"Explain," Kyle ordered.

He was tired of this run-around and showing images of things that he couldn't understand. Show him an ultrasound, and he could see the fetus. But this? It was as if one was looking through a badly taken photograph.

What he wanted .. what they wanted … was information. The facts.

The cardiologist took a piece of paper from a notepad and began drawing a simple heart. An oval shape which he then drew a cross within it.

"The heart basically has four chambers," he stated, "The purpose of the heart is to take blood from the body, oxygenate it and bring it back out."

"This is done through the valve. And here," he said, drawing a circle on one side of the heart drawing, right at the line between the top and bottom, "Is a hole."

He then pointed at the computer screen and said, "If you look here, you will notice this burst. This is where the leak is happening. It means, the proper amount of oxygenated blood is not getting into the chamber that it should. It makes the heart work harder in order to make sure it does."

He then went back to the drawing and circled another part, which is right in the middle, "Here is another hole, but it is much smaller. The issue is more the hole at the valve."

"So what needs to be done? What is the best case scenario and the worst case scenario?" Kyle asked.

He had glanced at Lianne, who was just sitting there and listening to everything. She would not ask but he knew that she needed to know.

Lianne caught that glance and was truly glad that her mother was here. Only she could get the information that she desperately wanted to know but could not find the voice to ask.

Her mind was rather numb, and she was still in a bit of a shock, but nonetheless, she wanted to know.

Even if the news was bad, Lianne she had to know.

It was the only way to be able to deal with the matter. She did not like to be kept in the dark and only with knowledge can she be prepared.

"We cannot truly see or know the condition of the heart until the actual surgery," the cardiologist admitted, "Lianne is rather small, and that makes getting a proper image rather difficult."

"The fact that she has not shown any symptoms of abnormal fatigue is a good sign," the doctor said, "So the surgery is not urgent but it still needs to be done eventually."

"How long can she wait?" Kyle asked.

"She should do the surgery within one or two years," the doctor said.

Kyle turned his head to look at Lianne and asked softly, "What do you think?"

Lianne shook her head, "I do not know."

"Okay," Kyle said, turning to the doctor, "Please schedule the surgery as soon as possible then."

If it was up to Kyle, he would have her go for the surgery immediately but he knew that was not possible.

The thing he was well aware of was that the longer the surgery was pushed back, the more Lianne would have this over her head. He wanted it over as soon as possible but he first had to make sure what was her feelings about it.

Thus, he had asked her first but since she was hesitant, he basically made the decision for her.

Even if the doctor said it wasn't urgent, he was not going to delay it.

The doctor nodded and said, "I can't give you an exact date yet, for I would need to contact a cardiothoracic surgeon first. He will handle the surgery while I will be handling the treatment."

"What sort of surgery would she need?" Kyle asked.

"The surgeon would be the best person to explain it to you," the doctor replied and Kyle nodded. It would be best if he did hear the entire process properly.

"Would you like the surgeon to be from here, or would you be more comfortable at the Hearts' Institute?" asked the doctor.

"It depends," Kyle said.

"Oh? Depends on what?"

"Whether the best surgeon who can do the surgery is there, or here," Kyle replied.

The cardiologist was surprised.

Usually, anyone with a heart condition would automatically go to the Hearts' Institute without thinking about it.

After all, that hospital specialised in the matters of the heart.

However, it did not necessarily mean that it housed all the experts.

Furthermore, the hospital they were in at the moment was a teaching hospital as well. Thus, it nurtured the next generation.

It wasn't that Kyle was willing to gamble Lianne's life, but he was also aware of the fact that in order to create more experts, there needs to be hospitals like this.

If the best was there, he would go there.

If the best was here, he would stay.

It was as simple as that.

"I can't say who is the best," the cardiologist said carefully, "but we do have surgeons here who can do the operation on Lianne here."

Kyle blinked and mentally scolded himself.

That's right.

In terms of medical expertise, what actually denotes 'best'? Age? Experience? Skill?

He, himself, was the direct opposite of what a CEO should be, yet, he was good at the job. Nothing to do with age or experience.

It was skill.

"Give me the names of the surgeons capable of doing the surgery," Kyle said, making a choice.

The doctor nodded and said, "Okay, give me a few moments."

He then got up and left the room, exiting through the 'back' door, so to speak. There were two doors to the consultation room. One, which patients entered and the other, that connected to a corridor that only the staff would be walking through.

Kyle turned to Lianne.

"You okay with that?" Kyle asked her.

She nodded.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Just a lot to take in," she said with a soft smile.

"I decided on doing the surgery quickly," Kyle said, "Are you fine with that?"

Lianne nodded.

"Okay, that's settled then," Kyle said.

The doctor then came back and handed Kyle a list.

After getting the list, he told the doctor, "Thank you very much. I will keep in contact about our decision."

Kyle would get Sam to do a background check on the surgeons before making a choice. Right now, the important thing was Lianne.

After exiting the room, Kyle asked, "Do you want to go home, or do you want to stay with me for a while?"

Lianne looked at him, her eyes having a bit more life now at that question, "Can I stay with you?"

"Of course, Li," Kyle replied, and proceeded to inform Stephan. He also told him about Lianne's condition and what the doctor had said, making Stephan very quiet on the other end.

"She's strong," Kyle assured Stephan.

"Yes, she is strong," Stephan agreed, and in his heart, he was crying. Lianne is strong, but not him. He had lost his wife and now, he was faced with the possibility of losing his daughter.

He didn't say anything else other than a "thank you" and put down the phone.

As for Lianne, she put the matters about her heart out of her mind.

There as nothing she could do about it, and thinking about it would only cause her to go crazy. Right now, all she wanted to do was just pretend nothing is happening and take one day at a time.

The best thing was that now that her father knew the truth about Kyle, she could stay over as many times as she liked.

She missed Kitty.

"Oh, there is one thing though," Kyle said to Lianne as he handed the list of the surgeons to Sam.

"What?" Lianned asked, curiously.

"Kitty has a boyfriend," Kyle announced.

"What?! REALLY?!" Lianne shoued in glee.

"Yes," Kyle said, "Rory found him and somehow, Kitty hit if off with him."

"That's good," Lianne said.

"What's his name?"

"Aki," Kyle replied, "Rory named him."

Lianne smiled.

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Back home, Sayuri hugged Kyle and asked him, "You okay?"

Kyle held Sayuri tightly, cherishing her warmth and smell, "Yeah."

Sayuri already knew about Lianne's need for surgery, as Kyle had called her up right after telling Stephan.

They held each other as they watched Lianne play with Kitty and Aki, who seemed to gravitate towards her like she was the Pied Piper.

Her face was glowing as she carried Kitty around, while Aki was following right at her feet. Rory and Alex were looking on enviously, for the cats had abandoned them completely the moment Lianne turned up.

"She needed the cats," Kyle said, hugging Sayuri tightly.

"I know what you need," Sayuri said to him, wriggling her eyebrows.

"Oh?"

"Yup. A date," Sayuri said, "Ice with Fyre."