Chapter 188: Her Aunt

Chapter 188: Her Aunt
Vida's POV
The moment we crossed into the human territory and headed to the hospital, something inside me shifted. A strange kind of calm settled over me, as if I had stepped into a life I once knew, but I still had many questions in my head, like how my aunt is related to my mother. If she ever knew that I was a guardian. My fingers tightened slightly around Meredith's hand as we walked into the hospital, then he looked at me, "Are you okay?" He asked softly.
I nodded, though my gaze stayed ahead, "I'm fine," but the truth is, I didn't know what fine meant anymore, not after everything that had happened for the passed days, not after learning the truth, that I wasn't just some ordinary girl walking in the street, not after finding out that my mother name is Veronica, and that she was killed by her wicked siblings. I wanted to forget all about it, treat it like another nightmare, where I wake up from but the truth is, it's no longer a dream but reality, I had wings, I had a family, a wicked aunt and a goddess for a grandmother, and to crown it all, my last child will be tied to that world, I didn't even tell Meredith about it, I didn't want to bother him but everything just seem overwhelming.
"We are almost there," Meredith's voice dragged me from my thoughts. I exhale slowly, just a few steps, and I will meet her, Aunt Rosa, the one more person left who still feels like home, the person I had left, who could tell me everything about my mother, but as we draw closer to the hospital entrance, my heart begins to beat a little faster. What if she knows nothing about my birth mother? What if she was scared, of the person I had turned into, but before I could overthink it, Meredith had already pulled the hospital ward door, revealing Aunt Rosa, her face lit up the moment she saw us, even though she was looking pale and thinner than ever.
"Vida," she choked out, her voice shaky. I hurried toward her, wrapping my hand around her. The antiseptics and drugs invaded my nostrils. Her hand moved instinctively and wrapped around me. "I was so worried about you!" Her arms wrapped around me, warm, familiar, and safe. For a second, I almost broke, but I held it together.
"I'm okay," I said softly, hugging her back. She pulled me away slightly, her eyes still holding mine as she looked me over.
"Are you sure?" She asked, her brows knitting together, her pale eyes searching mine. "I called you so many times," guilt flickered through me, she was worried.
"I am sorry..." Was all I could say.
"You didn't pick up," she continues, "I was scared something had happened to you," her voice softened, "Akira answered once, but I still wasn't sure if everything was alright. I told her, I wanted to talk to the handsome man..." I chuckled at my aunt's words.
"I'm fine," I reassured her gently.
"Really?" Her gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before she finally nodded, then her eyes shifted to Meredith, specifically to his legs. She froze, "Oh my God!" She breathed her eyes widened, "handsome..." I stifled my laughter as my aunt's gaze traveled slowly from his face down to his legs and back again to his face, "You can walk."
Meredith smiled faintly, "Yes, Aunt Rosa"
Her eyes filled with tears, "I'm so happy," her voice low, but she was fighting to speak firmly, she reached out to Meredith, her hand was getting thinner as a result of the sickness. "I was worried about you as well, when Akira said you can't talk." Meredith stepped forward slightly, then held Aunt Rosa's hand that was stretched out to him, while giving her a small nod.
"Thank you, for caring about me, and we are sorry for making you worried,"
She shook her head, still overwhelmed, before looking back at me, "Vida," she called again, her tone more serious but still weak. "The day you told me, you were getting married..." My chest tightened slightly, "You said you were going to pick me up, but you didn't show up."
I swallowed, "I know"
"I waited," she continues, "I kept calling you..." Her voice trembled slightly, "I didn't know what to think."
"I'm sorry," I said softly, "something came up."
Her brows furrow, "Did the marriage not hold?"
I hesitated then nodded slightly, "It didn't." Her expression shifted, concern, confusion, curiosity, all mixed together, "but everything is fine now." I added quickly.
She studied me carefully, as I ran my hand instinctively around my tummy, her gaze dropped slightly, to my stomach, and something in her eyes changed, "What Vida?" Her voice softened.
A small smile formed on my lips, "We are expecting your first grandchild."
I announced joyfully, her eyes widened again, "Oh my goodness..." Her hand flew to her mouth. "A baby?"
I nodded, "Yes!"
Her eyes filled with tears again, but this time, they were different; they were tears of joy. "I didn't know I would see this day. That I would become a grandmother soon." She says, her voice shaking, her tears dropping uncontrollably, the word hit me, grandmother, it felt right, even if she wasn't my biological mother, all my life she was all I knew, she had cared for me, loved me like her own, before the sickness hit her. "I want to be there," she said suddenly, "for your wedding."
My heart warmed. Meredith sat beside her bed, "We're planning to have it this weekend," he said.
Her eyes lit up, "Really?"
He nodded, "And if you would like, you can come with us before the wedding."
She blinked twice, and my gaze went to Meredith. This wasn't the reason I wanted to come here, but my heart wouldn't let me ask her after everything I had put her through for the past weeks. "With you?" My aunt asked, and Meredith nodded.
"To help with the preparations," he added.
Her smile faltered slightly, "Oh! I don't think it's a good idea..." She looked down at herself, "I might be a burden."
"No," I said immediately pulling her, her head snapped up, "you're not a burden," I pressed soft kisses on her hand, "we will talk to your doctor, if he could let you go for a few days," her brows furrowed, "and we will get a nurse," I continue, "someone to care for you while you are there."
She shook her head slightly, "That is too much."
"It's not," I insisted, her eyes met mine, and this time, I didn't look away, "let me be a good daughter to you," I said gently, "let's recreate those moments we had when I was barely eight, I missed you, I missed our time together." Tears drop down my face as the memory came back, those times she was stronger, healthier, and beside me, I didn't see this day coming where she would be lying in a hospital bed, feeling so weak, "even if it’s just this once."
Her breath caught, she moved her hands and wiped the tears in my eyes, even my eyes were filled with tears, "Vida..."
I squeezed her hands, "Please!"
She hesitated then slowly nodded "alright""
Relief flooded through me, a smile broke across my face as I pulled her into a hug, "Thank you!" She held onto me tightly, and for the first time, since I found out everything about myself, I felt something ease inside my chest. Getting her ready didn't take long. Meredith handled most of the arrangements, speaking to her doctor, making sure everything was in place, including getting her a nurse. I just stayed close to her, talking about random stuff, helping her fix her things. When we finally stepped out of the hospital together, I glanced at her. At the woman who had cared for me, worried about me, loved me without knowing the truth because I'm sure she had no idea, who the little girl in her house was, or even the woman she had told me was her sister who gave birth to me. I made a silent promise to myself that I wouldn't lose her, that I would heal her, but I don't know how. Maybe I would ask my grandmother after my marriage. I was lost in my thoughts when we got into the car. Meredith took my hand, giving it a soft squeeze, then I leaned slightly into him, resting my head on his shoulders. "We will get through this as well."