"What was hidden"

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Elena was tending to JiJi's medicines when the girl from the bed woke up.

"Hey." Elena whispered, her body relaxed knowing that JiJi was awake and looked a lot more with color than she initially was. "How you feeling?"

"Groggy yet awake. Doesn't make sense but I don't know how to explain." JiJi replied with a hoarse whisper. "What happened?"

Elena sighed, picking up JiJi's clipboard. "The boys said you had a massive seizure. Now being sick throughout the day, it took a massive toll on your body that you coughed out blood."

"Oof. Sounds horrid." JiJi coughed. Elena just kept staring at her with a look of deep in thought.

Elena paused for a bit. "Jimimah, I would like to talk to you about your condition."

JiJi looked up from her name, she saw not only a concerned mother but a concerned former nurse. She slowly sat up. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Elena grabbed a chair and set it beside JiJi's bed. She sat down with a sigh. "I've worked in this hospital for a good 27 years. But after Mikaela's father passed away, I... fell down a hole that I can't seem to get out of and in order for me to recover I had to take a break. A permanent break I suppose."

"Elena, you don't have to-." Elena put a hand up as to say that she insists. JiJi didn't see the relevance of the story to her condition and she felt awkward because Elena was basically telling her a very private story. 

"My husband left behind a hefty amount of money for insurance. It was enough for until Mikaela finishes college and gets a job. That's why we were able to live our lives comfortably." Elena paused. "In my years of working in a hospital, I have dealt with patients with grave conditions. Now, I am only shooting in the dark here but your symptoms show multiple possibilities of certain conditions that I have dealt on my last patient before I retired and I fear that.. And I fear the worst."

"It's alright, I told you before that I know." JiJi croaked with a small smile.

"To ease a bit of the doctor's mind. As well as mine. They'll be running tests on you tomorrow, for better documentations." Elena informed as JiJi nodded. Elena observed JiJi. "Are you really certain you know what you have?"

JiJi took in a shaky breath in before nodding. "I guess it's time? Maybe, I don't know. To tell Mika. She deserves to know."

Elena sighed.

☆

After classes ended, the trio rushed into Mika's car and sped to the hospital. Elena came home last night telling them what's gonna be happening tomorrow. As anxious teenagers, the three spent the entire time fidgeting and not concentrating in all their classes. Ms. Li being their last teacher with Arts kept glancing at each of them with concerned gazes. It was almost 5 PM, JiJi's most likely done with the tests for sure.

Softly knocking on JiJi's room before entering, the three crept in as quietly as they can. JiJi and Elena met their eyes. Mika sighed with relief seeing JiJi awake, looking tired and drained but awake. "Hey."

"Hey." JiJi whispered back before John immediately stride to her bedside and gave her a gentle hug. Elena hugged her daughter as Ryan closed the door from behind them and went to JiJi's side as well.

"The doctor will be over soon." Elena whispered to her daughter. Mika nodded and saw The trio whispering to each other by the bed. "Sweetheart, I'm just gonna have to ask you to be prepared for anything."

Mika turned to her mother and looked at her eyes. They held tiredness, fear and yet hope. "I will."

A knock from the door made everyone turn their head. A doctor came in. "Ah, it's a full house."

"James." Elena greeted. The doctor smiled reassuringly at her as she held a hand out.

"Elena." He nodded back, handing her a file before turning to the others with a grim look "Ya'll might wanna take a seat."

Ryan, John, and Mika took a seat on the bench while Elena just stood at the end of the bed. JiJi sat up, turning to the doctor with a small smile. "Hey, doc."

"Hello Jimimah." The doctor whispered back. "I have brought the results and official diagnosis. Now, I was told that Ms. Jones here is aware of her condition."

At this Mika shot JiJi a look who was already looking at her. The two boys flanking her maintained their look on the doctor. "To make things brief. Ms. Jones has AIDS and a malignant brain tumor."

It suddenly got harder for Mika to breath. The air felt heavy and she wanted to just fall on the floor if it weren't for Ryan's firm hold on her arm. Her glances went from Ryan to JiJi to her mum to the doctor. He was forming words but she can't seem to hear them, only the deafening noise of the heart monitor screaming the proof of Jimimah Jill Jones's life. "The tumor has grown quite a lot and I apologize but there is nothing we can do about it anymore. 

"I have been coming back here for a few days on a little research. It was something about the the case of the same set of diagnosis and the last name Jones." It was Elena's voice that brought Mika back to reality. JiJi, Ryan, and John snapped their heads to Elena, seems that it wasn't only Mika who isn't informed about this bit. The doctor and Elena exchanged looks before the mother took a deep breath in before sighing heavily. "18 years ago, my last patient was a woman named Carylin Jones. She's quite a drug consumer, heavily so during her pregnancy. To Jimimah."

JiJi stared at Elena in shock. The woman flicked through the file she held in her hands as she continued. "Hal Jones, your father, has quite a cancer history with his family. You basically inherited everything you have right now from your parents."

"Oh my god." Mika heard Ryan whispered from beside her. The teens had a hard time taking in the information.

"I really am sorry for being the bearer of horrendous news." The doctor announced with deep sadness in his voice, Elena was already tearing up as she organized the file in her hand. "We don't know for sure but we estimated your time left will be a few weeks."

That was the last straw for Mika to finally burst into tears. She didn't really have any face to make with the tears, they just rolled down her face. John and Ryan visibly tensed as they panted out deep breaths, trying to calm down. JiJi narrowed her eyes at her blanket. She wasn't really conflicted about the news of her inevitability, rather, she was conflicted about her parents. That was probably the first time she have finally ever heard of the truth. She felt someone took her hand, she looked up and saw a crying Mika.

JiJi sighed. "Oh, Mika."