Chapter 49
“The needles come out in half an hour p>
Dane didn’t want to interrupt, so he waited outside, suddenly remembering that Baldrick hadn’t eaten yet. “Jack, can you set the food aside for now? When my grandpa wakes up, just heat it up for him p>
Jack smacked his forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot about that p>
The others kept quiet, staring at the floor. Clearly, they’d forgotten too.
When thirty minutes were up, Claire slipped into the room to take out the needles. Baldrick was sleeping so deeply that he didn’t even flinch when she removed them.
The acupuncture had gone perfectly. Abbott really didn’t need to be there anymore, but he stayed anyway, waiting until Baldrick woke up just in case.
When Baldrick finally stirred, Abbott moved to his bedside. “How are you feeling now p>
Baldrick thought for a moment, then broke into a smile. “Better than I’ve felt in years p>
He’d tried acupuncture before, but it had never worked like this. The pain had always eased just a little, never enough to really make a difference. But now, it felt like the swelling had even gone down, though maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Either way, this trip was worth it.
Claire started jotting down a prescription. “I’ll write out a formula for you, plus instructions for the herbal soaks. You can do those on your own. As for acupuncture, your legs are still swollen, so I’ll come by once a week to do it p>
Baldrick nodded, looking at Claire with the hopeful eyes of someone ready to trust their doctor completely.
Claire smiled. “Don’t worry. Acupuncture will help with the pain, and if you keep up the herbal soaks for two months, I’m sure you’ll see results. It might not be a total cure, but it’s going to make things a lot easier. I’ll also prepare a medicinal wine for you, so we’ll be covering all the bases p>
It sounded so promising that Baldrick actually relaxed. At his age, any hope was a comfort.
“Thank you, Claire p>
“I’ll do my best,” she promised.
“Oh, and you didn’t have lunch. Dane got you something from Hearth & Kettle p>
Jack already had the food warming up in the kitchen. The smell drifted through the house, and it made Baldrick’s stomach rumble.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Bring it out, Baldrick said, then turned to Claire. “Pandora must’ve taken you all there, right? Back in the day, when your grandma came into the city, she’d always bring back the most amazing food. The smell alone would have us drooling p>
“We used to wait for her visits like kids waiting for Christmas. She’d clear us out of
any cash we had stashed away, all just for a taste of something special p>
Claire imagined Pandora as a young woman-full of life, always the center of attention. Even back then, she’d been lucky, surrounded by
family who looked out forher No
only did she avoid any real hardships, she even managed to help out people who’d been sent down to the countryside. It seemed like she’d led a pretty colorful life, even in tough times.
Pandora rolled her eyes at Baldrick. “Don’t listen to him. He was just greedy. He always said it was for Tessie, but he pawned off what little jewelry she had just to get me to bring him food p>
Baldrick chuckled. “It was for my wife. She wasn’t well, and I wanted to take care of her p>
Tessie had lost their first child, and for years after, she couldn’t get pregnant again. Baldrick had worried about her constantly He could have reached out to Hale for help, but then The Carter family got reported, and there was no way to get Tessie the care she needed.
After that, things never really got better. Dane’s father survived, but his health had always been fragile, which was why the huge family business ended up in Dane’s hands so early.
Claire and the others didn’t stick around the hotel for long. Pandora said she had things to take care of. There would be plenty of time to catch up later anyway, since Baldrick planned to stay in Apex for another month or two.