"What's that you are holding?"Sunny asked the very minute Hazel stepped into the house lost in thought that she forgot she was actually holding the blanket.
"Earth to Hazel!"Sunny called waving her hands in front of her that she was still time frozen, she clapped her hands which made her gasp a little from shock.
"Sun.."
"What's wrong with you?"Sunny is worried,she has this sickened feeling inside that something was definitely wrong with her friend. She has been acting strangely since two days now and had not opened up to her about anything bothering her.
"Wrong ?i'm fine ''Hazel blurted out in a haste which Sunny cringed her face at suspecting her more,she always talked fastly whenever she was worried about something and blinked her eyes rapidly like a robot.
"What is it you are not telling me?you never really told me what happened in that dinner Hazel?"
"Because there's nothing to talk about Sun,nothing happened,I'm fine"Hazel told her while walking to sit down in the settee but not without giving a deep breath hoping sunny was going to drop with the questions so soon but as usual she wasn't planning on giving up so soon.
"What's with the blanket?"Sunny asked the second time and just then her demeanor changed,she was on the verge of breaking down.
"The orphanage,mother Mor..gana"Hazel mumbled in between tears as Sunny went up to her, bending down to her level.
"What is it Hazel,what happened to her?stop crying already you know i hate seeing you cry"Sunny told her and then she hugged her then finally said
"She's in the hospital Sunny,she's really sick, and had a panic attack while trying to talk to me.I thought she was going to die, I thought…"
"Shh..it's okay Hazel. Nothing is going to happen to her okay"Sunny assured her by rubbing her back to stop her cries,she felt sad because she knew her important lady Morgana was to her since she was a child.
"Who gave you this?''Sunny asked, raising the blanket to her,the blanket seemed expensive.
"That's mine,I came with it when i was a baby to the orphanage"Hazel told her standing up to get water from the fridge.
"Are you planning on finding them?"Sunny asked the words that came to her mind
"Seriously? Why is everyone so fussy about me finding my parents,I don't care about them sun!"Hazel shouted irritated about this whole issue about her finding her parents which she was not going to do,not now ,not ever!
"I was just asking Hazel no pun intended"Sunny told her, raising her hand in surrender, figuring out she was not in a good mood today and just then the doorbell sounded.
"Did you made an order?"Hazel asked, looking at Sunny stretched out lazily in the settee and gave her a swift sign with her hand that she didn't place an order.
"I'll go get it"Hazel said as she opened the door to meet the very same person she had been trying to avoid standing in front of her, just not with a smiling face this time but rather with a sad face which made Hazel wonder what was going on with her.
"I hope I'm not here in a bad time?"Avery asked, trying to sound normal but her acting skill was so poor that Hazel noticed she was sad.
"N..no..not at all"Hazel said immediately.
"Grandpa requests your presence Hazel"Avery told her to see the young lady grumping her face.
"I clearly told him in not interested in what he's offering,why can't you guys…"Hazel told her trying to get her to understand her firm decision of not trying to do what they want but her words were shortened by Avery who told her what nearly made her cry this instant.
"He's sick Avery,why can't you respect the old man's wish to see you"
"Sick?"Hazel asked her, confused as to why the old healthy man she saw some days ago was now suddenly sick.
Hazel felt bitter instantly,although she didn't know much about him but the way he was kind and took her side against his very own family during the dinner had her feeling loved for the first time.
The old man wants to see her.
Well, she too wants to see him.
~~~~~
"Grandpa"Hazel called looking at the man who was lying on top of his bed with an oxygen mask on his face,she nearly teared up but she had to compose herself in front of his family members seated in his room.
Hazel noticed the other brother Nathan who took a brief glance her way and went back to what he was doing on his phone ,beside him was his mom, Sophia.
She avoided looking at the woman who looked at her as if she was some pest which needed to be uprooted from her life but Hazel didn't care,she was not here to notice the hateful stares coming her way but only to respect the old man's wish.
Strangely,the precious grandson was nowhere to be found,which made Hazel give a deep breath of relief because his stare alone usually had her on edge.
"He's been requesting for you,"Ezekiel told her, walking up to the young lady whose focus was on his dad. He welcomed her into the old man's room while she gave him a nervous smile.
"Don't you think it's too dangerous for outsiders to know about father's sickness? "Sophia said,as usual she always has her tongue ready to start a fight.
Hazel ignored her ramblings as she sat beside Grandpa who worked up that very moment as if he knew she was here already to see him,he removed his mask from his face coughing which made Hazel plead to him not to stress himself.
"It's okay child,it's not like I'm dying soon"Grandpa said which made her smile,he never fails to amuse her.
"For someone who is sick you seem healthy to me,hope this is not one of your strategies to apologize about last time"Hazel asked him folding her arms she was surprised that she blurted that out loudly as the old man laughed sitting up on his bed to notice his room was filled up.
Amazing!
It's not like he's dying soon. What's with all this drama?
"Is it working?"He asked her jokingly while she looked at him with his hands in front of him as he pleaded with her.
"A little bit"Hazel smiled back as she looked back hoping to find Zaiden so that he would be present when she made her final decision.
Hazel knew quite well when she followed Avery back here to the see the old man that he would definitely use his sickness as a leverage to get her to say yes to his proposal but that was not nothing to be worried about,because she was here too with her final decision and seeing the whole family present,was a good time to say what she wanted to say.
"I have something to say Haz.."Grandpa said, taking her hands in his but was cut short by her.
"I will marry him."