Chapter 1042
Chapter 1042:
Millie lowered her gaze slightly, deliberately pushing those haunting thoughts back into the corners of her mind where they belonged.
Then she straightened her shoulders and walked with purpose toward the room number Anika had provided. Millie rapped her knuckles lightly against the door.
“Please, come in,” a voice called out from inside, weak but audible.
Millie pushed the door open and found Adkins Stewart resting in the hospital bed. He looked far more fragile than she’d expected. She arranged her face into a gentle smile. “Anika mentioned you haven’t been feeling well recently. I wanted to come by and check on you p>
As she spoke, Millie entered the room and set the gift bags she’d brought on a nearby table.
Anika waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, catching the attention of the caregiver who’d been sitting quietly in the corner. She glanced at Millie and said, “I need to go talk to the nurse for a bit p>
She beckoned for the caregiver to follow her out, and together they exited the room, closing the door firmly behind them. This deliberate action left Millie and Adkins alone to have their conversation in private.
“Please, have a seat,” Adkins said in his raspy voice.
Millie nodded politely and lowered herself into the chair positioned beside his bed.
Just days ago, Adkins had seemed remarkably energetic at her company’s opening celebration. But illness had a way of striking suddenly and viciously, particularly in elderly patients. Now he appeared alarmingly frail, as though he’d aged years in just a matter of days.
Without warning, Adkins began coughing violently. Millie immediately leaned forward and placed her hand gently on his back, patting him with practiced care to help him catch his breath.
This was a technique she’d learned during the time she’d spent caring for Derek when he’d been unwell.
F𝖎rst 𝒂pp𝓮ared 𝒊n gⲁ𝅘𝓁𝗇𝑜ν𝖊𝗅⩼𝒸𝗈𝗺
Once the coughing fit finally subsided, Millie poured a cup of lukewarm water from the pitcher on the bedside table. She carefully helped Adkins sit upright and held the cup to his lips so he could take small sips.
She performed these actions with natural efficiency, the kind that only came from having done them countless times before. Adkins watched her moving around his bedside with such practiced ease, and something flickered in his tired eyes.
“You’re far more naturally caring than Anika has ever been,” Adkins observed quietly.
Millie set the water cup back down and met his gaze with a knowing smile. “Being caring isn’t just about doing these specific tasks. Your caregiver is also extremely attentive to your needs. And Anika genuinely cares about your well-being, even if she doesn’t always express it through physical caretaking p>
Adkins gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Deep down, he understood this truth already.
“Looking at you brings back vivid memories of your father,” Adkins said, his eyes becoming distant as he traveled back through time in his mind.
Millie’s gaze dropped slightly, concealing the wave of sadness that threatened to show on her face.
“Back in those days, your father attracted attention wherever he went. I warned him repeatedly to maintain a lower profile, to be more cautious about standing out so much. I told him that kind of visibility would eventually create enemies and draw dangerous scrutiny, but he never listened p>