“Feeling better now?” The nurse walked in to disrupt Danny's thoughts.
He frowned. He just wants to be left alone. At the same time, he doesn't want to sound rude to her.
He wishes there was a way he could walk her out of the ward without making it seem offensive.
He refused to utter a word to the nurse in response.
He hasn't spoken to any of the medical staff in recent hours.
The nurses understood his situation. They didn't bother forcing him to speak.
“You have a visitor. I'd just send her in,” the nurse said.
She left immediately, knowing that she wouldn't get a response from Danny.
“Hi, Danny,” a calm voice spoke to him.
He trails the voice, and it leads him to Sandra.
“Sandra?” he echoed.
He tried to force himself off the bed. Luckily for Sandra, she was rapid enough to stop that from happening.
“I'm sorry,” she said to him in a shaky voice. “I shouldn't have abandoned you in your darkest moment.”
Danny was calm. He had a lot to say but lacked the right approach to use.
He was upset at Sandra for neglecting him at the hospital.
But after seeing her face, the anger vanished into thin air like magic.
He can't explain how that managed to happen.
“Promise you won't abandon me ever again,” Danny forces Sandra to decide.
He wasn't even paying attention to her apology. It meant nothing to him.
All he needs is her commitment and loyalty towards their friendship again.
There's this uniqueness about Sandra that always drives Danny closer to her. He would rather not be far away from her ever again.
“I promise,” Sandra caresses Danny's face.
Her gaze flickered at Danny's face. She is drawn by his charming looks and aura.
She was tempted to lock lips with Danny. She aborts the mission after recalling that Danny is her stepbrother.
“No, we can't be doing this,” she resists the urge to kiss Danny.
The same thing can't be said about Danny. He's most willing to jump on the opportunity without having a second thought about it.
“I understand,” he accepts defeat after seeing Sandra pulling away from him.
As much as he wants this, he still can't force Sandra to kiss him.
“The team needs you. They can't wait to have you back.” Sandra drifts away from the discourse to a different one.
She is hoping that the conversation might lighten up Danny's mood a bit.
And it worked.
She managed to put a smile on his face.
Danny felt more relieved than when she was absent in his life.
“Sure, I can't wait to come back too,” he said.
He tried not to stare at Sandra for too long to avoid another temptation.
“Your father misses you a lot. He can't wait to have you back home again,” Sandra started another conversation with Danny.
But this time, it didn't end well for her, as the smile around Danny's face faded and was replaced by sadness.
It didn't take too long for Sandra to notice that. Too hard for her to ignore, she was forced to ask, “Is there a problem? Is there something you're not telling me?”
She has a clue of what the issue may be, but she just can't prove it. She can't possibly conclude, either. She would rather hear from Danny directly.
“My father thinks I'm a failure,” he confessed. “He has barely visited since I was hospitalized.”
He had no plans of having this conversation with Sandra, especially when it has to do with his father.
But on second thought, he realized that Sandra is still part of the family. And telling her wouldn't hurt.
“Don't say that. Your father loves you. He wouldn't stop talking about you at home,” Sandra defended Danny's father as though she were paid to do so.
“Then why hasn't he visited me in weeks now? Your mother was here last night. She brought in some fruits for me. How do you explain my father's absence?” Danny lost his cool.
He vented his rage on Sandra when he shouldn't have.
The only person that he should be upset at is none other than his father.
Sandra couldn't defend Danny's father anymore. She would rather not get on Danny's nerves, knowing that he needs all the time in the world to recover.
“Let's just skip this.” Sandra retreated.
She isn't known to give up easily in vital moments, but in a case like this, she's ready to make an exception just for her sanity.
“Have you had anything to eat? I got you something.” Sandra pulled out her basket from the floor and placed it on the shelf next to Danny's sickbed.
“This is for saving my life,” she revealed the contents of the basket.
“Wow! This is great.
Thank you so much.” Danny couldn't conceal his happiness after seeing his favorite dish: chicken wings, garnished potatoes, and pasta all loaded in a food flask.
Sandra was benevolent enough to bring a pack of juice along with her, knowing that it will complement her good deeds.
“Don't worry, I'll do that,” Sandra said as she volunteered to feed him like a child.
She was excited to do this. She was desperate to make up for those months she went missing in Danny's life.
They both had an interesting moment and laughed at each other's jokes. It's a day to remember for Danny.
Despite his predicament, he still finds joy in chaos.
What was supposed to be one of the best days in their lives turned out to be another tug-of-war after the arrival of a third party: Stacy.
She walked inside the ward with a basket of food and a bottle of wine only to meet Sandra and Danny acting like lovers.
She halted and rubbed her eyes to be sure they're not leading her astray. She wasn't dreaming, nor was it an illusion.
She wasn't aware when she screamed, “What the f**k is going on here?”
She screams and alerts Danny and Sandra. They were lucky the food flask didn't drop on the ground due to shock.
They did hear a footstep approaching, but they never thought it was Stacy.
They both assumed it was one of the nurses coming to attend to Danny.
“What's she doing here?” Sandra and Stacy spoke at the same time, making it seem like it was planned.
“That was my line.” Stacy geared up. “I have been the one looking out for Danny over the last couple of months.”
“I stayed with him when everyone abandoned him. So I'm going to ask you again, what the heck are you doing here?” Stacy raises her voice again. She never slowed down for a bit.
She sounded so confident, like an overzealous wife who's trying to protect her territory.
“Please tell me she's lying, Danny.” Sandra switches her attention to Danny.
She's trying so hard not to get into a fight with Stacy. She feels that Danny is in the best position to explain this.
The last time she checked, Danny made it seem like he was neglected.
It's been over thirty minutes since she entered the ward, and Danny never mentioned Stacy's name during that time.