Just like Adel 8

The next week Henry and I planned to meet after work. He sounded like he had a plan of how to get the promotion he honestly deserved. I wanted to find enough information to help him so I questioned Dean about Adel. "Why are you asking so many questions?" He asked after the third question. "I see you and Henry are cozy now. Is that why you are asking about Adel?" He added. I really didn't get his point but I nodded. I leaned over and said, "You see its a bit weird for him that I look like Adel so I want to know about her and do things differently you know?" Strangely enough he bought it. He smiled and winked at me.

On Monday I met Henry at his office. If it was really true that he liked me this could in all technicalities have been our first date. I dressed up nicely that day, wore contact lenses and left my hair out. I could tell he noticed the difference when he saw me. "You look nice." He said shyly. His shyness was so adorable. "I was going for a less Adelish look." I said posing dramatically by a wall. Henry laughed. "I told you I really don't mind. Your sense of humour is something else." He said. I sat down across him.

He handed me a couple of print-outs. "So these are..." He started but before he could finish his sentence Gilly walked into the office. He said hi to me and whispered to Henry. They spoke in a low tone for a while and Gilly left. Henry took off his glasses and looked at me. "I'm so sorry. My dad wants to have a talk with me right now. It's probably another invitation to a family vacation. Could you give me a minute?" He asked. I nodded and he left. I looked down at the handouts he gave me. They were about a study on Orgosis. I had never heard about it before but from what I read there was no cure for it. The best was to have full organ changes at stage 1. Was he looking to for a cure to impress his father? Wasn't that a bit far fetched? I read more about it and realised how rare but deadly it was.

"Gradual organ failure." I read when Gilly walked into the office. He nodded and leaned on Henry's desk. "It's a rare and extremely messed up disease." He replied. I looked up at him. "Are you really trying to find a cure?" I asked. Gilly told me it would be super if they could find a cure and extremely lucky but they were looking at drugs that can prolong life. I nodded. That made more sense to me.

Then it happened. Gilly got up to leave, turned to me and said, "I'm glad you are helping Henry. He's already in stage 4 and he is cutting his family out. It's a bit..." He didn't finish his sentence when I cut in. I knew what he was saying, understood what he was saying but it was just a problem with believing it. "Stage 4?" I asked. Gilly looked down. "He didn't tell you the stage he was in eh? He has just 3 months to live." Gilly replied and left. His words left me with mixed feelings. I felt sad, angry, stupid and confused at the same time. The pieces started fitting together perfectly in my head. Everything made sense. I was on the wrong path from the get go. Adel, Dean, his father, the coldness everything made sense but I didn't want to believe it.

To be continued...