Ronan Rhodes frowned and pressed on, "What do you an ’worsened again’?"
The doctor looked at the information on the computer and said, "The records show that Miss Sheffield ca to the hospital three years ago for depression treatnt. It was when she first ca that her condition was the most severe. It improved over the past two years, but recently, it’s relapsed."
Ronan: "What’s the reason?"
Doctor: "I don’t know why she developed depression three years ago; you’d need to ask her psychologist. However, to protect the patient’s privacy, they probably won’t tell you. Recently, her condition worsened, possibly related to her recently being diagnosed with ALS."
"What disease?" Ronan was confused.
The doctor explained blandly, "It’s what we commonly refer to as Lou Gehrig’s disease."
"Simply put, it’s a condition where the patient’s limbs, trunk, chest, and abdon experience muscle weakness and atrophy."
Ronan was unfamiliar with this disease, froze a bit, and cautiously asked, "Is it life-threatening?"
The doctor sighed and said, "Hard to say; there’s currently no effective dication or treatnt for this disease. If it doesn’t threaten the respiratory muscles, there won’t be a risk to life. So patients may have only a year or even just a few months from onset to death, but so can endure for many long years. Everything depends on the patient’s own condition; it’s all still uncertain."
The doctor’s words echoed in Ronan’s mind, and he soon searched online for information related to this disease.
He seed to suddenly understand why she cried that day, why she always used a spoon to eat, and had several tis broken bowls and plates...
...and why she was unwilling to accept his marriage proposal.
Because she was very aware herself of the terrible situations she would face in the near future.
Paralysis, inability to take care of herself, or even death...
When Ronan found her, she had just co out of the psychological treatnt room, her eyes red, clearly having cried.
Bumping into Ronan at the door, she looked very surprised and quickly looked down to wipe her eyes; before she could compose herself, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.
"I know everything now," Ronan said in a steady voice.
Charlotte Sheffield’s mood was still a bit low; although she didn’t understand the implications of his words, she felt a sense of regaining sothing lost as soone she thought wouldn’t return was now holding her tightly.
He hadn’t shown up these past two days, nor had he called or sent ssages. She kept thinking it was because she spoke too harshly that day, leading him to give up on her and pursue soone new.
Seeing her in a bad mood right now, Ronan didn’t confront her directly.
He explained what he’d been doing these past two days and clarified why he’d been out of contact so she could let go of her guesses and doubts.
He found a restaurant with a tranquil environnt to take her for lunch.
After ordering, Ronan saw Charlotte’s mood had stabilized a bit and tentatively asked her, "What did the doctor say?"
Charlotte looked up at him sowhat startled.
Ronan then explained, "I know everything now, about the ALS... Why didn’t you ever tell ?"
Charlotte frowned and lowered her head, saying nothing.
Ronan: "Is it because of this that you’re afraid you’ll burden in the future, or fear I’ll abandon you? Is that why you haven’t agreed to be with ?"
Charlotte still said nothing but it was clear he had touched on her true thoughts.
"You should have told earlier, and it’s partly my fault for being careless, not noticing anything for so long. Charlotte, don’t think so poorly of ; I’ve changed a lot since eting you, and I’ve truly decided to spend my life with you. No matter what you may beco in the future, I won’t regret my decision now, so... stop avoiding , okay?"
During the two days he was gone, Charlotte thought a lot, and her psychologist also suggested she shouldn’t have too many worries, and should follow her heart and desires, not placing too much pressure on herself.
And she was thinking about what she really wanted inside.
Regarding her feelings for Ronan, she wasn’t sure if she could call them love.
Maybe it was because she didn’t dare to hope for sothing like love, so she’d never thought in that direction, let alone about spending a lifeti together.
But she clearly knew she seed to have grown accustod to his presence; she didn’t want to overanalyze the truth of the promises he made.
Even if the illness soon robbed her of her right to pursue happiness, she could still choose not to leave with regret...
"...But what if I leave soon?" After a long ti, Charlotte asked quietly, her eyes moist.
The way she looked made Ronan think of the first ti he saw her, invoking an undeniable sense of compassion.
Ronan: "Don’t speak nonsense; this disease isn’t terminal. Wasn’t Hawking a sufferer too? He was barely in his twenties when diagnosed, yet lived many decades. So don’t always think about the worst-case scenario."
Charlotte lowered her gaze, silent and pondering.
Ronan didn’t know what else she was worried about, but he analyzed all possibilities for her: "Think about it. If you can’t walk in the future, can’t take care of yourself, wouldn’t you need soone to care for you even more? Wouldn’t I be a good choice?"
Charlotte looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears of emotion.
When she first found out about this disease, she hadn’t known him yet; she had indeed been worried that one day if her hands beca less agile, her legs unable to move, she wouldn’t be able to leave that small room, perhaps dying in it with no one knowing.
When he first appeared, she didn’t hold much hope; she didn’t want to deceitfully persuade him to stay by her side due to her own needs.
For one, she thought that a man like him couldn’t have the patience to care for her when she was incapable of taking care of herself; for another, even if he could do it, she didn’t want to burden his life like a useless person.
Because without her, he could actually be happier.
Ronan seed to see through her thoughts and said, "Charlotte, trust this one ti; I’ve never spent so much effort on a woman, nor seriously thought about wanting to live a lifeti with one. Let take care of you, okay?"
Charlotte looked up at him, and the two of them silently t gazes for quite a while. Charlotte asked him, "Do you want to marry ?"
Ronan smiled suddenly, relaxing, and replied, "As long as you’re ready, we can do it anyti. If you’re worried, we can go get the marriage license now and later find ti to hold the wedding. Just happens I have a week’s vacation."
Charlotte’s lips curled into a smile, feeling as if his appearance was the luck she’d exchanged for all her misfortunes.
Seeing her smile, the curve of Ronan’s lips widened a bit more, and he told her, "You look much prettier when you smile."
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