After the feeding, Vera took the young Edward from his mother's arms and placed him in his crib, while Joan helped Mrs. Margaret tidy up.
With the infant full and sleepy and his mother eating peacefully, Vera took the chance to go have her lunch first, after taking a nod from the patient.
Joan who stayed behind to keep watch while having a pleasant talk with Mrs Margaret, Her refined manners were especially apparent in the way she ate and spoke.
"Twenty-six? You look much younger "
"Thank you, you have a lovely figure yourself. You'd never guess you're already a mother of two, with one still a newborn.""
It wasn't an empty compliment, Margret has an excellent figure, a graceful hourglass shape.And her white skin has a healthy pinkish glow.
Just as they turned the conversation to the latest skin care tips, and it was almost time for Vera to return.
–Knock,Knock
Joan opened the door, her husband, Mr Timothy stood outside with un elderly couple.
She stepped aside, and let them in.
"AHH, my grandson!" the grandmother exclaimed as she reached out to hold him. Seeing them having a family moment, and at Margaret's gesture, Joan politely excused herself.
A little while later, Vera returned, and Joan hurried to the dining hall.
–I swear, I'm getting hungry,much faster these days.Perhaps it was simply because people tended to eat more in winter than in summer.
Potato and onion stew with a little meat and bread, the usual these days, although Joan should be thankful for this simple, as it will become a luxury for a few years in the near future, as food had already become scarce in some places since the beginning of the war.
She chose a corner of a half empty table since Helen was away assisting with a home birth, and she didn't meet Jinen, who might already have had her lunch.
"Flora…honey, please don't cry. I'm sure they'll be fine, and you'll see them again soon"
"Sorry, Blair. You already have your hands full, with your sister volunteering and your pregnancy, and now you have to take care of me too."
Said the girl with black hair, between hiccups.
"Don't say that, we grew up together, and I'm also worried about our families. Hopefully they will stay safe "
Hearing them, Joan dipped her bread in soup, before taking a bite. It's not that she is indifferent, she just got used to hearing this news between the hospital corridors and the dining hall. Even in the nurses residence, she knows who came from abroad and has family members, and who is planning on volunteering. Almost everyone is in the same tense situation right now. And it's no wonder she hears crying from time to time, can't blame them. She is also worried about her dear friends.
Along these lines, she has also been thinking about something as of late, her ancestors. If she has to calculate the time, her great-grandparents are still unborn, with her great-great grandparents who are still young, are the main generation involved in war. If she remembered correctly from the family tree homework she did in high school, and her grandmother's tales, she has a great great-grandfather who managed to become a general, although she forgot his name. Anyway, it has nothing much to do with her, it's not like she can go and reclaim a future kinship.
She finished her lunch within half an hour, thanks to the short line at the dining hall, and returned to the ward.
Hearing a baby crying as she drew closer to the room, and making sure it's not one from the general ward.
Joan knocked before she opened the door, to see an extra person inside, a middle aged woman, who looked annoyed. Furthermore, the atmosphere was tense, with Mrs Margaret rocking her crying child, and Vera stood on the other side of the bed, looking unusually downcast.
Maybe the child is already feeling irritated by his mother, so he didn't calm down even after a while. Everyone was too quiet, not offering to help, even the husband was standing like a statue.
"Madam, you're getting tired, why don't I...…" and before Vera finished, she was yelled at by the supposed mother-in-law.
"Stop right there, you are not allowed to get near my grandchild again, you almost dropped him, and now you want to try again? Not again. Absolutely not. And just so you know, I will hold you responsible for this"
As she went on and on, the child crying grew louder and louder, until Margret grew impatient.
"Enough, Mother. It was a mistake and you both didn't mean to let this happen, right?"
"Margaret what do you mean by this, I only wanted to hold my grandchild..."
"We know mother, she didn't mean anything else, how about we step out for a minute, I need to tell you something" said Mr Holloway as he led his mother out.
Even after her husband and mother-in-law had left, the mother still refused to let anyone hold her child. Her arm was beginning to ache, and she shifted the baby from one position to another.
"Margret, honey, please don't be upset. She didn't mean to..." as she wanted to say more the grandmother was stopped by her elderly husband.
"Well, congratulations on becoming a parent, I'm sure he will make you proud. You continue to rest, we will visit another time " the older couple said, before tactfully leaving. Margaret also greeted them politely.
As Margaret's brows remained furrowed, plus the tension, Joan pulled a small stool beside the bed, sat down, and held out her arms.
"May I try? I promise I won't drop him"
Margaret wanted to refute outright, but looking into Joan's eye,she felt somewhat strange. Strange but reassuring. And without quite knowing why, she handed the baby over.
By the time she came back to her senses, the boy was already in Joan's arms.
Share your thoughts on the comments 💭