"Huh?"
Ashley, Raka, and Julius sat in one of the classroom cafe booths. Raka's face twisted as he listened to Ashley's story about Lucian.
Julius, on the other hand, could only stare at her in shock.
Both of them knew that someone had "fainted" last night, but neither was aware that it involved vomiting and coughing up blood.
"Wait," Raka raised a hand in front of Ashley's face. "Did you say idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?"
Ashley nodded. "Yes."
"And it's end-stage?" he asked again.
She nodded.
To both her and Julius's surprise, Raka suddenly slapped the table between them.
Ashley flinched as she watched his expression twist.
"I am amazing as I am, but I'm not God," he said. "If it's only in the early stages, maybe I can help him with my research. But end-stage? You shouldn't even be here. You should be by his side, holding his hand."
"Is it that bad?" Julius asked, earning a look from both of them. "I know it's bad, but is it like... cancer-type bad?"
