On Finding Chance

Part 3 - Chapter 31

It has been a week since the ill-fated episode. Dylan has been putting all his time in work. He is always on call, ready to cure a patient. He stays in the hospital 24/7. After all, this is his base - his asylum. Other doctors and the nurses admire his hard work but are concerned about him. He hardly eats, never sleeps and refuses to go home.

"Doc, take the day off", says one of his colleagues.

"No. I'm okay. I can manage.", he replies.

"Look, I don't know what you are dealing with right now but you are not okay. You need to rest, dude. Otherwise, you will end up dead."

"Dude", he whispers like a plea.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I can still work. I have not killed a patient yet."

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Dylan has been avoiding his mother's calls and messages for days. He is aware of how anxious she is to find out what happened between him and Madie. But, he cannot talk about it. No, actually, he evades the topic, knowing full well once he goes down that path, he will be bound to affliction for good. Guess, it is time to face reality.

"Dylan", his mother exclaims.

"Hi mum"

"How are you? We are worried sick. What happened?"

"Mum....", he chokes as he remembers Madie.

"Oh...my poor boy. If I could only embrace you right now."

Dylan cannot suppress his tears any longer. Hearing his mother's voice triggers all the emotions he has been keeping. Hurt, regret, anger, fear. How can he survive without Madie? How can he live again?

"Come home, son. Come home.", his mother implores.

He wants to go home and embrace his parents. He wants to kiss his siblings goodnight. He wants to wake up each day to the smell of his sister's cooking. He wants to taste his mother's cookies again. He wants to hear his brother's laughter as they play by the beach. He wants to be free from Madie's sphere. But, he can't. Sometimes, he wonders why her. Hundred other girls fall for him without him extending any effort. One glance and they instantly get captivated by his spell. In a way, he can get anyone he likes if he pleases. Except her. Madie, his Alex, is different. Her mere presence gets him totally possessed like he is her slave.

"Not yet, mum", Dylan manages to reply.

There is silence on the other end of the line. After a minute, he hears his dad's voice, "Dylan, you're making your mummy cry. Why don't you just come home and we'll figure this out? You know we are always here for you, son."

"I know, dad. But, I can't. Not yet. I cannot go down without trying one last time."

"Last time", his dad agreed.

"Last time" 

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It is the middle of the night, Dylan goes to the basketball court to keep his mind off Madie. The game plan is to get himself as exhausted as possible so he can easily doze off to sleep. However, it is not going the way he pictured it. Every bounce of the ball, every shot into the ring, every run and every stop, reminds him of her. How exceptionally pretty she looked the first time he saw her in that coffee shop. How her brows crease as she turns the pages of her book. How her small eyes, twinkling like stars on darkest of nights, see through him. How her whole face lights up when she smiles and how she bites her lips to refrain from giggling. He remembers how she smells like fresh vanilla, simple but intoxicatingly sweet. And her pinches, how painful they were, whenever she feels frustration. He sees her laughing so hard at the sight of his pain. Bloody hell! How he misses hearing her laugh. It is killing him. 

Maybe he should try to talk to her again. Send her notes and sunflowers, perhaps. He recalls the first note he gave her after years of separation. Someday, when we meet again, I'll marry you. Will his words, his promise, come true? He conjures up an image of her in a white dress, walking down the aisle, smiling at him as if no one else exists in the world. He sees himself, shedding a tear or two, at the beauty of the woman in front of him. He imagines them walking hand in hand under the rain, exhausted from picking furniture for their new home and clothes for their soon to be first born child.

He lies on his back, looks up at the night sky and wishes on a full moon. "Please. Just one wish. That's all I'll ever ask. Give her back to me. Please."