Chapter 8 Grandma Jen's visit
He looked at her eyes again, and gave up. He would never say no to the one he loved, even if it meant she would leave him again.
“Fine,” he said. “But I am only helping you for personal reasons.”
She raised her brow at what he said. He then realized how weird that just sounded.
“No,” he said, correcting himself. “I mean that I can’t tell you the reason why I am helping you, but just know that it has something to do with Marylin Lou.”
Ok, she said with a small breath of relief.
“We will go hunting now as we need to feed and store some blood for later. I will show you how to do it, Dana didn’t come back with the remaining members of the coven, Hillary and Edmund. They should be on their way if they are not already back. I’ll go and check for them and see if they are around, then we will all go together.”
And with that he flew out of the room quickly. He came back about two minutes later with a bowl and a cover.
“They are not around; we will have to go alone. After hunting, you’ll report back here tomorrow night for your next lesson. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Then let’s go.”
They both walked out of the study and headed towards the exit. After leaving the gates, they flew back into the skies. Joana asked him a question she had forgotten to ask when they were in the castle.
“What about Dana, isn’t she coming to join us?”
“Dana feeds on her own as the coven leader, she doesn’t really hang out much with the rest of us.”
They flew for some time before spotting a deer on the land, feeding on some grass.
“We land there,” he pointed at the landing spot for her to see.
They both landed at the spot quietly, hiding behind a bush while watching the deer and waiting for the right moment to strike.
And when it was time, Derick launched at the deer, ripping through its neck with his fangs.
***
Grandma Jen waited at the hospital lobby with a well packaged bowl of soup and a get well soon balloon. She had come here to see Andrew after hearing the terrible news that he had been bitten on his neck by a snake. She found it strange, even his parents did. But there was no other possible explanation as the doctors had found some unidentifiable DNA in the affected area, but that was it. She was just glad he was okay, and they were thankful to the woman who had found him unconscious on the floor on time, as Joana would have been heartbroken if she had to lose the love of her life. She was more confused about the whereabouts of her granddaughter than she was about Andrew’s condition. A strange woman had come to tell her that Joana was safe with her and she had just let her go like that. She had told her not to call the police and she made her promise not to tell anyone where Joana was. It was as if she had been charmed. Some part of her knew that Joana was safe, but she just wished she could see it for herself. While she was still thinking about her granddaughter, Andrews parents came to meet her where she sat.
“Hello, madame Jennifer,” they said, calling her attention which made her look up. “Thank you for coming to see our Andrew, but where’s Joana?”
“She went somewhere important, she didn’t know about Andrew’s condition and I didn’t want to bother her by telling her, else she would have come,” she lied.
“Ok then, he’s fine now, he just woke up, you can go and see him inside now,” they said before leading her to the corridor where the rooms were lined up in two rows facing each other. They opened one of the doors, letting her in and walking in behind her.
“Hello Andrew,” grandma Jen said with a smile as she placed the soup on the table, tied the balloon to the edge of his bed, and sat on a chair in the room.
“Hello grandma Jen,” Andrew said, returning the greeting while sitting up on his bed upon seeing her.
She noticed he was looking at the door behind her to see if anyone else would come in. She knew who he was looking for, but was sorry to disappoint him.
“Joana didn’t come, she went somewhere important and she doesn’t know you’re here. I didn’t want to bother her by telling her what had happened to you, else she would have come, she lied again.”
“Ok,” Andrew said, hiding his disappointment.
“How are you feeling now?” She asked him.
“I don’t even know how I feel, I just woke up in a hospital bed and the next thing they tell me is that a snake bit me, but yet I have no memory of how it happened.”
“I’m so sorry dear,” grandma Jen said. “We were all surprised to hear what had happened, and I personally hoped you were ok, at least for the sake of my granddaughter. I know how she was when she lost her father, she wouldn’t have been able to bear the thought of losing another loved one.”
Andrew smiled. He loved hearing about the love that Joana had for him. He loved her too, and he hoped that they would meet again and start planning their wedding as soon as he left this place.
“Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad I made it too. The doctor’s said that the snake venom might have caused some temporary amnesia, so maybe I’ll be able to remember what happened later on.”
He paused for a while before continuing to speak again.
“Thank you for coming to see me today, grandma Jen, I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” she said before pointing to the soup. “I brought some of Joana’s favorite soup, it will make you feel better. I’ll tell her to come see you as soon as she comes back.”
“Ok grandma Jen, tell her to come. The doctors said that I might get discharged this week, so if she doesn’t come back by then, she can come see me at home.”
“No problem, she will, goodbye Andrew, and get well soon,” grandma Jen said as she stood up and left the room. Andrews parents who had stood and watched their conversation escorted her outside the hospital.
Andrew placed his head back on the pillow and tried to see if he would be able to recall anything at all, the only thing he managed to remember was him reaching out his hand to something, or someone before it bit him. He knew how much he hated reptiles, so if it was a snake, like they said, why would he reach his hand out to a snake?
