One Last Call Before Goodbye Chapter 15
The call had long since ended, but Darlene could still hear Tabitha’s voice echoing in her ears.
Marshall’s voice came from behind her: “Lena? What happened?”
She turned off her phone screen. “It’s nothing, just a sales call.”
Marshall took her hand, his thumb gently stroking the back of it.
“No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side.”
Darlene’s nose tingled with emotion. “Okay.”
“Come on, let’s go home and pack our things.”
The two of them took a taxi back to Louise’s house.
As soon as they opened the door, they saw a note stuck to it.
“I have something to take care of, I’ll be out for a while. — Louise”
Darlene tore off the note and led Marshall inside.
“I’ll go pack first, you can sit for a bit.”
Marshall stopped her. “Let me do it. You should rest and eat something. You haven’t eaten much all morning.”
Her grip on the phone tightened, but in the end she didn’t refuse. “Alright.”
Darlene sat in the living room, listening to the rustling sounds from the other room, the phone burning in her palm.
She heard the sound of a key turning in the lock at the door.
She got up and walked to the door, just as Louise opened it from the outside.
Louise saw her at once, surprised. “Why are you standing by the door?”
Darlene glanced toward the inner room and lowered her voice. “Louie, I… I have something I want to talk to you about.”
Louise, who had just stepped inside, took a step back out again.
Darlene called toward the inside, “Mardy, Louie is back. I’m going out with Louie to buy some things.”
“Alright.”
The two of them went downstairs and walked to the pavilion in the neighborhood.
Darlene kept her head down, staring at her toes, and only spoke after a long silence.
“Louie, Tabitha called me. She said if I don’t leave him, she’ll do something to your job…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Louise understood everything.
After their parents passed away, it was Louise who had raised her alone. She liked Marshall, but she didn’t want to hurt Louise even more.
Louise sighed softly and reached out to ruffle Darlene’s hair.
“You don’t need to worry about these things. I rely on my own abilities, and I won’t be affected by this. Besides, I’m pretty amazing.”
“Louie.” Darlene’s eyes instantly filled with tears as she threw herself into Louise’s arms.
Louise gently patted her back.
“It’s alright. I’ll always support you. Don’t let these little things weigh on your mind. The most important thing for you now is to get better, understand?”
Darlene remembered that dream—in the dream, she died, and Louise cried her heart out.
She buried her face in Louise’s shoulder and nodded hard.
“I will.”
When they returned upstairs, Marshall had already packed all the luggage.
He stood in the living room. When he saw Darlene come in, his gaze lingered for a moment on her slightly red eyes, but he didn’t ask anything. He just turned to Louise and said seriously, “Louie, I’ll take good care of Lena, don’t worry.”
Louise nodded and looked at Darlene. “If anything happens, call me. If I have time, I’ll come keep you company. Don’t be afraid.”
Darlene smiled through her tears. “Louie, I will.”
That afternoon, Marshall took Darlene to the hospital to be admitted.
While handling the admission procedures, Darlene noticed Marshall standing at the payment window for a long time. When he returned, his expression was as usual.
In the evening, Darlene changed into her hospital gown and sat on the bed.
The loose blue-and-white striped clothes made her look even thinner, her collarbones jutting out.
Marshall sat at the table nearby, his laptop screen glowing with data charts she couldn’t quite understand.
He gnawed on a piece of cold bread while tapping away at the keyboard, his brows slightly furrowed.
Darlene looked at him and suddenly spoke. “Mardy, you don’t have to come take care of me every day. I can manage on my own.”
Marshall, still chewing his bread, shook his head with his mouth full. “Don’t worry about me. I can’t relax if I don’t see you. This is good.”
He swallowed the last bite of bread and added, “I’ll stay with you at night. It won’t affect my work.”
Outside the window, the sky darkened, and the city’s lights began to flicker on one by one.