Page 58 of Knocked Up by Mr. Grump Lawyer

But then, she did not seem to mind. She just kept soothing me.

At one point, she murmured something to me and left. I wasn’t able to comprehend what she said. I was in such a great mess.

But then, after a while, she came back with a sandwich and a cup of hot chocolate. “It’s been a few hours now. You need to eat something.”

I looked up and felt my stomach grumbling. I realized I was indeed hungry. “Thanks,” I said, accepting the drink and the snack. I gobbled them up fast.

She also brought out her own food and ate beside me in the corridor.

“The doctor’s taking a long time,” I noted with great concern. “I don’t know what’s happening. I… I need to know… if my son is okay…”

“He is,” she said in a firm tone of voice. “He’s okay. You must believe it. He needs you to be strong for him.”

She looked utterly bothered and disturbed too. Perhaps it was because she too cared for Riley and treated him like a son or younger brother. Or perhaps it was because this was the first time she’d seen me like this.

“When my mother was in the hospital for a long time because of her illness, I used to wait for hours in the corridor with Raven,” she began to share, her eyes taking on a distant gaze. “My dad would be pacing back and forth, sometimes crying, sometimes disappearing. I somehow understood what was happening, but I couldn’t accept the reality of it…”

I sat up straight and turned toward her, knowing very well that this was a painful story for her to share.

“I was so afraid of losing my mom,” she continued. “I already missed her so much and was always hoping and praying she’d get well soon so we could spend some time together again…”

“Must have been tough…” I whispered.

She nodded. “Yes, but Raven’s presence somehow strengthened me, even though she wasn’t saying anything helpful. She was just there all the time, especially when my dad was too messed up to consider my well-being.”

I nodded in understanding.

“I’m not even sure if I was there for my dad when he needed someone,” she said with a tone of remorse. “I don’t remember.”

“I’m sure you were there for him,” I told her. “Someone like you, even at a young age, would have checked on him or helped him out in your own way.”

She gave me a faint smile. “Yeah… I think I remember… just holding his hand at times or cooking for him and doing the laundry… I remember wanting to go straight home after school…”

“You were a kindhearted daughter,” I said. “That’s why he treasures you so much.”

“Thank you,” she said, meeting my eyes. Then she leaned closer and took my hands in hers. “You’re a good father too, Robert. Sure, you’ve had your share of mistakes, but Riley knows that you love him deeply. And there will be more chances for you to show him in the future how much you truly care for him.”

“Thank you, Kayla,” I said, gulping back more tears that threatened to rise in my throat.

Suddenly, we heard someone clear his throat. When I looked up, it was the doctor who’d spoken to us briefly some hours ago.

“Are you the parents of Riley Jefferson?” he asked. His face was emotionless.

I immediately stood up, my heart once again going wild. “I’m his father.”

“I’m afraid I have some bad news…” the doctor began to say.

My heart dropped to the floor.

Chapter 25

KAYLA

Ifeltacoldwave going through my body as I waited for the doctor to go on.

“Your son has suffered a mild concussion,” the doctor went on. “But the good news is that all his tests do not show any serious injuries so far, and there was no hemorrhage in the brain.”

I heard Robert exhale with relief. Standing up, I took his hand to show my support.

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