Chapter 58: fifty eight

•Veronica

I opened my eyes and found myself on the hospital bed. I sat myself up and looked around.

Eli must have booked a VIP room. I smiled a sad smile to myself

I guess the point where I'll start fainting is here.

The doorknob rattling caught my attention and I looked at the direction. The door opened and Lexus came running in, out of breath. Rosalie behind him.

"Mom…" His face was pale and full of worry.

"Eli must have told you." I sighed, "I told him not to-"

"Why!!!? You've had cancer for four years now!! And I'm learning of this now!!?" He walked towards me and sat down on the stool next to the bed. "I know I was a bad example of a son." He looked down, distressed, "A very bad-"

I placed my hand on his, "I was a worse mother."

"No." He shook his head strongly, "It was all my fault."

I noticed Rosalie trying to leave the room to give us space.

"Rose." I called her, "Will you come here." She nodded and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yes ma'am?" I noticed something on her finger and smiled.

"Will you not call me mom?"

She stared at me wide eyed, "C-can I?"

I kissed her forehead.

"The question is am I worth it?"

"Huh?"

"You brought the family together. It's all because of you today I can talk to Lexus again."

"Oh! No.no.no"

I squeezed her hand and shook my head, "Believe me child. If you weren't here, everything would still be far apart."

Lexus looked at her, "She's right Rosalie."

A slight blush appeared on her face and I smiled. Such a good girl, I'm glad Lexus has someone like her in his life.

"Rose?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Ma'am?"

She paused for a few.seconds and then spoke, "Mom…" I smiled at her.

"Lexus, I want to see you get married."

Lexus nodded, "Of course you will!"

I smiled when the door opened again. Eli popped his head in.

"Lex, you're here."

He came in and Rosalie decided to leave. I didn't stop her this time. Eli took her place on the bed edge.

"Eli, Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Lexus glared at him.

"Did you ever give me a chance?"

"..."

"You were the most unapproachable person in the whole goddamn place." Eli for some reason was getting a bit emotional, "You never listened, you probably wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Rose!"

"Eli calm down." I said.

"No mom." Lexus said while facing down, "He's right." Then he faced him, "I was the coldest person but let's not forget how you ran away leaving us alone."

Eli froze for a moment, " I know-"

"You know? Great. All that time I needed you, I wanted you to be there you weren't, then 7 years ago you came back with a baby in your arms!??"

"At least I came back?!"

"You had no choice!!" They yelled at each other but not out of spite.

"Lexus calm down!" I squeezed his hand. "Eli came back because he realized how important family is. He needed to take care of his young girl and there was no way he could have done that alone."

He pulled his hand from mine, sighed and closed his eyes. For a few moments, no one spoke.

"Listen Lex." Eli spoke, "I know what my running away did. I know what you must have gone through because dad was like that when I was a kid too."

"Then- isn't that all the more reason you should have stayed?"

Eli nodded and looked down at his hands in shame, "I have no excuse for what I did, I was afraid and as soon as I saw the opportunity to escape I took it." He looked at Lexus, his eyes were tearing up, his breath caught up in his throat, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I've always regretted it. I was wrong. Running away was never the answer and I'm sorry. I really am…"

Lexus looked away, "..."

I took Eli's hand and held it gently.

"Lexus, we all made mistakes." Eli spoke again, "And we all made some major mistakes. Me- and mom, we've been wanting to correct ourselves for years now. Will you not give us a chance?" Lexus still had his face turned, "Will you hate us a little less? We're family after all."

After a few moments of complete silence Lexus spoke, "I- " He looked back at us, a tear in the corner of his eye, "I don't hate you… or mom…" He scratched his cheek and bit his lower lip. Eli looked and I nodded at him to let him speak.

Lexus cleared his throat, then gulped, "I apologize. I-" He licked his lips to lubricate them, "I know I didn't let anyone except a few people in and that I especially kept you both out." He gulped again, "I'm sorry about that. I- I realize that was wrong..."

Eli hugged Lexus and he was dumbstruck, "Eli what the hell are you doing?!"

"Giving you a brotherly hug."

"What the fuck? You're like forty! Get off! This is weird."

"What's so weird about two brothers hugging?"

"I… I don't know…" He calmed down a bit.

I giggled, "Well at least me falling sick brought our family back together"

"I wish it wasn't like this." Eli broke the hug, sat back down and looked at me sadly.

"Yea…" Lexus agreed but with all honesty, I believe there is nothing else I wanted in life other than our family to get along.

"Eli-" Lexus spoke, but Eli cut him off.

"I know what you want to ask. But believe me, we've tried everything. Leukemia doesn't have a cure, the only thing we could do was slow it down a bit."

"How much time does she have?"

"Not more than 2-3 years, in the case that it progresses at the same speed it is now."

"I see…"

They both looked at each other for a while, then turned their attention to me, taking each of my hands in the right.

Then they both bowed a bit, closing their eyes and brought my hand to their foreheads.

"I'm sorry for everything I did wrong. " They held my hands strongly yet with gentleness, "I love you." They both said simultaneously and I felt a surge of emotions inside of me.

My hands that they had next to their forehead, I slipped them behind their heads and pulled both of them in my embrace.

"My sons!" My voice trembled, how I had longed for this. To hold both of my sons again, to have them in my embrace, "Forgive your mother for everything I did wrong." How I had waited to ask for this, how I had somewhat lost hope for it to ever happen, how much I wanted to say these words, "I love you both." How I wanted to set everything right for so long and how I had wanted for us to be a family again.

"I love you both so much" I kissed their heads as I kept them in my embrace. They both wrapped their arms around me and I felt like there was nothing more than I needed.

No more regret left in life.

And now, I can die in peace.