Chapter 801
Calliope sped through the rain-slicked streets, barely noticing the city lights flashing by. When she reached Lance and Hudson’s apartment, she burst inside like a storm.
The living room was quiet. Only Lance and Hudson were there.
Lance was holding Hudson close, arms wrapped tight around him. Hudson’s eyes were closed. He looked peaceful, almost as if he were just napping.
“Lance—” Calliope’s voice wavered as she stood in the doorway. Her gaze locked on Hudson, and her heart dropped. She was a doctor, a good one, and it only took a single glance to know the truth.
Hudson was gone.
She couldn’t believe it, wouldn’t believe it. She had treated him herself, watched over him as a friend and a physician. She’d known it would come to this, had tried to brace herself.
But knowing and seeing were two different things. The pain hit her like a sledgehammer, making her feel utterly useless. She hadn’t been able to save him. Lance looked up at her. He tried to smile, but the expression twisted on his face, barely holding back the tears. He looked like a man about to shatter.
He stared at Calliope, lost, and murmured, “Callie, he left me. There’s never going to be anyone who loves me like he did. No one will ever spoil me the way he did p>
Calliope crossed the room, every step feeling like walking barefoot over broken glass. The pain was sharp, raw, and impossible to ignore.
She knelt beside Hudson. He looked so peaceful, like he’d just dozed off after a long day. But she knew there was nothing she could do-no medicine, no miracle left.
She reached for her medical bag, hands trembling, tears blurring her vision.
But Lance shook his head gently.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “He knew. He knew he was running out of time. He was so calm about it. Last night he took a shower, put on his favorite sweater-the one he loved wearing on Sunday mornings. He didn’t want to trouble me with anything.” s
Lance’s voice was steady, almost eerily calm. He told Calliope about Hudson’s
last hours, about how he’d tried to prepare them both.
“I was so scared,” Lance admitted. “I didn’t want to face it. I kept hoping I was wrong, that he’d get better. But Hudson… he used what time he had left to be with me. He talked with me, helped me start to accept it p>
Hudson had planned everything, right down to the playlist for his memorial, the friends he wanted. there, which patch of the cemetery he’d picked out, under the old oak tree. He’d made sure Lance wouldn’t be left alone with chaos. s
“He was always the responsible one,” Lance said with a shaky laugh. “We’re the same age, but he looked after me like a dad sometimes. He took care of everything so I wouldn’t have to p>
“He wanted me to be okay. He wanted me to keep living. He said someday we’d see each other again, and until then, I should live enough life for the both of us p>
Calliope listened, heart aching for Lance. She knew how much Hudson had given, how hard he’d worked to ease Lance’s pain, to help him face a world that would feel so empty.
Lance’s eyes grew red, and he hugged Hudson tighter, refusing to let him go.
“Callie, my world feels so empty now,” he whispered. “There’s just… no more him. I want to go with hing but he made me promise not to He said he’d be mad if I tried. He wanted me to live, to do all the things he couldn’t, to take him with me in everything I do.” s
Calliope sat with Lance for a long time, listening to him speak, letting him grieve. She knew the calm was only possible because Hudson had loved him enough to prepare him.