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“And the children you knew I wanted to have.”
Striker nodded. “I’m not telling you this now because anything has changed, Aine. I still have the same fears, the same concerns.”
“Why are you telling me, Griffin?”
“I wanted you to understand. I wanted you to know that it was nothing you did.”
“That’s why you said there’d never be anyone else.”
He nodded.
“You’re choosing to be alone for the rest of your life because of something you don’t even know you have?”
“I’m choosing not to subject another person to it if I do. There is always the chance that the disorder will manifest itself in me. Just because I haven’t had symptoms of it yet, doesn’t mean I never will.”
“Would the test tell you?”
He nodded.
“I understand why you wouldn’t want to take it.”
“You do?”
“In one of my classes, we talked about something similar. If there was a test that could tell a person that they were predisposed to dementia, for example, would that person want to know?”
“Would you?”
Aine took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”
Striker nodded. “Same for me. I’ve gone back and forth trying to decide if it would be better to know, or let myself remain ignorant.”
“There is treatment for bipolar disorder though, right?”
“There is.”
“It isn’t the same as it would be if it were something like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.”
“I’ve considered that. So, you think I should do it?”
Aine brushed his lower lip with her thumb. “I can’t answer that.”
“You can tell me what you think. I’m asking.”
“I can’t answer, because I don’t know.”
Striker nodded.
“There is something I do know.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to be with you, Griffin. I don’t care if we never know. I still want to be with you.”
“I knew you would feel that way. It’s the reason I didn’t tell you.”
“But now you did.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I want to protect you from this.”
