Sabrina turned to Cullen, who was observing them from his seat nearby. "Dad, can we stay and eat here? Maybe get the food packed and brought over?"
"Of course," Cullen replied simply.
Sabrina's face lit up instantly as she tightened her embrace around Veronica, her small arms clinging with renewed enthusiasm.
While Mary and Cook engaged in animated conversation, Veronica remained mostly quiet, occasionally offering brief comnts when addressed directly. The chatter between the older won filled the hospital room with a comfortable background noise.
Eventually, Sabrina began to fidget with growing impatience. "Mom," she whispered, leaning closer to Veronica, "when will you be finished with work?"
Not wanting Mary to overhear, Veronica carefully lifted Sabrina and carried her to the couch near the hospital bed. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted softly. "But if things go as planned, my schedule might actually get even more hectic."
"Huh?" Sabrina's face fell, disappointnt etching across her features.
"What about our skiing trip?" she pressed, clearly unwilling to let go of the promised adventure.
Veronica considered this for a mont before answering, "Perhaps next month."
"You an it?" Hope flickered in Sabrina's eyes.
"Yes." Veronica nodded with certainty. "I'll let you know as soon as my schedule clears."
"Aweso!" Sabrina's enthusiasm returned instantly.
A mory from the previous evening suddenly surfaced in Sabrina's mind. "Oh, Mom, did you go shopping last night?"
Veronica hesitated briefly before responding, "I did."
"Really? So that was you I spotted!" Sabrina exclaid.
"Perhaps," Veronica replied noncommittally. As she spoke, she caught Cullen watching them from the corner of his eye, his attention seemingly divided between his phone and their conversation.
Sabrina realized she hadn't accompanied Veronica shopping in quite so ti. What had once seed tedious to her—aimlessly wandering through stores—now held a nostalgic appeal.
"Next ti you're free, could you take shopping too?" she asked eagerly. "And we absolutely have to visit the arcade for bumper cars!"
Veronica averted her gaze slightly. "Alright."
While Sabrina continued chattering excitedly, Cullen picked up Veronica's cup, noticing the water had gone cold. He emptied it, filled it with fresh warm water from the dispenser, and placed it back on the coffee table within her reach.
"Thank you," Veronica said quietly.
"You're welco," Cullen responded, settling down on the couch beside them.
Cook and Mary had been deep in conversation, but Cook faltered mid-sentence when she noticed the three of them sitting together, presenting the image of a unified family.
Mary followed Cook's gaze but showed no visible reaction before looking away again.
Cook sighed audibly. "You see—"
"They've made their choices," Mary interjected firmly. "We shouldn't interfere."
Cook could only respond with another heavy sigh.
Shortly thereafter, the food Cullen had ordered arrived. The spread was generous—clearly more than sufficient for just two people.
Cullen turned toward Veronica. "Please, have sothing to eat."
Veronica couldn't help but notice that half the dishes were her favorites. Cullen had even instructed the staff to place these selections closer to her seat.
"Sa," Cullen called, "go invite your grandmother to join us for dinner."
"Right away!" Sabrina hopped down from Veronica's lap and bounded over to Mary, tugging at her hand enthusiastically.
Cook added her encouragent, "Go on, have sothing to eat. I'd feel terrible asking you to keep company again tomorrow if you leave hungry today."
Finding herself without a reasonable excuse, Mary approached the table and took a seat.
As she observed the arrangent of dishes, Mary couldn't miss that all of Veronica's favorites had been positioned directly in front of her. She paused, glancing montarily at Cullen with an unreadable expression.
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