Freya sat in the hospital room, waiting for Linda to wake up.
After more than an hour, Linda slowly regained consciousness.
Though her condition wasn’t serious, it had come on suddenly.
The surgery, while minor, had also taken its toll on her spirit.
Freya pulled the blanket over Linda. “Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
Linda checked herself, feeling weak but otherwise okay. “No.”
“You being okay is all that matters,” Freya said.
Linda looked at her. “It’s just you and your mom at home, it’s too much for you.”
She tried to sit up.
Freya pressed down on the blanket she was about to lift. “You must rest properly. Don’t worry about home or me. I’ll find someone to help. Just focus on getting better.”
Linda sighed. “How can I rest easily in the hospital?”
“You must rest peacefully,” Freya insisted. “Only when you’re well can you help me take care of our home.”
Linda lay back down. “Ah, getting older means getting sick at the drop of a hat.”
“I saw your CT scan, nothing serious. Just take your meds and you’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid,” Freya reassured her.
“I’m not afraid,” Linda smiled.
“You should go back! No one’s at home, it’s not good. I’ll manage here,” Linda said.
But Freya couldn’t shake her worries, especially this late at night. It was hard to find suitable help on short notice. After some thought, she called Neo.
The call was quickly picked up.
Neo seemed to have heard something from somewhere before asking, “Are you in trouble now that the police are investigating Ono Pharmaceutical?”
Freya replied, “Neo, I have a favor to ask…”
“Tell me, what’s the matter?” Neo interrupted.
“It’s personal,” Freya said. “I understand if you can’t.”
“You won’t know until you ask,” Neo said.
Knowing it wasn’t quite appropriate, but with no one else around to turn to, Freya explained, “A relative is sick and in the hospital after a small surgery. I need someone to keep an eye on her. I’ll be there in the morning.”
Neo immediately agreed. “Okay.”
“Thank you!”
When Neo arrived, Freya left.
Elowen saw Freya return and asked, “Is Linda okay?”
Freya shook her head. “She’ll be fine after a rest.”
Elowen had just finished bathing Kai and putting him to bed, with Morton crying at the same time.
Elowen hurried back to their room.
Freya went to the dining room.
It was a mess.
She squatted to pick up the debris and threw it away.
The dishes were stacked in the sink, overflowing onto the countertop.
After clearing the table and floor, Freya put on an apron and started washing the dishes.
Elijah returned at midnight.
Seeing the kitchen light on, he went in and saw Freya washing up.
A pile of dishes, plates, stacked high.
He walked over. “Why are you doing this so late?”
“Linda is sick and at the hospital. My mom is taking care of the kids. I’m almost done here, you should go wash up and sleep,” Freya explained.
“I’ll help.”
Elijah rolled up his sleeves, revealing strong arms.
“You can’t help. By the way, is Orion okay?” Freya asked.
Elijah paused. “Yeah, he’s holding up. I think he’s finally given up this time.”
Freya felt a bit relieved.
He reached out.
Freya nudged him with her elbow. “I’ll be done soon. You can’t help here. Go wash up and sleep, I’ll be up in a bit.”
“I’ll have Xander find two good maids to help at home tomorrow,” Elijah said.
“Okay.”
It was true that it was too much for Freya to handle alone with Linda not at home.
As Elijah walked out of the kitchen, he turned back. “Sacha hasn’t returned yet, right?”