She stopped talking and slept through the rest of the ride. Very soon, they arrived back at the hospital. Amelia unbuckled her seat belt before suggesting, “Mr. Clinton, it’s pretty late now. Why not you go grab lunch first? I’ll meet you back later.” There was no response. The next moment, he got out of the car purposefully. She was slightly taken aback by his behavior, but exited the car as well. Outside, Oscar had both his hands in his pocket. “Let’s go.” “Mr. Clinton, perhaps if you’re hungry you could…” “Hurry up. Mr. Scott is someone I respect. Now that his grandson is awake, it’s only basic courtesy to pay him a visit.” That makes sense. Amelia trailed behind him at a distance.
Oscar turned and grabbed her by the waist. “Walk with me.” Outside the ward, he knocked on the door. Jennifer was surprised by his appearance, but she kept her expression neutral. “Come on in.” Before they entered, Amelia whispered, “Mr. Clinton, you can let go of me now. Many people, including Mr. Scott, are inside. It’s embarrassing to appear in this manner.” Unsurprisingly, her words fell on deaf ears. His grip only tightened further. “Let’s go in.” She was helpless against his stubborn personality, so she allowed him to lead her into the ward. Carter, who had been laying lethargically on the hospital bed, brightened up upon seeing Amelia. Just as quickly, his expression darkened when he saw Oscar’s hand on her.
Despite so, he could not contain his excitement. “Amelia, you’re here!” Both Oscar and Amelia approached him. “Hey Carter, Ms. Larson told me you were awake, so Oscar and I thought to drop by and visit you.” Carter gazed at her tenderly. “Amelia, you visited me while I was still unconscious, didn’t you? I remember you said that if I wake up, I’ll get a chance to pursue you again. Can I hold your word for it?” Clearly, he had crossed the line. The atmosphere in the ward turned awkward. Abel coughed a few times to remind him. “Carter, you’ve just regained consciousness. The doctor instructed you to get plenty of rest. Why not take a nap after you finish your meal?” “Granddad, I feel ok.”
He faced Amelia while repeating once more, “Amelia, that chance you mention, it’s real. Isn’t it?” Amelia was put on a spot. Those words were just her half-hearted attempt to encourage Carter to wake up. Never in her wildest dream did she expect him to hear it. She could only curse herself for her plight. Meanwhile, Carter’s words triggered the possessiveness within Oscar. He tightened his grip on her. “Mr. Carter, I understand your infatuation with my wife. After all, she is a very charming lady with a long line of suitors. Regretfully for everyone else, our relationship’s going strong, and will be expecting a child soon.
It’s high time you give up.” Carter retorted, “Amelia has given me permission to be her child’s godfather. I’ll treat him or her like my flesh and blood. Don’t worry, my bond with Amelia will only grow stronger.” His words were undoubtedly a direct confrontation with him. Abel frowned. Meanwhile, Mrs. Scott went by her son’s side to diffuse the tension. “Carter, you’ve just regained your consciousness, so your mind is probably confused. Let’s save the jokes for a later day. You need to rest.” Carter understood not to go any further. “Mom, I’m fine. It’s just been a long time since I last saw Amelia, so I can’t resist the urge to speak more with her.” The next moment, Oscar started, “Seeing how Mr. Carter is being all lively, he’s probably recovering really well.
Looks like Amelia can set her heart at ease now.” He gazed towards her, voice gentle, “Honey, am I right?” Amelia nodded her head helplessly. Oscar and Carter had always been at loggerheads with each other, so she tried to divert their attention. “Carter, take care of yourself. You won’t blame us for not bringing any fruit baskets, right? We kinda came here in a hurry.” Carter chuckled lightly. “Of course not! There’s plenty of fruits here: bananas, grapes, apples… Which do you want? I’ll peel it for you.” Amelia smiled awkwardly, trying her best to avoid his passionate gaze. “I haven’t had lunch so I’ll pass on the fruits.” “What! Look at how late it is now. You haven’t had lunch?”
Carter’s sudden outburst caused him to pull on his injury. He cried out in pain. This got Jennifer and Mrs. Scott worried. “Carter, remember what the doctor said? You can’t get too agitated.” He took a few deep breaths while waiting for the pain to subside. “Mom, I know.” Subconsciously, he retracted his hands away from Jennifer. Although his behavior hurt the latter, her proud disposition kept her from revealing her emotions. She remained indifferent on the outside. Carter added, “Amelia, go and have your lunch. You’re eating for two now. You won’t want the baby to go hungry.”
“We shall take up your offer then. I’ll take Amelia to eat now. She won’t have to miss lunch had she not been so worried about you, as a friend.” Oscar’s tone was oozing with sarcasm. “Go ahead Amelia. I’ll pay you a visit once I’m discharged from the hospital. If it weren’t for your encouraging words, I would never have woken up. Simply put, you’re my savior.” Amelia shook her head. “Carter, please don’t credit me for this. You were already doing fine. Besides, this is a reputable hospital. Under their care, you would’ve woken up eventually.” Oscar had enough of Carter’s advances. He situated himself in front of Amelia to block the latter’s view of her. Then, he turned to Abel. “Mr. Scott, I’m pretty sure all of you have a lot of catching up to do.
We shall take our leave now.” Abel chuckled. “All right. Also, don’t take Carter’s words to heart. He’s just woken up, so he made a lot of careless remarks.” “Don’t worry about it. I understand why he would act this way. As expected of my beautiful and kind wife. I’m glad he knows to appreciate her as well.” With that, Oscar bade the rest of them farewell. Right before they exited, he turned and gave a final piece of advice. “Mr. Carter, instead of having a one-track mind, it’s best to broaden your view. You’ll find that there are plenty of options available. For instance, Ms. Larson here seems to be a good match for you. Give others a chance. Who knows, you might end up in a blissful relationship too.”
With that, both Oscar and Amelia left the ward. Evidently, the atmosphere in the ward had turned sour. Abel turned to the rest of the members. “Now that Carter’s awake, you all can go back and rest now. I have some private matters to discuss with him.” Mrs. Scott responded on their behalf. “Dad, we’ll leave first then. I’ll get the housemaid to prepare some food for Carter and come by again later.” Abel nodded. Mrs. Scott tugged on Jennifer, but the latter had no intention of moving. “Mrs. Scott, Carter just woke up. I wish to spend more time with him. I’ll leave on my own later.” “Jennifer, I appreciate your care these past few days. I’m pretty sure you’re tired as well. Go back home and have a good rest.”
After facing multiply rejections, Jennifer could no longer mask the hurt in her voice. “Carter, do you hate me this much?” Before he could respond, Mrs. Scott intercepted. She wrapped her hands around Jennifer’s to placate her. “Jennifer, I’m sure Carter’s just worried you’ll overwork yourself. C’mon, let’s go home together. I’ll make tons of delicious food for you. There’s plenty of time in future to spend with him.” Her words worked. Jennifer felt slightly better. They exited the ward, leaving Abel and Carter alone. Without sugar-coating his words, Abel chided, “Carter, what you said just now was unacceptable.
Even I would think twice before provoking Oscar. Yet, you flirted with Amelia right in front of him. Is she that important to you?” “Granddad, my feelings for Amelia have long passed the point of return. While I was unconscious, I could still vaguely hear the voices around me. Besides you and the rest of the family, Amelia’s words pulled me through this. She said she’ll give me a chance to make up for not helping her back then. This time, I’m determined to protect her.” Abel sighed in resignation. “Is this retribution? If I’d known you would be this infatuated with her, I shouldn’t have chased her away.
Otherwise, you would’ve been happily married to her. Perhaps, I could even be holding my own grandchild now.” Carter shut his eyes as he attempted to placate the surge of emotions welling up within him. “Granddad, it’s true that for a long time, I have hated you, Mom, and Dad. But, I’ve learned to forgive.
It’s just, at times, I can’t help but wonder whether what happened between me and Amelia was because of your doings or my cowardice and weakness. Perhaps, it’s a combination of both. If I had been stronger and more mature, things would have turned out differently.” “Carter, you’ve grown into a fine man now. Romance is just a small part of your life. Why let it affect you so much?”
