Page 49 of The Life Experiment
‘So much for enjoying spending time with Jayden,’ Layla huffed.
Sensing she’d touched a nerve, Maya reached for her sister. ‘You know we love having you here, but this sleepover at Mum and Dad’s can’t last forever. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to get moving again.’
Layla’s chin dimpled. ‘What if I don’t want to?’
‘I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. Jayden and I can’t share a room forever. Besides, you’re Layla! Where most people see the impossible, you see a challenge. No one ever expects a kid from an estate to amount to much but look at you! Look at all you’ve achieved. That only happened because of your stubbornness and this mega-brain.’ Tapping gently on Layla’s forehead, Maya grinned. ‘Whatever is causing you this much pain, you can fix it.’
Layla burned at Maya’s naivety.You can fix it… like it was that simple. Like having two years left to live was something a person could accept.
But there was something about Maya’s words that shone like a beacon of hope. Layla couldn’t help wondering what would happen if she changed her attitude towards work. Her results said her cause of death was likely to be a stroke induced by stress. What if she removed that? What if she learned how to balance her life? Without that stress, without that tunnel-vision, would those two years become ten, twenty or more?
If Layla put herself first, instead of her clients, could she be saved?
Jayden chose that moment to tire of the television. Turning, he caught Layla’s eye and smiled at her like she was the best thing he’d ever seen. Layla smiled back at him, but her happiness froze when the worst thought came to her mind.
You’ll only live to see Jayden turn six.
The realisation pummelled Layla’s stomach, but the questions that followed hurt even more. Would Jayden remember Layla when he grew up? Had she wasted precious years of bonding time?
But as Jaydan reached for Layla to play dinosaurs once more, she pushed her pain aside.Two years, she thought, as Jayden pulled her to her feet.You’ve got two years to make every second count.
Layla knew she wouldn’t waste a single one.
22Angus
The Life Experiment: Daily Questionnaire
Property of OPM Discoveries
How would you rate your level of contentment today? (1 represents low contentment, 10 represents high)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How would you rate your energy level? (1 being very low energy and 10 being very high energy)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
What are two things you are grateful for today?
Recently, it’s hit me how lucky I am. I should probably acknowledge it more
Taking a chance when I first went to Haven. Maybe there’s something to the whole ‘lean into life’ thing, after all
What are you struggling with today?
Jasper constantly trying to get me to go out. He can’t sit still and it’s driving me crazy
Do you have any additional notes on what you would like to discuss in your upcoming counselling session?
Maybe we could talk about what attributes make a person become successful
For the second time in a week, Angus found himself pulling up outside Haven Hospice. This time, though, he wasn’t there to wait while Jasper dropped off a donation.
This time, he was there to volunteer.
Britta had told him that patient-facing roles wouldn’t be possible without clearing a few safeguarding checks first, but that there was room in the organisational sphere for a volunteer. If Angus had time, they needed assistance prepping for Christmas events. Angus offered his services before Britta even finished her sentence.
Excitement propelled Angus towards the doors. For a moment, he thought of the watch that was tracking his pulse. He wondered what Saira would think when she saw how it was racing.
