Posted in two parts so you don't have to wait for me to finish the whole thing! Much love! :valentine :valentine

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Chapter 33: Assumptions

That afternoon Sophia and I visited Momma in the hospital. As soon as we entered the room I broke down. Seeing my mother lying there helpless was more than I was prepared for. She was the strongest woman I knew, and in my whole life I’d never known her to need more medical care than her nursing skills could provide. But there she lay, so fragile.

“Momma! What happened to you?” I said, rushing to her side. Sophia took a seat by the window, overcome with shock as well.

“Oh my girls, don’t look so worried. It’s just a few bruises. Really, no big deal.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Just a few bruises! The doctor said you fractured your ribs. How?”



She shrugged, and then winced from the pain of the motion. “Oh girls, he’s gone! My Poppa! I still can’t believe it,” she began sobbing. “I was driving to work when my phone rang… Your grandfather passed in his sleep. I was too shaken to drive and swerved off the road.”

She squeezed my hand and then the room was silent as the three of us remembered our family patriarch.

After a few moments I heard Sophia clear her throat behind me and looked up to see an unexpected guest enter the room.

“Sean,” I croaked out, my voice now rough from crying. “How did you know?”

“Pete called, said you girls might need some company right now.” He quickly glanced around the room. “It looks like he was right. Are you okay Kat?”

I shook my head, unable to speak.



“Hi Mrs. Antonelli,” he said, turning his attention to Momma after a brief hug. “I’m so sorry to hear about your father.”

“Thank you, Sean. It’s so good to see you again. Kat told me you’d come back to town.”

“Sean, you really didn’t have to come all the way back down here,” I interjected.

“It’s no problem. You and Sophia have been so great to me since I came home. Now, what would you like for lunch? I’ll go grab us all something from the cafeteria. I think I saw some brownies when I was here earlier.” He smiled a brilliant grin, knowing I couldn’t resist my favorite dessert.

I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes again and although I fought against them, they eagerly slipped down my cheeks. It was so stupid to cry over Sean’s kindness, but once I’d let the sobs come, I couldn’t stop them. I cried for Sean’s unwarranted loyalty. I cried for the loss of my grandfather. I cried for my mother’s pain. And for the first time in a long time, I cried for something I had buried deep within my heart. I thought I was long over my own pain of being single, but sometimes when you start crying over something as trivial as a friendly smile, it can lead to true grief for something unresolved.

So there I stood, in my mother’s hospital room, grieving for my family and for myself. I felt an unusual warmth wrapped around my shoulders and thought I could make out Sean’s face through my tears. In my time of need, he was silently beside me comforting me the only way he knew how.



I frantically wiped the tears away and tried to pull myself together.

“It’s okay. I’m okay, really. Thanks Sean,” I said, stepping out of his embrace. He dropped his arms hopelessly.

“So Sean,” Sophia said, getting up. “How about we make that trip to the cafeteria now? I’ll help you carry it all back.” She led him to the door, and they both disappeared out of sight.

I sighed and turned my back to the room to stare out the window. I needed to gather my thoughts from everything that had happened that day.



“Katarina,” Momma’s weak voice said behind me. I could hear her shifting her weight on the bed. “You didn’t tell me you and Sean were back together.”

“What?” I turned around, startled. “We’re not together,” I said flatly.

“Oh.” Her face twisted in confusion for a minute. “But he was so kind. The way he looks at you – “

“Is just friendly, Momma.”

“And what about the way you look at him?”

“I don’t look at him in any way. Our story is shelved and done. Who ends up with their high school sweetheart anyway?”

“It happens.”

I glared at her and she held up her hands in defeat. “I don’t need to know the details, Kat. I’m just glad to see you’re happy. Nothing else matters.”