Chapter 2533
“Come on, Grandpa, I know you’re not hungry, but when Grandma wakes up, she’ll need to take care of her. Try to eat a little, at least,” Ivy coaxed with a gentle smile that belied the redness rimming her eyes – a telltale sign of her recent tears if one looked closely enough.
“Balfour, you too. Don’t just stand there. Come and have a bite. Grandma needs all of us right now, and we can’t let ourselves fall apart. We need to stay strong so we can look after her,” she added, rallying them with a mix of tenderness and resolve.
“Ivy’s right. Don’t just stand there, Balfour. Your grandma’s out of danger now; it’s just a matter of time before she’s up and about. Let’s eat something.”
Balfour hesitated for a moment before joining them at the dining table.
Ivy knew it was a tough sell; appetites were the last thing on their minds, her own included. But they hadn’t eaten properly in hours, and while the younger ones could cope, Dean certainly couldn’t. And if they didn’t join him, he would lose whatever little desire he had to eat.
After the meal, Ivy coaxed Dean to rest a bit on the bed they had prepared on the top floor of the hospital, in the private room they had reserved for him. Ivy herself had stayed in the same hospital when she fell ill a while back. There were plenty of rooms, and Dean truly needed the rest. His advanced age meant that even his wish to wait until he could cycle over was more spirit than his body could muster.
“You kids shouldn’t just be hovering around Alyssa’s bed all day. I know you have jobs to tend to. Get your work done and then come back in the evening,” Dean instructed before succumbing to a deep sleep, his exhaustion evident. After all, he’d been up all night and couldn’t keep going without rest.
Ivy closed the door softly behind them and pulled Balfour aside in the hallway. “You must have things piling up at the office, and I need to stop by the dance studio. I’ve written down all the steps for the next few classes, but I left the costumes there. I’ll pick them up and practice at home. That way, we can spend more time here with Grandma and Grandpa.”
Balfour, looking into her eyes, couldn’t help but wrap her in his embrace. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
Ivy chuckled softly in his arms. “And how else would I be? Always your rock, always in your corner.”
They shared a moment of quiet affection before Ivy gently pushed away, her expression settling into one of calm resolve. “Last night was a shock for all of us, an accident no one expected. But now it’s happened, and we face it together. Grandpa’s the one who’s been hit hardest by this, no matter how steady he seems. We need to be there for him, now more than ever. And as for Grandma, we can take turns keeping her company. Does that plan work for you?”
Balfour gazed at Ivy, who was already thinking ahead, planning for his family as if it were her own. A wave of warmth surged within him. To him, Ivy was clearly more than a lover; she was family, treating his grandparents with the same love and care as her own.
