Chapter 21
What? The courthouse is closed Sienna was stunned. She hadn’t meant for this to happen. After walking a long way without getting a ride, she finally reached downtown, but it was too late.
Suddenly, everything blurred. Sienna shook her head, but it was to use. Her eyes closed, and she fell straight towards Josiah
“Hey!” Josiah was taken aback, and instinctively, he caught her
“Sienna Shaw!” he bellowed, his teeth clenched. Didn’t the say to keep her distance? Now she’s all over me? Same old Sienna. never changes. This must be part of her scheme
“Listen, I said get up right now,” Josiah commanded, but Sienna remained unresponsive. Frowning, he peered down at her “Sienna Hey! Wake up!”
However, she still didn’t react at all.
“If you don’t stop this, I’m going to touch you.” He lifted his hand to pull her away, only to realize she wasn’t faking it. Her face was as pale as a ghost–she had passed out.
“What’s wrong with you?” Josiah asked, panic setting in. In a moment of urgency, he scooped Sienna up and rushed to his car, speeding to the nearest hospital.
In the emergency
cy room, Josiah looked at the doctor with a mix of anxiety and concern. “What’s her condition?” “Severe menstrual cramps, the doctor said after examining Sienna and tapping away at the medical records. This is pretty
her cramps common for women, but her case is quite serious. She’s young: why are
this intense?”
Josiah fell silent. How could I know?”
The doctor didn’t press for more details but advised, “Menstrual cramps can be quite severe, particularly in her situation. Once she comes to, ensure she gets a comprehensive check–up to figure out what’s really going on.”
“Got it,” Josiah replied, frowning as he processed this news
The doctor added, “I’ve prescribed some medicine. You can go ahead and get it filled.”
“Okay, Josiah said, taking the prescription slip and getting to his feet. He made his way to pay for the medicine, racking his brain to remember if Sienna had ever complained about bad cramps.
But he came up
blank. All he could recall was how she used to always lean on him for support.
In the ER. Sienna was just coming to. She pushed herself up in bed, got dressed, slung her bag over her shoulder as she tried to leave.
A nurse quickly stopped her. “Where are you going? Your boyfriend went to get your medicine. You should wait for him to come back
Sienna paused, her thoughts racing. ‘Boyfriend? Was that Josiah I was with him right before everything went black. But would he really be nice enough to bring me to the hospital? Anyway, it doesn’t matter”
But not wanting to cause any trouble for the nurse, she replied, Thanks, I understand. I’ll just wait for him outside.”
“Alright then” The nurse didn’t press further and walked away.
Sienna slipped her bag over her shoulder, covered her stomach, and headed out of the hospital.
22:21 Sat, Jan 4G U
Chapter 21
Meanwhile, Josiah had just picked up the medicine and was on his way back when his phone rang. “Hey, Grandma,” he answered.
Miranda’s voice was thick with sleep. I just remembered something. Today’s the anniversary of Fiona’s passing. We should go pay our respects. But my memory’s been playing tricks on me lately.
“So, Josiah, make sure you take some time to go with Sienna. That poor girl hasn’t been able to visit Fiona in four years?
Josiah was taken aback, a sense of unease settling over him. “Wait, what? Where’s Fiona buried?”
Miranda shook her head. “Haven’t you been there before? Don’t you remember? It’s at Bacchus Bridge.”
Josiah frowned and closed his eyes. Bacchus Bridge… So Sienna wasn’t lying. She really did go there today to pay her respects to Fiona.”
Josiah? Did you hear me?”
“I heard you, Grandma.”
Miranda sighed. “Sienna was a bit spoiled, but we all were at thatinge. I’ve noticed she’s grown up a lot since coming back. Be nice to her; she’s all alone and only has us.”
“Grandma, I gotta run. I’ll catch up with you later Josiah hung up, hurried into the emergency room, and yanked back the curtain, only to be met with a shock–the exam bed was empty.
“Where is Sienna?” Josiah asked the nurse.
The nurse looked confused. ‘She said she would wait for you outside. Didn’t you see her?”
“If I had seen her, would I be asking you? Josiah sneered and pressed his lips together. “She’s a patient who just passed out, and you let her leave? If anything happens to her, you could lose your job.”
The nurse
eyes widened, nearly in tears from fear.
Josiah stormed out, dialing Sienna’s number, but she wasn’t picking up.
Is she so angry she’s ignoring me? Or has she passed out again and can’t hear her phone?‘ he pondered. Out of other options, he headed back to Silver Beach to see if she had returned.
On the way, he called Zach. “It’s me”
“Mr. Flynn, what’s up?” Zach asked.
“Check if anything happened near Bacchus Bridge today,” Josiah ordered, his tone devoid of emotion.
Zach replied quickly. “No need to check. I’m already aware–today, the overpass near Bacchus Bridge collapsed, and the fire
clearing the area.” department is still bus
Josiah closed his eyes, his face etched with frustration. So, Sienna wasn’t lying; she really did get stuck at Bacchus Bridge today. But how did she end up at the courthouse?‘
He recalled his own words, “Crawl your way here if you have to and how she had been soaked and covered in mud. He couldn’t help but wonder if she had actually crawled all the way there.
Instantly. Josiah’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, his jaw clenching. He didn’t like Sienna, but he never intended to
“bully” her like that
22:21 Sat, Jan 4
Chapter 21
He floored the gas pedal, racing back towards Silver Beach. When he got there, he noticed the living room lamp was on, and he quickly rushed inside.
The sofa is empty. Sienna still isn’t back? Where could she be? he thought.
Just then, he heard footsteps and looked up. Sienna emerged from the bathroom, changed and freshly showered.
Sienna was back, and that was a relief, but it didn’t make him look better. “Sienna, you can’t just take off without saying a word. Do you think it’s funny to have me searching for you everywhere?” he snapped.
Sienna ignored him, too drained to argue. ‘Search for me everywhere? How absurd! It’s more like he wouldn’t even bother to look my way even if I’m standing right in front of him.’
She made her way straight to the sofa, spread out a blanket, and lay down, turning her back to him. She had a performance at nine that evening and needed to get some rest.
SEND GIFT
