Half an hour later.
Serena heard the sound of a car outside and dashed out to see. Sure enough, her aunt and the rest of the family had returned.
Darren sat in his wheelchair, with Rosemary pushing it forward, while Bard held Eunice’s hand.
Witnessing this scene, Serena suddenly felt like they were truly a family.
"Grandpa, Uncle Bard, Aunt Eunice, Rose. You’re finally back!" Serena bead. "I’ve been waiting for what felt like an eternity, and now you’re here!"
"Why are you still up? It’s late. You should be resting," Bard chided gently upon seeing her in a thin nightgown. "Co inside. It’s cold out here."
Serena had purposefully shed her thick, warm robe for the flimsy nightgown, all to gain a bit of sympathy from her family.
Seeing her plan had worked, she chuckled. "I’m fine. You all must be exhausted after such a long night. Rose, let help you with sothing."
She wanted to make a good impression in front of her grandfather.
"No need," Rosemary dismissed her offer, wheeling past without playing into Serena’s act.
A flicker of disappointnt crossed Serena’s eyes.
"Let’s head inside," Eunice said, patting her back.
Seizing the mont, Serena clung to her hand and cajoled, "Aunt Eunice, was Arlen’s birthday bash fun? Tell all about it! What happened?"
"It was alright," Eunice chuckled. "There were a bunch of fun things, like a clown act."
"That sounds amazing!" Serena felt envious but also miffed that her aunt hadn’t taken her along.
"But the performances were lackluster—at least in your sister’s and my opinion," Eunice continued with a smile. "You were lucky to miss it. There was this thrilling event tonight that got everyone’s adrenaline pumping. If you had been there and seen all that, you probably would’ve been in tears."
Serena couldn’t help feeling slighted internally. How did her aunt know she would cry? Missing out on such a fantastic party seed so unfair!
"Alright, ti to wash up and hit the hay," Eunice said, obviously tired and ready to head upstairs with Bard.
But Serena whined, "Grandpa’s just getting better, and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. Just let peek in and I’ll be off."
"You can see him tomorrow. It’s not too late."
Serena pouted pretentiously. "What if he’s whisked away in a rush tomorrow and I miss him again?"
Hearing this, Eunice glanced at Bard with a smile. "She’s beating around the bush, blaming you for taking her grandpa away."
"Not at all! I just miss Grandpa, that’s all."
"Then make it quick and get so rest. Grandpa’s tired, too. He’s been through a lot tonight."
Eunice didn’t spell it out, but to Serena, it sounded like her grandpa and Rosemary had shared significant monts she wasn’t privy to, and she didn’t want to disrupt their lingering warmth.
"I get it, Aunt Eunice. You and Uncle Bard should rest up, too," Serena replied with a gracious smile, though only she knew how upset and jealous she felt inside.
After a while, she approached her grandfather’s room and knocked.
To her surprise, Rosemary answered.
Serena’s face showed her shock. "What are you doing in Grandpa’s room? I need to speak with him."
The unspoken ssage was clear: Get out, now!
"He’s about to sleep. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."
As Rosemary started to close the door, Serena quickly reached out to stop it. "I just want to see him and say a few words. Are you going to stop ?"
"I told you, he needs his rest."
"No need to rush the clock!"
Serena pushed against the door, matching her strength against Rosemary’s, but it was clear she was no match.
Rosemary easily held her ground, her effortless stance a stark contrast to Serena’s strained efforts to open the door.
"Do you really have to be like this?" Serena glared at Rosemary, frustration evident in her voice. "I just want to talk to Grandpa. What are you so afraid of?"
"Afraid?" Rosemary arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Shouldn’t you be the one who’s afraid?"
"What do I have to be afraid of?" Serena retorted, her voice tinged with defensiveness even as she tried to turn the tables. "You’re just scared that Grandpa and I will bond, and he’ll end up liking more than you, right?"
Rosemary couldn’t help but laugh. "Do you think I’m afraid of that?"
Just then, a weary voice called from the room.
"Rose, what are you doing out there?"
Rosemary raised her voice slightly. "Grandpa, Serena wants to see you. She says she has sothing to tell you."
"Just send her back. We’ll talk tomorrow," Darren’s voice sounded tired. "Co here to , Rose."
Rosemary shot Serena a look and closed the door.
Left standing outside the door, Serena was stunned. She hadn’t expected that overnight, Grandpa would co to rely on Rosemary even more.
He preferred Rosemary’s company over hers. She was his granddaughter of eighteen years!
Was it simply because Rosemary shared his blood that he could erase all the affection he had shown Serena over those years?
Serena clenched her fists, convinced that Rosemary must be playing foul!
She knew a thing or two about dicine—surely she must’ve used so sort of hypnotic trick, making everyone in the family biased, making them all like her!
How despicable!
A draft blew in through the slightly opened window, sending a shiver down Serena’s spine. She suddenly rembered she had left her thick robe in her room, and angrily she stord off to retrieve it.
Rosemary went to Darren’s side and continued with the acupuncture. "Just two more needles, and then you’ll be able to get a good night’s rest."
"I just couldn’t catch my breath earlier, my head was pounding, and I was so irritable. A few pricks from you, and I feel much better." Lying in bed, Darren was thinking of the events of the evening.
"Don’t think about tonight anymore, Grandpa. Right now, you just need to relax and get so sleep," Rosemary said as she inserted the needles. "In a couple of days, Grandma is going to co visit. She’ll worry if she finds you looking weak and listless."
"Really?" A spark of surprise and joy lit up Darren’s eyes. "She said that to you? She’s coming to see ?"
Since waking up that evening and being whisked away to Arlen’s birthday bash by Bard, he hadn’t had a chance to speak with his wife.
"Don’t believe , Grandpa? You can call Grandma tomorrow and ask her yourself," Rosemary smiled. "She’ll be thrilled to hear your voice."
"I’ll call her first thing in the morning. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her."
To be honest, he missed her terribly. Since falling ill, he and his wife had been forced to live apart, seeking treatnt in different places.
"Just rember, Grandpa, your recovery is still fragile. No extre emotions when you talk to her tomorrow," Rosemary cautioned.
"Alright, alright," Darren chuckled, already feeling better.
After Rosemary finished with the acupuncture, she tidied away the needles and placed a sachet on his bedside table. "This will help soothe and induce sleep. You rest up, and I’ll co to check on you tomorrow."
"Thank you, dear. You’ve been such a help." Darren’s eyes were heavy with sleep, and it wasn’t long before he drifted off into slumber.
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