MORNING - 8:25 - OUTSIDE THE BEDROOM
The corridor on the second floor smelled like disinfectant and medicine because of early morning episode.
Shen Yicheng was still standing in daze in the same position outside the bedroom and hadn't move from the same position since Jingxu fell asleep again. It was his fear that isn't allowing him to leave her alone again, the fear of not seeing her breathing again as if he leave for a single moment, she will vanish in thin air. His jacket remained messily on the chair from the morning incident he hadn't sat on. His hands one the sides loosely clenched, as if he had forgotten to release them.
His older sister approached the room after sometime, only to find his brother standing in the same position, since they left in the morning after the morning storm passed away, she slowly moved forward, and pat his shoulder comforting him silently. "She's better for now" she informed.
"For now?" Yicheng hoarse voice echoed, his steel grey eyes fixed on his beloved, slow and steady breathing.
Haoran joined sometime later, with his tablet and mother medical files in his hand with troubled expression on his face, as his professional exposure is also wearing thin as time pass by since morning accident.
"We have to discuss few things, before she is awake." he told his father and aunt. "She'll know something isn't good"
Yulan crossed her arms, smile slightly and said "She always does, hasn't she?"
They all moved towards the study room, and have taken seat in the office.
Haoran, stood by the french windows, looking far ahead in the vast greenery of the villa yard.
He softly started speaking, "The relapse this morning was very dangerous, and it hasn't been caused because she has missed one dose." he later added with hitch in his voice "This was just the trigger, a warning to something that we all have fear."
Yicheng turned towards his son slowly, looking forward to the reason "Then what is the reason what this collapse ?"
"Long-term strain, years of compensating with herself to others for the things which wasn't in her hands.Emotional stress layers with the physiological fatigue which crushed her body. Her body has been fighting against time out of habit to secure everything, and not reserve." he added.
Yulan inhaled softly, and turned to look at his nephew, who slowly turned to look at them, and asked "How much time left?"
Haoran hesitated a bit, seeing him hesitating Yicheng warned "Don't, I live with her, I know what the slight hesitation means?"
Haoran meet his father eyes today since the morning incident, his Steel grey eyes same like his father, and almond shape just like his mother, was filled with tears, which has finally slipped from his eyes, he took a deep breath and finally break the news "Days or weeks, if we avoid any further stressful event or shock, or any unresolved complain in her heart."
Yulan took a sharp breath, and shut her eyes slowly, as if trying to absorb the news, and spoke slowly, "She is waiting for them, to speak to them, for her silent apologies which she couldn't convey in the past-her sisters"
"And her uncle's family too" Yicheng added dejectedly.
Haoran nodded his head and agreed "But remember this - each rejection will cost her something."
Yicheng added slowly and said "Then let me be the bearer of those cost"
"No - let me do it" Yulan added.
YULAN'S BEDROOM - 9:20
She sat at the dressing table solemnly, phone gripped tightly in her hand, trying to maintain the composure before making the first call to her Elder sister in law.
The call connected at he last ring, Yulan said immediately "She doesn't have much time left." After a brief pause Lin Yujing replied "That's very unfortunate".
Yulan held her breath for a moment, voice sharpened and said "Don't"
Lin daughter curved her lip, and provoke "Don't what?"
Yulan calmed herself and took deep breath, "Don't pretend that this news hasn't pulled at your heart. You distanced yourself, before things went spiral down. You immersed yourself in office assisting Aunty and uncle, she gave you all subtle warning, and thought that she thought no one noticed, but she wrong about it."
Yulan voice trembled, anger slipping through, she continued "As power was stolen from Lin family, she was framed for it and this thing continued even after she was married off. None of you have tried to understand her rather you all blamed her long before her health failed." She confronted Yujing anger.
Yulan took a deep breath to control her emotions.
Yujing said in the firm voice "Her so called subtle warning, had escalated the change of power in the business, and everything collapsed including my parents, and aunty as well and then when things went down she chose stay neutral."
Yulan said with no strength "Lin family allowed Qiu family to frame the narrative, and then cast her aside, because it spared you from guilt."
Silence, none of them speak.
"Tell her I wish her peace" Yujing said, "But I won't be seeing her again" and he call line beeped.
Yulan sat motionless, jaw tight, and a single tear drop flowed through her eyes since morning. She calmed down for a moment and called her Third sister in law.
Lin Meiran answered the call with a sigh.
"She finally sent you to plead for forgiveness or to plead innocence" she said bitterly.
Yulan controlled her temper and informed her "She had collapsed this morning," she later added solemnly "She may never wake up again"
Silence lingered on the side, as if it was deliberate.
"So - even her illness has started acting up" Meiran said at last.
Yulan tightened the grip on the phone and said "She's dying"
"I am keeping a tab on her and I know" she replied flatly "I've been praying for this day for so long"
Yulan took a sharp breath "You didn't mean it right ?"
A quiet and merry laugh come through the phone, "She ruined everything, and still plead on being innocent"
Yulan said softly, "She was treated as burden, a chess piece, framed, isolated, and was treated as an enemy in her own home"
"And yet she lived perfectly well and better than us when everything was going down and lived a comfortable life, while we pay the cost of her interference"
Yulan sighed and asked softly "So you won't come?"
"Hmm... No, If I'll visit, it will be on to confirm that she deserves that" Meiran replied and hung the call.
Yulan shoulder slumped down with these confrontation and lost her courage to connect with other people. But she knew she need to do it for her beloved sister in law and brother.
She finally called her youngest sister in law.
As soon as call connected through Qingyao voice came through along with broken voice and said while hiccuping "I knew you'd call very soon" she sobbed badly "I have seen it coming, but not so soon."
Yulan comfort her saying "She remembers you and everyone every single day in her prayers - she never stopped loving you all"
Qingyao cried "I have failed her - we ignored her when she warned, we were making happy memories while isolating her thinking she is feeling paranoid, when things went down I stay quiet."
"She knows how you feel, that's why she wants to see you all once for the last time" Yulan said after sometime
Qingyao denied, "I can't, I can't face her kindness - tell her I always missed her.
The call ended softly. Yulan remain seated in the same place after drawback from conversation.
After contemplating, sometime and adjusting her emotions, she called her uncle.
The call was connected immediately, as if they have been waiting for the call all these years.
"Yulan" Jianwei uncle said, his voice already hoarse, "Is it... is it about Jingxu?"
"Hmm... Yes" she added later "She collapsed this morning, and it's serious"
"So it has finally reached the final stage" he asked quietly, "She always hid things from us, especially when she is in pressure, hoping to solve the crisis alone, in order to help the people she cared about." he added with a choked voice.
"She never intended to become a burden" she said quietly. "not even on us." she added.
Jianwei finally asked the question that has been eating him since the start of the call "How much time ?"
She swallowed and replied "Weeks, or days or may be even less"
The line stayed silent, and it felt like years.
"I should have listened to her when she hint us about the upcoming storms" uncle said slowly.
"You were all under the narrative of Qiu family, and wasn't ready to listen" Yulan replied."None of you were."
A fain, broken hoarse breath came through the call "Does she knows, we are always thinking of her?"
"Yes, She knows" Yulan replied. "That's enough" came reply.
"Tell her if there's a chance to start over again, we will listen to her warnings the first time."
"I will" Yulan said and closed her eyes. and the call ended.
She remained in the same position, her heart heavy with the sisters rejection, guilt of not being able to help get her any closure.
Some words spoken too late to change the fate of what we loss.
SHEN VILLA YARD : SHAN YICHENG AND HIS SMALL FAMILY SMALL OUTING
The villa yard spread across, was filled with warmth of the sunlight, birds chirping in the distant
Lin Jingxu resting on the chair beneath the tree, wrapped in the light woollen blanket, which has been woven by her daughter. Shen Yicheng adjust his chair and sat by her side in the shade in silence.
She called out all her children by her side "All of you come here by side"
Haoran lingered behind his younger siblings, until his mother gaze found him and urge him to come closer.
"Not there Haoran" She said. "Come closer"
He moved closer and added another shawl on her shoulders to keep her warm and said faintly "Mother you should be resting at this time" and smiled faintly.
She smiled warmly eyes full of love and affection for her children and said "I'm you mother right now."
He shake his head slightly at her mother stubbornness and replied "You're both for me."
Shen Yao their daughter sat beside her in daze and held her hand lightly and said "Mom you're smiling, It's is scaring me."
"I'm relieved, happy and contended." Jingxu replied. "everything finally feel placed" she later added.
Their youngest son Shen Ruihan crouched down near her lap and said sadly "You always things like that when things gets worse."
She ruffle his messy hair and pat his head and silently corrected him "When things get started better, sometime that's just the end of waiting"
Haoran asked with low voice, same like he did when he was young and he needed to ask his mother permission to do something or to apologise for the mistakes/trouble he had done "How long ?"
"Enough" came the answer. "That's not the answer " he rebutted.
"No calculations today" she declared firmly to his oldest son.
His jaw tightened, "You hid this for years, until we came off understanding age."
She held Haoran hand making him sit down beside her and admitted "You always saw more than I meant you too"
Youngest asked "Did we make things difficult for you ? "
"Yes .. sometimes - but it was worth it, it help us grow stronger and together." she said smiling sweetly.
Sunlight filtered through the trees.
No one spoke, and sat down in peace. This wasn't a goodbye but a handover.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR READERS!! I APOLOGIES FOR DELAYED UPDATE, THIS CHAPTER HAS AN AMAZING ENDING BUT IT ENDED UP BEING TOO ALL TOGETHER IN ONE SITTING.SO I"LL CONTINUE POSTING REST TOMORROW EVENING AT THE EARLIEST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. WILL BE HAPPY IF I GET SOME REVIEWS.