Part 7
The crew, as Magnus ordered them, went to the hospital. And the first person who entered Sebastian's room was Catherine who found him reading a newspaper.
Sebastian: Good morning, love. Sorry for bothering you this morning. I feel better now.
She began crying again and suddenly she ran and hugged him, she said:
Cat: Uncle... You're... cancered...
Sebastian: (completely shocked) ... What?
Cat: The doctor said it's liver cancer! I don't want you to die! Not you! I don't want to lose you!
Sebastian: (trying to calm her down) It's ok, I won't die... I won't let you alone... I'm still young... don't you remember? I told you that last night... we're still young...
Scottchand got in the room with the rest of the crew, silently, and so Seb asked him:
Sebastian: Is that right, Magnus?
Magnus: Yes. You're lucky, because the cancer is in the first stage. Rarely liver cancered people know about their sickness in the first stage.
Cat: We need a million dollars to have a surgery, to rescue you.
Magnus: There is a chance in killing the tumor with medicines, without a surgery. However...
Sebastian: What?
Rocky: Why didn't you tell us about the train?
Sebastian: (confused) What?
Rose: A man called William Kingston, our train's seller, sent you a letter, asking you to give him a million dollars to finish paying him.
Sebastian: Damn it... I forgot completely that...
Angry: Now, what should we do? Do you have two millions dollars?
Sebastian: I know that what will I say now will scare you a lot but... I don't have even a million dollars...
George: Huh?!!
Rose: Oh my God...
Sebastian: I spent what we won and raised from our shows around the world on parties and your salaries, and I kept what will be enough for us until the next show in the next year.
Rose: Don't worry, boss; we'll give you back our salaries.
Sebastian: (smiling) No, dear Rose, I won't take your salaries... (Asking Magnus) Magnus, how much is the percentage of surviving without a surgery?
Magnus: I suppose... little... less than 30%.
Sebastian: (pretending the happiness) So... Don't get that worried! We can do it! We're The Extraordinary Circus! We can do anything we want to do! Let us be optimistic! Do you know why people love us? They do because we spread lights, hope and optimist. That's why!
Rocky: Ok, we're always optimistic but...What should we do?
Sebastian: Listen...
Suddenly, he took a little bucket and vomited. The crew got afraid and anxious. But he reassured them, saying:
Sebastian: I'm fine... Don't worry... We need to think... to find a solution... Come on... Let us find a way to offer at least a million dollars to keep our train...
Abruptly, Cat had an idea:
Cat: Uncle! I found it!
Sebastian: What?
Cat: Do you remember when his majesty the King George VI offered us his help at anytime?
Sebastian: Yeah?
Cat: We can go now and ask him to give us the money!
Sebastian: You think?
Magnus: Seb, don't be stupid.
Sebastian: So what are you waiting for? Go! Magnus and Cat, go to Buckingham palace. Use even my car, just go!
***
Catherine and Scottchand got in the palace, accompanied with two guards. They stood in front of the King, who was sitting in his throne and once he saw them, he smiled and greeted:
The king: Oh my God! Ms. Cat! Mr. Scottchand! How are you! Very pleasured to see you!
Magnus: Your majesty, we're glad to meet you too. But, we came, asking for your help, that you offered to us few years ago. Do you remember?
The king: Of course I do! What happened?
Cat: Your majesty, our boss, Mr. Smith, is... cancered.
The king: (his smile changed to sadness and shock) Unbelievable... Sebastian Smith himself is cancered?
Magnus: Liver cancer. The doctors said that he has to have a surgery, to kill the tumor and to save him, in case if medicines didn't do it. He needs one million dollars. Besides, last night, we discovered that Sebastian didn't pay all the money to the train seller, Mr. Kingston, when he bought it; he still has another million dollars to pay during a month.
The king: What a misery! So... you need two millions dollars to rescue your boss and your legendary train?
Cat: Yes, your majesty...
The king: And I'll do everything to rescue The Extraordinary Circus. Well, (he stood up) I'll send the money to your tent in this evening by two of my guards. Don't worry, you'll be fine. I wish that Mr. Smith gets better, and that you keep your train.
Cat: (Very happy) Thanks your majesty!
The king: You're welcome. Send my wishes to Sebastian and all the crew!
After they left the palace, Cat and Magnus came back to the hospital, and they announced the good news...
In their way from the palace to the tent to bring the money, the two guards were silent, until one of them mumbled to his fellow:
Guard 1: Hey, bro.
Guard 2: What?
Guard 1: We have behind us two millions dollars!
Guard 2: So?
Guard 1: What if...?
Guard 2: What if?
Guard 1: Are you thinking what I'm thinking about?
Guard 2: Do you mean...?
Guard 1: Yes! If we did, we'll be rich! You take a full million dollars, and I get a full million dollars! One million dollars is not that easy and little raise of money! Think about it!
Guard 2: Yeah... you're right... Nobody here is watching us!
Guard 1: Yes! Let's do it!
So, instead of continuing their road to the tent, they changed the way toward one of their homes, to divide the money...
And about the circus, they waited for the cash until the night. They got anxious and worried.
Rose: Magnus, we have been waiting since the morning, since we left Sebastian! Where are they?
George: Are you sure of this information?
Angry: I knew it! The king is not loyal!
Rose: Angry, please!
Magnus: Something wrong is happening... we'll wait for another hour... if they didn't come, Catherine and I would go again to the palace...
Indeed, they didn't come; Cat and Scottchand went to the palace. And the king was completely confused:
The king: What? You didn't get the money?
Cat: Yes your majesty, we have been waiting for them since we left the palace.
The king: That's weird... The two guards confirmed that they gave you the money...
Magnus: But we had nothing...
The king: Look, with all my love and respect for you, I can't give you other two millions dollars, that's too much! I'm sorry, I can't help you anymore, nothing wrong happens with me and my guards... It may be your mistake...
Cat: What...?
The king: I'm sorry, you can come back to where you came from.
Magnus: But...
The king: (he raised his hand) That's it.
The two circus artists looked at each other. Then, they went to the hospital, where the crew was waiting for them with Sebastian.
Once they entered the room, all of people there looked at them, and Seb asked:
Sebastian: So?
Magnus: He said that his guards confirmed that they gave us the money. He refused to give us again.
The crew: No...
Sebastian looked at his niece who had a sad face. He ordered her tenderly to sit next to him. Indeed, she hugged him and suddenly she exploded crying again.
Sebastian: Cat, please... stop crying...
Cat: Things are going worse, uncle. How do you want me not to cry?!
Magnus: ... People... I got an idea...
Cat: What?
Magnus: If we couldn't have money, at least we can reduce it.
Jasmine: How?
Magnus: Unfortunately, we need to be "beggars" to go to Mr. Kingston and beg him to forgive us and to forget about his money.
Angry: Good! Now we're beggars!
Magnus: This or we lose Sebastian and the train.
Cat: What do you think, uncle?
Sebastian: I'm in... Do you know where his villa is?
Cat: Yes, I remember well; I came with you on that day.
Sebastian: Good, go and visit him with Magnus... He may be our last chance to rescue the circus...
***
On the next day, Magnus took Cat to the villa. And he asked her to go alone; it may affect Mr. Kingston positively.
She got in, accompanied with one of housemaids, and she found him standing in the middle of big stairs. He shouted, greeting his guest:
Kingston: Ms. Cat! The new ringmaster and the assistant of Sebastian Smith himself, in my humble home! What lucky I am! Are you here to give me the rest of money that your boss didn't pay to me 5 years ago?
Cat: Mr. Kingston, with all my respect; I believe that you've heard about my boss' health.
Kingston: I know: liver cancer.
Cat: And you've heard about the million dollars we need to pay to rescue him.
Kingston: Of course I did.
Cat: We don't have money, even to rescue Mr. Smith. We don't have money enough. So what about another million dollars?
Kingston: You... don't have... money? And you're The Extraordinary Circus?
Cat: I'm sorry. I came here to beg you: please, no need to take your money... Mr. Smith is in danger and the circus' future is between the hands of his life and health. Please, forgive us... I promise you we'll pay you one day but not now...
Kingston: (smiling) Dear Cat, one million dollars is a fortune itself... I'm a businessman, and businessmen believe that never taking back just a one dollar means you're a loser businessman, and your life and fortune is endangered. So, I won't forgive. You have a whole month to restore my million, or my train. A final point... Have a good day...
He climbed the stairs up while his guards asked Cat to leave the villa now. She ran toward the car where Magnus was waiting for her and praying. When she got in the car, he asked her:
Magnus: Huh? What happened?
She cried again and so he understood that Kingston refused to forgive them...
***