Larkin dug his nails into the heel of his palms, with anxiety strangling the air in his lungs. His nerves overwhelmed him the moment he heard Reneé making a phone call to Byron Phelps, inquiring him about his mother's state. Mrs. Esther had been unconscious in the hospital since last night and if not for Callista being around, she would have been dead. The sheer thought of losing Mrs. Esther stripped him into a trembling mess.

Renee ended her call with her right hand pressed against her recklessly beating chest. "I have news. She just woke up. Avó had a heart attack and her health is deteriorating. She's a little distorted from the fall, but at least she's alive."

"Thank God." Relief washed over Larkin and she pulled him into her embrace. Tears brimmed her eyes and Larkin patted her back gently. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

Reneé sniffled a little. Her eyes were blood shot red and puffy from crying. "Byron and I have been holding off our wedding for three years because we've been waiting for the right time. But when I heard Avó collapsed, I was afraid she'd never get to see us getting married and I love her so much to deny her that."

Larkin wasn't ready to watch her die either. He'd lost his parents too soon and Mrs. Esther was just like family to him. He didn't want to lose another one. "Mrs. Esther's strong. She'll pull through."

She heaved out a long breath, trying hard not to sob. "I need some air. Can you help me keep an eye on Nando, while I get my shit together? He's in the kitchen tidying up stuff."

Larkin didn't think he'd ever tried talking to her son before but the look in her eyes made it hard for him to refuse. "It's cool. Take all the time you need."

Her eyes began to tear up and she gave him an appreciative smile, before heading out. Larkin limped to the kitchen, searching for the 9 year old boy that Reneé had left in his care.

A mop of brown hair scampered around with the boy roughly wiping the same spot on the kitchen counter. His eyes were fixated on Nando for a long time, before he cleared his throat.

Nando's alarmed squeak caught in his throat as his face reddened. "I didn't see you there, Larkin."

Larkin tried his best to put the kid at ease. "You seem a little distracted. Are you okay?"

The boy looked exactly like Reneé. Brown eyes. Brown hair. Full pink lips. It was easy to tell they were related. Even the sadness in his eyes looked very much like Reneé's, and his small shoulders sagged down. "It's my Avó. Do you think she's going to die?"

Larkin struggled to give him some comforting words. Hell, he thought he was going to lose her too, so what could he possibly say to ease the boy's worries?

Sighing slowly, Larkin admitted. "I don't know. That's the scariest part. But I know how strong your grandmother is. She's not a quitter and I don't think she's ready to to let you go either."

Nando's face softened. "Oh. Okay." He continued dabbing the same spot squeaky clean. Clearly, Larkin's words didn't comfort him as much as he hoped. Nando seemed so lost in his little distress.

The innocence in his eyes drew Larkin in. "Need any help, kid?"

His eyes grew wide. "With this?"

Larkin shrugged. "It seems like you need all the help you can get. I know you've got it under control, but it would be better if it gets finished on time, so we can watch some cartoons together."

"Really?" Excitement bubbled in his voice. "Okay, there's a napkin in the first drawer. You can help me clean the corners of the sink. Thank you."

"I know where the napkin is. This is my house, kiddo." Larkin's tiny chuckle trickled out of his lips. He took a glance at the now smiling boy, before joining in on his chores.

★★★

The directions Reneé gave her led Callie to a very quaint house. Once she rang the door bell, a masculine voice roared from the other side. "I'm coming."

The door swept open and a brown eyed man stood at the other end. "Do I know you?"

The man was anything, but small. He stood like a mighty tree, his lofty height stood well over 6 and a half feet. His brown hair had wild streaks of grey tresses tousled to the mid of his forehead. She had a strong feeling he was Byron Phelps, Mrs. Esther's son and Reneé's fiancé that everyone always talked about. It was nice to finally meet him in person. He looked older than she expected—Mrs. Esther must have had him pretty young, but he was still a good looking man with curiosity shimmering in his eyes.

She fiddled with her thumb. "Hi, I'm Callie. I work with—"

Byron's wide eyes broadened. "Oh yeah, I know you. You're the one who saved my mom. Come in. I'm completely indebted to you."

Callie blushed. She didn't feel like she did much. She was just overflowing with fear and tried to do everything in her power to make sure Mrs. Esther didn't end up like her mom.

Byron led her through a narrow hallway that spilled into a well designed living room with Mrs. Esther sitting on a couch, wearing an absent look in her eyes. Nando sat on the floor, craning his head to the cartoon blaring on the T.V screen, clearly unconcerned about the things happening around him. "Guess who's here, mom?"

The glowing smile Mrs. Esther usually wore, lit up her face the moment she spotted Callie in the house. "Oh, sweetie. You came."

Callie couldn't resist smiling back. "Sorry, I took so long to visit. I should have seen how you were, but I'm not too fond of hospitals." The last time she had been to a hospital, was also the last time she saw her mother. It had been hard going to any, since then.

Mrs. Esther snorted. "Please. The last thing I needed was for anyone to see me looking like a crazy old lady in my blue hospital gown. I'm happy you came at this moment. Please sit down."

"Thank you, ma'am." Callie eased her weight on the soft lime couch. "So how's your health? I still don't know the details of what happened."

"Nothing happened. Everything is just blown out of proportion." She called lazily, her words dragging out. 

Byron seethed from his corner. An eyebrow arched. "Nothing happened? Onset dementia isn't nothing, mom." He turned his head to Callie. "When she collapsed in the kitchen, she had a damn heart attack too and she's making it seem like nothing. This is serious and I hate when she downplays important things like this."

Callie's eyes widened. A heart attack? Onset dementia? Now it made sense why Mrs. Esther had been forgetting things a lot lately. Callie had just assumed it was a general thing attached to old age, but having dementia was much scarier.

Mrs. Esther rolled her eyes. It didn't seem like she cared about the extent of her illness. "It's nothing. I'm fine. There's nothing special about it."

"It's not nothing." The stern tone in Callie's voice rose, sending chills even to herself when she spoke. "My mom died of a heart related problem. You shouldn't take it so lightly. You could have died. I actually thought you died."

Mrs. Esther puckered his brows into a frown of deep thoughts and Bryon's response was a swift grunt. After some moments, the older woman sobered up. "You're right. I should have taken it more seriously. I just hate thinking about the worst case scenario. It's scary how everything's happening so fast. Now, my memories are fading away and I'll turn to a senile old woman. I'm just trying to make light of the situation because the thought of having dementia is tearing me apart."

Her son's face fell. "Don't say that. Your meds are there to help you."

She squeezed his hands lovingly, with a hopeful smile on her lips. "You're a sweetheart, honey. Thank you." Byron returned her smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Something in the vulnerable way he looked at Mrs. Esther showed how worried he was about her.

The older woman's bright blue eyes glistened at Callie with warmth pooling around them. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life. I'm so sorry you ended up losing your mother. When Byron's dad died, I was furious at myself for years for not being a perfect person for my late husband. But I learnt to eventually let it go. Some things are not easy to get over but someday, you eventually would. It's the cruel principle of life."

Callie's lips twitched into a grimace. "I did what anyone would have done. At least, I got to save one person in my life."

"You're a wonderful person. Never forget that." Mrs. Esther reached for the young girl's hands. A habit of hers to give comfort to those who needed it. Callie's eyes watered at her words. "So how's work, so far?"

"Larkin's relieved you're alive. Everyone's thrilled about your recovery. So, please get better." Callie chortled, holding back any form of sadness building within her.

With a firm nod of her head, Mrs. Esther requested with a lingering look in her blue eyes. "Just promise me one thing. I need you and Leona to take my place at work. You have to add more days to your schedule because I don't think I can ever come back to work." Callie stared at her, not finding the right words to say at her request. "Can you do it for me?"

Callie loved working at the Manor but she didn't think it'd be a frequent thing. It was really hard to refuse the words of this sweet old lady and the response she said next, startled even herself. "Yes, I will."

*****
I have been hearing a few complains from people about seeing glitches and repeated sentences on this book. If you're having this issue, please tell me so I can tell you the guidelines to avoid any more occurrence.
Xoxo
Jasmine