Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

When they stepped out of the doctor's cabin, Rachael gently squeezed his hand. "Are you okay?"

Andrew sighed and nodded. "I'll be fine."

"You know you are not alone right? I am there for you." She wanted to make sure he knew that she was there for him and he wasn't alone.

If something were to happen to grandma in the future, this wouldn't be the first time Andrew would lose someone he is close to. But unlike last time when he was left alone to mourn for the death of his parents, she would stand beside him, holding his hand.

Andrew knew she was there with him but hearing it from her made him feel warm and touched. When she intertwined their hands together, his anxiousness wore off a little.

…..

[Grandma Collins cabin]

When they entered the room, grandma was already up.

She couldn't talk as she still had the oxygen mask on but her eyes teared up and smiled when she saw both of them.

The nurse who was checking her vitals, removed the oxygen mask and replaced it with a nasal one.

Stretching her hand, grandma Collins gestured both of them to come and sit beside her.

Andrew quickly approached her with Rachael. He sat beside her and gently held her hand. "How are you feeling now?"

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"I feel great after seeing you both," grandma Collins weakly smiled. She then looked at Rachael. "I am so happy you came too."

Rachael smiled and gently placed her hand on her arm.

"Grandma, Rachael and I got married."

"Really?" she exclaimed. When both of them nodded, her face immediately brightened up. Tears started rolling down from the corners of her eyes. She wanted to say something but couldn't. She just tightened her grip around Andrew's hand.

Pointing towards the ring in Rachael's hand, he smiled, "See, I gave her a beautiful ring and—" Lifting his left hand up, he added, "I am wearing one too."

"I am so happy," grandma Collins smiled. "My final wish was to see you get married, I wanted to see your wife and make sure you live a happy life hereafter. Thank you for fulfilling it. Now I can close my eyes in peace."

"Too bad I won't be around to see my great-grandchild," she sighed in dejection.

"Don't say such things." Andrew kissed the back of hand. "You have to rest well, okay? We will come to visit you everyday."

"There is no need to come everyday. They give me something and it makes me feel very drowsy. I am always sleeping. You both should spend more time with each other, don't worry about me. I have already lived a long life." she remarked. Her voice became more hoarse than before. All of a sudden she started coughing vigorously.

Andrew quickly summoned the nurse.

"It's not convenient for the patient to talk for a long time. She needs to take a rest." After giving grandma her medications, the nurse left.

Not long after, grandma Collins fell asleep.

Rachael and Andrew sat there for a while watching her sleep.

"She is in so much pain," he pursed his lips. "It's all my fault."

"Andrew—" she frowned.

"If I hadn't been away for so long, if I had paid more attention maybe this wouldn't have happened." He was so busy dealing with people he detested that he completely neglected the ones he genuinely loved.

"Hey—" she grabbed his arm. "It's not your fault, will you stop being so hard on yourself? You did everything you could, you tried your best and you are still trying. But there are certain things we can't control."

Without waiting for his reply, she added, "How do you feel grandma will feel if she learns you are blaming and looking down on yourself? All she wants is for you to live a happy life. Even when she is so uncomfortable, all she cares about is you."

"All you have to do now is be a good grandson and live your life well just like she wants," she remarked.

Andrew did not say anything. He just sat there in a daze while holding her hand.

…..

[Collins Mansion]

When they arrived back, Andrew went straight to their room to take a nap as he was having a really bad headache.

"Do you want some medicine?" she asked,

"No, I'll be fine," he answered without looking at her.

Rachael watched him climb the stairs but she did not follow him. She decided to stay in the living room as she wanted to give him some privacy and space to deal with his emotions. She lied down on the couch and closed her eyes. She was feeling very exhausted too.

Just then Justin entered the mansion. When he saw Rachael sleeping on the couch, he asked, "Why are you sleeping here?"

She opened her eyes and sat up straight. "Just like that."

"Where is he?"

"In the room."

"Did you two have a fight?"

She shook her head. "No, he is upset. We went to see grandma and things aren't very positive."

Understanding what she meant, Justin sighed, "He must be quite bumped."

"He didn't talk much after we left the hospital, I just thought he needed some space and privacy."

"Well, Andrew is like that, he has always been like this. Whenever something triggers his emotions, he just completely shuts himself up. He becomes a completely different person," he remarked. "He doesn't talk properly, stops eating, stops sleeping. I-It's very weird."

Keeping quiet for a while, Rachael asked, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well—" he shrugged. "Usually Owen and I let him be. We just wait for him to deal with his emotional turmoil and return back to his normal self."

"And how long does that take?"

"A couple of weeks, sometimes a month."

"A month?" she frowned. Was she supposed to just sit back and not do anything?

Noticing the change in her expressions, Justin quickly tried to calm her down. "Maybe it's not that bad this time. He will be okay, don't worry."

…..