92
Nicholas’s POV
As I looked at her, I hoped to convey my support without words, wishing she could feel it.
“What everything?” She narrowed her eyes, her tone full of suspicion.
“Charlie, you, Sabrina… everything.” I swallowed, trying to choose the right words. “I just feel… all of this is too heavy to bear.”
Hazel snorted softly, but I caught a glimpse of a change in her expression. She looked a bit softer. “You just realized that now? Life has always been heavy, Nicholas. But we have to keep moving, no matter what happens.”
I looked deeply into her eyes. “And that’s what you’re doing, Hazel? Just keep moving?”
She fell silent, as if my question stunned her. Then she turned her gaze back to the window, her voice softening. “I have no other choice. I have Charlie. I have to be strong for him.”
Her words silenced me. For the first time in a long while, I could see Hazel not as an enemy or someone always challenging me. She was a mother, someone who wanted to protect her child, just like I did.
Yet I knew that behind that strength, there was pain and wounds she never showed.
Her determined gaze hid a deep vulnerability. I could feel how heavy the burden she bore was, even though she tried to show that everything was fine. In this moment, I realized that we were both on the same side, fighting in the same battle, albeit in different ways.
Empathy began to grow between us, chipping away at the walls that had long divided us. Perhaps if we could understand each other, we could find a way to face these challenges together.
But on the other hand, there was Sabrina. Sabrina who gave everything for Charlie, who loved him like her own flesh and blood. How could I make everything fair for both of them? I gripped my blanket, feeling the dilemma pressing in.
“You need to rest,” I repeated, this time in a softer tone. “Not just for yourself, but for Charlie. He needs his mother to be well.”
Hazel sighed deeply, but this time she did not argue. She simply got up from the sofa and walked toward Charlie’s small bed. She sat on the edge of it, gently stroking Charlie’s hair. “I’ll rest here,” she said without looking at me.
I nodded slowly, even though my heart was still restless. Hazel’s gentle gaze on Charlie made me aware that she too was fighting as hard as she could. But I couldn’t ignore Sabrina. The image of her frail face continued to haunt my mind.
1 looked at Hazel sitting in the chair next to Charlie’s bed. Her eyes were slightly droopy, perhaps from fatigue, but there was a kind of determination on her face that was hard to ignore. Meanwhile, Charlie was still fast asleep in his small bed, undisturbed by our conversation. I took this moment to speak, our voices low so as not to wake the child.
“Hazel,” I began, carefully choosing my words. “What brought you to the hospital today with Charlie? Did you know that Sabrina is sick?”
Hazel glanced at me briefly, then sighed deeply. She looked hesitant for a moment before finally speaking. “No, I didn’t know. I came here because Charlie fell at school this morning. His knee was hurt pretty badly, so I brought him here to get treated.”
I nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue.
+25 BCAS
“Charlie was playing in the schoolyard,” she continued, her tone becoming a bit emotional. “He was pushed by another kid and fell. His knee was bleeding, I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I went straight to that kid. I maybe overreacted a little. I scolded that kid in front of his mother. We got into quite a heated argument.” Hazel paused for a moment, rubbing her forehead with her hand. The kid’s mother even defended him and said it was just an accident. But I didn’t care. Charlie was hurt, Nicholas. How could I just stand there?”
I looked at her with a strange sense of admiration. Hearing her story, I felt like I was seeing a side of Hazel I rarely saw a mother who was so protective and brave enough to stand up for her child.
I smiled slightly, unable to help myself. “That sounds quite dramatic, Hazel. I can imagine how you argued in front of so many people.”
Hazel turned sharply toward me, her eyes narrowing. “Are you laughing at me?” Her tone was full of warning.
I raised both my hands in a surrender gesture. “Not at all. I just never heard a story like this from you before. Sabrina usually always backs down in situations like this.”
Hazel’s eyes narrowed sharply. “And that’s the problem, Nicholas. As a mother, we cannot back down when our child is hurt. No matter how small the issue is, we have to fight for our child’s rights.” She leaned slightly forward, her tone becoming more serious. “I took Charlie to the hospital because I wanted to make sure he was okay. That’s what a mother should do, Nicholas.”
I nodded slowly, trying to digest her words. “I understand. You’re right, Hazel. I don’t blame you for that. I’m just not used to seeing this side of you.”
Hazel relaxed back in her seat, her gaze returning to Charlie, who was sleeping. “After we were done in the ER, we were waiting to be discharged when we accidentally saw Sabrina being wheeled into the ICU. I was shocked.” She paused for a moment, as if considering something. “I tried to explain everything to Charlie, about why Sabrina couldn’t answer his calls. But then he suddenly said that Sabrina didn’t love him anymore.”
Those words jolted me. I sat up straighter, trying to grasp what she had just said. “Charlie said that?”
Hazel nodded, her expression flat but with a hint of pride she couldn’t hide. “Yes. And I don’t know where he got that idea. I explained what happened, Nicholas. But he still feels that way. So don’t blame me for how he feels.”
