The sight of the mother who was on the verge of breaking down and her visibly upset child was chipping away at my empathy. If I didn’t come apart at the seams, I would definitely be affected by my surroundings.
Anthony’s hand tightened on mine, pulling it forward and placing it on his chest.
“Cry if you want to. You don’t have to pretend to be strong when one of your family members is sick.” His voice was soft yet clear, and every word emanated a sense of security.
As I steadied my nerves, I suddenly heard a woman’s wailing reverberating across the room. Camelia slumped onto a chair and hid her face behind her palms, her body wracked with sobs.
Tobias dissolved into tears, too as he stood up and came to his mother’s side, rubbing her back comfortingly. It was the only thing he could do at that moment.
Tears streamed down my face quietly, and Anthony wiped them away with his fingers. I didn’t crumble under the weight of emotions with him being the pillar of support for us. Instead, I was able to stand on the sidelines, sharing in Camelia and Tobias’ pain but not interrupting them.
Silence blanketed the room again after some time. Camelia had calmed down, but her nose was runny while her eyes were red and swollen. She squinted, barely able to see through her bleary vision.
After consoling Tobias, she glanced at us and lowered her head sheepishly. “Sorry for that. I must have shocked both of you.”
“Not a problem. You needed to vent. If you bottle your emotions up, you’ll get sick,” I reassured.
She gave a wan smile and didn’t say anything else, only tousling Tobias’ head with an affectionate expression, as if she could overlook the messier parts in life. At that moment, she was a completely different person from the one who had just sobbed uncontrollably.
Camelia was exhausted down to the marrow of her bones from caring for Marcus who was terminally ill.
“How about this? Leave Marcus’ next treatment to Anthony and me. You should take Tobias home and rest for a bit.” We had hit it off since our first meeting, and I wanted to do something for her, no matter how small it was.
“It’s fine.” Camelia smiled, her gaze bouncing between us and Tobias. She joked, “I don’t want to wash my hands of Marcus. He’s stuck with me for the rest of his life. I want him to be indebted to me so much that he wouldn’t be able to repay me in this lifetime.”
Then she expelled a long sigh, caressing Tobias’ arms as she murmured, “Tobias, you can love a person too much. Don’t do it, okay?”
Camelia felt better after crying, and her muscles didn’t feel as stiff. Before she returned to the hospital, she heeded our suggestion to take a hot shower at a nearby hotel and changed into a set of clean clothes, looking so much more refreshed.
Coincidentally, it was mealtime for Marcus. Camelia used to serve him, but today, she passed the tray of food to me.
Staying alive was a lengthy process and didn’t require any fancy reasons, just as long as both parties understood each other.
Camelia and I were on the same page when it came to saving Marcus.
Pushing the door open, I was greeted with Marcus’ back as he sat on the edge of the bed. Camelia mentioned that he was very feeble, so this might be a good sign.
“Oh, you’re awake. Here, you should eat something. The housekeeper has specially prepared some of your favorite food.”
I walked to the foot of the bed and raised the overbed table, laying out all the food. Although they were pre-packed in insulated lunchboxes, they didn’t lack in fragrance and flavor.
Yet Marcus didn’t move a muscle, appearing uninterested.
I reckoned it was too arduous for him to get out of bed or turn around. Hence, I rounded the bed and voluntarily went to help him up.
As soon as my hand made contact with him, he shook it off irritably, his pale face looking sullen. He was evidently still irate at what happened.
I let out a sigh and straightened, drawing out in a patient tone, “You can’t be so childish to be using your health as a bargaining chip, right?”
Marcus snorted derisively. “Your memory must be lacking not to remember that I’m a person who would do whatever it takes to get what I want.”
I was dumbstruck and switched tactics to divert his attention. “Fine, let’s agree to disagree that you will fight to the bitter end, but your health is important if you want to revolt. If you have something to eat, wouldn’t your battle last longer?”
Enraged, he looked up and shot daggers at me. “You’re just trying to deceive me now.”
His furrowed brows told me his chest must have been hurting during our conversation. But in a blink of an eye, he had managed to smooth out the pinched expression, and once again, he looked normal.
That didn’t escape my attention, of course.
Marcus clenched his fist as if he had something to prove and stated, “If my eating is the only compromise, I’ll continue my hunger strike until I waste away from thirst or hunger, whichever comes first. The door’s that way if you can’t stomach it. No one’s stopping you.”
I was officially out of moves.
He was right, though. It was either out of sight, out of mind, or giving in.
It was common for patients to threaten others like this.
Since we were at an impasse, I chose to back down today and left him alone.
“It’s all right if you don’t want to have a bite. I’ll come again tomorrow. If you want anything, inform me on WhatsApp, or you could rest if you don’t have much of an appetite.”
Then, I left the ward without another word.
Camelia insisted on staying to take care of Marcus. Thus, we volunteered to look after Tobias since it was not the wisest choice for a kid to stay in a hospital for a prolonged time.
Anthony instructed the doctor to administer nutritional supplements for Marcus intravenously before taking us home.
When we reached home, the kids were already asleep. Only Summer and Jared were in the living room, surrounded by a mountain of documents, furiously calculating something.
“Mom, Dad, you’re back.” Summer heard our footsteps, immediately putting down the tablet in her hands, and stood up.
“Yeah,” I answered with a smile and introduced them to each other. “This is Tobias White, Camelia’s son. He’ll be staying with us temporarily. Tobias, this is Summer.”
“Nice to meet you,” he greeted sincerely.
“You, too.” Summer continued courteously, “If you need anything, just come to me, okay?”
“Got it. Thank you.”
I changed into a pair of indoor slippers and dragged my weary body to the couch, pounding my fist on my shoulders and thumbing through a document on the table quickly.
Cost accounting of the club project…
“You’re doing cost-benefit now? Have you finished with the location and favors?” The Wenville project, which Summer and Jared had worked hard on, ended less than a week ago. They should be taking a break, not rushing headlong into the next project.
I encouraged it when kids had ambition and motivation. However, they could also take a breather under my roof.
Summer flashed a half-smile. “Mom, before completing the Wenville project, Mr. Cress and I already started on the club affairs, such as site approval, sale and purchase of properties, and renovations. They are all settled. After the quotations are approved, the company will allocate the final sum of capital, and we can prepare for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”
Who would have known that my daughter would favor a career in business and work tirelessly toward it? I might have been a little too narrow-minded before this and hadn’t taken her seriously.
I chuckled ruefully and decided not to backseat her, leaving to give them some space. “You’re adults, so I won’t comment much. Go to bed soon. Don’t overwork yourselves.”
“I know, Mom. I’ll head up shortly,” Summer assured me.
Humming in approval with a nod, I led Tobias upstairs. “Come on, Tobias. I’ll show you your room. Are you afraid to sleep alone? If you are, leave a light on tonight, okay?”
“I’m not afraid.” He might be reserved, but he was a self-sufficient kid for his age.
I glanced back over my shoulder while climbing up the stairs to see that Summer and Jared had already returned to their frenzy working state. They looked like they were fighting on the battlefield instead of merely performing analysis.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.