We took the last turn and we're finally close to reaching the hospital. Doctor Dannell had been monitoring Chloe closely for quite a while. There were major improvements in her condition and if God permitted, she could be discharged after a week.

We made a stop at a departmental store first. I bought her favorite candies and a small koala stuffed toy. She was one girl obsessed with koalas. I didn't blame her though, koalas were cute.

We parked our car at the lot and I never saw Shawn walking that fast with a pace that was too difficult to keep up with.

“Slow down, will ya? There is no hurry Shawn, you're leaving me behind.”

“Sorry.” He stopped on his foot and waited for me to catch up with him, “I am just too excited for you to see and talk to her. It's been such a long time since you last talked to her. She keeps asking me when you would return and play with her.”

I enveloped my hands around his arms as we walked towards the entrance, “Now we can. We could talk to her as much as and as long as we wanted. Now let's hurry up, she must be waiting.”

“Thank you for being here with me.” He kissed my forehead and smiled at me.

“Thank you for having me.” I looked up at him with the most heartfelt smile I could muster.

Room 202C. We entered the room and there laid an asleep Chloe, resting soundly. I could sense his reluctance on waking her up so he quietly walked towards the seat placed next to her bed and watched her closely, slowly taking her tiny hands on his.

Chloe was a light sleeper, and it made her immediately jerk and fly her eyes open. She sat up instantly and after a few moments, she finally sighed in relief when she realized that it was Shawn.

“Shawnie!” Her cheery voice squealed as she jumped on the bed and launched herself on him, throwing her hands around his neck.

“You're back!” Shawn got up from his seat and swirled her around tugging her small figure.

“I am back. Have you been a good girl while I was away? Did you give them a hard time?” He asked her with a smile as he placed her onto the bed again.

“Yes, I was. I did what they asked. They even gave me candies for being a good girl.” She covered her mouth and giggled.

God, she's so adorable!

“Wouldn't you give your Maya a big hug, Chloe?” I said and she looked in my direction for the first time. Her eyes widened and she jumped on the bed with excitement.

“Maya! You are back!” She ran towards me and I jogged towards the bed so she wouldn't fall.

She jumped up on me and gave me the tightest hug her hands could bestow and I instinctively hugged her back.

“Yes. I am. I missed you so much.” 

“No! I missed you more!” She pulled away and pouted.

I was about to argue but then I caught Shawn's glimpse signaling me not to.

Sometimes I forget I am the elder one.

“Shawnie, could you please bring me orange juice? Pretty please?” She turned towards him and used her puppy eyes that always worked like a charm.

“Where would I even find orange juice?” He huffed in annoyance.

“I don't know! Bring me some juice.” She crossed her hands.

He huffed but finally agreed, “Fine. Maya, could you please watch over this little devil while I go fetch some orange juice for her?”

“Sure.” I smiled and he nodded and walked out of the door.

“I have so much to tell you!” She pulled my hand and patted her mattress motioning me to sit beside her.

“Oh yeah. So, come on, tell me what are you up to?”

“I have a boyfriend.” She whispered in the softest yet loudest way, as if afraid that someone else might hear her.

“You what?” My eyes widened.

“Shh! Keep it down. He might hear us. He's always around the hospital during this hour?” She peeked towards the door to make sure that whoever this mystery kid was, was not actually there.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Marcus. I call him Marco. He sometimes comes to visit me.” Her lips curled up in the most innocent smile and the way her face brightened was so unusual to me.

“Yeah! He comes with his mother. He sometimes comes and talks to me because I am the only one the same age as him.”

“Oh! Does his mother come to visit the doctor here?"

“No. They come for him. He said that he would soon lose his one leg.” Her face fell as she brought both her hands and rested her chin on her palms.

“What?” I asked in disbelief, my pitch unnecessarily higher.

“Yeah, he said that there was a big earthquake and he didn't pay attention and things started falling down but before he could run, the almirah fell down on him and he broke his left leg. He said that the doctors would soon cut it off. I told him that it would hurt but he said that he already felt the worst and so this wouldn't hurt.”

That poor kid. 

“I told him he should listen to his girlfriend and he says that I am not his girlfriend.” She now crossed her arms and pouted in annoyance.

“Did he ask you to be his girlfriend, Chloe?”

“No. He did not ask me. I declared myself as his girlfriend. He didn't object though.” I didn't know why but I was finding this conversation way too adorable.

“Chloe… That doesn't work that way. You do not just declare yourself as someone's girlfriend without that someone's consent. People go on dates, get to know each other better, and eventually start liking a person, and then one of them has to ask the other one out, and when the other one says yes, then only you can become someone's boyfriend or girlfriend. Are you understanding me, Chloe?”

“Umm, yes. We did all that too.” I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“We had a date here. He brought me cupcakes with my favorite strawberry frosting! And he said he finds my hair pretty.” She giggled at the memory and it melted my heart.

“He is so cute!” She clenched my finger with her whole hand and her smile that innocent was to kill for.

“Who is cute?” Shawn barged in into our conversation with an orange juice in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

“My boyfriend.” She dropped a bomb on him as if it was the most natural thing to say and his jaw dropped on the floor.

“Your what?” His voice squeakier, rising with disbelief.

“My boyfriend, Shawnie. Like you are Maya's boyfriend. Uff, you're so stupid sometimes.”

He began trudging towards her ever so quickly that I had to step in before he could do something stupid.

“Chloe-” He began.

“Hey-hey, don't!” I whispered into his ears that made him look in my direction before turning towards Chloe and back at me.

“Don't take her seriously. She's just eight, for heaven's sake. Let her enjoy these few cute moments while it lasts.”

He rushed out bundles of air and sighed heavily but didn't argue further. He then mustered a very evident forced smile and walked towards her.

“Here is your orange juice, my princess.” 

“You're the best, Shawnie.” She giggled as he took the sipper out of his hands.

“And coffee for you.” He turned towards me, handing me the coffee.

“You are a lifesaver, Shawn.” 

My body couldn't function unless I injected some caffeine into it.

My phone rang and I lifted my hand to check the caller ID. It was my mom.

“I'll be back.”I excused myself to attend the call.

~

After somewhere around ten minutes I ended the call and turned around to enter the room again. But to my dismay, I accidentally bumped into something hard that made me stumble down a little.

Seriously, what is up with me bumping into everything?

I looked up to find the person that I least expected to encounter this morning. 

“Watch where you are going.” She palmed her head and hissed, not reaching my eyes. She finally looked up and her eyes widened.

“You!?” Quinn stared at me for a while, and then her eyes finally looked me up and down numerous times.

“You,” I replied distastefully.

“Where is Shawn?”

“And nice to meet you too.”

“Where is he?” She ignored my sarcasm.

“In Manhattan.”

“Dammit where?” 

“In the hospital.”

“Are you being serious right now? Where the fuck is he?”

“Damn, chill girl. Don't get so agitated. Why do you need to know where he is?”

“Umm, I don't know, maybe because he is my boyfriend and I want to see him?”

What would it take to snap her out of her imaginary world?

I closed my eyes and let in a deep breath and sighed slowly and looked up at her again.

“I don't know what happened to you but Shawn is not your boyfriend. Why are you doing this to yourself? You are better than this.”

She instead began to laugh hysterically, wiping off the imaginary tear from the prick of her eyes. 

“You mean I am not and you are? Where were you all these months when he needed you? Hiding under your bed? News flash Maya, you weren't there but I was. I took care of him and made sure he wasn't alone when he shouldn't. I had been there with him with all that Chloe drama. And that makes me more girlfriend than you ever would be.”

“I-...” I searched for the right words to argue back, but before I could she cut me off.

“Save it. I am not here to listen to your bullshit reasons. I am here for him. Now, where is he?”

I finally gave up and motioned towards the room behind me. She turned her sight towards the pointed direction and after giving me a final glance, she walked towards the room.

I sighed and followed after her. I stood by the door while she made her way to Shawn and Chloe. Shawn had Chloe held in his arms while she pulled his hair and giggled unstoppably. A faint smile escaped my lips watching them together. How I would have killed to have a sibling relationship like them.

The clicking of the heels made Shawn aware of someone's presence in the room and he turned towards it, “Where have you-” He stopped midway when he realized it wasn't me he mistook the person for and his face fell. His eyes immediately looked around and searched for mine and once they did, he sighed.

“Quinn.” He spoke, his voice lacking emotions.

“Would it kill you to pick up my call and tell me that you are back in town?” She took a seat and crossed her arms.

“I-I am sorry, I just got busy.”

“Busy for a week?” She raised her eyebrow.

He sighed. She really does know how to get on someone's nerves.

“Why are you here, Quinn?” He palmed his forehead, his eyes reaching anywhere but hers.

“What do you mean? Can't I come to see you? To see my boyfriend?”

“Quinn... This has gone for way longer than it should have. Quinn, I am really grateful to you for the things you've done for me, for being there with me. I appreciate it very much. But you and I, we've never been a thing. We've never gone out in the first place.”

“What are you talking about? We've been on so many dates!” She was in pure delusion. It was sad to watch her losing her calm shred by shred.

“Quinn, we never did. Please, respect my decision.”

“Is this because of that skank?” Her head swiftly turned towards me, her face filled with pure hatred and disgust.

“Quinn, I don't want to disrespect you, but watch what you are saying. Do not ever fucking call her those names!” His voice turned dangerously calm yet scary.

“Why do you even care? She wasn't even there for you. She never was!”

“That is none of your business. The only thing that matters is that she is now and I love her.”

“And she doesn't.” She let out a brief chuckle mockingly and it was enough to let all my blood boil.

“She does.” He stood up and walked towards me. As soon as he did, he engulfed his hands around my waist and pulled me in, planting a kiss on my forehead, and said, “And I couldn't be any luckier.”

“Wait... Ar-Are you two like to-together?” Her voice was suddenly shaky. It's hard to tell why but I wasn't liking the situation she was in.

Just standing there the way we were was enough to answer her question and she looked down, her hands strangely rubbing against each other.

“Oh. I see.” She got up from her seat and in a blink of an eye, she was gone.

I wasn't sure what came over me but I squeezed Shawn's hand and mumbled an ‘I'll be back’ and jogged out to look for her.

Hey, y'all! I am so sorry for the spam update. But I decided to upload the entire book by today itself so please, bear with me for a few more hours XD

I am going to have to stop the Q/A now, but I think I might upload a chapter of Q/A where you can ask me any question that you would like to know. Comment down and tell me what do you think about this idea?

I hope you liked this chapter.

Feel free to vote and comment.

I'll see you guys soon.
Stay tuned♡.

~Loveya~( ˘ ³˘)