Desmond and I ambled into the private ward. A feminine figure which I soon recognized to be Clare's was sitting on a stool beside the patient's bed and backing us.
“You're back, Callie?” she asked without lifting her head to spare us a glance as she continued to hold mom's hand.
“Is Callie around?” Desmond asked, with a chuckle in his voice, in an attempt to announce our presence.
She swiftly lifted her head in our direction and a smile flashed through her eyes as she jumped to her feet directly and came to hug me.
“I wasn't expecting to see you soon,” she asserted with a beam, looking from my face to Desmond's.
I made a face at her words, “Or you wish not to see me around you anymore?” I asked playfully, walking around the bed and sitting down on the seat Clare was sitting on earlier.
“Don't be silly, Amelia” she chuckled out along with Desmond.
Staring at mom's pale face, my hands lifted of their own accord and held her free hand that was lying on the bed.
At this moment, all I could think of was when I was still a child. The only child and the apple of her parent's eyes. I recalled how mom would always sing me a lullaby each time I was prepared to sleep. I preferred songs to bed stories, unlike other children.
Furthermore, I thought back to how mom would hold me up in her arms and prepare varieties of dishes in the kitchen.
“Mommy, when will you allow me to start preparing dishes on my own?” I remembered how my little voice asked mom as she rinses some broccoli, with me sitting down on the counter.
Her smile became radiant, and her wrinkles deepened as she smiled.
“When you grow up, baby,” she answered, stealing a glance at my face and proceeding with what she was doing.
“But mommy, I've grown up. I'm five years old already, isn't it? So, I can cook,” I reminded her stubbornly, and I watched as her face filled with laughter and the creases around her eyes deepened. She looked thrilled.
She wiped her wet hands with a napkin and came to stand in front of me, “Don't worry, darling. When you grow up more, you and I will prepare the dishes,” she promised while she rubbed my cheeks, tenderly. Her movement was as soft as a feather.
“Yes mommy, I'll become a great chef,” I beamed toward her but to my surprise, her smile faded away immediately after my words.
“You won't become a chef but a lawyer, Amelia,” she said seriously with a profound expression etched on her forehead.
I stared at her face, my smile fading away as well. I didn't understand what a lawyer meant, but mommy keeps telling me that I would become a lawyer.
“A lawyer is better than a chef, sweetheart, So you'll become a lawyer, okay?”
My lips twisted in a half bitter smile while my tears spilled uncontrollably out of my eyes. “Open your eyes already, mom. I've become a lawyer,” I said softly, and then put down her hand.
Right then, there was the sound of the door opening. I tilted my head to the surging entrance and there stood Callie, wearing a pale pinkish gray dress with a pair of flat black shoes, and her golden locks were down her shoulder.
I slowly stood up, and my heart began to tremble while I managed to peek at Desmond's face.
“Amelia!” she yelled out in excitement and rushed up to jump on me, and I could feel my heart gladden as I welcomed her in my embrace.
“I'm so sorry for those times, Amelia, please forgive me,” her voice came out in a painful sob and my eyes immediately became moist again.
I pulled out of the hug and wiped out some curls from her forehead, and also cleaned her tears with my palm.
“Why should you be sorry when I am the bad guy?” I asked her with a warm smile.
She lowered her head in remorse and tightened her fingers around the paper bag she was holding. “I should have believed you when you were telling me the truth, Desmond is the real culprit”
I directly turned to look at him and saw that his eyes had become dim. I quickly bit my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing out.
“Does that mean you still haven't forgiven me?” Desmond asked profoundly from Callie's back. She almost flinched at the hearing of his sudden voice, but then she composed herself and then turned to look at him with broadened eyes. “Desmond?”
“Yes, it's me. Desmond. I can see that Amelia was the only person you saw when you came in,” Desmond affirmed, putting his hands in his pocket.
Callie let go of my hands before turning properly to face Desmond.
“What are you doing here?” her voice was not tough, but wasn't cool either.
“What kind of rhetorical question is that, Callie? What does it seem to you?” Clare said and twitched her lips with a playful eye roll.
Rapidly, Callie looked over at my face, but I promptly lowered my head, not yet having the courage to look at her face.
After being stunned for a few seconds, “You guys are now together?” her shaky voice was like the tumbling atmospheric pressure, sounding dull and sharp.
“Yes, Callie, we are together. And to be honest, you are the reason for our visit yesterday” Desmond said clearly. I mustered some courage and raised my eyes to look at her.
“Are you upset?” my voice was low and had no confidence in it. Right after I asked my question, a broad, compassionate and sincere grin emerged on her face as she inched closer and held my hands.
“Of course, I'm not upset, Amelia, but you are very much aware of Desmond's wayward attitude. Do you trust him? I mean, are you sure he's sincere about you?” As she spoke up, she looked over at him bit by bit.
“I love Amelia so much, Callie,” Desmond spoke up, looking profound as to this matter is of utmost importance to him.
“In my past life, I used to be a nasty person who committed wrongdoings. But believe me, Callie, in this life, God just brought Amelia to punish me”
I was touched and got goosebumps from his phrases, I couldn't help but lower my head, knowing the color of my cheeks at that moment.
“Please Callie, fight this out with me but don't ever give Amelia another thought about me, I love her,”
I raised my chin with a deep smile on my face. I felt a strong surge that I could not describe the feelings.
“Oh, my, Callie, the playboy has really met his doom. He's madly in love with Amelia, can't you see it?” Clare poked fun at Desmond, but nudged Callie's arm.
Callie moved closer to him, “If you hurt my sister, I promise you, Desmond, I'll kill you,” she threatened ferociously, glaring into his eyes.
I stiffened in place but did not dare to voice out a single word as I continued to stare at both of them.
***
The next day, which was the third day I would be visiting mom in the hospital. I parked my car carefully in the hospital garage and then came down afterward.
Legging it into the hospital, I noticed a few people were crowding at a very close distance to the parking lot. I was beginning to wonder what could be the reason for the gathering when my eyes were suddenly caught by Clare in the middle of the crew. Her eyes were blazing at the man in front of her, whose back was to me.
Without any resistance, I quickened my steps toward the scene.
“What if you had knocked me down with your tin that you referred to as a car, huh! Why weren't you careful? Do you want to kill me?” Clare's temper rocketed as she glared at the poor man. I shook my head helplessly and found my way through the small crowd.
“But how else do you want me to apologize to you, Miss? What's your problem? Is it that you're having a mental illness?” the man too had gone ballistic from the tone of his voice.
“What's going on here, Clare?” I faced and asked her directly.
“You need to see how this useless man nearly knocked me down with his car a moment ago, Amelia” Clare seethed.
“Watch your tongue, young lady. Otherwise, I'll lose it”
I turned to face the man now, and my mouth went agape immediately.
“Mack?”
Hearing his name, he looked down at me and was also surprised to me see me with his widened eyes.
“What are you doing here, Amelia? And do you by chance know this bad-mouthed lady?” he asked in a deep-voiced as he continued to glare hard at Clare.
I chuckled and swatted his arm playfully, “Come on, Mack, she's my sister”
I looked over at Clare, and her smoldering face was now replaced by an awe expression. “Amelia, you know this man?” she quizzed, pointing a finger at Mack.
“Yes, Clare, this is Mack, Mr. Alexander's best friend,” I gave an introduction.
“Now introduce yourself and let's get this over with,” I said to the both of them, but they only scowled at each other, and then Clare stomped off.
“Are you sure your sister is okay?” asked Mack, gazing in the direction of Clare.
I smiled, “Come on, Mack, of course, she's okay”
“Then why is she so stubborn?” he pressed on, staring at my face now.
“I'm sorry on her behalf. So, what are you doing here?” I asked him, raising my head to look at his face.
He put forward a pace and began, “A man from the production department in the company got into an accident yesterday and was rushed to this hospital”
I shook my head pathetically as we both walked side by side into the hospital.
“That's bad. I hope he'll be alright” I said with a sigh.
“Yeah. So, what are you doing here also?”
“My foster mom is admitted here, so I came to check on her”
He nodded off slowly, “So basically, that lady is your foster's mom's daughter?” he asked with interest now, and I stared at his face in pessimistic.
He laughed wholeheartedly and asked, “What?”
A moment later, I was sitting beside mom on the bed, cleaning her body with a damp towel, while Callie sat on a nearby couch as we both conversed merrily. Clare had just left here to get something for lunch.
“So you don't love him?” I asked in a mockery tone and immediately ducked her sharp gaze.
She just told me about a dandy from her working place, who seemed to be into her, but she didn't feel the same. In her opinion, the so-called dude isn't cute enough to her taste.
“Amelia!” she yelled silently through clenched teeth, giving off the impression of annoyance.
“What?” I chortled.
“Okay. On a serious note now, do you have a boyfriend or…?” I deliberately broke off, raising my brows.
“No, but I think I have a huge crush on someone,” she said, her cheeks morphing into a darker shade of red.
“Oh? Who's it?” I beamed, dropped the towel inside the water, and readjusted my sitting position.
“Henry Torres. He's the biggest investor in the company I work with. He's so cute, Amelia” she absentmindedly covered her cheeks with her hands.
Meanwhile, I wasn't really concentrating on her last words. The name she just mentioned sounds so familiar.
But where have I heard of the name before?
“Mom?”
I jolted out of my thought and looked at mom beside me on the bed. Callie had jumped to her feet and scuttled forward.
“Amelia, she's moving! Mom is awake!”