Author's Note: Though this fanfic is completed, I won't be updating it all at once, since I'm going to edit my grammar in each chapter before posting. Therefore update will be depending on how much time I have to sit down and edit. Sorry if the wait is too long. :hug:

Terminal Stage: 1

At a hospital, Bosco squatted down to get an orange soda from the venting machine. With a big friendly grin, he turned to face a six-years-old boy named Jacky. The boy looked at him with a sad little pout. Bosco popped the soda can open and handed it to him. Silently, Jacky took the soda and walked away heading toward the waiting area. As he settled on one of the bright orange chairs aligned like a bench, Jacky took a small sip of his orange soda, while swinging his dangling legs back and forth.

Bosco walked up to take the seat beside him. Softly cleared his throat to get rid of his nervousness, Bosco gently asked, “Jacky, would you like to have me as your daddy?”

Stopped swinging his legs, Jacky glanced up to meet Bosco’s eyes. He dropped his head and slightly shook it with a bit of uncertainty. The small gesture made Bosco frowned with unease. Jacky sighed and began to speak up, “Mommy told me last week that you wanted to marry her and live with us. Mommy asked me the same question that night. I asked her if you’re my real daddy, she said no, but you’ll be a good one.”

Paused, Jacky looked up at Bosco seriously and nervously continued, “I had only seen you three times. The first time was last week at the airport when mommy returned from school. Then it was three days ago when mommy invited you over for dinner. Today is the third time. I don’t really know you...” Dropping his head, Jacky whispered, “I wish Uncle Moses is my daddy. I liked living with him while mommy was away. But he is married to Aunty Bernice already. How come he can’t have more than one wife, when Seeu Bo can have seven wives?” Seeu Bo is a character in ancient series on TV that Bernice has been watching each night during dinner.

Arching his brows confusedly to what Jacky was mumbling about, Bosco assured, “Well, your mommy is right, I’ll try to be the best daddy to you. After I married your mommy, we’ll be living together and get to know each other every single day.” Sighing at lost of how to persuade a child, Bosco cleared his throat, while telling himself to just say what’s in his heart. Looking straight into Jacky’s eyes, Bosco sincerely told him, “Jacky, I have known your mommy for almost four years now; ever since she went to Boston for schooling. We have dated for two years and many things had happened during those four years. I could tell you one thing for sure, is that I really, really love your mommy. I know she really, really loves you. During those four years of schooling, each time she flew back to visit you, she had so many stories about you to tell me. I wish I had pulled time away from my work at the time to return with her, so that today wouldn’t be the third time we see each other. I hope you could give me a second chance to get to know you better and to love you as much as she does.”

Slumping his shoulders and with a little pout, Jacky replied, “I have always wished for my real daddy to be my daddy, but Uncle Moses had told me before that my real daddy has made mommy really unhappy and that he has left us when I’m not even out of mommy’s tummy. Uncle Moses said that for my wish to come true, mommy will be really sad. I don’t want mommy to be sad. And I do really want to have a daddy too, since everyone but me has their own daddy. Aunty Bernice said that after mommy and you get married, I will have a daddy’s last name, rather than having mommy’s last name, then I won’t get tease by other kids again.” Jacky slowly lifted his head up to look straight into Bosco’s eyes and asked, “Is that true?”

With a bright relieved smile, Bosco nodded and assured, “Yes, of course.”

“Will you be able to make mommy not sad?” asked Jacky seriously. Bosco nodded with great certainty. “What is your last name?” asked Jacky with worried uneven eyebrows.

Chuckling, Bosco answered, “Wong.”

“Wong?” asked Jacky with arched brows. After a few seconds of thought, he shrugged and exclaimed, “It’s better than being a black sheep’s wool (Wu)…”

Laughing, Bosco patted his head and asked, “So I could be your daddy after next Friday?”

Looking at Bosco seriously, Jacky slowly smiled and nodded. “Many of my friends’ daddy took them to the park to kick ball, will you do the same?” wishfully asked Jacky.

“If you wanted to,” smiled Bosco.

Hearing the door to the doctor’s office opened, Jacky quickly gave his full attention toward it. His smile fully widened to see his mommy finally came out. Quickly, while holding his soda, Jacky hopped off his seat and ran toward his mom, Myolie. “Mommy! New daddy said he’ll takes me to the park to kick ball, can we go now?” excitedly asked Jacky as he ran.

“Be careful, you’re spilling soda,” warned Myolie as she squatted down to stop her son from colliding into her.

“Mommy, I’ll be Jacky Wong after next Friday, no longer bah, bah black sheep’s little wool boy,” grinned the young boy. Nodding, Myolie gently placed her two palms on her son’s rosy cheeks.

Chuckling in a foolish manner, Bosco squatted down beside Myolie to give her a peck on the cheek. “Done with getting your premarital physical exam’s report, Mrs. Wong?” Soundlessly, Myolie turned to look at him and gave a small nod. “Shall we take our son to the park?” Bosco asked in a teasing tone. Once again, Myolie nodded in silent. Seeing her unusually quiet, Bosco reached for her hand. He caringly asked, “Your hand felt so cold. Is something wrong? You know you can tell me, right?”

Swiftly slipped her hand away, Myolie stood up and lifted Jacky up, carrying him on her left hip. “I’ll need to talk to you, but let’s go to the park first,” sadly said Myolie.

Nodding with concern after hearing Myolie’s voice, Bosco agreed, knowing that she probably didn’t want Jacky to be around for their talk. He looked at Jacky and asked, “You want a piggyback ride?” Smiling, Jacky turned to look at his mommy for an answer. After Myolie had nodded at him, Jacky turned to Bosco and repeatedly nodded to his offer.
……………….

At the park, Myolie sat on a wooden bench watching Bosco chasing after her laughing son, whom wouldn’t play by himself; therefore she still hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Bosco alone. Watching a perfect future and family being so close within reach, a drop of tear slipped off the corner of her eyes and tumbled down her dry cheek. The words of her doctor kept replaying over and over in her mind telling her that she had cancer. That the pain over the year that she had once believed was arthritis from her childhood injury to her back and had always taken it lightly was actually bone cancer. That not only does she have cancer of the bone, but that it was located on her spine, an area that can’t be amputated to solve the problem. That her expected time left depends on the ticking clock in her body to when her cancer will spread to other organ. That when it does, the most she could have was one year with continuous therapy or less than three months without. And that the perfect future and family in front of her was actually no where close within reach.

Myolie forced a smile and waved back to her son when he hollered for her attention. She let out a soft chuckle to see her fiancé tripped over a tree root during his chase after her son. Another drop of her tear slipped out from the realm of her eye. She swiftly wiped it away as she continued to watch every move of her son. Tears quickly watered her vision as she realized how many chances she had missed out on watching her son growing up during the majority of the four years that she had went to get her college degree.

Drying her tears and sniffing hard to hold them in, Myolie silently remembered her past. She remembered that when she found out she was pregnant with Jacky she was only nineteen and not yet married. She remembered how foolish she was back then to believe that her boyfriend would be excited about the news and that they would happily get married right away. She remembered the hard lesson she had learned when he left her for good without leaving a word behind. He had left her with nothing, but a son whom had asked her multiple times who his father was.

After Jacky’s father had left them, Myolie didn’t have high hope for future relationship. She lost her sense of trust to love again. It was a big accomplishment between Bosco and her to start a new trusted relationship. She couldn’t believe that she was able to find someone like Bosco, who is willing to love her son as much as loving her. Now that she finally found this special half, she couldn’t understand why heaven had to condemn her life once again.

Exhausted from running and also wanting a chance to talk to Myolie, Bosco persuaded Jacky into playing with other kids at the park. Once Myolie realized Bosco was heading toward her, she quickly dried all of her tears and wouldn’t allow her eyes to wet. Laughing softly, Bosco exhaustedly exclaimed, “I have never know that being a daddy required this much energy.” His voice trailed off when he realized Myolie slowly turned away avoiding his eyes contact. Squatting down in front of her, Bosco caringly reached out to hold her hands. Myolie turned away so she was not facing him directly. She feared that he could see through her. “I’m all yours now. You could tell me whatever that’s bothering you,” declared Bosco patiently.

Sniffing and pressing her lips tightly sealed, Myolie finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. Not wanting to let him see her redden eyes, she swiftly leaned toward him to tightly wrap her arms around his neck and rested her head against his. Her muted cry began to become audible.

Seeing Myolie acting this unusual made Bosco felt fear. He could sense something really awful had happened. Arching his brows with worry not really knowing how to comfort her, he began to pat her back and gently asked, “Is planning our wedding giving you too much…”

“Don’t talk,” Myolie requested in the softest whisper, which quickly silenced Bosco. “Don’t say a word Bosco, or I will no longer have the courage. Let me cry on you, just for a little longer?” Bosco nodded to her request, while she silently cried. After a few minutes, Myolie finally spoke up, “I have been trying to come up with an excuse to leave you, but I really don’t want us to end with a lie. I don’t want to lie to you, Bosco.”

“You…”

“Don’t… Please let me finish first,” Myolie requested. Silently, Bosco nodded while his heart began to stir with an uneasy feeling of fear to what she has to say. “I don’t want to do the same thing as what he had once done to me, by leaving you without a word. I’m sorry Bosco, I can’t marry you.”

“What…”

“I wanted you to know that I love you.”

“Then why…”

Once again Myolie quickly cut his questioning. She continued, “I have cancer.” Bosco’s eyes widened and his angular jaw slightly dropped open to what he has just heard. He felt like his heart has just stopped or jumped out of his body. Shaking his head refusing to believe his ears, he tried to remove Myolie’s embrace to look her in the eyes for the answer, but Myolie tightened her embrace even more not willing to face him. “Don’t…,” cried Myolie softly in despair, “You’ll make me cry.”

Swallowing the hard lump in his throat, Bosco hopefully whispered so weakly, “There is treatment for…”

“Yes, but the prognosis is not good. He said that my bone cancer is located on the lower portion of my spine. He can’t do anything to remove it. The best he could do is try to contain it for as long as possible, which he hinted that it’s probably not more than three years,” Myolie honestly informed.

“Bone cancer? That pain?” asked Bosco in disbelief, since he was the one that had been buying her painkiller for the past years, when she asked for it.

Myolie nodded to his question. She wetted her lips and requested, “Please forgive me.” She finally released him and quickly pulled her necklace out, which held their wedding rings. She was trying to remove it from her neck.

Bosco quickly grabbed her hands and stopped her from doing so. “Don’t,” he begged. In a bit of an angry tone, Bosco scolded, “What does this have to do with our wedding? If you give them back to me, I will never forgive you.”

“Bosco, I’m going to die…” cried Myolie without hope.

“I don’t care! I won’t forgive you, if you continue to push me away like this. Let go of it now,” he demanded in a harsh tone. Seeing her vulnerable redden eyes, his voice weakened and pleaded, “Please?” He removed her hands from her necklace.

As calm as she could hold her voice, Myolie whispered, “Don’t act this rashly. I know you love me.” She faintly smiled and muttered, “That is enough.” Once again she reached for her necklace to remove their rings. Bosco was about to stop her again, but she shook her head and begged, “Please don’t.” Seeing her had taken her necklace off and reached for his hand, Bosco quickly tightened his hand into a fist, not willing to accept them. Looking up into his eyes, Myolie’s heart ached to see them red and glassy for the first time. She really didn’t want to hurt him more by letting him watch how she slowly dies.

Dropping her head, she whispered faintly, “If you love me, then let me go.” Myolie gently stroked his hand and tried to open it. Giving in, Bosco slowly loosened his fist. Lovingly, Myolie opened his hand and placed her necklace along with the two attached wedding rings onto Bosco’s palm. She gently closed his hand back into a fist again and bravely looked up at him one last time before she stood up and headed to get her son.
………………..