Feeling a bit more at ease, she asked around the department and quickly found out which room Adela Ludwig was in, then hurried over.
When she pushed open the door to the spacious, upscale hospital room, only Danny and the nurse were inside.
On the bed, the elderly lady was sleeping soundly.
Danny looked up, startled to see Ivy suddenly appear. “What are you doing here? Did Jamison call you?”
“Dad.” Ivy greeted him respectfully, then explained, “Boyd told me. I tried calling Jamison, but couldn’t get through, so I came straight to the hospital. How’s Mom doing?”
Danny nodded reassuringly. “She’s fine. It’s just her old trouble acting up. She worries too much, that’s all. People need to take things easy and keep an open mind if they want to stay healthy.”
Ivy agreed with him, though she could understand why Adela was so anxious.
After all, it was her own daughter and grandson involved in that incident. Who wouldn’t be worried in her shoes?
Since she’d already taken the day off, Ivy decided she might as well stay and keep Adela company.
Not long after, Adela Ludwig woke up. When she saw her younger daughter–in–law sitting by the bedside, she looked surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Ivy smiled and said, “Am I not allowed to come? If you don’t want to see me, I can leave.”
Her words might have sounded a bit confrontational, but her tone was gentle.
Adela, never one to back down, replied, “If you want to go, then go. I’m not stopping you.”
Ivy couldn’t help but laugh, her voice still soft and pleasant. “I’m not leaving. I’m here to keep your younger son company–he’ll appreciate me more for it.”
Adela shot her a look, clearly astonished, and muttered, “How did I never realize you could be so shameless?”
Ivy just blinked, at a loss for words.
23:131
Around noon, Jamison called. He got straight to the point, “You’re still in Mom’s room?”
“Yeah. Did you finish the surgery?”
“I did. I’ll be there in a minute.”
After finishing up in the operating room, Jamison noticed several missed calls from Ivy and heard from a colleague that his sister–in–law had come by and asked about his mother’s room. It was easy to guess Ivy was still there.
He arrived quickly and opened the door to find Ivy helping his mother sip some
water.
“Ivy…”
She glanced back and, seeing him still in his dark green scrubs, realized he’d come straight from surgery without even stopping to rest.
“Mom’s much better now. I can stay with her for a while–why don’t you go take a break?” she said softly, looking at his handsome, somewhat stern face.
Jamison asked, “Aren’t you working today?”
“I took the day off.”
He was surprised. No one knew better than he did what a workaholic his wife was, and he hadn’t expected she’d actually take time off to help care for his mother.
A warm feeling spread through him, and a rare smile touched his face.
Danny chimed in, “It’s almost lunchtime. Jamison, if you have a minute, why don’t you take Ivy downstairs to eat? You both have work to do this afternoon; don’t worry about us here.”
Jamison nodded. “Alright, I’ll take her to lunch.”
Ivy started to protest, but Danny ushered her out with a wave, insisting she go. She could only fall in line with his arrangement.
As they left the room, Ivy glanced at Jamison, apologizing first. “Sorry, I found out about Mom from Boyd. You really should have told me…”
Jamison pressed the elevator button, needing to go back upstairs and change.
He smiled faintly. “I’ve just been too busy, and I figured you’d be at work.”
“Work isn’t more important than this. I know how to set my priorities,” Ivy muttered, then asked, “Are you mad at me because I stayed at Golden Maple Estate last
2/3
23:13
night? Is that why you kept it from me?”
“Of course not,” he denied, stepping out of the elevator. “I’ll just go change–be right back.”
They grabbed a quick lunch in the hospital cafeteria.
After catching up on Adela’s condition, Ivy felt a heaviness settle over her again,
She knew Jamison must be worried too, even if he wasn’t the type to show it.
Trying to lighten the mood, she brought up the house fire at the Windsor estate.
Jamison said, “I figured from the start the culprit would be careful–not the sort to leave evidence behind. And that’s exactly how it’s turned out.”
“What do you mean? The police still haven’t found any suspects?”
“No. The police have checked everyone who came in and out of Verdant Estates the day of the fire–nothing so far. The place is old, a lot of houses sit empty. Owners who move out stop paying their dues, so the property management barely keeps up. Half the streetlights and cameras are broken, and nobody fixes them. Lately, two houses that sold cheap are being renovated, so there are loads of contractors around every day, all passing right by the Windsor house. To find the arsonist, they’ll have to interview every single one.”
Ivy listened in silence, thinking for a moment before she spoke. “If none of the outsiders are suspects… could it be an inside job?”