Rose held Tobi in her hand, guiding him. She had gotten to the hospital successfully with no harm done.
"Mam, you can place your son over here," the nurse said, gesturing to Ivy, showing her the empty medical bed.
Ivy nodded her head, obeying the nurse. Gently, she placed Tobi on the bed, using a single arm to stabilize his head.
Her poor child, he was very hurt.
Jennifer was so wicked. If she hadn't come in time, what could have happened to her poor son?
"Mummy?" Tobi called, blinking his eyes as if wanting to open them.
His body felt painful, and he felt too lazy to open his eyes. Then he heard his mummy's voice. He wanted to see his mummy. His body hurt a lot.
"Yes, Tobi, mummy is here with you." Rose cupped Tobi's face, cleaning the slight tear from the corner of his eyes. He was crying from pain.
Tobi was just three years old, and he had suffered very terribly, and it was her own blood sister who had hurt her kid.
Rose's blood boiled, anger evoking from her, but she smiled on the surface, not wanting to scare her child.
Rose couldn't help but ruffle Tobi's hair in slow, gentle motions, hoping that it would comfort him.
Tobi closed his eyes, receiving his mother's soothing. He felt comforted in his heart, but his body was still in so much pain.
"Mummy, everything is hurting a lot. My bones, my ribs, and everything," Tobi complained with a slight tear in his eyes, not able to endure the pain coming from his body. His little hands held his mother's for comfort.
"Ha, it's okay, baby. Now you only need to wait for the doctor... The doctor will treat you, okay?" Rose wiped his tears, seeing him cry more.
She wished she could take away the pain he was feeling. Tobi shouldn't be in pain. Tears came from her eyes as if feeling her son's pain.
"Okay, mummy, I'll wait for the doctor." Tobi nodded his head even though he was still in pain.
He could see the tears in his mother's eyes. His mummy was crying because of him. He shouldn't cry anymore so his mummy wouldn't cry. So Tobi wiped his tears, looking at Rose with a big, bright smile, acting like he wasn't in pain.
"That's my good boy. Now take a rest. Just close your eyes and let the doctors do their job." Rose nodded to Tobi for the last time, but she still stood there, refusing to leave his hand. Her baby was in so much pain.
"Hmmm," Tobi muttered slightly to his mother. His mother had refused to let go of him.
The nurse standing beside Rose tapped her on the shoulder, bowing her head slightly with respect.
"Mam, you need to let go of his hand and let the doctor do his job," the nurse tried to be as calm as possible. The mother and son had been so lost in their moment that she couldn't help but grumble inside. The doctor had even come, and Rose hadn't noticed it.
"Ah, sorry," Rose stammered, realizing her mistake. "It's just that I was very worried," she said, smiling awkwardly.
She tried to keep her sadness to herself for the time being.
The nurse, being so kind and understanding of Rose's situation, pointed to the seat a little bit far away from the patient's bed and suggested,
"Ma'am, we understand... Your son isn't going to run away. Neither is the doctor going to hurt him. So if you can just sit aside and watch us treat him..."
But the doctor's cold, chilling voice came after the nurse's words.
"No, she should go stay outside."
Ivy looked up at the doctor who had just spoken. He had a white nose mask on, and she couldn't see his face, but his hair was short and smooth, also showing the fine proportion of his face.
"No, but he's my son... I need to stay with him," she shook her head, looking at the doctor with tears in her eyes, hoping he would listen to her.
The doctor shouldn't be so cold, right?
It was the nurse this time who came to Rose and held her hand.
"Ma'am, you can't be here."
The doctor, not hearing the nurse's words as she spoke with Rose, ordered the nurse in a cold, chilling voice,
"Nurse, tell her to get out of here for the last time. That is... if she wants her son to be treated."
He had raised his head, pausing his action of wearing his gloves, staring at the nurse and Rose with a cold gaze.
"Mam, you heard the doctor, so please leave," the nurse urged, pulling Rose's hand. She had been patient enough. The lady shouldn't be difficult anymore.
"Oh, okay," Rose nodded, wiping her tears. She followed the nurse outside. Later, the nurse closed the door, leaving only Rose outside.
---
It had been twenty minutes, and Rose had been standing outside.
She heard a sudden scream from inside the door.
She hurried, knocking at the door.
"Ha! Tobi! Is my son okay? Doc, what is happening in there?" She cried out.
But the doctor remained silent inside, focused on his work. He ignored Rose's words.
"I want to get in," Rose knocked for the last time, giving up when she heard no response. She really felt like breaking the door, but it wouldn't open.
Footsteps sounded, and Rolan appeared beside Rose, catching her by surprise. She flinched when she felt his hand on her shoulders.
"Why are you panicking, Rose? The doctor is taking care of the kid. He will be fine," he leaned into her neck, asking.
Rose stiffened for a moment, turning to face him and pushing him away from her.
"What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't come..." she asked, looking closely at his cold eyes that seemed red but hazel at the same time.
When her son was in danger, he had ignored them, obeying Jennifer.
Her son was going to die. Jennifer had done that to him.
What gave Rolan the guts to come to her after he had done that... after he was with her sister? Rose clenched her fists secretly, hiding the bitterness in her heart.
She shouldn't be hurt in any way. She had already decided to stay away from him. It was just fate that had its own ways of doing things.
"Well, I came to see you," Rolan said, looking into Rose's eyes that were filled with hatred he couldn't understand.
She detested him. He could see that, but he didn't know where all the hate came from.
"Oh," Rose snorted, turning her back to him. She did not want to have a second look at his face.
Tobi was more important.
"Doctor... be gentle with my s... I mean with the kid," Rose rested her hand on the door, begging the doctor.
"What were you about to say?"
Rolan asked her, but Rose pretended not to hear him.
Rolan couldn't control it. His gut feeling was telling him that Rose was keeping something important to him...away from him.
"It's, ah... nothing," Rose smiled, stammering, then waved her hand to dismiss the matter.
Rolan hissed. He wouldn't question her now. He would get the answers from her when the time was more appropriate.
"Alright, you can come in now," the doctor's muffled voice came from behind the door, informing Rose he was done with his work.
Tobi was a strong kid. He had only cried a little.
Rose, hearing the doctor's words, ignored Rolan beside her, focusing on the doctor who had opened the door.
Her heart raced as she went in. Panic was in her eyes. The screaming and shouting she had heard. What was it about?
"I had to take you away because your kid is different... Werewolf kids are different. Both he and his wolf were hurt, so I had to use the Luna's power to cure him. And you might not want to see that."
The doctor, as if reading her heart and knowing what she wanted to say, examined her with a soft chuckle, his eyes curving up behind the nose mask.
"Ha, Doc, he's not my kid... he's my friend's child," Ivy stammered, feeling like she should bite herself. Rolan was standing next to her, and the doctor was calling Tobi her kid. What if Rolan got suspicious of her? What would she do?
"Ha, I see... then go see him," the doctor chuckled, raising his brow slightly where no one could see. The woman had been calling the kid her son, and now that the man next to her had come, she was changing her words. Something was fishy, but it wasn't his business. His job was being a doctor.
"Mummy?" Tobi's voice came from the door, and Rose's heart skipped a bit. She turned to Rolan, giving him a forced smile, hiding her emotions.
She hoped Rolan wouldn't get suspicious of anything.