CHAPTER 9

Aries, sweetie," my mother whispered, her voice weak but full of love. I was still holding her hand, and I could feel her gentle squeeze.

"Mom, are you hungry?" I asked concern etched on my face.

My mother nodded slightly, her eyes closing for a moment. "Yes, I am. I haven't eaten much since...since the accident."

I turned to Mrs. Jenkins, who was watching us with a warm smile. "Mrs. Jenkins, would you mind going to our house and preparing something for my mom and me to eat? I'd like to stay here with her for a while longer."

Mrs Jenkins nodded immediately, her face filled with kindness. "Of course, dear. I'd be happy to help. What would you like me to make?"

I thought for a moment, considering my mother's favourite dishes. "Could you please make some chicken soup and maybe some toast or crackers? And some tea, please?"

Mrs Jenkins nodded, jotting down some notes on a piece of paper. "I'll make sure to have everything ready for you when you get home. Don't worry about a thing, dear. I'll take care of it."

I smiled, feeling grateful for Mrs. Jenkins' help. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Jenkins. I appreciate it."

My mother's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly at Mrs. Jenkins. "Thank you, dear. You're always so kind to us."

Mrs. Jenkins patted my mother's hand. "Don't worry about it, dear. I'm just happy to help. I'll go start cooking now. You two take care, okay?"

As Mrs. Jenkins prepared to leave, she turned to me and said, "I'll be back with the food in about an hour, dear. I'll make sure to bring everything you requested."

I nodded, smiling in appreciation. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Jenkins. I appreciate it."

Mrs Jenkins smiled back and began to head towards the door. I stopped her, remembering that she didn't need to drive herself home.

"Mrs. Jenkins, wait," I said. "Don't worry about driving home. I'll call the chauffeur to come and pick you up. He can drive you home and then bring you back here with the food."

Mrs Jenkins looked relieved, her face lighting up with gratitude. "Oh, thank you, dear. That's so kind of you. I don't mind driving, but it's nice to have the chauffeur take care of it."

I smiled and nodded, pulling out my phone to call the chauffeur. "I'll call him right now. He'll be here to pick you up in a few minutes."

Mrs Jenkins nodded, smiling, and headed out of the hospital room. I quickly dialled the chauffeur's number and arranged for him to pick up Mrs Jenkins and drive her home. After confirming the arrangements, I hung up the phone and turned back to my mother, who was watching me with a gentle smile.

"Mom, Mrs. Jenkins will be back with the food in about an hour," I said, taking her hand in mine. "And don't worry, I've arranged for the chauffeur to drive her home and bring her back here."

My mother nodded, looking relieved, and squeezed my hand weakly. "Thank you, sweetie. You're taking such good care of me."

"It's my pleasure, Mom. That's what I am meant to do, right??? I asked with a smile.

"Oh! my gosh! My baby is now a big girl" my mom chuckled. I was happy to see her in that kind of mood; I was relieved.

"Mom!! I am twenty years old and am no longer a baby; I am an adult now, you know??. Okay," I said, looking at my mom as she boosted into laughter, and it was very fulfilling.

As my mother continued to chuckle, I smiled and shook my head, feeling happy to see her in a good mood. I then turned my attention to my backpack, which was sitting on the floor beside my chair. I bent down to pick it up and began to rummage through it, searching for my examination results.

As I searched, my eyes scanned the hospital room, taking in the familiar sights of the beeping machines, the hospital bed, and the chair where Mrs. Jenkins had been sitting.

My gaze lingered on the bouquet I had brought for my mother, which was still sitting on the bedside table, brightening up the room with its vibrant colours.

Finally, I found what I was looking for - a thick envelope containing my examination results. I pulled it out of my backpack and began to open it, my heart racing with anticipation.

I was a year two student at the university, studying Business Administration, and I had been working hard to get good grades.

As I opened the envelope and pulled out the results, my eyes scanned the page, searching for my grades. I felt a surge of excitement and relief as I saw that I had passed all my courses with good grades. I couldn't wait to share the news with my mother.

"Mom, guess what?" I said, turning to her with a big smile on my face. "I got my exam results, and I passed all my courses!"

My mother's eyes lit up with pride and joy, and she smiled weakly at me. "That's wonderful, sweetie! I'm so proud of you!"

As I handed my mother the examination results, her eyes scanned the page with interest. She reached out a weak hand to take the paper from me, her fingers trembling slightly as she held it.

"Okay, let's see...," she said, her voice filled with excitement. "Business Administration... Ah, yes! You got an A-minus! Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful!"

Her eyes moved down the page, scanning the grades. "And in Marketing... an A! Oh, congratulations, baby! You're doing so well!"

Her voice was filled with pride and joy as she read out each grade. "Accounting... B plus. That's great, sweetie! You're getting the hang of it. And in Economics... A-minus again! Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

As she read out each grade, her face lit up with a warm smile. She looked up at me, her eyes shining with tears of joy.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. You're doing so well in school. I know I haven't been able to be there for you as much as I wanted to, but this makes it all worth it."

I felt a surge of happiness and love as I watched my mother read out my grades. Seeing her so proud and happy made all the hard work worth it. I leaned over and hugged her.

As we continued to celebrate my good grades, I suddenly remembered a promise my mother had made to me before her accident.

"Mom, remember when you promised to take me to the mall?" I asked, looking at her with a hint of excitement.

My mother's eyes sparkled with recollection, and she smiled weakly. "Oh, yes! I remember. I promised to take you to the mall, didn't I?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yes, you did! You said we could go shopping and grab lunch together. I've been looking forward to it for weeks!"

My mother's face lit up with a warm smile. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I completely forgot. But I promise, as soon as I'm feeling better, we'll go to the mall together. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

I grinned, feeling happy that she remembered her promise. "I'm holding you to that, Mom! As soon as you're out of the hospital, we're going to the mall!"

My mother chuckled, her eyes shining with amusement. "Deal, sweetie. Deal."