Return to Bern City

The drive to the airport was about forty minutes. On the drive there Tim held tightly to Mia like a lifeline. This would be his first time back in Bern City since he donated bone marrow for his son. He was so glad he had decided not to let her leave without him because now he had this life. Timothy worried returning to Bern City where things had been so bad before would somehow mess up the life they had now.

Timothy looked at his wife. "Promise me that nothing will come between us, Mia." His voice was rough as he spoke raw with emotion.

"Tim what are you talking about? Nothing is going to get between us, not now or ever." Mia told her husband emphatically.

"All right, I just needed to hear you say that." Tim said. "This is exciting, after nearly five years Grandma is awake."

Tim looked at his daughter and pulled a thin plastic container from his pocket. Tim pulled a silver chain bracelet with a silver medallion on it from the box first. He then reached across to where his son was sitting and fastened the bracelet around his son's wrist. He coaxed the bracelet he had given Ginger from her and then using a tiny tool in the plastic case popped the heart open. He pulled a tiny microchip from the plastic case, inserted it into the hollow heart charm and popped the heart closed. Then he put the bracelet back on his daughter's wrist.

Mia watched him quietly, with a slight frown on her face. Tim opened his phone and opened the tracking app. He synced to the new chips and showed Mia the app. Mia handed Timothy her phone and told him to put the app on her phone as well. Just in case seemed like a good idea given the twins new status as Heirs to the Barrett fortune plus her fortune as well. That was enough of an incentive for most people with bad intentions.

Timothy did as his wife asked and put the tracking app on her phone. Once he handed it back, she watched the two dots for a minute feeling slightly more secure. They reached the airport and waited for security to allow them to go to their plane. Five minutes later they drove out to the plane after explaining to security that they had another individual coming. Jasmine pulled up about three minutes after they arrived and had climbed out of the cars.

Angela took the twins and boarded the jet. Mia went and got Jasmine and took her on the jet with her. The security guards came on and Peyton followed, talking on his phone as he straightened out the schedule of a business meeting Mia was going to miss. Tim and Caleb came on and Jasmine went to sit with Caleb while Tim sat next to her. The flight attendant told everyone to fasten their seatbelts and the flight got underway.

The flight to Bern City was long enough to serve a light dinner. There was a combination of soup, salad, and sandwiches for everyone plus a brownie for dessert. Mia ate half a sandwich and some soup but didn't want the brownie. Tim looked at what she ate and sighed. Mia frowned as she just wasn't hungry. She knew she should eat more than she was but how could she make herself eat if she wasn't hungry. Mia napped after eating until they landed.

They arrived in Bern City at nearly ten at night. Two limousines were waiting to take the large party to the hotel. Tim felt slightly odd going to a hotel when he owned several large villas but considering past events and his family, he decided that he would book the Presidential suite at a hotel near Barrett Group Tower plus several rooms for the staff. Once the luggage and people were loaded the cars took them across town.

The suite was once again a four-bedroom affair. Tim, Mia, the twins and Caleb had rooms. Jasmine was offered a room of her own but chose to stay with Caleb instead. When Jasmine was far enough away Tim told Caleb he better lock that down before things got messy. Caleb gave Tim a frantic look and told him he didn't know what he was doing. Tim gently reminded his friend that he was the one that showed him what to do and he could see how it turned out. Caleb smiled a bit of his confidence returning.

Everyone managed to get to bed around midnight. Tim, fresh from the shower he had taken after Mia was done with hers, climbed into bed and pulled his wife to him. Mia rested her head on his shoulder and quickly fell asleep. Timothy lay there for a while longer listening to his wife's quiet breaths and marveled at how different his life was. Would his grandmother approve of him now? He thought she might. He wondered absently if she would remember who had attacked her. He hoped that she would.

The next morning came far too soon but there was also an air of excitement to the day. Mia dressed casually but smart in a pair of tan wide leg slacks, heels and a white button-down blouse. She found Tim in a pair of dark gray slacks and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Ginger was wearing a green dress over a white long-sleeved shirt and sage was wearing beige cargo pants with a brown sweater. The children had their backpacks ready for the day.

Everyone sat down for breakfast and Mia was hungry for the first time in forever. She grabbed eggs, sausage, a muffin, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee. When she realized everyone was staring at her she frowned.

"Everyone complains that I don't eat anything and when I am finally hungry you all stare at me. Knock it off." Mia grouched continuing to eat her meal.

"We were just surprised, sweetheart. You have been eating almost nothing for so long." Tim explained.

"The baby is hungry this morning." Mia said irritably.

"Noted. Don't stare at the pregnant woman while she eats." Caleb said smirking. Mia threw a strawberry at him, and it hit him in the nose. "Rude, Mrs. Barrett." Caleb laughed. Jasmine smiled affectionately at the group. The twins were in the living room which was good since they did not know about the pregnancy yet.

The adults finished their meal and got ready to head to the hospital. Timothy had their security wait for the family in the lobby and Peyton joined them. When they got off the elevator, they made quite the spectacle with three guards leading them. Then came Tim and Mia followed by Angela, the twins, and Peyton. Then Caleb and Jasmine were followed by another guard that kept an eye out for trouble behind them.

People must have wondered who exactly their group was. Everyone stopped to stare, perhaps sensing that this was a group of important people in this high-end hotel. The two limousines were waiting outside and this time two guards rode with Timothy's family. It was a little cramped, but safety was a concern. If people realized who they were the press would be clamoring to get shots of Barrett's heirs. The guards were a buffer between his family and potential crowds.

The limousines pulled into the private hospital entrance causing several people to stop and stare. The stares became even more intrigued as the assortment of people climbed out of the cars. Angela took hold of the twins' hands and Timothy took his wife's hand and placed it in the crook of his arm. With the guards leading they entered the hospital and went to the private wing that was reserved for long-term care for high-society's elite.

When they got to the nurse's station on the seventh floor they were directed to a lounge specifically for visitors for Mrs. Barrett Senior. They all waited for nurse Alice and the doctor to come see them. When the doctor came, he motioned for Timothy to follow him to a side room. Tim pulled Mia with him into the consultation room.

"I am Dr. Scott; I am a neurologist for this hospital." The doctor told them informationally.

"I am Timothy Barrett, and this is my wife, Mia. A pleasure to meet you doctor." Tim informed the doctor.

The doctor looked them both over before continuing. "Your grandmother is doing quite well. Her scans since waking up are looking very unremarkable which for a neurologist is a very good sign. She has, however, been in a coma for a long time. Laura is very weak from her long illness. Plus, her advanced age weakens her more. However, I do expect her to make a full recovery and even have quite a few good years left in her."

"That is amazing news doctor. How soon would we be able to take her back to Norde City?" Mia gushed then questioned Dr. Scott. Timothy looked at Mia quickly. She loved Grandma. He didn't know why he was surprised the Mia wanted Grandma to be a part of their lives. Timothy noticed the bemused expression that the doctor was giving his wife. Mia was so happy she glowed at that moment making her beauty nearly mesmerizing. Timothy cleared his throat.

The doctor looked away from Mia. "Oh, umm, that depends on how quickly she regains her strength. Likely a week or two, Mrs. Barrett." The doctor smiled at Mia after he finished speaking. He was thinking that Mr. Barrett was an extremely lucky man.

The doctor went over a few specific treatments that were being utilized to help Grandma Laura regain her strength. Then he took Timothy to meet nurse Alice and to see Laura.