Reaching the hospital lobby entrance, Micah exhaled in relief. He had no sense of direction whatsoever, but at least he could follow a simple coloured line on the floor!
In his haste in the cafeteria, he had snapped a picture of just the section he needed and not the whole map of the hospital. He didn't know which line went to the VIP ward.
Glancing around to find where the map was, a gentle pat landed on his back.
"Micah?!"
Micah froze, recognising the voice instantly. Then he turned, already knowing who he would see.
"Dad!"
He said with delight. His eyes twinkling as he thought he had found his saviour.
"What are you doing here?"
Jacob Ramsy stood before him, his raised brow of surprise turning to helplessness as the realisation dawned on him.
"Wait! Don't tell me… were you trying to escape?!"
Jacob Ramsy was a handsome man in his mid-forties. Unlike Albert Ramsy, who exuded an air of unshakable authority, Jacob was more refined, with the same broad shoulders but a gentler presence. He had always been the more easygoing one, the kind of father who rarely scolded but had an uncanny ability to see right through Micah's pranks.
Micah's body stiffened. He quickly averted his gaze and shook his head in response.
"Of course not. I was just lost."
Jacob gave him a look, then sighed.
"Come on, let's get you back before your mother comes running after you with a stick."
He placed a hand on Micah's shoulder and pushed him toward the hallway.
As they walked, Micah fell into silence. His mind was occupied with how to take a sample. He couldn't exactly pluck a hair from his father's head without suspicion.
And given Willow and his mother's presence in the hospital room, stealing a used cup wasn't easy either.
Micah thought maybe he should collect the used cups from everyone and send them all to the lab. He was not short on cash, was he?
"So, why did you wander off?!"
Jacob asked, looking at his troublemaker son.
"Hmm?!"
Micah blinked.
"Ah, I just wanted to take a walk by myself."
Jacob raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Try a better excuse for your mother."
Micah grumbled under his breath before looking up with a hopeful expression.
"Dad, Can you help me out?!"
"You are on your own, son. I would rather not sleep on the couch tonight!"
Jacob patted his son's shoulder in mock condolence.
"Thanks a lot, dad." Micah rolled his eyes.
Just as they reached the elevator, Micah remembered.
"Oh, wait! We need to go to the small garden attached to the cafeteria! That's where they are."
Jacob exhaled sharply and said.
"You little… I don't believe for a second that this wasn't planned!"
"Planned what?!"
Micah feigned ignorance.
Jacob gave him a deadpan stare.
"Yeah. Yeah… my son is the most well-behaved young man in the city."
He said sarcastically.
Micah grinned cheekily. "That's for sure!"
By the time they arrived at the garden, Micah spotted his furious mother immediately.
"Oh look who finally showed up."
Elina said, glaring at Micah.
"I got lost! If it weren't for Dad, who knows how long it would have taken me to find my way back!"
Micah said with an innocent voice.
"And why do you have to run around in the first place?!"
Elina put her hands on her hips.
"I was bored…"
Micah pouted.
Elina took a deep breath before she launched into a full-fledged scolding.
"You had a concussion! What if you fainted in the middle of the hallway? What if your condition worsened?! Do you think it's a joke that you were hospitalised?! Did you forget what the doctor said?!"
"As if that scum of a doc knows shit..."
Micah mumbled in annoyance.
"What did you just say?"
Elina reached forward and twisted her son's ear.
"Ow…ow... Mum! Mind your image! What if someone recognises you!? After all, You are a distinguished professor at QC University!"
Micah yelled, squirming.
"I am fed up with your carelessness!"
She huffed.
"And do I even have any images to protect with all the trouble you have caused?!"
Elina snapped in irritation.
Micah turned, pleading with his father and sister.
"Dad, sister! Help me."
Micah wiggled, trying to get himself free from Elina's grip.
Jacob simply shook his head with a small chuckle, while Willow took a sip from her coffee, pretending not to hear.
"Come on, let's get you back to your room. I want to see who dares to step one foot outside before tomorrow morning's doctor's visit."
Elina said, dragging Micah to the elevator.
Jacob and Willow followed behind at a relaxed pace.
"Dad, did you find anything?"
Willow asked in a whisper.
"No. Nothing." Jacob shook his head.
"There was no suspicious person around him."
"What about the doctor?" Willow questioned.
"He is clean. Micah did not have any contact with him before. Well, he does have SAFA pharmaceutical backing him. If there is dirt on him, it won't be easy to find."
"Oh… " Willow frowned slightly but nodded.
"At least Micah seemed back to normal."
"Yeah…this morning I was really worried, but when your mother called and said he was acting like himself again, I felt relieved."
The corner of Jacob's lips stretched to a big smile and continued.
"I feel delighted every time I see the mother and son interact like this."
Jacob cast a fond look at the two figures in front.
"You know… your mother changed after marrying me. The social pressure of being the Ramsy family's daughter-in-law made her suppress a lot of who she was. I regretted it for a long time…"
Jacob paused, a sorrowful look flashing in his eyes.
"But with your brother… being a troublemaker, she shows her fiery side again. I am grateful for that. I don't want your brother to be forced to change the way your mother did."
Willow glanced at her father and hummed.
There was a time when she had been jealous of her little brother for how close he was to their mother, but now she was also grateful. No one in the family could bring out genuine emotions on their mother's face except Micah.
Before Micah came along with his antics, their mother had been different.
Willow pursed her lips, sealing those painful memories in the back of her mind.