Noticing Mrs. Waters’ actions, Nana immediately became more alert.
She shifted slightly on the other side of the sickbed and held Janelle tighter in her arms.
Mrs. Waters walked to the bedside and stopped, looking at Nana with a pretense of friendliness.
“Oh, life is unpredictable. Your parents are no longer here, and your body is so weak. It’s truly heartbreaking to see.”
Mrs. Waters sniffled twice and spoke solemnly to Nana, “How about this? Before you are discharged, I’ll take care of my granddaughter for a few days, so you can focus on recovering. As for your parents’ affairs, I’ll have Carl take care of them for you.”
So, Mrs. Waters came to the hospital for this purpose?
In an instant, alarm bells rang in Nana’s mind.
Now that she had lost both her parents, her daughter was her everything.
Nana held Janelle even tighter and firmly refused, “I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t want to trouble anyone to take care of my daughter.”
Carl also realized that his mother had ulterior motives and politely told her, “Mom, Nana is not in a good mood. Please don’t make things worse.”
“What do you mean by making things worse? I’m worried that my granddaughter will suffer in the hospital!”
Mrs. Waters glared and retorted, “Hospitals have all kinds of patients, and Janelle was already a premature baby. What if she gets infected with some contagious disease?”
“I won’t let that happen!”
Carl spoke with conviction, protecting Nana and their daughter. “The two of us taking care of one child is enough. You should take care of yourself, especially considering your age!”
With Carl supporting Nana, Mrs. Waters had no choice but to leave in frustration.
After Mrs. Waters left, Carl looked at Nana’s tense expression and realized that she hadn’t let her guard down.
“My mom has gone home.”
Carl reminded her and slowly crouched down, looking up at Nana to reassure her, “I know my mom can be difficult, and she has caused you a lot of trouble. I’ll try to avoid any contact between you in the future.”
Nana looked blankly at her daughter and responded coldly, “It doesn’t matter. Unless I die, no one can separate me from Janelle.”
Hearing that ominous word, Carl’s heart sank, and he pleaded with a more earnest tone, “Nana, let me take care of you and Janelle in the future, okay? Our house is ready to move in, and the interior design is according to your preferences. We can go see it in a while and then move in. How about that?”
Nana remained indifferent.
Seeing Carl’s earnest gaze, she responded flatly, “Right now, all I want is to lay my parents to rest. I don’t care about anything else, and I’m not interested.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
Carl pursed his lips and smiled. He didn’t dare to touch Nana’s emotions now.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Nana’s voice sounded polite yet unfamiliar, her dull eyes devoid of any light.
The next day arrived.
Nana waited for several days and finally received the preliminary findings of the fire accident.
The police officers came to the hospital to explain to Nana the cause of the fire. An electric scooter parked in the hallway exploded due to a battery short circuit and ignited nearby combustible materials.
Upon hearing the officers’ account, Nana’s gaze became more suspicious.
“Whose electric scooter was it, and why was it parked in front of my house?”
Nana asked softly, realizing that many questions remained unanswered.
Carl beside her also felt puzzled, furrowing his brows he asked, “I remember the hallway was clean, without any clutter.”
They exchanged a glance, both sensing that something was amiss.
The police officers recorded the information conveyed by the two and informed them that they had not yet identified the owner of the electric scooter. The surveillance cameras in the community were also malfunctioning that day.
“This fire indeed has some suspicious aspects. It’s one of our investigation focuses. We’ll inform you immediately if we have any new information.”
The police officer informed with a serious expression and shook hands with Nana, saying, “Miss, please accept our condolences. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact us.”
“Thank you.”
Nana smiled with bitterness, her heart filled not only with sadness but also with doubts.
After the police officers left, Carl became more convinced that something was wrong.
“Nana, I think someone deliberately set the fire!”
Hearing Carl’s words, Nana’s gaze flickered, and she pondered, “I also think so. Right now, we need to find the owner of the electric scooter.”
“Yes, the key to the problem lies here, but the electric car burned down to a mere skeleton. It’s probably very difficult, very difficult…”
Carl dragged his words, feeling extremely heavy-hearted.
On that day, Nana, after much effort, managed to pull herself together, only to fall into a state of depression again due to various suspicions surrounding the fire.
An ownerless electric car blocked the door, and combustible materials inexplicably piled up in the corridor. The surveillance cameras in the residential area happened to be broken. All of these coincidences were too convenient, making people inevitably suspicious.
However, the current police had no clues whatsoever, so the investigation into the incident was ongoing, but there was no sign of hope.
In the evening, it was time for Carl and William to hand over their duties.
Carl bought dinner for Nana and gently and attentively fed her.
“Even if you can’t eat, you must force yourself to eat a little. Remember, you eat for Janelle. What if your health deteriorates?” Carl patiently persuaded her, but Nana remained unresponsive.
Nana stared blankly at the opposite wall, the oppression in her heart making her feel nauseous at the smell of food.
“I don’t want to eat, and I can’t eat.”
Nana shook her head forcefully and pushed away Carl’s arm.
“Nana, when you’re alive, you have to eat. Even if you’re feeling bad, you can’t starve yourself!” Carl tried to reason with her helplessly.
“What’s the point of me being alive? I’m just a useless person who eats…” Nana’s self-reproach made her completely impervious to Carl’s attempts to console her.
The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt. She spoke sorrowfully, “There are so many doubts in this case. My parents died wrongfully, but what can I do for them? Every day in the hospital, all I do is recover and eat.”
Seeing Nana consumed by self-blame, Carl couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.
“I understand how you feel, but if you want them to rest in peace, you have to stay alive and uncover the hidden truth behind the fire.”
At this point, Carl also realized that he couldn’t just wait passively. He planned to arrange Jerry and Tracy’s funerals and start a detailed investigation.
He was willing to spare no expense to find the person behind the arson, because Carl knew that only then would Nana be able to truly let go of the pain of her parents’ tragic death in the fire.
“Okay, then give me the spoon. I’ll eat by myself.”
Nana was persuaded by Carl’s words. She handed her daughter to Carl and began eating the dinner from the takeout box in big mouthfuls.
As she devoured the food, Carl felt even more uncomfortable. He gently stroked Nana’s shoulder and reminded her, “Nana, eat slowly and have some soup.”
However, Nana gulped down half a bowl of soup in one breath.
Now, eating for her was only about prolonging her life, just like completing a task.
In a matter of minutes, she finished the meal completely.
Looking at Carl’s complex expression, Nana wearily waved her hand, “I’m done eating. You can go back first. I want to be alone for a while.”
Nana would be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, but she didn’t know where to go from there.