Married For Now

CHAPTER 20 - HOME

AS JEWEL slowly gains her consciousness, she felt a little groggy and thirsty. Her head seemed heavy. She tried to move her body but found herself really tired to do so. Though, she still tried her best to wake herself up since she remembered that she has a volunteer gig today.

She slowly opened her heavy eyelids and was welcome with a very white ceiling that clearly doesn't belong to Phoenix's room.

'Where am I?'

A familiar scent entered her nostrils. It's the familiar scent that she has always hated.

She scanned the room and realized that she is on the place that doesn't want to go to ever again which is why she has always been careful with herself. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what exactly happened to figure out why the heck is she in the worst place on earth.

The last thing she remembers is cotton candy. Right, she was supposed to be in the amusement park with Phoenix and was trying to get a cotton candy when her vision suddenly became blurry as her breathing shortened.

She face-palmed herself but then she yelped even before doing so because a frigging IV needle stuck on her hand, one of the many reasons why she despised hospitals.

'Ughh...I wanna go home...'

"Thank God, you're finally awake."

She turned to where that voice came from and saw Phoenix who seemed to have just woken up as well from his own slumber in the long grey couch as he was yawning and rubbing his whole face with his palm.

"Phoenix..." She said with a hoarse voice. Her throat felt dry.

Phoenix went to her and caressed her head tenderly with relief plastered on his face, creating a crease on her forehead.

*Flashback*

The four years old Phoenix has been in his most favorite part of the villa, being sucked deep into the thoughts of the book he is reading all afternoon, for who knows how many hours.

Then, out of nowhere, a continuous honk from an incoming car disturbed his concentration that made him take his eyes off the book to see who their visitor was. He wondered who they were.

His parents have already briefed him about the people who are going to stay with them in the villa for their summer vacation.

He closed the book that he's reading. He stood up and patted his dark blue shorts and smoothed his white polo-blouse that was tucked into his shorts, then he ran towards where the noise was.

"PHOENIX, WE'D like to introduce Aunt Beryl and Uncle Jim...They'll be staying with us in the villa this whole summer."

The young Phoenix looked intently at the couple that his mother just introduced. The woman has a long black and wavy hair. She wore a simple long-sleeved peach cream colored blouse and blue jeans while the man, who was probably her husband, was a foot taller than her. Brown hair and bulky body and a handsome face, just like his dad. His hand was protectively wrapped around his wife's shoulders.

But what intrigued Phoenix the most is the pink bundle that Aunt Beryl is carrying in her arms. It made him really curious and itchy to find out what it was.

Aunt Beryl noticed his intense look.

"You want to meet our baby?"

He looked up to her. "Baby?" His eyes suddenly sparkled. He rarely sees a baby up close because no one from their subdivision has one. And he also always wanted to have a little brother or a little sister but his mom said that they can't have one anymore, and that upset him a little, but his young mind accepted it.