Chapter 198
Lindy had just ushered Effie and Lyman out of the room.
Now, the two of them wandered down the hospital corridor, exchanging uncertain glances.
“What are they thinking, wanting us to flirt in a hospital?” Lyman said, half- laughing, half incredulous.
Effie could only shake her head. She found it a little awkward, too.
Still, it was true—-they’d skipped right past dating and straight into marriage.
Maybe their families worried their relationship wasn’t strong enough, so they went out of their way to give them moments like this.
Effie actually didn’t mind the alone time at all.
She turned to Lyman and said, “Honestly, this is kind of nice.”
Lyman smiled. As long as Effie was happy, nothing else mattered to her.
Suddenly, Effie caught sight of a familiar figure hurrying through the doors into the maternity ward.
That’s odd… Isn’t that Nelly from the design department?
“What did you see?” Lyman asked, noticing the shift in Effie’s expression.
He’d been so focused on her, he hadn’t seen anything unusual. But now he could tell something serious had caught her eye.
Effie shook her head. This wasn’t her business to get involved in.
“It’s nothing. Let’s just keep walking.”
“Alright.”
Effie was about to move on when she saw yet another familiar figure slip into the maternity ward-this time, she could have sworn she heard them call Nelly’s
name.
Grabbing Lyman’s arm, Effie quickly pulled him to the side.
Lyman was caught off guard by their sudden need for secrecy in the middle of a hospital.
He shot her an amused look. What could she possibly have seen that required them to act like a pair of sneaks?
“Forget it, let’s go.”
Effie shook her head, baffled by her own reaction. Why was she more agitated than the people involved, as if she’d stumbled onto some grand secret?
They wandered the halls for a while longer before making their way back to the patient room.
Inside, her grandmother and Lindy were deep in conversation, the atmosphere warm and easy.
Lindy stood up. “It’s getting late. I’ll stop by again for another chat.”
Her grandmother nodded. “I’d like that.”
You’d think they’d known each other for years, the way they parted so reluctantly.
Effie stayed behind, settling in to keep her grandmother company. Her curiosity got the better of her. “Gran, what did you two talk about? I didn’t expect you to have so much to say!”
She’d half-expected them to run out of topics and fall into awkward silence.
Her grandmother just smiled. “I can’t even remember. We just chatted, and before we knew it, we couldn’t stop.”
Effie wondered at that—Lindy and her grandmother seemed like people from two different worlds. They probably didn’t have much in common, but maybe that’s why they made the effort.
Over the next few days, Effie stayed by her grandmother’s side in the hospital. Lyman had already gone back to work, so it was just the two of them.
One afternoon, as Effie was finishing her lunch, the door swung open.
Granger walked in, eyes lighting up at the sight of food. “Well, that smells incredible,” he said, inhaling deeply, exaggerating his longing.
Effie hesitated for a moment. “Haven’t eaten yet?”
“Nope. Had a surgery this morning-only just finished. Starving.”
His hint was obvious.
Effie knew exactly what he wanted, but had no intention of obliging.
She smiled politely. “I’m full, actually.”
With that, she closed the lid on her lunchbox.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Granger’s face. He quickly recovered. “Just
came by to check on your grandmother.”
“She’s doing well. She’s sleeping now,” Effie replied.
She was making it clear it was time for him to go, and Granger was perceptive enough to get the message.
He forced a sheepish smile and turned to leave.
Just then, her grandmother’s voice rang out.