Branch Six

"Any other thing I need to know before meeting your grandfather?" Jessica said as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

"He is always tired because of the liver cancer so he can barely talk. Let's just greet him for today and that would be all" He replied.

He hoped that getting to the hospital room would at least get him to stop talking at last.

"Okay then," Jessica said pulling out a small mirror in her bag. She checked her image and practiced smiling. If they were dating she had to make it believable that she was happy being married to a stranger.

Xavier stared at her as she did so. There was something very different about her. She has this aura surrounding her that he could not explain.

"Shall we?" Xavier asked unclasping his seat belt and opening the door. Jessica did the same and they both came down.

"Here is the ring. I hope it fits" Xavier said pulling out two rings from his picket. One has a diamond head crested inside a gold band the other had little diamond stones crested in a gold band as well.

Jessica collected the ring and put it on. She could not believe that she got to wear a diamond ring. The best Burke could have given her would be a stainless band painted gold but yet still her heart yearned for him. The ring fit perfectly like she had gotten her fingers measured for it.

"Stay close," Xavier said.

Xavier sounded cold to Jessica but one could still hear his concern and warmth. She believes that he put up a cold and I-don't-care front to keep people away from him.

It was obvious that that was what he did. Although she was not vested in the recent news and happening there was not a single soul living in Chiachester City who didn't know of the brutal death his parents faced.

Some people even thought they were intentionally killed but the police investigation concluded it was an accident when the other drunk man driving the truck was caught.

The culprit was charged with hit and run and imprisoned for only a year and let go afterward.

Xavier must be putting up the front to protect himself from letting anyone in and then having to lose them.

Here he was about to lose his grandfather who was now the only person he had in his life.

"I was wondering what gook you so long," Dawson said.

He had been expecting his grandson to come since he promised to bring a wife today.

"There was a little issue at the courthouse" Xavier replied.

Dawson had expected Xavier to show up with an excuse as to why he had no wife but to his surprise he was with his wife. He wondered where Xavier had seen a wife. He knew for a fact that he had no girlfriend like he always said.

He only let him get away with it because he knew the struggle of his grandson to accept more people into his life. Here he was a girl accompanying him. He wondered where she came from and if she would turn out to be a good match for his grandson.

He planned to leave him to a good person. He would fall in love later.