New Life : A Second Chance

"Brown eyes? Chocolate quicksand?!" screeched Claris, "What brown eyes?! Are you blind?! Gareth has green eyes! GREEN!! How could you not even know that?!"

Gareth and Lance turned to finally face Claris, and she was taken aback. Why was Gareth's eyes brown??

"He was literally looking at you just now, and you didn't even realise?" Lance said, with a scoff.

"Why-why-" Claris stammered, unable to comprehend this turn of events.

Gareth gave a smirk and said, "Lance doesn't like it. Says it gets too much attention."

Then he turned towards Lance again, "But you seem to like brown eyes more?"

"It's not that I like brown eyes more," Lance said, "It's because it's you. No matter whether it's brown, green, blue … I get so lost in them."

"Without the contacts, looking into your eyes makes me feel like I'm lost in the deep forest," Lance said, stroking Gareth's cheeks, "With the leaves enveloping me and burying me deep in your love."

"Oh, you," Gareth said, taking Lances hands and kissing his fingers, "If you were spotify, I'd leave you on repeat 24/7."

"Oooh, good one," Lance replied.

"I have to keep up with you," Gareth said with a grin.

"Oh my God, guys, please," Kay said, finally not able to take it any longer, "Can you keep your cringey moments for the bedroom? Or in private? I am still eating, you know."

"Auw, Gareth honey, she says we're being cringey," Lance said, looking at Gareth innocently.

Gareth shrugged and kissed his nose, saying, "We're not cringey. She's just jealous."

Kay rolled her eyes, while muttering, "Shameless."

Lance laughed.

No one noticed that Claris was no longer there.

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Kyle felt like his whole world was crumbling.

Bringing Lianne to the hospital, and having to watch the doctors hovering around her and making comments amongst themselves was torture.

He knew he couldn't be impatient.

He knew that they needed to consult each other.

But damn it.

It was *not* easy to just stand at the side while numerous doctors listened to her heart and they did not say anything.

He knew that they would not say anything rash and needed to get some test results back first before they could tell him anything …

Knowing, and accepting it, were two completely different things.

The worse thing of all is that he had to look cool, and calm because as hard as it was for him - it was worse for Lianne.

She just sat there, her face not showing any sort of emotion. She was just taking everything into her stride and let them be.

"We need to do two tests," the head doctor told Kyle, "An ECG and Echo."

Kyle nodded, waiting for more explanation but as none was forthcoming, he asked, "What is the purpose of these tests?"

"To have a better picture of her heart," the doctor said evasively.

Kyle frowned.

If it wasn't for the fact that he respected doctors, and the amount of work that they were under, he would have likely smacked him on the head.

He took deep breaths and calmed himself down.

Sam stepped up and went with the doctor to do all the necessary procedures and payments with regards to the tests. Kyle stayed with Lianne, who was just sitting on the bed and playing with her phone.

Her 'avoiding the world' tactic.

Kyle left her alone, choosing to sit down nearby so that she knew he was there. He didn't say a word but used his phone to check up on certain things. 

Lianne's uneasiness settled upon knowing her mother was there.

More importantly, she wasn't talking nor doing anything other than just being there.

Which was all that Lianne needed.

She continued playing her game, letting it fill her mind so that she need not think of anything else.

As for Kyle, what he wanted was information.

He needed to know, so that he could mentally prepare himself.

The two tests.

ECG, or electrocardiogram, is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart through small electrode patches that are attached to the skin of the chest, arms and legs.

One doesn't feel the electrical activity through the electrode patches. 

What is produced are several lines on a chart, which was basically like a maths exercise book that had those small boxes. The lines were similar looking to how you would see on a heart rate monitor from the doctor or hospital dramas. 

While the heart rate monitor showed a fluorescent green cursor that went in a straight line and up, then down to reflect the heart beat (and a totally flat line meant the person had died), the ECG chart had the said lines in permanent form.

In short, it was as if the heart rate monitor printed out what the green cursor was doing.

The purpose of the test is to check the heart rhythm, so Kyle figured this test was to check on Lianne's heart rhythm. It must be abnormal in some way, hence, the test.

The other test was the Echocardiogram (echo) tests.

This test uses sound waves to study the structure of the heart and how the heart and valves are working. One would lie down on the bed and a probe (similar to what is used to check the fetus while in the womb) would be going over the heart. It would produce a moving image of the heart on a computer screen.

Kyle gritted his teeth.

Damn these tests.

Not because Lianne had to do them, but because he could not accompany her at all while she was undergoing the tests. 

After all, they would be putting the electrodes for the ECG, and the probe for the Echo, on her chest. As a guy, he couldn't be in the same room, right?

It was at this point that Kyle felt being male was not good.

Kyle felt frustrated.

Still, Kyle was determined to be there for Lianne.

In the end, Kyle really did manage to accompany Lianne throughout the two tests. 

When she went for the ECG, he would simply stand with his back to her while the electrodes were placed. 

When she went for the Echo, Kyle had to be more creative. The tests were done in a room that could hold two of the machines. Thus, each area was cordoned off by a curtain that surrounded the machine and the bed.

Kyle simply had the bed that Lianne would be lying on really close to the curtains and where the opening was. After she had taken off her bra and shirt, then wore the hospital top (that was basically a jacket that had ties to close the openings), she lay on the bed.

She reached out her hand and grabbed on Kyle's sleeve. He was sitting down on a chair and only his arm was inside. 

It was enough for Lianne.

Though people were looking at this whole thing weirdly, no one dared to say a word.

After all, Sam had already given them a warning about any gossip being spread. Plus, this was a private hospital where keeping quiet was the norm. Ordinarily, such warnings by Sam should not be needed.

But Sam wasn't going to leave it to chance.

Kyle could hear the weird muffled sounds of Lianne's heartbeat, and the instructions of the sonographer, that is, the person who performed the test. As Lianne was female, the sonographer was female as well. 

The sonographe would use a transducer to probe her chest. It was placed on various locations on the chest and upper abdomen, constantly moving and probing as it tried to get the best image of her heart.

Lianne endured the pain as the transducer had to be pressed down quite hard in order to get a good image.

She was glad that her mother somehow managed to arrange it so that she could still be there. Everything was so new, so unfamiliar … and yes, scary.

It took a lot out of her to focus on other things, so that she wouldn't overthink or get worried over something that she had no idea about. Seeing that blurry image on the computer screen didn't give her any enlightenment and it all just looked like a mess of things all scrunched together.

Lianne gripped Kyle's sleeve harder. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the tests were finally done.

Kyle and Lianne waited in the private room. It wasn't long before the cardiologist (heart doctor) entered and had a slightly grim expression. 

"Doctor, what's the diagnosis?" Kyle asked politely.

The cardiologist showed Lianne's Echo results and said, "From these tests, it can be seen that Lianne has a hole in her heart."

"Actually, there are two. Here, and here."

Naturally, Kyle couldn't see a thing. Only the barest of the outline of a heart. As to the holes? Nothing. 

"Does this mean she needs surgery?" Kyle asked straight up.

"Yes."