The ward was suddenly dead silent, and even the air seemed to stagnate.Both Sean and Patrick were gaping at Cordy, wondering if they had misheard."Lucas Lynd is John Levine," Cordy repeated very slowly and clearly.Being the calmer one, Sean regained composure soon enough. "How did you know?""Paternity test," Dicky suddenly said, seemingly noticing that his mother was in a bad state as well.As Sean turned towards him, Dicky explained with logic and in no uncertain terms, "Lucas looks different from my father, but everything else about them was identical. I've been with Daddy since I was a kid, so I'd know that it really is him. I did one paternity test just to make sure, and Mommy eventually realized it too and did another. Both tests proved that he’s my daddy." Sean was silent for a while. "So that parental test… It's not you and Dicky? It's Dicky and Lucas?!""Yes." Cody nodded.Sean was ultimately stunned. "But shouldn't John be dead? I even made inquiries to certain p
Sean said, "Being able to enjoy yourself anytime is part of being alive. If you live too miserably, you'll regret it if you suddenly die.""Who the hell is dying?!" Patrick snapped in displeasure, pausing for a moment before adding, "Well, I guess you’re worried since you're not exactly young.” Sean was speechless—Patrick was no older than him, with the man being in the thirties and he himself just reaching forty.Nonetheless, Patrick took the beer and glass from Sean. While Sean stared at him, he said, "It's no big deal if you die, but I'd be blamed if you died near me. I won't be able to take the responsibility when your whole family comes for my head."With that, Patrick took a sip from Sean's glass, clearly refusing to let Sean drink.Sean didn’t fight back since he rarely drank, though he considered that any vice was fine in suitable doses.And now… Whatever. He didn’t want to argue with Patrick at the moment.Hence, Sean watched as the man started from sips until he event
After the care worker left, Sean pulled Patrick up to his feet and off the table.Patrick was already dizzy, and the motion almost knocked him out.He opened his dazed eyes at Sean, all the while feeling that his own body was being dragged along. Sean’s hand was so forceful that he could die from the pain at that very moment."Can't you be more gentle?" he snapped indignantly. "I'm never gentle.""Your wife must suffer a lot because of you.""Yeah, she does," Sean replied, and helped Patrick to the bed with considerable difficulty. He was just about to let Patrick down when Patrick grabbed his clothes, catching him off guard and pulling him down in bed.As Sean fell on top of Patrick, the atmosphere seemed to stiffen even though Patrick was smiling smugly. "You didn't expect that, didja?!""...You're incorrigible," Sean snapped coolly. "Let go.""No," Patrick retorted, and held on tighter to Sean."Patrick Stuart!""Threats won't work with me!" Patrick looked utterly daun
Nana was frustrated by John’s indifference towards her, but she bore with it since it wasn’t Cordy.In the very least, John chose her and not Cordy—that alone was enough for her to celebrate for a long while.-Outside the ward, John stood before Dicky, studying his much taller frame and asking, "Were you looking for me?""Yeah.""Is something the matter?""I don't want to stay here. Can we go to your room?" Dicky asked bluntly, his contempt towards Nana not disguised at all."Okay," John replied, and led Dicky to his ward.Once inside, he asked, "Want a drink? Or some fruits?""No," Dicky replied.John didn’t force the issue.Then, Dicky asked directly, "I heard you're marrying Nana. Is that true?""Yeah.""Don't you love Mommy?" Dicky was a little agitated—hearing it directly from his daddy hurt even more."Sometimes, adults can't make all their choices.""What are you talking about? Was that because you were dating Nana first? The truth is that you've been with Mommy
The next day, when Sean arrived at Cordy's room alone, she asked, "Where's Patrick?"He hadn’t shown up after he left her room last night, which was definitely not his style.Even if Patrick knew that John was alive, he had no reason to avoid her."He's asleep.""Is he sick?""No, just drunk."As Cordy stared at Sean, he shrugged. "I saw that he was taking it very hard, and I bought him a drink. After that, he's out like a light even until now, so I didn't wake him. I can get him if you want him for something.""No, it's fine," Cordy said quickly, since she was just asking.However, she was still staring fixedly at Sean.He simply returned her gaze and asked, "What?""You care a lot about him," she said, knowing that Sean wasn’t one who meddled in the affairs of others."I mean, he’s family now," Sean smiled faintly.Cordy, however, thought that might not be the case. Not to mention, Sean had clear dark circles under his eyes; he clearly didn’t sleep well last night.Maybe
Sean understood that Cordy was emotionally distant towards everyone in the family, and therefore treated everyone with indifference.That applied to him as well, even though he was always around her."Are you recognizing me as family now?" he asked calmly after a while."I always did.""And you're only showing it now?""I just didn't want you to get ahead of yourself," Cordy retorted. Sean smiled—mushy words were unnecessary for them, or it would make things more awkward instead. "Just focus on getting better for now," he told her. "Health is vital for everything, whether it's to deal with John or family troubles.""The same goes for you." Cordy nodded, when something occurred to her. "Right. If Patrick does wake up, tell him to come over. I need to clear the air with him…""I'm here," Patrick suddenly spoke from the doorway.As both Cordy and Sean turned towards him, he shrugged. "I didn't expect that I’d actually sleep in. And I wasn't eavesdropping either, until the last
A couple of days later, Sean summoned Cordy to Jesse's ICU unit.To be precise, every Cranston was summoned, but everyone else was kept waiting outside.Cordy entered the ward with Sean, while the rest of the family watched from the window.They could clearly see Jesse sitting up, but he kept his back towards them, giving them just a glimpse of his face, but nothing complete.And because it was Jesse, no one dared to get pushy.Sean was certainly smart—with this, no one would suspect if the man in the ward was actually Jesse. He resembled Jesse from that angle, and that was enough.Cordy played along with Sean's plan, and spoke with the fake Jesse in the ICU unit with a somber look.After half an hour, Sean and Cordy both stepped outside, while Jesse appeared tired and reclined on his bed, looking like he had fallen asleep again.Once Sean and Cordy were out, the other Cranstons quickly surrounded them."How’s Dad doing? What did he tell you?" Paul asked eagerly.Sean kept a
Paul growled, "What gives you the right—""Have you forgotten that Grandfather was poisoned, and that his condition was no accident?" Sean replied. "He’s very likely among us, which was why Grandfather also made it very clear he isn't seeing anyone before we find the culprit."Paul was incensed. "What, are you suspecting me now?!" "I would never," Sean replied reasonably. "But if you have nothing to worry about, why incur Grandfather's wrath? It's not too late to see him once the truth is out."Paul was still scowling, but after Sean had put it that way, he would be the one who had more to lose if he forced his way inside.It was obvious Jesse was refusing to see Paul and everyone else because he didn’t trust them, and charging inside would only hurt Jesse's impression of Paul further.As such, Paul restrained himself and stayed silent.The rest of the family naturally had even less reason to speak up.Sean repeated, "Grandfather just made it very clear that everyone should go