Whilst the maid was sleeping peacefully with her daughter in the abysmal, mystic summer night with its pleasant breeze that played with their thin silky blanket, blanketing their clothed, motionless bodies, a numb, ghastly serenity prepronderated in the house like the house was empty with one more person, who was currently missing. It was Valerie's right hand, the love of her life. Despite the scandal between both women in the past few days, the house wasn't the same at all. Especially when Dr.Azarova was gone tonight. At her workplace. 

The red-haired lady attempted to forget about the fierce conflict between her and Velika, in spite of the difficultness itself. It was more than a tough crux. Besides her perplexed mind with its mingled feelings of her lover, between love and hatred, between grudge and sympathy, between rage and peace. She loved her and hated her in the same time. 

By the way, she let her mind rest whilst her daughter Shona was the only company with whom she could share a bed, in this moment. In a platonic way. Just like a mother and a daughter. Nothing else. Shona sleeps rarely with her mother as she prefered to sleep, hugging by herself in the lukewarm bed sheets.

All of a sudden, something interrupted the both females to sleep serenely as a noise of ringing phone taunted the young woman's ears as she stirred up, rubbing her drowsy eyes as she emitted an impulsive yawn, noting how her daughter woke up abruptly as her big, adorable hazel eyes stared at her mother, expressing her puzzle. In the interim, Ms.Volkova rose her body as she got from the bed, hopping up in her slippers as she wore her onyx black lacy nightgown, walking up to the door as her daughter enquired her, whilst the sounds of ringing phone didn't stop, looping in the foreground.

"What's going on?" The little girl asked as she didn't dare to get from her bed to follow her mother, instead she abided in lying position, watching the taller, slimer figure of her mother standing behind the door as she stopped immediately when her daughter striked a conversation.

"I don't know really, sweetheart. I will check right now." She answered as she put her hand on the doorknob, pressing it as she reassured her daughter with her final words a few moments before fleeing. "All you need is to stay here, okay?"

The red-haired little girl nod her head, instead of arguing with her mother, raising the topic behind the ringing phone in the middle of the night. It was not exactly in the middle of the night. The current time was actually 2 o'clock in the morning.

As soon as, the maid wandered in the dark corridor of her house, looking for the phone, she found it eventually on the night stand that stood next to the bedroom's door as she orientated perfectly in the darkness. She grabbed the handset, putting it behind her ear as she answered lastly the phone call.

"H-Hello? Who's there?" Valerie questioned uncertainly.

"Hello! Is this Ms.Volkova, Dr.Azarova's partner with whom I am talking to?" A masculine voice echoed through the handset.

"Yes, I am. What's going on?"

"We have good and bad news." The male doctor paused as the young woman inhaled sharply, barely having an idea what he was talking about right away. "First and foremost, the bad news are Velika is unconscious after dosing with antidepressants for unknown reason. In the contrary, the good news are she is transmitted in a room where you are able to visit her anytime, Miss Volkova." 

After hearing those shocking news especially the first one, the young lady didn't restrain as her heart raced, getting smashed with a hammer that creaked her flimsy heart, leaving unhealed spots. Furthermore, her face acquired its palish hue, initially not taking it seriously until the male doctor informed her about the good news, fortunately. 

"Thank you for informing me doctor. Could you tell me where is located Ms.Azarova?"

"Yes, of course. She's in room 201."

"Thank you very much, sir! Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

Then she put the handset back, once the phone conversation ended as she rushed to the bedroom, pressing the doorknob as she noticed her daughter was still awake. 

Meanwhile she walked up to her bed, sitting in the rim of the bed, stroking her soft, thick scarlet braided red hair with grimaced face as there was something wrong, whilst her hazel green eyes darted to Shona's precious face.

"Mom, is there anything wrong? Who called you?" The little girl's inquisitiveness was pretty evident as she noted something suspicious behind her mother's grimaced face.

"Well, one of your aunt Velika's colleagues phoned me as he informed that your aunt had overdosed with antidepressants, currenty located in room 201." She paused as she sighed a sigh of relief as she kept on stroking Shona's youthful, vivacious hair.

"But didn't you call her a cheap cliché earlier tonight?"

"What? It was just a few hours..." As the young maid was about to continue her sentence, her daughter cut her off momentarily, unfortunately.

"Isn't it hypocritical to call her whatever you want especially with bad words? How about now when you want to pay a visit in the hospital to see her?" The little girl snapped at her mother, expressing her dissatisfaction for her volatility in her opinions.

"You cannot understand what's the difference between hypocrisy and sincerity." In the meantime, the young mother gestured her daughter to get from the bed as they should commence prepare themselves by changing their garments from their pajamas into casual ones.

"Of course,I can." At last, Shona got from her bed as she hopped up in her slippers as she wore her pajamas, walking up to her small wardrobe that comprises her clothes and lingerie. Moreover, the young girl obstinately debated her mother.

"Look, dear. I can call your aunt whatever I want, despite my frustration back then. But I still love her and cannot dump her like a stray dog." Ms.Volkova explained laconically to her daughter as she was deadly serious behind her words, scarcely acquiring any emotion in her speech. In the interim, she was looking for a casual, ordinary summer dress that she can wear to her partner's visit in the hospital.

Afterward a morbid hush occured in the room as it blurred with its mistiness, diffusing everywhere. Until the hush was disrupted as Shona owed her apology to her mother for her bland stubborness, subsequently being forgiven.

A several minutes later...

As the both females entered in the hospital as they were lucky the hospital wasn't located far away from their home, they entered in the lobby floor, going upstairs as they were in the middle of their path, one of the doctors stopped them, asking them where they were going as the red-haired woman notified the doctor that she should visit urgently room 201, where is her partner transmitted. Thereafter the doctor let them pass as they rushed upstairs as they walked in the long, almost endless 2nd floor's corridor, looking for room 201.

Once they found the door, she felt so nervous as her pounding heart raced, her blood phlogistically walloping as she knew right away how would react her lover if she encounters her. Although the circumstances, she put her hand on the doorknob, pressing as she opened the door, establishing in an empty room with nobody else except Velika, glimpsing at the motionless body as she stepped in the patient's room with her daughter, shutting the door as she approached Velika, who laid on the bed. 

The middle aged woman who was unconscious, slept peacefully like a helpless corpse with shutted eyes as her heart beated swiftly in her chest, her rosy-coloured lips not moved a single muscle. Her hand rested on her abdomen over the blanket, whilst the another one was beneath the cotton blanket.

A little, timid smile spread across Valerie's lips unlike her daughter who gazed blankly at the motionless lady with a frown on her childish, amorous face.

All of a sudden, Ms.Volkova sat next to Ms.Azarova as she grabbed her lover's hand, pulling it towards her mouth to press her lips on her brittle hand, leaving a feather kiss mark, thereafter holding her hand as her thumb kneaded the back of her hand, looking up at her pale, mildly wrinkled face due to the irreversible aging process, admiring her grace especially for a middle woman as her smile rapidly grew efortlessly. A vivid, radiant smile on her sparkling, youthful face.

"Forgive me for snapping at you, Velika. I am forgiving you for the anger that you got it on me." She paused as her another hand reached for her chin, cupping it as her fingers kneaded her white like a milk flesh. "I truly believe you are strong and will recover. All I want to tell you is," She glimpsed at her daughter as she looked away from her lover for a while. She couldn't help, nonetheless, smiling to her daughter back as her rare, sunny smile loomed on her face as she watched her mother's immense support and love for Velika. 

"I love you!" The younger woman whispered, stroking her cheek yet. 

Suddenly one of the doctors opened the door as he entered in the room, noting the visitors as Ms.Volkova turned her back frantically, her face vapored in slight flush as she smiled amiably to the doctor, loosing Velika's hand as she moved her own hand on the bed's edge, balancing her sitting position.

"It's pleasant to have visitors, Ms.Volkova." 

"Indeed, Doctor!" 

"As an addition, Ms.Azarova is going to recover yet under our control until Wednesday the morning." The doctor was particularly hospitable and open-minded, who striked a conversation with the red-haired maid whilst the little girl rolled her eyes. He looked visually in his late 20s. Approximately Valerie's age and slightlier older than her. His skin color was dimly tanned with silver blond hair, black eyes like the midnight. Furthermore, he was much taller than the Russian-American with a couple of inches behind her, besides his body structure was well built especially for a young man. 

"Until Wednesday the morning?" Initially, she hardly believe she should wait until Wednesday the morning so that Velika can go back at home and behold her family at last. "Alright. May I visit her anytime?"

"Yes,of course, Ms.Volkova! You are always welcome to pay a visit to our patient anytime."

***

The next morning...

As Timothy was gone at work, leaving behind his mansion under Jude's supevision with her children, she wasn't particularly alone at home at all. Not only she had Tristan and Ellie who were currently playing with the toys on the kitchen's tiled floor, furthermore she had an authentic company with whom she could spill the tea. It was Valerie, who wore her maid's outfit, whilst drinking hot herbal tea with her friend, sitting on the dining table in the kitchen as they glimpsed at the children, whilst their eyes were more focused in shaping mutual eye contacts. The both ladies offered one another smiles, speaking to each other.

"How was your evening, Judy?" The younger lady questioned as she sipped of her hot tea.

"It was excellent. How about yours, Val?" Mrs.Howard answered enthusiastically.

The younger woman exhaled sharply after wiping her moisten chin with a satin floral handkerchief, hence, encouraging herself to speak her mind.

"Well, it wasn't exactly as excellent as yours. I mean...I had such a tough evening the day before."

"It's clearly visible." She peeped at Tristan and Ellie, consequently looking back in maid's stunning hazel eyes, recognizing readily grief, wintriness. "Haven't you overcome Velika's affliction towards you the day before when we were in the kitchen?" The blonde carried on.

"It's not that, Judy. The issue is completely different unlike this one with her rage."

"What are you talking about?"

"She was hospitalized the last night for overdosing with antidepressants. I paid a visit in the room where she was transmitted, staying with her for just 5 minutes to see if my lover is still alive." 

"Oh, that's horrible. I hope she's alright."

"I hope either too. The greatest thing of all is actually she is still alive as I noted her still beating heart. I realized what pain it was to behold her in such condition especially after the intense storm between us."

"I know, dear. At least, I bet you forgave her for everything."

"I did." The red-haired replied as she sipped of her tea, cupping the mug in her both hands. "I have a heart, I am not just doing it for myself, nor for her. Just my heart prompted me." Ms.Volkova said with husky, composed voice.

"It's apparent how exactly compassionate you are. You remind me of somebody special with this prominent trait of yours." Jude overlined as she raised her voice's decibels when she spelled the phrase "somebody special" with a smirk curled up on her illuminated face.

To be continued...