After lunch, they all chatted in the room until a little after three in the afternoon.
Janelle and Richard had to leave to prepare dinner. Before they left, Janelle asked, "When will the paternity test results be ready?"
They didn''t know that Winona had knocked Beatrix out and brought her here; they thought Beatrix had fainted on her own and been admitted to the hospital.
"Benjamin said this evening at the earliest," Tarquin replied. "You and Janelle should go home and rest. We''ll have Keaton call you as soon as there''s news."
Richard and Janelle nodded together. "Alright."
It was obvious how nervous they both were. Elysia and Winona exchanged a look, their hearts aching for them.
After Janelle and Richard left, Tarquin sat by the bed, talking with Keaton. Winona and Elysia settled on the sofa to watch a show together.
As they were watching, Winona''s head tilted to the side, and she fell asleep on Elysia''s shoulder.
"Winona?" Elysia said, surprised.
Winona was already breathing deeply,pletely unresponsive.
Elysia was speechless. "..."
Tarquin turned his head. "She''s asleep?"
Elysia nodded, whispering, "She used to be such a light sleeper. Now she just conks out instantly."
Tarquin walked over. "There''s a bed in the other room."
Keaton''s VIP suite had an adjoining room with a cot for visitors.
Elysia carefully supported Winona''s head as she gently stood up. "It''s fine, let her sleep on the sofa for a bit. We have to go pick up the kids soon anyway. If she''s out here, Keaton can keep an eye on her."
Keaton nced at the time. It was already past three o''clock. The kindergarten let out around four, and the hospital was some distance away. It was time for them to go.
"You guys go get the kids," Keaton said. "Don''t worry about her. I''ll watch her."
Elysia helped take off Winona''s shoes, letting her lie down properly. She then had Tarquin get a pillow and nket from the inner room. Through all the fussing, Winona didn''t even stir.
Elysia tucked the nket around her, watching her sleep so soundly. She couldn''t help but remark, "Winona really can eat and sleep these days."
Tarquin held Elysia''s coat for her. "Eating well and sleeping well is a blessing. Should wee back tonight?"
"We''ll see how things go."
"You don''t need to," Keaton said. "Stay home and take care of the little ones. I''ll call you when the results are in. And don''t worry about Winona, If Beatrix wakes up and
tries to cause trouble, I''ll protect
her."
Elysia turned to look at him.
Even though Winona had insisted she wasn''t the wronged party in their hookup, Elysia couldn''t stop herself from saying, "Beatrix won''t be
evening at least. Keaton, you know how badly Zane hurt Winona. Whether it''s for my sake, for Janelle and Richard''s sake, or just out of sympathy for her, please dont mess with her. She''s not like the other girls you''ve been with. She''s a person who feels things deeply. She''s
waking up for a while. Not, not
already been through one
heartbreak. She can''t handle a
second one."
Keaton looked startled. "?!"
It took him a moment to realize that Winona must have told her about that night. She
was warning him, terrified that Winona would get hurt again.
His expression turned serious. "Don''t worry. I know she''s different from the other girls. I won''t mess with her, and I won''t hurt her. I''ve always seen her as a friend That right was just an ident."
"Good. I believe you."
Elysia turned to Tarquin. "Let''s go."
Tarquin''s eyes narrowed. He had already pieced together what had happened, but
he didn''t ask any questions. He just nodded. "Let''s go."
Suddenly, Winona rolled over, kicking the nket. Elysia smiled helplessly. "She''s still like a little kid."
She bent down to pull the nket back over Winona and grabbed her wrist, intending to tuck her hand back inside.
But in the next second, her breath caught. Her expression changed dramatically.
Elysia froze for a long moment, then, frowning, she carefully and deliberately took Winona''s pulse. Her eyes went wide with utter shock.