Chapter 112: Separated
Athena sighed softly as she watched Kendra and Kathleen cry on each other’s shoulders, their tears glistening in the sunlight streaming through the window.
Nathaniel stood by the side, watching the emotional display with an air of detachment that might have seemed cold to an outsider.
However, Athena knew better. The intermittent pinching of his eyebrows betrayed the sadness lurking beneath his stoic demeanor. Kendra had become their closest friend, and the impending separation clearly weighed on him.
"Kendra, don’t worry. You can visit them anytime you want. You can even do sleepovers," Stella said, trying to comfort the girls while throwing a worried glance at Athena.
But it seemed to Athena that Kendra needed more reassurance than that in the moment.
She sighed again, reclining deeper into her seat as she realized it would likely take a while for the two girls to disengage from each other.
But surprisingly, it didn’t take long. Nathaniel, aware of his mother’s tight schedule, stepped closer to his sister and tapped her on the arm. "Kate, listen to Ms. Stella. We can always see Kendra in school and do sleepovers. For now, let’s go. Remember, Mom has a lot of work to do today."
Athena nodded immediately, as if she was the one being spoken to. Suddenly, she recalled the daunting pile of work awaiting her at the hospital. Since opening the doors to the hospital to everyone, including residents from Zack’s town, she had been besieged with work, even with the new hires pitching in.
Her mind wandered—what would have happened if she hadn’t hired them? She shuddered at the mere thought, recalling the influx of patients they had experienced since the beginning of the week.