Louis sits calm and still on the examination table. I, however cannot help bouncing my leg due to anxiety. We are at the hospital undergoing a routine checkup for him. It is a lengthy process, involving various medical machines, physical tests, and bloodwork. If it is painful for me to watch, then I can only imagine how he must feel. The brave, little boy never complains. In fact, he will smile if he ever catches me looking worried. Bless his heart.

"Hey." Aurelia whispers from beside me. My gaze meets hers, before dropping as I feel her place a hand on my leg. I force it still, ashamed of my behavior. She wears an expression of understanding as she tries to calm me. "It's alright. He's been improving."

"What if we miss something? Or his lifespan really is reduced?" I whisper back, hardly able to speak the words. "I-I..."

"He is receiving the very best care possible. Brobs don't even have access to the sorts of treatments." She reminds me. 

I suppose she is right, we are quite fortunate. Lou visits this place so frequently... At this point, Dr. Smith is practically our private physician. I must remember he has a hospital to run. Lou is far from his only patient. Yet, he always makes time for him. We take care of one another, here in this city. Anywhere else, one cannot ask for what I have asked for and receive it. That would be ridiculous.    

"Hmm." The doctor's voice causes me to flinch. He is reading through several documents and scans with a serious look on his face.

"Is everything alright?" I ask, doing my best to put on a smile as Lou looks my way.

"One moment." He responds, moving to his desk to sift through other documents, likely record from previous visits. After some time, he finally puts them down and looks at me. His serious expression transforms into one of relief. He looks at Lou as he speaks. "Congratulations, Louis. You are one healthy boy."

I practically leap from my seat. "What do you mean? Is he cured?!"

"He was never ill to begin with, Miss Orina." He corrects me, but I could not care less. Noticing this, he decides to explain himself. "Whatever drugs were tested on him... Are still unknown to us now. Given his age and the state he was in when you first brought him to me, I feared he would not survive the month. And yet here he is, so full of life." He smiles, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. Lou giggles and smiles at me. "The damage done to his body was terrible. Thus far, we have been treating symptoms, hoping that he could recover with time. Now, I am proud to tell you that he is going to be just fine."

Hearing his words, I am left speechless. It is as if a terrible weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So many sleepless nights, so much worry! My legs tremble, but I remain standing. Before I know it, tears begin streaming down my face. Unblinking eyes gaze forward, unfocused. I am partially in disbelief, but mostly overwhelmed.

I feel Aurelia's arms wrap around me. She is in a similar state, her tears staining my top. "Thank goodness... I'm so happy for you two!"

Dr. Smith seems to have more to say, but first he gives us a moment to collect ourselves. I must look like a mess. I do my best to brush some stray hairs back into place and wipe my eyes dry, but more tears come to replace them. "I am sorry. Please, continue."

"While the risk is astronomically low, please keep a close eye on his condition. Something could flare up. If so, bring him right back here. Do you understand?" He tells me, walking over to hand over some documents. "I am only ever a call away."

"Yes, I will. I cannot thank you enough, Dr. Smith. I do not think I will ever be able to repay you for this." I sniff, taking the documents. "Please. Just ask and I will get it for you."

"There is no need." He shakes his head, grinning. "This is why I do this. The look on your face, and his, is more than enough."

Lou hops off the table and runs over to hug the doctor's leg. He looks straight up at him as he speaks. "Thank you very much, Dr. Smith. I feel much better."

"You are welcome, Louis." He leans over to grab a lollipop from his desk, offering it to him. "Here, take one of these. We've got strawberry, lemon, and grape."

"Grape, please!" He says, taking the purple one and eagerly unwrapping it for a taste.

The three of us leave the room and head down to the reception. Aurelia chats with Lou as we walk, the two of them in high spirits after the wonderful news. Meanwhile, my mind is busy reviewing all that has led us here. From the moment I met him, when I did not know if anything could change his fate, to now, when his future seems so bright. None of this would have been possible anywhere else in the entire world. I might not have had the money, or the procedures might not have been available. I cannot express in words how much I love this city. How much gratitude I have in my heart.

My thoughts slowly shift to Jeannine, the one who helped build this city, and who saved my little Lou in the first place. She may not have played a major role in his recovery, but she certainly made good on her promise to help, so long ago. My feelings slowly become less hopeful as I remember what will be happening the day after tomorrow. I was so focused on Lou that I practically forgot. A pit forms in my stomach, and my smile turns to a frown. I glance at Aurelia as we exit the hospital. Now is the time to bring it up.

By now, we are walking down the street to our home. Along the way, we pass through the commercial district where all the shops are. I took this route on purpose, since I wanted to pass by a certain store. I stop us and point to its colorful sign.

"Lou, I think you deserve something nice for being so brave at the doctor's today. Why don't we visit the toy store?" I tell him, which gets him very excited.

"That's a great idea!" Aurelia claps. "I was meaning to buy a mobile for the crib."

The three of us head inside and Lou immediately begins jumping up and down in excitement. "Wow!"

"Go pick out anything you like. You get one, special toy today. Okay?" I tell him. "Take your time. I also need to speak with Auntie privately, please."

"Okay!" He listens, running over to a specific section to check out the remote-control cars. He stares at the selection with his mouth wide open, innocent as can be.

Once he is out of earshot, Aurelia turns to look at me. She seems confused, but it is overshadowed by the lingering happiness from a moment ago. "Is something the matter, Ori?"

"Aurelia, I have something important to ask of you." I tell her, my tone serious. This is not a conversation I ever wanted to have, but now I must. 

"Go ahead." She nods, her concern growing. She knows me well. I hardly ever take this tone unless there is something very important. "Is it something bad?"

I sigh, holding her gaze intensely. I have no need to consider my words. I already rehearsed them in my head hundreds of times this past week. Yet, I am struggling to speak them. "Do you love Louis?"

She is taken aback, almost insulted by the notion. "What? Of course I do! He is like a second son to me."

"If anything were to happen to me, would you be willing to become his guardians? You, and Sam?" I ask, slowly. 

"Ori, where is this coming from? You're worrying me..." Aurelia's body language becomes less relaxed, arms folding over her chest. 

I do not blame her. I wish I could be more direct, but I cannot think of another way to do this. She is the mother and undoubtedly very busy. The fact that she came with me today, at this inconvenient time, was so kind. That is the type of woman she is, and that is why I decided to ask her out of everyone I know. If only I was as articulate as Saverine or Jeannine.

"I had no doubt in my heart. Lou considers you like a mother." I tell her, smiling a little. I must try to be less stiff in a moment like this. I am doing myself no favors by acting oddly around someone so close. "I do not intend to disappear. I am only asking because soon I will be participating in... Well, I cannot say what it is, but it does not come without its risks. Should the worst happen, I need to know that he will be taken care of. I only need to hear you say it. Your word is more than enough."

Aurelia stares at me in disbelief. She puts her hands on my shoulders and brings her face close to mine. Our noses are nearly touching as she speaks. "If anything ever happens to you, Lou will be well taken care of. I swear that Sam and I will do our best to care for him in your stead." She says, before letting go and moving back. Her expression returns to normal as she continues. "There, I said it. And I meant every word."

"I know you did." I nod at her.

"Now, please explain to me why you've suddenly dropped this on me! Ori, what in the world is going on?!" She yells at me, a little too loudly. She ends up attracting Lou's attention. He looks our way, worried about us, but she is quick to smile and wave at him. "Sorry, sweetie! Didn't mean to yell!"

"Again, Aurelia, I cannot talk about it. I promise to tell you everything once it is over." I explain, hoping she will leave it at that. Even if she presses me, I cannot tell her any more. "I need you to trust me."

"Okay. I trust you." She nods, but her expression is no longer cheerful. "I hope whatever it is, you return to us in one piece."

"I fully intend to. This is nothing more than a contingency." I explain, glancing over at Lou as her runs to a different section. "He is the most important person in the world to me. I know that we are not related by blood-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Aurelia hisses at me. I nearly jump in surprise. "It doesn't matter, so long as you love one another. You two are as much of a family as anyone." She then glances at him as well. "And should the worst happen, I will treat him as such. No less."

"Thank you so much, Aurelia. I hope that in a few days we can both joke about how unnecessary this silly conversation was." I close my eyes, picturing it. Despite all my worry, the outcome of this operation could be extremely positive. Potentially the greatest thing possible for this city, and Jeannine's. "I truly, truly hope so."

"Enough worry for one day. We just found out Louis' going to be okay. We are literally not allowed to be sad today!" She bumps me with her elbow. "Seriously!"

"How right you are. Let's change the topic." I think for a moment, remembering the positive. "Now that he is well, I hope to enroll him in school as soon as possible. I realize that he will be older than the other children, but we have been homeschooling. I believe he will be able to manage."

"That's wonderful. I'm sure he is going to have a blast." She nods enthusiastically. "And hey, being older isn't a bad thing. It means he'll be bigger, and that means no one's going to bully him." She looks away, contemplating. "Then again, he could end up being the bully."

"Bite your tongue!" I snap at her. "My dear Lou would never!"

Aurelia bursts into laughter as my reaction, causing me to blush. I suppose that was a tad loud... I did not mean to take such offense to it. He is just so sweet, and I do not like jokes like that...

"Sorry! Sorry. I know he would never. I just wanted to see how you would react. Oh my, Ori, how fiery you are! Spoken like a loving mother." She nods in approval.

I roll my eyes at her. "I am no mother. A guardian, or elder sister at best."

"Whatever you say." She shrugs her shoulders. "But if that's the case then so am I. Enough of this 'auntie' stuff. I am only a few years older than you!"

It is my turn to laugh this time. "I will consider it."

"Oriiiii!" Lou runs up to us with a toy car in hand. After all that time exploring, it seems he picked the first thing he saw. Leave it to a child to be so childish. I kneel down and take the box from him. I have no need to check the price, even though it appears to be an expensive one. "Can I have this? Pleaseeeee!"

"Absolutely. But first, please go bring me some batteries, or else this will not work." I remind him, confirming that it does not come with any. "The big ones. Not the-" Before I can finish, he is already running off to find them. If only he had listened to the end, he would have heard me telling him that they are just behind us. "-skinny ones... Oh dear, Lou. You are so impatient."