.
Mark pushed the ward door open slightly and saw Lacey sleeping, she was facing the wall. Mrs. Richard was also sleeping on the couch. He would want to be a dead meat if he entered that place right now because she would chew and spit him out like a sour orange.
As he turned to leave, he heard his name, " Mark?"
His feet froze and he was scared to turn back.
" What are you doing over there?" Lacey inquired from him.
He turned with a smile on his face, his legs shook when his mother in law stared at him with a piercing glare.
" I thought you were sleeping, so I decided that I'd come back later." He lied, he didn't have the heart to say that he was avoiding her pleasant mother.
Lacey's brows shot up, " Oh? That's good. Come on in." She invited and his eyes widened like saucers, why was she trying to put him in the lion's den. Judging by the expression on her face, he knew that this was trouble.
" Oh, only one person is allowed to stay here at a time. We wouldn't want the nurses to begin to complain right?" He replied.
Lacey stared at him wondering why he was feeling to come in, she needed another company, her mother had almost bored her with information about how useless Mark was and she began to have a headache at one point. She scratched her head for a few minutes but her mother refused to understand.
" Mom, is it only Dad that's outside?" She asked.
" Yeah."
" I think you should go see him, he must be lonely." She made sure that she played with her mother's emotions. Alas, it was only her husband she cared about.
Reluctantly, Mrs. Richard rose and headed for the door. " I will be back in a few minutes." She flung at him, she didn't want him to become comfortable being in there with her lovely daughter.
" How are you doing?" He asked as he neared her bed. He was still a bit hesitant about moving in close to her. She might have invited him because she wanted him to replace her mother.
" So, what are you doing all over there?"
Mark was surprised, " Huh?"
"I believe I spoke plain English. You are standing there instead of coming here and it's a new phenomenon." She replied truthfully. The mark she knew would have wanted to talk to her and say something but this one just stared at her like he was bored.
She didn't care but it bothered her.
" What are you thinking about?" She inquired.
Mark stuffed his hands into his pocket, at this point there was nothing he could do. " Nothing."
" What do you mean by that? You are standing at the door, staring at me like that, and you say nothing?" Lacey replied to him. Did he think she was stupid? " So, what's wrong with you?" She queried.
Mark decided that he wasn't going to say anything. He didn't want the issue to escalate today. " I'm sorry if I looked a bit taken aback, I was just feeling a certain way seeing you in this condition."
" Which you put me in right? I was told that I suffered from food poisoning and I can't help to wonder what could have happened to me. There is no one else's food I eat except yours. At least throughout yesterday, I only ate your meal throughout. So tell me what to think?" She accused him.
The accusation washed over him like cold water and he stared at his wife who was supposed to be there for him. She was always looking for a way to make herself look good.
" Why would you even think that?" He inquired and she stared at him.
"Tell me what I am supposed to think. Heaven knows that I am telling the truth. It's obvious that you want to poison me. My question is why? What did I do to you?"
Mark ran his hand through his hair in frustration, " Everyone ate the food you are talking about, so what's the big deal?"
" Exactly my point, everyone ate the food, yet I was the only one poisoned. Please make it make sense because I'm trying to understand it, yet I can't fathom it. Why?" She challenged him.
Mark rolled his eyes. " You are ever ready to launch accusations at me without considering my feelings."
" I don't care about them if they will cost me my life. What should I do? Be happy that my husband poisoned me? Where is that done?!" She thundered and began to cough loudly.
Mark was at her side in an instant and tried to pat her back but she swatted his hands away. " Don't touch me with those filthy hands of yours." She said angrily and he stepped back.
" Don't be stubborn, you need help." He chided her.
Lacey leveled an angry stare at him as he spoke, " you will not try to be more caring than you actually are when we both know what you are trying to achieve."
God, can someone just shoot me now?
" Do you really think that I'd want you dead? For what reason?"
" My wealth? You know that I am rich, I am on top of my game, to make me fired so that I can stay home with you and not allow Alistair in my life. Isn't that what this is about?" She flung at him and Mark stepped back.
Her insults stung badly and he didn't think that such words would ever leave her mouth but he guessed that he had been fooling himself for a very long time.
" I never knew that you had such thoughts toward me, I think I should leave." He said demurely. She was indirectly accusing him of wanting her dead. He wouldn't allow her to weigh him down with her words.
The words kept ringing in his ear as he turned.
" Yes, you should leave her life too, no one needs you here anyway." Mrs. Richard spoke from the doorway with glee shining in her eyes.