Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 247

Chapter 247 

“Okay,” Shepard answered. 

They walked side by side, hand in hand, heading out together. They moved very slowly, taking their time. 

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Downstairs in the inpatient department, plenty of patients and their families were out strolling, catching the breeze, and soaking up the sun. 

So even with the heart monitor attached to her, Briana didn’t stand out at all. 

Once they were out of the hospital, Briana picked a small breakfast shop. 

The place was tiny, with just three tables. 

“Excuse me,” Briana called out, “we’ll have two cups of milk and hot dogs, eating here.” 

“Sure, take a seat,” the owner replied. 

Briana took a seat as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Shepard hesitated for a moment, then sat down, too. He looked totally out of place here. He probably had never eaten in a spot like this his whole life. 

“It’s really clean,” Briana said. “I’ve noticed that, aside from the old decor, the hygiene here is actually pretty good. Look, the owner wipes down the stove after making each hot dog.” 

She pulled out a tissue and wiped the table. “See? Not a single spot of dirt. People always say the food in these little shops is tasty and affordable. 

“Let’s try it out and see what it’s like to live like an ordinary couple for once.” 

The words struck a deep chord in Shepard’s heart. What he wanted most was just to live a simple, ordinary life with her as a couple. 

They would eat breakfast together, head off to work, come home for dinner, curl up on the couch to watch TV, and then fall asleep in each other’s arms. 

But he’d only gotten to experience days like that with her for three days, just these past three days. 

‘Maybe people only learn to cherish something after they’ve lost it,’ Shepard thought. That was true for him, and for Briana as well. 

After nearly twenty years of knowing each other and five years of marriage, all those years together, they’d only spent three days living like a regular couple. It was honestly pretty sad and such a shame. 

“Yeah,” Shepard replied. “We’ll have more days like this ahead of us.” 

He did his best to look on the bright side. 

Briana let it slide. 

The owner came over with a tray and set it down in front of them. “There’s some pickled cucumber on the table. Add as much as you like,” the owner said. 

Briana brought a hot dog to Shepard’s lips. “Give it a taste.” 

He paused for a moment, then let her feed him. “Wow, this is really good,” he said. 

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The owner heard Shepard’s compliment and turned around with a big grin. “I’ve been running this place for thirty years. It’s a classic, and I’ve got tons of regulars!” 

Shepard smiled, “Then I guess my wife and I will be coming here for your hot dogs every morning.” 

“Absolutely, you’re always welcome!” the owner laughed. 

Briana laughed along with them. 

Breakfast was a happy affair. 

Meanwhile, outside the hospital room, Charles stood there, reaching out, then letting his hand drop, reaching out again, then dropping it once more. 

‘How do I even begin?‘ Charles wondered. ‘She’s probably going to chew me out. Hell, I might even catch a beating. 

Of course, Shepard wouldn’t lay a finger on him. But Briana definitely would. Women could be pretty scary when they got physical. 

‘Especially that pinch. Man, that hurts like hell,‘ he wondered. Just thinking about it made Charles’s scalp tingle. 

But honestly, if he hadn’t pulled this stunt, Shepard and Briana wouldn’t have such a strong bond now. They wouldn’t really be able to truly appreciate what they have. 

He figured he totally deserved an epic thank–you from both of them. 

Charles took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and knocked on the door. “Briana, it’s me,” he said. “I’m coming in now.” 

There was no answer. 

‘What the hell is happening?‘ Charles thought. 

“Briana,” Charles called out again, raising his voice a bit. “It’s me. I’m coming in.” 

Still, there was no sound from inside. 

With a frown, Charles pushed the door open. The room was empty. 

“She just finished her check–up. Where did she go?” Charles muttered. “Why isn’t she just staying in her room? And where’s Shepard? He’s missing, too?” 

With nothing else he could do, Charles could only wait in the room. 

He waited and waited, but instead of Shepard and Charles, the attending doctor showed up. 

The doctor had a look of utter confusion on his face. Every so often, he kept glancing at the test report in his hands. 

Charles cleared his throat, his nerves starting to kick in. He asked, “Wow, the results came out this fast?” 

“Most are done,” the doctor replied. “But a few will take until tomorrow or the day after.” 

Charles nodded. “Oh, got it. Well, Briana’s not here right now. No clue where she ran off to. How about you swing by later?” 

He wanted to wait until he laid everything out for her first. Otherwise, if someone else were around, it’d be awkward if they saw the drama. 

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But the doctor said, “I already called Mr. and Mrs. Carter. They’re on their way back.” 

Charles thought, ‘What? They’re coming back right now?‘ 

Charles sprang up from the couch. 

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‘Or maybe, he hesitated, his mind spinning. ‘I should come back later. Let the doctor talk first, then I’ll say my piece 

Once he’d made up his mind, Charles didn’t waste a second; he headed straight out the door. 

Just as Charles stepped out of the hospital room and turned around, he spotted Shepard and Briana standing right there. 

They had just come out of the elevator. They bumped right into each other, face to face. 

“Charles?” Briana called out. “You’re here.” 

“Uh, yeah, I’m here,” Charles replied. 

“Is the doctor in the room?” Briana asked. 

“Yep, he’s there.” Charles nodded quickly. “He’s waiting for you two.” 

Briana walked toward him, asking, “Where were you 

“I–I-” Charles stammered. 

headed?” 

He hesitated for a while before finally blurting out, “I was actually looking for you guys. Why weren’t you two just staying put in your room? Where did you disappear to?” 

Shepard replied, “We went out for breakfast.” 

He put his arm around Briana’s waist and headed back to the hospital room with her. 

Charles stood there awkwardly. ‘Should I go in or not?‘ he wondered, hesitating. ‘Well, I’m already here. No way to avoid it 

now.‘ 

Resigned, he followed them. 

When the doctor saw Briana, he looked her over carefully and asked, “Mrs. Carter, have you noticed any heart discomfort in the past six months, or maybe the last three?” 

“Yeah, sometimes,” Briana admitted. 

“What kind of symptoms do you get?” the doctor asked. 

Briana thought for a moment. “If I stay up late, my heart races the next day. And sometimes, when I’m feeling sad or down, my heart feels uncomfortable. That’s about it.” 

The doctor continued, “Have you felt any strange pain?” 

‘Strange pain?‘ Briana repeated, confused. 

“No,” Briana answered. “If I had, I would’ve gotten my heart checked out ages ago.” 

If she’d caught it sooner, maybe there would’ve been a real shot at getting better. Maybe the baby could’ve made it, instead of being lost. 

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Briana never realized there was anything wrong with her heart. It always felt totally fine to her. 

The doctor’s brow was all scrunched up as he rifled through the test results, his hands moving faster and faster. 

In the hospital room, the only thing they could hear was the soft rustling of pages. 

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One shouldn’t worry when the doctor kept talking. It was when they went silent that one really needed to be scared. Besides, he frowned deeply. 

Briana couldn’t help but feel a wave of anxiety wash over her. 

‘Did they find something else wrong with me?‘ she wondered, her heart sinking. 

Briana looked at Shepard. 

Shepard tightened his grip on her hand. His hand was damp with sweat. Clearly, he was just as anxious as she was.