CHAPTER 153

The next time Madeline opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a hospital bed. The strong antiseptic scent invaded her senses as she tried to recall how she ended up here. As she struggled to prop herself up, she found her arm attached to a scary looking IV drip. What happened to me…? she wondered. She recalled passing out right before dinner, but she could not remember anything beyond that point. Her thoughts were scrambled and her mind a mess, giving her a mild migraine. At this moment, a familiar little head popped up beside her bed. Before she knew it, Thomas had climbed onto her bed and perched over her, his big round eyes filled with joy and relief.

“Mommy, you’re up! Are you okay?” he asked anxiously. “Daddy went to get you something to eat. If you’re hungry, I have some chocolate milk for you.” Thomas quickly got himself off the bed

and ran to his backpack, producing a little carton of warmed chocolate milk

for his mother.

“Don’t worry, Thomas. Mommy’s alright,” Madeline reached an arm out to ruffle

her son’s hair.

“But, Mommy… you fainted, and there was so much blood!” Thomas hugged his mother tightly, as if trying to forget the dreadful memory of his mother fainting.

“Mommy was just over-exhausted from the hike in the morning. I’ll be okay once I get enough rest,” she smiled, patting her son on the back.

“Really, Mommy?” Thomas asked again, not fully convinced.

“Of course, darling. When has Mommy ever lied to you?” Madeline reassured

her son.

“Pfft, adults lie to kids all the time!” Thomas retorted.

“Uhh… Thomas, Mommy’s the patient here now…” Madeline wondered when

the roles had reversed.

“Fine, fine. Until you get better, I’ll be staying here with you!” Thomas was insistent, but his tone was sweet and gentle. She gently stroked his back and even took a sip of his chocolate milk, just to show him she was alright. Thomas fussed over her incessantly, propping up her pillow for her and hanging on to her arm.

Just then, the door to her ward opened and Noah walked in, his eyes lighting up as he saw Madeline conscious and awake. It only took him a few

purposeful strides to reach her bedside,

where he then extended his hand to touch her forehead.

“You must be hungry, have some of this congee. I’ll get Andy and Dylan to come over,” Noah’s voice was filled with relief

once he found out that Madeline’s fever had subsided.

Noah opened the thermos flask for her, revealing piping hot congee filled with her favorite side dishes – an omelet and preserved vegetables. Madeline noticed his hands trembling visibly as he passed her the flask. Was it cold outside? She wondered. Or was he worried about her? Before her thoughts could spiral any further, she extended her hand to grab hold of Noah’s big, shivering one.

“Noah, did something happen?” Madeline’s eyes were curious and intense.

Noah stiffened for a second, but quickly relaxed a moment later. “I’ve never made congee in my life, so give it a try,” he said as he helped her detach the thermos. A strong burnt smell permeated the room as he opened up the second layer of the flask.

Madeline immediately held her breath, feeling suffocated. “Noah Quincy, are you trying to poison me while I’m lying in the hospital?” she said as she pinched her nose.

“Daddy, I can’t help you this time! I’m going to look for Uncle Dylan!” Thomas sauntered out of the room, leaving Noah alone with Madeline.

“Hmm… I followed the cook’s

instructions to a tee. She told me

exactly when to put the omelet and vegetables in, but perhaps the fire was a little strong…” Noah confessed

sheepishly. “But I promise it’s not poisonous!” Noah picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful of congee from the flask, even blowing on it just to cool it down before he brought the spoon toward Madeline.

“Here, say ahhhh!” Noah coaxed Madeline.

She thought he looked absolutely ridiculous, yet there was something so warm and kind about the fact that he cooked for her. This was something she had wished for all the time back then. However, there was another pressing matter right now, and that was the fact that Noah was trying to spoon feed her this inedible congee. She had

goosebumps at the thought of ingesting his cooking.

“No, please, no!” Madeline rejected him perhaps a little too strongly. Noticing

his wounded expression, she quickly tried to salvage the situation. “I could have some of the omelet. You make amazing omelets!” she plastered on a fake smile, hoping to cheer Noah up.

Noah finally put down the spoon reluctantly and placed the omelet onto a small tray. He even prepared a fork and knife for her, with a side of ketchup. Madeline felt a little guilty receiving such treatment from him, especially considering how she had been treating him. Taking a glance at the omelet, she decided it was safe enough to consume. As she took a big bite, she realized… it was delicious! Her stomach growled for more as she began to eat.

“Madeline…” Noah began.

“Hmm?” Madeline was too occupied with her dinner to respond to Noah with more than one syllable.

“These few years, has it been hard on you?” Noah asked thoughtfully.

Madeline stopped chewing on her food as she considered his question for a brief moment. “It was alright, I suppose. If you’ve come close to death before, you’ll realize that every remaining day alive is a blessing. How hard can life be when you think about it that way?” Madeline smiled at Noah as she replied him, before going back to her food.

“I…” A blistering feeling of heartbreak took over Noah as he realized how casually Madeline told her story, as if she was talking about someone else. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the words would not come out. What could he possibly say to her when everything she went through all these years was his fault?

Suddenly, the doors burst opened once

again and Elise Lambert rushed in. “Oh my God, Maddie! You’re awake! You scared the heck out of me!” she exclaimed as she ran over to give Maddie a suffocating hug.

“I’m alright, Elise, but my omelet won’t be if you don’t let go of me soon!” Madeline said as she tried to balance her tray while Elise was still holding onto her.

“Fine, fine. You don’t need anyone else’s concern except Noah’s, am I right?” Elise said sarcastically. “And now, I can’t even compare with an omelet. Please don’t tell me Noah made it, my heart wouldn’t be able to take it!” she mocked.

“Umm, Noah did make it…” Madeline said sheepishly. “It’s not bad. Do you want to try some?” she offered.

Related PostsExclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.