Free Web NovelChapter 573: Chapter 572: Farewell
After the three of them finished dinner, Sharon had an appointment early the next morning, so she left first.
Bella Acker cleaned up the lunchboxes and stayed with Ethan to do homework, occasionally glancing toward the door of the hospital room.
"Bella, are you waiting for Uncle Sinclair?" Ethan asked, holding a crayon and looking up.
Bella was surprised that even Ethan noticed she was waiting for someone. Was she being so obvious?
"Ethan, do you think it’s good for Bella to be with Uncle Sinclair?" Bella suddenly asked, "Do you know what being together means? It means we will live together in the future."
"Like Bella, Aunt Sienna, and Ethan?"
"Something like that."
"That’s great," Ethan nodded, "I really like Uncle Sinclair."
"Why?" Bella asked, "Uncle Sinclair doesn’t like to smile, and he doesn’t talk much. Why do you like him?"
"Because Aunt Sienna says Bella likes him. Since Bella likes Uncle Sinclair, Ethan likes him too," Ethan said with a genuine and adorable expression, "And Uncle Sinclair knows a lot of things."
Because she liked him, Aunt Sienna and Ethan liked him too.
They were always supporting her from behind.
Bella felt touched and pulled Ethan into her arms.
Ethan continued, "Bella, can I ask Uncle Sinclair to teach me how to fold a plane in the future?"
"Hmm, you can. If..." Bella paused and said, "If he agrees to live with us."
In the following days, Aunt Sienna’s health deteriorated. She was awake for increasingly short periods, sometimes sleeping up to twenty hours a day.
Bella was well aware that one day Aunt Sienna might just fall into a permanent sleep and never wake up again.
During this time, besides Sharon, who came to the hospital whenever she had time, Timothy Quinn and others also visited frequently. Even Sandra Woods, who was filming out of town, rushed back upon hearing the news, spending two hours in the hospital with Bella.
Early one morning, Bella woke up drowsy and found her lower belly a bit bloated and painful. She thought she had an upset stomach and was about to get up and go to the bathroom when she realized that Aunt Sienna had woken up at some point and was sitting up in bed, looking at her.
Anyone else would be startled by such a situation, and it took Bella a moment to react.
"Aunt Sienna, why are you sitting up?" she said, quickly pulling back the covers and getting out of bed, ignoring her own abdominal pain, and rushing to the bedside to help Aunt Sienna, intending to help her lie down.
"Bella, you don’t need to fuss. I’m feeling quite good today and want to sit and chat with you for a while," Aunt Sienna said, holding Bella’s hand with a smile.
"Really? Let me know if you start to feel uncomfortable," Bella said softly as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Aunt Sienna, when did you wake up? Why didn’t you wake me?"
"I just woke up a little while ago and saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you," Aunt Sienna looked at her with a smile. "I still remember how you used to love sleeping when you were little, especially in the winter. You just wanted to stay in bed, and every time I brought breakfast to your bed, you’d hug me and not let go. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed, and our Bella has grown into a young lady."
"No matter how old I get, I’ll always be a child in front of you," Bella also smiled.
"Yes, in Aunt Sienna’s eyes, you’ll always be a child," Aunt Sienna said, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
