The morning light streamed into the hospital room, penetrating Estrella's vision.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. Her sight was a bit blurry at first due to the intense light, but she got used to it gradually.
She could see her environment clearly now.
She was surrounded by white walls, a white ceiling, and a white curtain.
Where am I?
she thought.
A nurse walked up to her.
"Miss, you are awake?"
"Where am I?" Estrella asked.
"You are in the hospital," the nurse replied.
Her eyes caught the IV hanging by her bed.
Okay… she's in the hospital.
"Then how did I get here?" she asked.
"You passed out in the hospital corridor," the nurse explained.
She remembered passing out after experiencing a sharp sting in her stomach.
"The doctor did some tests for you while you were asleep," the nurse added.
"So, what is the diagnosis?" Estrella asked.
"The doctor will come and explain it to you," the nurse said.
Estrella nodded and lay back to rest. She wondered what could be causing the pain.
She looked around.
"How long have I been out?" she wanted to ask.
But before she could, the doctor walked in.
"Good day, miss," the doctor greeted.
Estrella nodded in response and asked, "What is the result?"
The doctor's expression became serious.
"Are you aware of your condition?"
"What condition?" Estrella asked in confusion.
Seeing this, the doctor sighed.
"You might want to call someone to hear the news with you."
Is it that serious?
Estrella's heart began to beat wildly.
"Tell me. No need to call someone," Estrella said.
"No, you have to call someone," the doctor insisted.
Left with no other choice, Estrella asked,
"Do you know where my backpack is?"
The nurse handed it over to her.
Estrella rummaged through it and brought out her phone.
She saw several missed calls.
Some were from Max.
Some were from Martins, her boyfriend.
And the others were from Stella, her best friend.
They must have been worried sick not hearing from her.
She clicked on Martins' contact. Stella was out of town, so Martins was the best person to call.
She dialed his number.
It rang for a while before going through.
"Hey, Martins," Estrella said.
There was silence for a moment before his voice came from the other end.
"El, is that you?"
"Who else would it be?" Estrella asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Where the hell have you been? Not picking my calls? I was about to report you missing!" Martins shouted.
Estrella pulled the phone away from her ear.
Martins kept ranting.
"Do you know how worried I was?"
After a while, he went silent.
"Are you done?" Estrella asked.
He sighed. "Where are you?"
Instead of answering, Estrella said,
"Can you come to Ospedale San Vittorio?"
Martins was stunned.
"What are you doing in the hospital? Are you okay?"
"Just come over," Estrella said, too tired to explain.
"Okay, I'm coming now," Martins replied.
Estrella ended the call.
"My boyfriend is coming," she told the doctor.
"Alright. Call me when he arrives," the doctor said before leaving the ward.
Estrella stared at the ceiling. Her right eye twitched slightly. She was anxious about the diagnosis.
I hope it isn't something serious.
A few minutes later, Martins rushed in.
He spotted Estrella on the bed and hurried to her side.
"Babe, what happened?"
Estrella explained everything to him.
At some point, Martins pulled her into an embrace.
"Does it still hurt?"
Estrella shook her head. "No."
She felt warm in his embrace.
"What did the doctor say?" Martins asked.
Just then, the doctor walked in.
"Doctor, what is wrong with her?" Martins asked.
"You are her boyfriend, right?" the doctor asked.
Martins nodded.
"Her condition is very serious," the doctor said, trying to prepare them.
Estrella's heartbeat increased, and Martins couldn't help but grow anxious too.
"These days, you might have been feeling some pain in your abdomen," the doctor continued.
Estrella nodded.
"From our diagnosis, we found some black spots in your stomach."
"What does that mean?" Martins asked urgently.
"It means you have stomach cancer."
His words hit like a bombshell.
Everything went silent.
"Cancer?" Martins exclaimed.
Estrella sat up slowly.
"Stomach cancer…" she muttered in a barely audible voice, unsure of what she had just heard.
"Yes," the doctor repeated. "Stomach cancer."
Both of them froze.
Martins shook his head in denial.
"How could that be true? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
The doctor shook his head.
"Our diagnosis cannot be wrong. Ultrasounds don't lie."
They sat there, stunned.
It felt as if the world had shattered.
"It is still in the early stage, so it can be treated," the doctor added, trying to calm them.
But they were barely listening.
The doctor sighed and decided to leave them alone to process the news.
They sat there in silence.
Just staring.
Not moving.
Then suddenly, Martins stood up.
"I can't do this."
Estrella looked at him.
He shook his head.
"I can't carry the burden of caring for someone with cancer. I'm too young for that."
Estrella could only stare at him, speechless.
"I'm sorry," he said.
He knew what he was about to do was awful. But he did it anyway.
"Estrella… let's break up."
And with that, he rushed out of the room.
Estrella couldn't even stop him.
She could only watch in a daze as he left.
It all felt like a dream.
She had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer…
…and her boyfriend had just left her.
A dream she wished she could wake up from.