Departed With A Belly {1}

Your Hunch Is Right

Griselda was stunned momentarily.
"Bring the surgery forward?"

"Yes."

Silence dawned upon Griselda, and Victoria gave it a thought before saying, "Grandma, it's not as scary as it sounds. All you have to do is to take a nap. Once you open your eyes, you're all fine."

Her voice sounded brisk and cheeky, and even Alaric could not help but glance at her. It had been a long time since she looked this bright. The joy rubbed off on Griselda as she broke into a smile.

"You always know how to make me smile."

"Fine, fine. I know that you're worried about me. I'm not afraid."

It was 8.00PM when they left the nursing home. Victoria intended to spend more time with Griselda, but Griselda needed to rest, so the duo had no choice but to leave.

The couple was so immersed in their own world that they could not stay away from each other after leaving the room. It was not until they walked quite a distance that Victoria turned expressionless and finally let go of Alaric's hand.

His face darkened the Words failed Victoria, and ultimately, she caved in. They took a whole stack of Griselda's medical records from a nurse. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Cadogan. Are you leaving right now?"

"Yes."

"Safe travels, then."

"Thanks."

When they came out of the nursing home, Alaric gazed at the stack of papers in her hands. "What's with that?"

Since it was related to Griselda, Victoria leveled with him without hiding anything. He pursed his lip and glanced at her upon hearing her thoughts. "You do care a lot for Grandma."

She paused for a moment before responding, "It's not because of you." He went silent for a moment. "Did I say that it's because of me? Why are you so defensive against me?"

"Am I? I'm just explaining." His casual remark did not bother her. However,
the way she spoke with equanimity rendered him helpless. "Let's hurry back home." Alaric paced up upon her reminder.

By the time they walked to the entrance, they could see the Cadogan Family's car. She looked at Alaric. "Is the cab not here yet?" He returned a dubious look. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you say that you're not going home? I thought you'd call for a cab," she reminded him 'kindly'.

He rued every single word he said last night. He planned on going home with her, but she did not give him the chance at all.

"I'll be going first, then." Victoria smiled lightly before entering the car. Without a second thought, she closed the door and urged the driver to hit the road.

What about Mr. Cadogan? The driver gingerly sneaked a peek out of the window to see the glum Alaric. The driver whispered, "Mrs. Cadogan, what about-"

"He has something else to attend to, so he's not coming with us. Let's go." He did not have the nerve to say anything nor drive the car. Alaric was his boss, yet the person in the back seat was Alaric's wife.

Alaric had a soft spot for Victoria; she made the decisions for most of the
matters, and he listened to everything she said.

In short, the driver could not afford to offend either one of them. Suddenly, the car door opened, and Alaric entered the car. He seated himself so naturally and gazed at the driver coldly. "Let's go."

His voice was so icy that the driver drove the car immediately, not wanting to stay at the place any longer. A weird atmosphere lingered in the air. Victoria assumed Alaric would not come along after she put it that way, but he proved her wrong.

Still, she shrugged it off because he was the one embarrassed, not her.

She began to flip through the medical records. She did not speak to Alaric, started to read papers in the car.

A couple of moments later, he could not help but shift his gaze onto her. Under the dim light, she leafed through the documents while her long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked her eyes.

She was so focused that she showed no desire to talk to him. When he could not hold in his urge any longer, he piped up, "Is something wrong with Grandma's condition?"

Her hand halted, prompting him to frown. "What? Can't I follow up with my
grandmother's condition?" Hearing that, Victoria pursed her lips and gave him a confused stare. "That's not it." She then handed the papers to Alaric, hinting to him to study on his own and not to bother her.

He was at a loss for words. He took the papers and began reading them seriously since they pertained to Griselda.

Alaric was a little distracted by her expression at first, but he soon became
immersed in the records as time passed.
He initiated another conversation once he finished reading. "There's a tiny
change in her diet and sleep routine."

"Yes," Victoria answered instantly when it came to Griselda's matter. She added, "I've asked the nursing staff about it. He said that it's normal to see such small changes. It's nothing particular to take note of."

"Is that so?" His lips formed a thin line before he returned the records to her. "How did you manage to catch that when the doctor and nurses didn't?"

"Because I can sense it." She explained further in case he could not understand, "kl'm more sensitive than others. That's why. Do you understand?"

Alaric glanced at her, but it went unnoticed by Victoria. "Of course, it's just
a hunch. It's not accurate."

"The difference in the data proves that your hunch is right."
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Published on: November 12, 2023
Time: 9:13
Word count: 959 words