How to find your soulmate

Chapter 12

author's note: as promised the next chapter is here, three more to go till the end. let's take a moment to appreciate how far we've come. say hi if you've been here since the beginning, I want to know. please enjoy the story.

Chapter 12

Things escalated really fast. I almost couldn't believe it when the doctor said Kongpob didn't have long to live. "What do you mean by that, doctor?"

The doctor looked really incredulous, almost doubtful. "I have never seen anything like this before," he stated, still looking at the charts in front of him. "It looks as if something corrosive inside of him is burning away his organs. There's nothing like it and I have to do extensive research to even find out what could possibly be responsible."

He glanced at Kongpob who looked pretty relaxed for someone who just heard that they didn't have long to live. "Given the speed at which this is happening, however," the doctor said, "I don't know if we would have enough time to figure it out let alone come up with a solution for it. I am sorry but I can't promise you anything."

"I don't understand," I said, trying to bottle up my almost instant panic... "It was just the flu. He has all the symptoms of the flu, why are you suddenly talking about life and death and unknown illnesses."

"P'Arthit." Kongpob took my hand and pulled, dragging my attention away to his face. He didn't look surprised at all let alone as upset as I was brewing up to. "The doctor is saying there's nothing he can do. Let's just go home for now."

Go home? If what the doctor is saying is true then Kongpob should be hospitalized, all the research that needed to be done has to be done ASAP, not go home. We were not leaving.

"Doctor," I said, ignoring the hand holding mine, "can you please help us? What can we do?"

He stopped studying the charts for a moment longer than a second and peered at me, his glasses on top of his nose. "All I can tell you is to get comfortable. We would like to run more tests of course, more labs, and look at what we can do to stall..."

"But you can't stall it," Kongpob interrupted. "You can't do anything, not really, so it is just a waste of time. Let's go P'Arthit."

He rose to his feet and almost came back down on his back. I caught him, and steadied him with both my hands. "Are you alright?"

He tried to smile but Kongpob looked so pale, so weak that it was barely a smile. I didn't want to say this but I am really worried, and terrified now after hearing from the doctor. "Kongpob," I said," we can't just leave. We have to let them work and help you."

"I am fine."

"No, you are not. You look..." I didn't want to say it. Kongpob looked like a shell of himself and when the doctor said he didn't have long it wasn't hard for me to believe. I needed to have him treated and I can't let him make this decision. "Kongpob, last week you said you saw a future with me, right?"

He didn't respond but I am pushing on. "Then let's do this," I said.

"It wouldn't make any difference and it would be a waste of time!" Kongpob raised his voice, sounding livelier than I have heard since the beginning of the week. "I know you want to try everything you can and I love you for that, P'Arthit but that's not going to do me any good."

"Why are you talking like that?" I studied his dour face and his stark eyes and I saw the energy from the shout drain away. It scared me more than I was showing to see him like this. I didn't expect the doctor's diagnosis but I was even more shocked by Kongpob's resignation. It sounded almost as if—