Cara’s POV
The line rang once, twice, and then he picked up.
“Hello?”
“Cara?” Dr. Bruno’s calm voice came through the phone, yet I wasn’t deceived. I knew it was a situation control skill; he wouldn’t have sent me the text if this wasn’t serious.
“I missed your call… you said to call ASAP. Are the test results fine? Is anything wrong?”
“Nothing much… all is fine. He has a mild fever, and some muscles seem to be functioning below optimum; from his hormone levels, I believe he’s a little stressed. Does he get tired easily?”
I thought back on the last few days, “He rarely sleeps… an hour or three max. Could that be the reason?”
I had thought it was due to all that was going on.
Dr. Bruno sighed, “Can I talk to someone else? Adonis preferably, or another family member?”
My heart skipped a beat.
What is he trying to say?
“You know Adonis wouldn’t care to listen. He has no one else but me. You can say it.” I sat on the bed. “Just tell me. I’m ready.”
“I think it’s better if we see them then.”
“Just say it! I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
He sighed again, “I want you to know that whatever you hear is not the end. It’s treatable. With the right procedures and medications we can-
“I was right…” It came out in a whisper, but he heard me.
“Yes.” Doctor Bruno confessed. “I don’t know how we didn’t notice this before. It wasn’t so obvious, and it explains the symptoms you complained about. Some of his brain’s neurotransmitter functions are being affected. They might be… damaged. I’ll have to run the scan and tests again myself.”
My lips quivered. “W… wh… what?”
“They explain his mood changes and loss of sleep. I’d have to see him and ask some questions to be 100% sure. It seems to have been happening intermittently for some time. It’s related to the drug withdrawal.”
Drawing in a shaky breath, I asked, “Is it curable?”
“It is not a disease, Cara. With some therapy techniques, all would be fine again. However, I’d still like to ask some questions to know how well it has advanced.”
The breath I didn’t know I was holding finally escaped me. My tensed shoulders relaxed in relief, “We can go over tomorrow. That’s all right?”
He didn’t say anything.
The fear returned, “Please tell me that’s all.”
“Mr. Bernardi needs surgery.”
“You just said it’s nothing therapy techniques can’t take care of.” My voice rose.
“It isn’t about the withdrawal symptoms, Mrs. Bernardi.”
“Then what is it about?” I was at my wit’s end.
He made it seem like it was nothing to be worried about.
“Fluid. There’s a fluid buildup in his brain.” My heart stopped.
“It’s a fluid that acts as a cushion to protect the brain and spinal cord from mechanical injuries, provide nutrients, and wash away waste. We call it CSF fluid.” He explained, but the terms sounded too big for me to process at the moment.
My mind was far away.
What… is the meaning of this? What is going on? Why was this happening to us? Does the universe hate our union so much that it finds every opportunity to tear us apart? What did we do to deserve this?
Most importantly, why Adonis?
“The fluid is usually reabsorbed into the bloodstream but Adonis’s is stagnant. The build-up seemed to have been caused by an injury, which might’ve been acquired during a fall. I’ll need to see him to confirm.” The doctor continued. “This condition is called Acquired Hydrocephalus.”
I didn’t care about the why. I wanted to know the what?
“What is the way forward?”
“We’d have to perform surgery to insert a shunt and drain out the fluid. It’s a good thing we detected it so early; the buildup is little. With effective treatments and close monitoring, your husband would be fine in no time.”
My breath hitched as my pulse suddenly started to race. The words ‘fluid buildup,’ ‘surgery,’ and ‘brain’ echoed in my mind, creating a whirlwind of fear and confusion. I gripped the phone tighter, my knuckles turning white.
What could I say?
I didn’t understand half of the things he said, but Adonis was sick. This was serious. The fear I felt was great. I knew my husband- this was a big variable that would affect his plans, something he couldn’t control.
Adonis wouldn’t want treatment… at least not for now.
“Mrs. Bernardi…” Dr. Bruno called, but I couldn’t speak. I tried to… my lips just felt too heavy to move… doing anything at the moment felt too strenuous. All my strengths were invested in making sure I could stomach the news well.
“Cara? Are you there? My God! I didn’t want to say a word to you. Let me get Luca on the phone.”
“Don’t!” I croaked. “I’m… I’ll be fine.” I opted for the truth. “Hold on, didn’t you say everything was fine the last time? How come you didn’t see this?”
“I won’t say we didn’t. While Adonis was in a coma, the regular scans showed delayed absorption of the fluid, yet when I monitored closely, it cleared up. We believed it to be an uncalculated survival reaction from his body when it happened the second time. Now, it’s persistent even while he’s conscious; I think we should do something about it.”
“But… how? He’s perfectly fine.”
My husband didn’t look sick, we all knew that.
“It’s weird that the symptoms are not manifesting. He should be feeling sleepy, nauseous, having blurry vision, and the like. The intense headache may be a result of both the defective neurotransmitter and this. That’s why I want to reexamine him closely.”
I nodded absently, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “I’ll try,” I managed in a whisper. “Thank you.”
“Please, Cara, get him to the hospital by all means possible. We can only battle this when it’s diagnosed early. Like now.”
“Is there anything else I should know? Like things he should stay clear of until then?” I asked.
“Nothing much. Standing and sitting make it worse; he could lose balance easily and abruptly, so ask him to remain lying as much as possible. Anything that would put a strain on his head must be avoided.”
“Like a fight in a boxing ring?” I don’t know why but it was the first thing that popped up in my head.
“Why would he even be there?”
I jumped to my feet, already heading towards the exit. “Thank you, Dr. Bruno. We’d discuss this further some other time.” Without waiting for a reply, disconnected the call with my trembling hands.
Doctor Bruno’s words echoed in my ears, each one a hammer blow to my heart. I felt numb… disoriented as if the world had suddenly turned upside down as the contents of my dinner threatened to come up.
I’d never been in support of him fighting in that ring and I was right to think so.
As soon as my feet touched the living room floor, Cecelia, who was busy cuddling and exchanging silent words with Jacob, looked up.
I might’ve just interrupted an upcoming make-out session, but I didn’t care. My husband was on the brink of death, yet he didn’t know. They could have their session another time.
“Cara.” She called out, alerting Jacob of my presence, “Is everything fine?”
The question, combined with the weight of the news, broke my resolve. The tears I’d been fighting back streamed down her face
“It’s Adonis. He’s sick… and he’s at the ring. I don’t know what to do…” I cried through hiccups.
She detangled herself from her man, rushing towards me with her arms outstretched. “It’s okay. It is. Calm down and explain what happened to me.”
“Doctor Bruno called… the results of the tests are out.” I wiped my face, but it was useless. The more I did, the more tears fell.
“And?”
“There’s no time to explain. Fighting isn’t safe right now. I need to get him out of there.”
Cecelia hugged me tighter, “Give Adonis some credit, Car.”
“I know he’s capable of winning the fight, but what if he takes a blow to the head or something? I don’t want to lose him.”
“You won’t.” It was Jacob who spoke this time. “Correct me if I’m wrong; your description of that place is rough. I don’t think we should go there by ourselves. Can we talk to your father to send a word to him?”
“You don’t know Adonis like I do. He won’t listen. I have to go. I want to…” My vision blurred.
No… not now.
My hand found my stomach as I staggered.
Hold on, guys. Be strong for Mummy. We have to save Daddy. Don’t get tired now…
I brushed Cecelia’s arms off me, about to head towards the door when another wave of dizziness overtook me.
The strain of the news was overwhelming. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one feeling it. My eyelids grew heavy, and I succumbed, allowing the darkness to pull me in with distant calls of my name in the background.