Having been able to successfully and easily check up on Stella and put her on a drip admist conversations and laughter, Millicent Baron sat by her on the bed and gently stroking her hair - stated;
" You must be hungry Stella, that can explain the severe dizziness."
" Umm.... Oh....I'm..... I'm okay." Stella stuttered, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.
Squinting her eyes, Millicent Baron looked at the boys around the room and asked sternly, her eyes fixed on Michael and Philip ;
"You boys didn't get her anything to eat? I thought you were all here with her yesterday before she slept. Then went home. Why hasn't she eaten?" She interrogated.
"No...no....I ate something yesterday, Leo and Leo- na brought me a birthday cake. I ate a bit. " Stella explained quickly. " Really... I'm okay. I ate a bit of the chocolates and the remaining cake last night when I was hungry. I heard some voices outside and thought Leo and Leona brought some friends, but they denied it. " Looking at the five boys in the room keenly, she furrowed her eyebrows and looked away.
"Stella....you need to eat. " Michael said gently, moving closer to her but stopped when he saw the not - too friendly look she sent him. He reali-sed she was angry at him and obviously still di-dn't believe in his sincerity.
He had expected her reaction to be even more severe than it was then. Eventhough he was men- tally ready, it didn't stop it from hurting.
" How much is this hospital bills Doctor Millicent." Stella asked, ignoring Michael's words. Philip sighed. It looked like he hadn't been able to help out much. Stella and Michael would need more ti-me to sort things out.
" You don't have to pay Stella." Millicent Baron re- plied with a warm smile. "Everything has been ta-Ken care of."
" I'm really sorry.... Doctor, but I'll find a way to pay the bills. I don't like owing anyone, it makes me feel very uncomfortable." Stella said gently but with a serious face.
"This hospital is ours, Stella. We're not charging you." Philip tried explaining, hoping Stella would drop the replacement. But he was disappointed and left in awe and frustration at the girl's deter-mination.
"Thank you all .....very much." Stella said sincere-ly, smiling at them. " I know you did this sincerely to help me....but....I'll feel tied down if I don't pay back. You don't have to worry about how I'm go- ingcto get the money to repay you. It may take sometime but...I'll definitely pay you."
"You really are a bit stubborn, aren't you?"
Millicent Baron asked in awe and amusement, finding herself liking the girl more and more. Fee- ling the need to give her a really tight and long embrace and quickly take her home with her. To make her her daughter to love, cherish and pro- tect from all hardships in life. To be with her in the remaining years she could and do all she could so she stays in her life. Unlike Hazel who left her so early and unexpectedly.
Just the thought of her late daughter threate- ned to bring tears to her eyes, making her push it to the back of her mind.Telling herself to focus on the present and to slowly but steadily gain Stella as her daughter. Taking a very deep breath and exhaling slowly, she focused on Stella and saw her sad smile that she tried to hide and her heart broke all over again.
" I think I am....but it has kept me alive until now." Stella said unapologetically, a partially forced smile on her face. " You know....stubbornness can sometimes be a form of strength. Or?" She raised her eyebrows at the end, her smile getting more genuine and broader. Leaving everyone un-conciously smiling.
"Okay.....you win baby girl." Millicent Baron said with her hands raised in surrender- laughing as she stood up and tucked her hands in her poc- kets. Leaving Philip and Michael smiling while the rest laughed.
" Great choice!" Stella laughed, genuinely happy with a short clap.
Straightening up slowly, she looked at the drip in her arm and frowned.Looking up, she conti - nued;
"Okay... so....we've reached a deal on the pay- ment. Now let's move to a laaaaast....one."
Her hands were clasped, her eyes bright gol-den brown eyes bright and her smile broad and beautiful. Her dimples deep and clear. She loo- ked so beautiful and cute that they felt their eyes fixed on her. None of them thought it was possi- ble for her to get more beautiful in her state, but she just did.
"Come on.....please?" Stella pressed when every- one remained silent and just stared at her, think-ing they just didn't want hear her."I won't be long."
" Stella.....?" Michael said with an unconscious squint as he scrutinised her, having a strong fee-ling that her next request wouldn't be to his liking. Glancing around him, he realised everyone had similar suspicious looks. But Chris just being him had to voice it out;
" You aren't going to ask to be let out, are you?" At that, Stella's lively face fell a bit and her lips pale a bit as slight frown appeared on her face.
" Just for a few minutes." She admitted, looking desperately at them.
" Stella you need to recover. " Michael stated worriedly, starting to get frustrated. " Moving around isn't going to help you."
" I'm not that fragile, Michael." She retorted with a glare in his direction." I've been on my own since I left the orphanage. And I've managed to stay ali- ve. If I'm going to die, it wouldn't be now." Her voi-ce rose as she spoke and her glare got harsher on him, though still a little weak.
"Oh really?" You know when you're going to die?" Michael asked, getting angry at the mention of her death. He couldn't bare the thought of her be-ing dead." Can you even hear yourself? "
" Michael...hey Mike. " Philip whispered urgen-tly, pulling at his hand while giving him a warning look.
" Michael calm down." Millicent Baron told him gently while walking closer to him, realizing the tension between the two and feeling the where it originated from. Turning to Stella who had lost her liveliness from earlier completely. In its place, she looked upset and hurt. Her face losing the cour it gained just moments ago.
" Stella.....baby girl, you need to calm down, okay?" Millicent Baron coaxed as she moved back to her side - standing by her bed, getting worried.
" I just want to go for my money, and leave. I'm sorry but I don't want to be here any longer." Ste-lla said in a low voice filled with sadness and hurt. Pulling her knees up together, she wrapped her arms around around them and rested her chin on top, facing away from them.
" She slipped back into sadness. It isn't going to help her. " Raymond commented, looking at her worriedly with furrowed eyebrows.
" Michael, couldn't you have controlled yourself a bit?" Millicent asked in a low voice as she walked over to Michael at the side.
She had put in a lot of effort to make the girl comfortable and happy, and this boy just spoilt everything. What was she going to do now? She didn't want to sedate her. It would make her feel more uncomfortable and trapped in the hospital. It felt cruel.
" I'm sorry Aunt, I just lost my cool over the talk of her death. I couldn't handle it." Michael said truth-fully and guiltily - copying Millicent Baron's low tone.
"We can't have her remembering past painful me-mories right now. The effect of the allergy isn't completely gone, she has low blood pressure and is malnourished. She needs help as soon as po-sible."
" Let's go Stella. " Philip's determined voice filled the room, causing all heads to turn in his direc - ton with puzzled looks as he moved forward wi-th determination.
Raising her head slowly, Stella stared at him with misty eyes, her expression saddening Phil - lip's heart than it already was. She asked with slightly wide eyes in disbelief, then asked;
" Yes." Philip answered with a smile, walking clo-ser. Looking as her eyes widened even more, he chuckled and stopped right beside her bed and continued with his head lower to look at her in her eyes. His smile turning sly; " But on one con-dition."
" W-w-what condition?" Stella asked doubtfully. Her eyes looking Cautiously at him.
" Simple." Phillip replied, his gaze not leaving her cautious ones. " You eat first, and I'll drive you wherever you want to go. Then you come right back here to recover. "
A moment of silence passed as Stella contem-plated whilst the rest had approving and awed smiles on. Finally understanding Philip's strange behaviour. A minute went by in silence with no one moving or saying anything. Then she finally spoke up, still doubtful ;
" No backing out?"
" No backing out." Philip answered sternly. Then extended his right hand to her, asking with a gen-tle smile ; " So.....deal?"
" Oh.....deal....." Stella replied, returning his smile with hers then shook his hands. A sudden thou- ght occurred to her, lightening up her bright beau-tiful eyes and she began looking around her bed. "..... but wait."
Raymond burst into laughter, his face showing great interest as he looked on. " Wow.....she's really interesting, isn't she?" He asked as Stella pulled up a large sketch book and a pencil from the gifts beside her bed.
"She isn't going to ask for a signature on a written agreement. Is she?" Millicent Baron whispered, her eyes literally sparkling with interest and ado-ration.
" That's what I think Aunt." Michael responded in a whisper, with an admiring and proud look on his face. His smile looking like that of a proud father or a husband looking at his honorable and awar-ds winning daughter or wife.
" Goodness, I'm such a proud father mother." Mi-llicent Baron said proudly in a low voice.
Raymond turned to look at at Chris, then at the others one after the other.His face reading a sim-ple worded question that they all shared ' Daugh-ter?'
" Ummmm...Aunt? You... " Raymond began but Millicent Baron cutted him off unconsiderably, her eyes fixed on Stella tearing a page out of her new Skech book at the back.
" If you're about to tell remind me I haven't adopted her yet, don't waste your breath on it. It's only a matter of time."
" Oh.... Okay." Raymond whispered deflatedly, his eyes darting to his brother, Chris and Michael who looked at him with knowing and sympathe-tic smiles.
Silently, Michael and Richmond reached out a hand each and patted him gently on his shoulder before focusing back on Stella, who had decided the large page into two and was offering one pie-ce with the pencil on the sketch book to Philip with an expectant look on her face. A smile brigh-tening up her lovely face ;
" Here, draft an agreement. We'll both sign."