingers were cold. My chest tighter than it had ever been. It wasn’t just the fear of losing Nate anymore. It was helplessness.Watching him like that — wires, tubes, machines doing the job his heart could no longer manage and knowing there was nothing I could do… My eyes burned, and this time I didn’t stop the tears. I let them fall, hot and silent down my ch

  • Terms and Heart   CHAPTER 6

    ~Joanne~ Alexander Blackwell stood in front of me. All tailored suit, chiseled jawline and icy blue eyes that could probably freeze the soul He stood towering before me, making me doubt my actual height. I was a proud 5’7 but standing before him made me feel small For a moment I forgot the suspension. I forgot what even brought me here. All I could think was: Holy hell. He's even hotter up close than in pictures. He was staring at me with one brow raised. Irritation etched in his brows and his lips pursed into a thin line. And damn it— those lips looked dangerously sexy. The light throb on my forehead snapped me back to reality. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I was standing there openly ogling my boss in front of his secretaries and assistants. My cheeks flared crimson. I straightened up quickly, pushing my hair behind my ear, trying to salvage whatever dignity I had left. “I didn’t really mean to barge in like that,” I said, my voice a little too fast, a little too

  • Terms and Heart   CHAPTER 5

    ~Joanne~ The office felt like it hadn't fully woken up yet. Most desks were still empty. Only a handful of people arrived and they barely filled up the space. ‘I guess today I was part of the punctual workers’ I murmured good morning greetings to my co-workers with my signature fake smile plastered on my face. They were already clustered in small groups, gossiping like the day hadn’t just started. “Good morning to you too Joanne,” one of my colleagues bothered to respond. “Hope you had a good night's rest,” he added, trying to strike a conversation. “Yh, I did. Thank you,” I replied,brushing it off with a short nod. Without another glance in his direction, I made my way to my desk and settled down— preparing myself mentally for the hectic day ahead. “I noticed you didn't report to work yesterday” Someone said from behind me.I didn’t need to turn around to know it was the same guy from earlier. He was really

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