FULL NOVELXO Chapter 1293
"Her fever's already gone, isn't it?" Hope asked, glancing at Gemma in her cradle.
Resentment slowly took root in her heart. Gemma had stolen everyone's attention. Why did she have to take Orion's too?
All Hope wanted was to play a game with Orion, but even that was too much to ask.
"Yes, her fever is down, but I'm still worried," Orion replied, patience wearing thin. His tone held a hint of irritation as he added, "I told you, if you want to play, go play by yourself. Stop bothering me. Gemma is my sister, of course I'm concerned about her!" Orion no longer felt the same fondness for Hope as before. Gemma might not be Hope's sister, but they were all going to be one family and would be living together.
Shouldn't Hope be just as worried about Gemma's fever, like a sister would be? How could she still be in the mood to play, and expect him to join her?
"Orion?" Hope froze, her eyes widening..
Orion had just pulled away from her. He had never been so harsh with her before. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I shouldn't have tried to get you to play with me. Can I at least help you take care of her?" "Of course, you can," Orion sighed, moving over to make space for her. "I didn't mean to be harsh. I'm just not in the mood for games."
Gemma, still young and unaware that Hope had caused her to fall ill, had no idea that Hope was responsible for her life-threatening fever. But kids often would have a sixth sense about things.
The moment Hope moved closer, Gemma's face crumpled, and she began to cry loudly, her sobs growing more intense by the second.
"Shh, don't cry, little sis. I'm here. Don't cry," Orion soothed, gently patting Gemma, but his efforts did nothing to calm her down. As long as Hope stayed nearby, Gemma kept crying.
Soon, the rest of the family, drawn by the cries, gathered around. Hope stood there, feeling helpless as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I didn't
anything. I wasn't trying to hurt her," she mumbled. "I didn't even speak loudly. I just wanted to check on her and help take care of her. Why did she start crying so hard?"
No one answered her.
Nina finally managed to calm Gemma and laid her back in the crib. Hope moved to approach her again, but Orion held her back.
Seeing her confusion, he explained, "It's better if you don't go near her right now. Go play with some blocks, or one of your other toys."
"Why?" Hope's face fell as she
started to piece things together. "Are you avoiding me? You once said
you'd always be my big brother, that you'd protect me no matter what. It hasn't been that long, and now you're treating me like I'm some sort of monster. Is that really necessary?"
She wasn't planning on hurting Gemma anymore!
Orion quickly wiped her tears with a tissue. "That's not it. It's just that when you come near, Gemma starts crying. And then I can't calm her down so I have to go get Mom She's already exhausted, and want her to rest."
While they were at the hospital, Orion had overheard the nurses mention that Mom had donated a lot of blood for Gemma. Even though she had later received a transfusion herself, it had still left her weak. The last thing he wanted was to add more stress to her.