Jenna was about to go to the elevator when Hansen paused for a moment. He looked at the elevator, his ears perking up. There were four or five people, and their footsteps were brisk.
After taking two steps back, Hansen pulled her and made a “shh” sign. He walked to Raeleigh’s ward and opened the door, pushing Jenna in. “Don’t come out,” he said urgently.
Santiago was sitting inside of the ward. Seeing his mother’s nervous expression, he immediately knew that something had happened. He stood up and looked back at Xanthus. “Take care of my Mom and Raeleigh.”
“Santiago, what’s wrong?”
Jenna clutched his arm and looked up at him. Santiago’s face was filled with glee. “Maybe you should ask your good ol’ mother-in-law.”
Jenna yelped and released her younger son’s hand. She didn’t respond for a long time and couldn’t react at all.
Only then did Santiago walk to the door. “Bloody h*ll, why is she so freaking troublesome! What on Earth is Grandpa doing now? If he’s not gonna control his wife, then she’ll become an old witch, I swear to God.”
Santiago stepped out. Jenna looked embarrassed, but she was still worried about them and wanted to go out and have a look. Before she could react, Xanthus put down his book and stood up. Although he was displeased, it was not their fault. In short, it was Marissa’s.
“Mrs. Richards, it’s dangerous over there. You’d better stay and take care of Raeleigh. I’ll go outside and check things out. This is a hospital and the interior is designed in a closed way. There should be only one group of people. I’ll go outside and keep a lookout. You ought to stay.”
“Then, be careful. Violence doesn’t choose their victims,” Jenna explained. Xanthus smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Mrs. Richards, you should go to Raeleigh’s bedside and wait for a while. I will go out, and see what I can do to help.”
Xanthus said and went outside. He said he was going to help. In fact, if he stood in the doorway, then it would be most helpful for Raeleigh. He should protect her and prevent people from entering her ward.
As the door of the ward closed, Jenna looked at Raeleigh with guilt. “Raeleigh, don’t think badly of your Grandma Marissa. It is all because of me. When she was young, she had hoped for Hansen to marry the woman she liked. But in the end, she turned into a villain because his son insisted on marrying me.”
“Although the mother and son have let go of their past issues, their relationship has never been as good as before. Mom always thinks that she is old and has a different way of thinking from us, so we need to tolerate her.”
Raeleigh bit her lips and after being in deep thought for a long time, she asked Jenna, “Mrs. Richards, do you really think so?”
Jenna was stunned for a moment and she then laughed. “You’re quite the honest girl, aren’t you?”
After Raeleigh finished her sentence, Jenna poured a glass of water for Raeleigh. “Don’t blame me. It’s true, I don’t really think so. But when you’re at my age, what you want is to have a harmonious family. I really don’t wanna destroy the peace here.”
“Grandma Marissa has regretted her actions and has changed her attitude towards me. Of course, it also includes my efforts to be good to her and to be considerate to her.
“But after all, she is a person who needs to be taken care of. This time, Mr. Richards took me out on a vacation and dumped all the family issues on her. This was a very irresponsible act. Once we left, she would naturally have all the power. She wanted everyone to listen to her. In fact, we also listened to her when we were at home.”
“When a person reaches middle age, especially when their parents are getting older, they will grow agitated. Marissa is now acting like a child.”
“Except that this child is out to kill people and inflict pain,” Raeleigh interjected.
Raeleigh was never a person who lived in a bubble of denial. She knew Jenna’s thoughts, that she did not want her to resent Marissa. But the problem was that even if she let bygones be bygones, Marissa would not let her go.
Jenna hesitated for a moment. “She is old, and her days are numbered. We can’t be angry with her. In fact, sometimes I will also be angry and complain to Hansen about her. But after all, she is my husband’s mother, and we are her children. We should forgive her.”
“If you have a baby… No offence, Raeleigh, I’m just giving an example. Is that okay?”
“Yup.”
“What I was saying is that when you have a child, they will be very obedient and sensible, as they are still young. Their minds are impressionable. But one day when the child grows up, say, just like Santiago, he meets new friends outside and goes around doing bad things. Will you ignore him just because of that?”
Raeleigh shook her head.
Jenna touched Raeleigh’s hand and patted her. “As a matter of fact, the same theory applies. We can’t change anything, but we have to tolerate it. Our children are our flesh and blood, and so are our parents. There is no absolute guarantee that when they get old, they won’t be as unreasonable as your Grandma Marissa. What do you think?”
Raeleigh was laughing because of Jenna’s words. She took a look at the door and realized that the fighting had stopped.
“I won’t hate her. She’s the one thinking I’m not good enough. I can understand if she prefers other people over me. To each their own, anyway. But I know that even if I give up, she won’t.”
“Not to worry. After this incident, Hansen will make things clear to her.”
“I see.”
What else could Raeleigh say? Jenna was doing this for the sake of her family. Since she needed to recover then, she could not escape. Moreover, she had never thought about staying here. So, she might have to roll with their punches.
One day, when she could leave this dangerous place, Marissa would not find trouble with her again.
The door of the ward was pushed open and Xanthus came in first. Raeleigh observed Xanthus immediately. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that he was unscathed. Otherwise, she would have been scared.
Following them was Hansen. Jenna saw him, stood up, and walked over to him. She held her husband’s arm and scanned him from top to bottom.
Raeleigh didn’t see Santiago, making her heart leap to her throat.
“Where is Santiago?” Jenna did not see her son. Hansen turned around to take a look. “Come here.”
Hansen called his son as if he had just called a pet dog. Santiago then walked to the door and asked, “What?”
“Look, your Mom is worried about you.”
Santiago was unusually obedient. He stood at the door and raised his hands. One of his hands was empty and the other was holding a phone. He turned around to show Jenna that he was fine. Jenna then breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Raeleigh and smiled. Raeleigh stared at Santiago with a worried face. She was finally at ease.
Santiago immediately turned around and left. Jenna asked, “Where are you going?”
“The people outside have to be dealt with.” Hansen placated his wife, sent her to the side, and looked at Xanthus. “I will watch over this place. Go and help him.”
“Hansen…”
Jenna widened her eyes. Xanthus was Raeleigh’s family, so how could he order others around?
Hansen did not reply. He held his wife’s shoulders and stared intently at Xanthus. Only then did he observe Raeleigh’s condition and stepped out to help.