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She opened her mouth to reply but started coughing.
Guy came right to her side and offered her a glass of water that was on the side table. “Here you are.”
His mother sat up and accepted the glass. “Thank you, my dear.”
Taking a moment to observe her, he noticed that his mother appeared to be aging at a rapid pace. The lines on her face were starting to deepen, and her eyes didn’t hold the fierceness that they once had.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Awful,” she admitted.
“I am sorry to hear that.”
She waved her hand at him. “You don’t need to fret about me,” she said. “Just don’t let those leeches anywhere near me again.”
“Why?”
“It is deucedly uncomfortable.”
“I was under the impression that applying leeches to the skin wasn’t painful.”
“The feeling of their swelling bodies against my skin is miserable.” She shuddered as she extended him the glass. “Furthermore, I don’t believe it is helping me.”
Guy returned the glass to the table. “I will speak to the doctor about using another treatment.”
“I would appreciate that.”
Guy leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Mother.”
She smiled up at him. “I love you, too.”
“Don’t give up hope,” he encouraged. “We will find the right treatment for you, and you will be healthy once more.”
“This is what happens when you get older. Your body starts to break down.”
“No, I am not ready to lose you, too,” he asserted. “Losing Father was more than I could bear.”
“I will try, Son.”
He nodded. “I am pleased to hear that, and I will see you tonight for dinner. We shall all eat in here so we can dine as a family.”
“I am looking forward to it.”
Guy smiled down at her, hoping it conveyed his love for her. “Be strong, Mother.”
“Go,” his mother encouraged. “I will be fine. Esther takes good care of me.”
“Good.”
After he exited his mother’s room, he walked over to his sister and said, “I will be home for dinner this evening.”
She gave him a knowing look. “I doubt that.”
“I promise that I will try.”
“I can accept that,” she replied.
As Guy departed from his house, he was pleased to hear Esther locking the door behind him. They didn’t quite live in the fashionable part of Town, but they were a few blocks from it. The street they lived on was dark and gloomy, but the rent was affordable. Thankfully, his salary did allow them to avoid living in the rookeries, where crime was much more rampant.
