Nicole gently tapped Aileen's head. "Your brother loves you most. He even sent you to the best junior high. He wouldn't want you keeping him company like an old hag."

Aileen chuckled. Just then, Halley entered the ward.

"Hey, Halley," Aileen greeted cheerily.

Getting to her feet, Nicole asked, "Did you get the examination report, Halley?"

Halley's eyes were red-rimmed as she nodded. "Yes."

Her reaction caused Aileen to ask anxiously, "What's wrong with my mom? Is she sick?"

Hailey stared at Pamela in silence. Realizing something was wrong, Nicole said, "Aileen, come out with me for a second. I have something to tell you."

Unsuspecting, Aileen responded, "Okay." Aileen and Nicole left the ward.

Now that only Hailey and Pamela remained, Halley sat beside the bed and studied Pamela. The latter was dressed in clean, though old, clothes. Although the colors had faded, her clothes were neat. Most of Pamela's hair had turned gray, but she still looked kind. Hailey's mother was around Pamela's age. Her mother, who was traveling in Eapifora, would buy pretty dresses and dress up nicely. According to Hailey's mother, women liked to dress up prettily. Hence, it wasn't that Pamela didn't like to dress prettily; she simply lived a very different life.

"Hailey, you saw my examination report, didn't you?" asked Pamela.

Nodding, Hailey said, "Yes. You have late-stage cancer."

Smiling, Pamela explained, "I know. Four years ago, I fainted at home. So, I visited the hospital to get checked. That's when I found out something was wrong."

"Why didn't you get it treated, Mrs. Zamora? If you had, you probably wouldn't be in this state."

"Maybe. Even the doctor said there was a possibility. Perhaps I would have lived longer if I'd had about a million dollars for treatment. But Aileen was still young, and Declan wasn't an adult yet. He had it harder back then. When his father died, we were left with a two-million-dollar debt."

"With my disability, I couldn't do anything. So, Declan secretly skipped school to take up part-time jobs."

"Because of his age, he had trouble getting people to listen. That's why he got tattoos, a buzz cut, and treated everyone coldly."

While saying that, Pamela raised her hand. Sensing Pamela wanted to hold her hand, Hailey quickly took it. Pamela's palm was covered in thick, rough calluses.

Smiling warmly, she asked, "Is Declan always cold to you?"

Hailey nodded. "He treats everyone like that. He never smiles."

"Declan wasn't born like that. He always smiled in the past, and he looked good when he did. But after his father left, the three of us were left to fend for ourselves. His father was a drug dealer, so people always criticized us."

"He stopped smiling to prevent others from bullying us," explained Pamela.

Hailey felt miserable. Having grown up showered with love and care, Declan's life was the most heart-wrenching thing she had ever known. Since getting to know Declan's family, she felt as if she had encountered a completely different life.

"On top of all that, my family had mountains of debt. We barely had a million. Even if we did, I would never use it on something that's a mere possibility."

"For the past four years, I've been praying every day to live longer. At least until Declan grew up. I wanted to stay by his side for a few more years."

The passage has been significantly improved regarding grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Some minor ambiguities remain (e.g., the exact nature of Pamela's disability), but the overall clarity and flow are greatly enhanced.