Chapter 5
452words
Jason's name flashing across the screen.
I tapped the record button,
then swiped to answer.
"You heartless bastard!" Jason's voice cracked with theatrical sobs. "Mom and Dad are both in the hospital! Mom had a heart attack, Dad's blood pressure went through the roof! They're at Memorial Hospital right now! Get over here!"
"Which department?" I asked coolly. "Room numbers?"
"Third floor, Internal Medicine! Mom's in 306, Dad's in 308! Hurry up and come beg for forgiveness!"
I ended the call. Emma's worried eyes searched my face.
I squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I know their playbook by heart. Let me go see their latest performance."
An hour later,
I approached the nurses' station on the third floor of Memorial Hospital.
"Excuse me," I asked politely, "could you tell me the condition of the patients in rooms 306 and 308?"
The nurse glanced at her computer. "Room 306, Mrs. Thompson, acute gastroenteritis. Room 308, Mr. Thompson, mild hypertension. Both admitted this morning for observation."
"Are their conditions serious?"
"Not at all. They'll likely be discharged tomorrow."
I thanked her and turned away,
then pushed open the door to room 306.
Mom was propped against the headboard, munching an apple,
She jolted when she saw me,
then flung the apple aside,
clutched her chest and began moaning:
"Oh! My heart! The pain... you ungrateful child..."
Dad leapt from the adjacent bed, jabbing a finger at my face. "You've got some nerve showing up! Look what you've done to us!"
I surveyed the room calmly. "Gastroenteritis and mild hypertension. Hardly emergency conditions. And you're being discharged tomorrow? Some crisis."
Mom's theatrical moaning cut off mid-groan.
"How did you—" Dad's face fell.
"Also," I continued, "do heart attack patients typically snack on apples? Do critical patients get placed in regular observation rooms?"
As I turned to leave, the elevator chimed.
Jason emerged, supporting a white-haired elderly woman.
My stomach dropped—
Grandma Helen, the one person who'd always loved me unconditionally, the only elder I truly respected.
"Grandma?" I rushed forward. "What are you doing here?"
Her hand shot out and slapped my cheek,
The blow wasn't hard, but it stunned me completely.
She stared at me, eyes brimming with disappointment. "Michael, I've wasted my love on you! How could you put your parents in the hospital? Your mother called me sobbing so hard she could barely speak!"
Jason twisted the knife. "Grandma, he not only refused to help with my house down payment, but he also dragged Mom and Dad through the mud in the family chat. That's why they're here—emergency treatment."
The disappointment in my grandmother's eyes cut deeper than any knife.
But this time, I didn't crumble.
