Always

"Doctor, can I see my mother now" Dili frantically asked the doctor that had just come out of his mother's hospital room.

After what happened in my house few hours ago, we hurriedly rushed Dili's mom to the hospital. The look in Dili's eyes as he saw his mother's condition will forever hunt me. There and then he looked like he was going to break down. That was the very first time I've seen Dili look so shattered. And to top it all up he looked beyond exhausted.

I was also astonished that my parents also stayed in the hospital with us. It's sad how they wouldn't have been bothered to stay if it were me in this condition, But for a person who was almost like a stranger to them they practically dropped all they were doing to be here. Oh the irony.

"Yes you can go in and see her, although she's sleeping now" The doctor said. And he then added "But not all of you can go in at once. At least two at a time should be okay" After telling us that the doctor left.

Dili turned to face my parents. He politely thanked them for coming and said that they could go home and rest, and that he would bring me home himself. My parents being my parents didn't even waste a second before agreeing to what Dili had said. The least they could have done is at least pretend to care. Or maybe this was even much better. But before they left they did send their regards to Mrs Uzora.

"Let's go in" I said with a small smile nudging Dili a little.

"Yeah" He reciprocated my smile although his didn't reach his eyes.

As we entered the hospital room I couldn't help but gasp. Just like the first day I saw Dili's mom laid down on the bed with manifold tubes attached to her, it was the same right now only that this time the tubes looked a lot more. Tears began to gather in my eyes. This woman has been more of a mother to me in less than a week than my own actual mother has ever been to me. Seeing her in such a condition literally broke my heart.

I immediately blinked away my tears. I couldn't be weak at this time. Dili needed me more, she was his mother after all. Just imagine, if I felt this way I just wonder how Dili must have felt.

On cue I heard a low sniff from my side. Frenzied I turned and I was shocked by what I saw next. Dili, one of the strongest person I know, a person that could easily brighten your entire day with a single smile, had tears rolling down his face.

"Dili is everything okay?" I literally facepalmed myself on the face. Of freakin course he wasn't okay. Which son would in this situation.

"Of course you're not okay, how can you be okay. I'm so sorry that was a very stupid question..." I kept rambling on, I guess I just I didn't know when to stop.

The next thing I heard was a low chuckle. "It's quite okay Rica. It's comical how without knowing you easily lifted my mood" He turned to me and smiled. Although he still had tears rolling down his eyes.

Well that was a relief. I thought I made everything worse. I turned my gaze back to a blissfully sleeping Mrs Uzora. Her hair as always was covered, if it was possible it looked like she had gotten paler. I can just imagine the pain she goes through everyday.

"You know Rica" I was surprised when Dili started talking after a while. "I know about my mother condition. I know about her 'real' condition" He put much emphasis on the word real. "I'm sure you do to" I was surprised that he found out about it but at the same time I wasn't.

"I begged the doctor to tell me about it. Although she tried to hide it, she was getting paler and much weaker as the day passed. So I knew something was wrong somewhere" His voice cracked a little but he cleared it just as fast.

"I know she didn't want to tell me because she thought that was a way of protecting me. But frankly, it really wasn't" I didn't want to say anything as this was the first time I've Dili freely express his thoughts and feelings to me and I wanted to treasure it.

"To be perfectly open with you Rica, I'm scared" This time he actually broke down and it was such a heart breaking sight. "I'm scared because I know she might not make it. I'm scared because I might be left all alone in this world. I'm scared because I feel like I would have nothing to live for anymore. And most of all I'm scared that I might retrograde back to my old self. Rica I'm soo scared"

"First my father and now my mother. Is God that cruel?" It was admittedly agonizing watching him. I could feel my own tears coming but I knew I had to hold it back. The mere sight of Dili weeping like a new born child tore my heart apart. His words too made me much more sad. Didn't he know that he had other people in his life that loved him?

I knew it was time for me to talk, and so I did. I didn't want to say anything like 'Don't worry everything will be fine' because I didn't know if it would actually be. I knew it was only right to reassure someone when you knew absolutely what the outcome would be. And sadly I didn't.

So instead I said this "Dili hey look at me" I tiptoed so my hand could reach the height of his face, and I made him look directly at me.

"You won't be left all alone in this world because you have me. You will always have me" I sincerely promised. At least I knew that it was a promise I could keep.

"Also have you forgotten that you have four other friends that will also support you. And please and please, I don't want you talking that nonsense that you don't have anything else to live for again, because you do" I stated firmly "Your whole life is still very much ahead of you. And most of all your mother wouldn't like you talking like that" Dili stared at me with some kind of emotion that I couldn't properly decipher. His tears were all dried up now.

"You're telling the truth right? I will always have you" He muttered out. He looked almost like a child saying it which made me to let out a small smile.

Reassuring him with a nod I responded affirmatively "Always".

It seemed like my answer was all he needed. With a growing smile of his own he pulled me closer to him and hugged me impishly, which made me to believe that it meant he will never let go.

I guess I wasn't the only one that somewhat needed another person to lean on.