Madam Lawrence At The Hospital

"I was in the kitchen trying to prepare their meal after Marley and Monalisa told me they were hungry. I was so immersed in the task at hand and didn't notice when they snuck into the kitchen…" Prisca paused to catch her breath.

"Upon turning around to see them, I tried to chase them out of the kitchen. And it was at this moment I realised that one of them had placed the barbecue chicken wrapped with foil inside the microwave oven," Prisca shuddered.

Merely recalling the earlier incident sent shivers down her spine. In this lifetime she never wanted to experience the same thing or something similar again.

"As soon as I saw this all I wanted to do was to get the girls to safety but the microwave oven exploded before I could achieve that. Marley collapsed due to the blasting effect of the explosion. I was so flustered that until now I don't know how I got them out of the burning kitchen," Prisca concluded, her right hand on her pounding chest.

"I know you told me how Jillian came into the picture but I want to hear it all over again and without missing a single detail this time around," Brayden commanded.

Prisca went ahead to tell him all that happened and how they succeeded in getting out of the building before the arrival of the firefighters.

"Are you saying that while others try to get to safety she disregarded that just to help you out? Are there still such good people out there in this century?" Brayden muttered dumbfounded at what he heard.

"Not only that, she didn't hesitate to follow us to the hospital when the ambulance arrived. If I am not wrong, I think I heard Marley call her mother when she momentarily regained consciousness," Prisca confessed.

Prisca waited to be further interrogated but Brayden didn't say anything.

"You can clock out now…"

"But what about the girls?" Prisca interrupted abruptly. She composed herself when she realised that she just cut her Boss short.

"I will take care of things over here," Brayden replied.

Although Brayden permitted her to leave, Prisca was reluctant to do that.

She had hoped to see the girls regain consciousness before she clocked out but Brayden didn't allow her to do that.

After Brayden returned to the girls' hospital room, Jillian ignored him. She would rather stare at the sleeping girls' faces than talk to him.

"I need to see the doctor to ask about Marl and Lisa's condition. I will trouble you to watch after them," Brayden informed. He waited for her response and when she didn't talk, he took her silence as permission.

Brayden's heart was finally able to feel at ease again after he confirmed that the doctor's diagnosis was the same as what Prisca told him.

"Thanks, Doc. As you have said I will go take care of Marley and Monalisa's discharge," Brayden said. He shook the doctor's hand before he turned and left feeling much lighter.

Brayden barely finished signing Marley and Monalisa's discharge papers when Madam Lawrence arrived at the hospital in the company of two female bodyguards.

Upon setting eyes on his mother, Brayden hurriedly collected the medication and hastened to get away.

"Brayden," Madam Lawrence called out to her son.

Although she only saw his moving back, she recognised him even without having to see his face.

Despite hearing his name Brayden continued to walk in big strides. He shot murderous glares at anyone who tried to call his attention to the woman trying to catch up to him.

"Brayden," She called for a second time but he still didn't pause. By this time he was a few steps away from the open elevator.

"Mr Brayden Lawrence!" Penelope, the most senior of the two guards in black suits called out to him.

Her voice was so loud that it overpowered every other voice around them. She made it impossible for Brayden to act as if he didn't hear them.

Brayden halted in front of the elevator, spun and gazed at the three ladies who had garnered the attention of almost everyone around.

"What exactly happened that the apartment caught on fire? How are Marl and Lisa? I hope my poor grandchildren didn't get injured. What did the doctors say…" Madam Lawrence trailed off after Brayden entered the elevator instead of answering her questions.

"My grandchildren might get scared seeing both of you so stay here and wait for my return," Madam Lawrence addressed her bodyguards before she joined Brayden inside the elevator.

"You are at the hospital where patients are treated and not at one of your parties? Did you have to dress up so extravagantly?" Brayden growled, glaring at the woman cladded in a red tight-fitted knee-length dress.

She was adorned in glittering diamond jewels that made it impossible for anyone not to notice her if she passed by.

"And what the hell does my outfit have to do with the questions I asked?" Madam Lawrence flared up.

Since it was just the two of them, she didn't have to watch her image or care what onlookers would say about their household.

"When you took the girls with you, I thought you would take good care of them. If I had known that my precious grandchildren would face a near-death experience after following you, I would have done everything within my power to stop you…"

"Would I have been forced to take them with me if you had taken better care of them?" Brayden snapped, glaring at his mother.

"Since you as a so-called experienced adult couldn't take care of two little kids, you have no right whatsoever to scold me, don't you think?" Brayden asked, staring at his mother's face.

"But…"

"I will take better care of them from now so I will advise that you go back now," Brayden declared. He climbed out of the elevator as soon as it opened at the VIP ward.

"I came over to see my grandchildren and not you. So why should I leave as you demanded?" Madam Lawrence retorted and got out of the elevator to Brayden's annoyance.

"Also, you might be their legal guardian but I am still their grandmother. I have the right to see my girls as much as you do," Madam Lawrence asserted. She brushed past him before he could stop her.

Brayden stood at a spot and stared at his mother's departing back, fuming.

"Jillian!" Brayden blurted the instant he saw his mother pull open the brown door which was about fifteen steps from where he stood.

"Fuck, hell will be let loose if Madam Lawrence set an eye on her," Brayden murmured and hastened to catch up to the woman who had already slid into the room.

"Where is she?" Brayden murmured the moment he entered the room and didn't see Jillian where he left her.

"I heard their last nanny quit without prior notice so who are you looking for?" Madam Lawrence demanded. She moved to the side of the bed where Marley lay.