Chapter 25
Pandora chuckled but nodded at her.
‘As for the sickness, it’s just a part of it. I’m sure your own mom has told you this already, but it comes with the territory.”
Pandora dropped her eyes and shook her head. “My mom is not in the picture,” she said without pause as if she could tell her anything.
Benjamin’s mom stopped walking and hugged her tightly. “Oh, my dear child, I am so sorry.”
Pandora patted her back, feeling a strangely warm and unconditional love from her hug.
Benjamin’s mom pulled back and winked at her. “Come on, dear. By the way, I’m Lana,” she said as they started walking again.
“Pandora, she replied, smiling back at her and she gave Pandora a small nod.
“Mom? Pandora?” Benjamin said as he saw both of them walking toward him.
“Ben, this poor girl was sick in the bathroom. I am just helping her back up here.”
Benjamin gave Pandora a frown and took over from his mom to hold her up. “I think we need to try another injection,” he said and Pandora nodded at him.
“You’re lucky that she needs you, or you and I would be having words,” Lana said, keeping the smile on her face.
“What. Why?” Benjamin asked.
“Family lunch ring a bell?” Lana hissed and Benjamin’s face paled.
“Shit… I’ll call her as soon as I am done.”
“She said to say she loves you and she’ll see you tonight.” Benjamin nodded attentively.
“Pandora, dear, I hope to see you again,” Lana said in a nicer voice than what she was using when she was talking to her son.
“Thank you and you, too,” Pandora replied and she walked away.
Benjamin chuckled and his breath hit the side of her neck, making her feel those tingles again. “Come on, Pandora, let’s get you back to your room.”
“Your mom seems nice,” she told him as he helped her up and into her bed. He hooked up all my IV tubing. “She is… she’s an amazing mother,” he said with a huge smile. It lit up his full face, or would if he didn’t have those glasses on.
Pandora smiled back at him. “I hope to be half as good as your mom must have been, and half as good as my dad is. If I can do that, then Bean and Curd will make it through their childhood happy, loved and secure.”
Pandora chuckled and pulled his eyebrows together. “Curd, is that what you came up with for the other baby?”
She grinned and nodded at him. “Rather original and complimentary, I know.”
He shook his head. “It’s perfect,” he said. “Also, just for the record, Pandora, I think you’re going to make a great mom.” Pandora felt her face flush and Benjamin just chuckled some more. ‘I’ll get Emily to inject you around five, and then I’ll come up here and sit with you for dinner at five. Let’s see if we can get this sickness to go away.”
“Okay, Pandora said, nodding at him as he stood up.
‘I’ll see you at dinner time, Pandora.”
Emily walked into the room right at five. “Hey, Pandora, she said, smiling as she went through all her stats and then looked at her wristband. ‘Where do want your injection this time?”
Pandora moved so she could give it on the top of her leg. This seemed to be the least painful place.
“There you go, sweetie. Do you need any painkillers?”
Pandora shook her head and Emily gave her a small nod before walking out of the room. She pick up a book and began to read, getting quickly engrossed in
- it.
That must be a good book.”
Pandora frowned, looking up to see Benjamin standing there. “Sorry,” I said as she sat up more and placed her book down.
“Enough with the apologies, Pandora,” he said.
“Sorry,” she
uttered and then rolled her eyes at herself.
“You sure do apologize a lot, mainly for things that you don’t need to.”
“I used to do
it at
school a lot. Something about being pregnant brought back that shy girl with low self–esteem.”
Benjamin hummed in acknowledgment. “I brought up dinner for both of us, if you don’t mind me joining you?” Pandora shook her head at this and tried to move out of the bed, but he laid his hand on her, effectively stopping her. “Just stay there,” he said with a wink.
Benjamin quickly busied himself with setting up dinner and then bringing it over to Pandora. She couldn’t stop her pout seeing that it looked more like a small child’s portion.
“We need to try a small amount and get that to stay down first,” he explained and she nodded even though she was not happy. “Tell me what you were like at school. I really can’t see you and Emily hanging out together.”
Pandora snorted. “God no, Emily was a cheerleader, she-” She bit her lip, stopping the ‘she made my life a living hell‘ from coming out. “She had her group of friends and I had mine.”
Benjamin stopped eating and just looked at her. “She picked on you, didn’t she?”
“No,” Pandora answered promptly, but nodded at the same time, making him chuckle.
Pandora just stared at him, silently asking why or how he knew that.
“It’s okay, I know she doesn’t do that now, but I did have a feeling she was, or did bully others.”
3
奕
“There’s just a few times I’ve seen her get upset or look as if she’s hurt. We go through a lot of sick pregnant teens up here. Some have been bullied, and their tormentors have come here or caused our patient distress and they end up in here. She always seems to take it harder than one would think.”
“How long have you worked here?” Pandora asked, taking a small bite.
“Just a few months. I did my studying in another state, but fate, should we say, brought me back.”
