Chapter 513 Brain Cancer
As she emerged in her new shoes, Michael whispered, "Gigi's birthday is coming up in a few days. You know how much Grandpa cares for Gigi. It broke its leg recently, and Grandpa is really worried. He wants to celebrate its birthday this time. Gigi adores you, and if you could make it, both Grandpa and Gigi would be thrilled." is the owner.
There was something else he wanted to say-that he would be happy if she attended.
But in the end, he held back, afraid of upsetting Chloe.
Listening to his words, Chloe briefly thought it might be an excuse for him to have her back at the Shawn Manor.
Yet, as she gazed into his calm eyes, she dismissed her suspicions.
Indeed, Gigi had been fond of sticking close to her before. For an older dog like Gigi, its lifespan was already limited.
"I'll see if I can make it. If I have the time, I'll come over. But I can't promise," Chloe replied.
Hearing her response, Michael was already content.
As he watched her drive off in the red Porsche, Michael's gaze lingered on the car until the taillights disappeared.
Only then did he lower his eyes and mutter, "Red 911s are truly hideous!"
Even after all this time, he still couldn't get used to it.
Chloe drove to the airport, arriving just ten minutes before Smith's flight, which was due to land.
She shared her parking location with Smith and patiently waited for him to find her after disembarking.
Half an hour later, the passenger side door opened, and Smith, clad in a black leather jacket, got in. "Smith, why did you..." Chloe began, but the sight of his pallid face made her halt mid-sentence.
The current Smith sitting beside her looked weathered, with a shaved head and bruises on his hands, which were likely from needle injections. Chloe was certain of this because Wendy had similar marks on her hands during her unstable health days when she required daily IV drips. There were only two backs of hands. They could be pricked so many times before swelling and bruising occurred.
Somewhat weakly, Smith gestured towards her. "Drive to the hospital."
Then he handed her a card with the hospital's address.
Chloe refrained from speaking further and promptly drove him to the hospital.
Upon arrival, the nurses and doctors seemed to anticipate Smith's arrival, immediately wheeling him off to the intensive care unit.
When Chloe entered the room, Smith was already hooked up to a ventilator.
"Now, can you tell me what's going
on?" she asked, utterly bewildered by being summoned to the airportzand then the hospital without any explanation.
Smith, with the ventilator, opened his eyes and pointed to the medical chart hanging at the foot of the bed.
As Chloe perused it, her shock grew with each page she turned.
Finally, she looked at Smith in disbelief. "Brain cancer?"
Smith nodded slightly.
"I've known for a while. I didn't want James to find out, which is why I sent him back home for treatment."
Smith knew that if he stayed with the country, James would eventually find out. So, Smith had sent him to Jamaica to keep the secret. Chloe connected all the dots from the first time she met Smith until now in her mind.
"So, you've known about your illness for a while, and you sent him back home to avoid him finding out. Then you arranged for the surgeryo abroad?"
"When his father passed away,
James was traumatized by such et
events. If he found out about my cancer while being by my side, he would fall apart."
James' father was injured on the battlefield when a grenade landed not too far away from him.
When he was brought back to the hospital, he was completely deafened, his body riddled with shrapnel from the grenade.
Less than three hours later, he was gone. James watched his father endure the agony until he couldn't anymore.
It was also James who pulled out the oxygen tube with his own hands.