The Sway and Slide of Love

Hearing those words, Hendrix finally seemed to snap out of his daze. He stood up and headed out the door.

Perhaps because he had been sitting in the same position for too long, he felt a wave of dizziness as he got up. He stood up still for a moment, waiting for the sensation to pass, before continuing forward.

Rosie's condition was critical. Although she had been recovering well, the possibility of a relapse was always there. That was why every time she got sick or

ran a fever, there was always a chance it was a sign of relapse.

Beatrice's eyes were already red with worry. When she saw Hendrix, she had every intention of scolding him for showing up so late. But the moment she took in his expression, she swallowed back her words.

Then, she lowered her voice and said, "Go check on Rosie."

Hendrix didn't respond. He simply walked into the hospital room.

Rosie was lying in bed. Hendrix hadn't seen her in days. She'd lost weight, her face pale under the oxygen mask.

He slowly sat beside her. "Hey, Rosie," he said softly.

Only then did Rosie look up. After staring at him for a moment, she asked, "Where's Mommy?"

Hendrix couldn't answer. His voice, already strained, seemed to choke in his throat.

"She has something to take care of and will be back in a few days." In the end, that was all he could tell her.

But even he couldn't believe that poor excuse of a lie, let alone Rosie. She just stared at Hendrix, her eyes unwavering.

After a while, she asked, "Does Mommy not want me anymore?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, tears began to fall from Rosie's eyes. Large, glistening tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls, soaking into the pillow beneath her and spreading into a damp patch.

Hendrix was at a loss. He reached out and wiped away Rosie's tears in a flustered manner.

He knew he should say something

just

to comfort Rosie, even if it was a lie. But what could he say? He couldn't even comfort or deceive himself, so how could he comfort her?

"She'll come back," he finally told her.noveldrama

Rosie didn't say anything.

As if afraid she wouldn't believe him, Hendrix repeated, "Trust me, okay? I'll find

her."

Rosie's tears continued to fall. But after staring at Hendrix for a while, she finally nodded.

Hendrix wiped away her tears again. "There, there. No more crying. Go to sleep, okay? I'll stay here with you."

Rosie nodded again and squeezed her eyes shut.

Hendrix watched her as she drifted off to sleep, the forced calm on his face slowly crumbling. Even his hand, which was holding Rosie's,

hambled uncontrollably.

Could he really find her? The answer had always been certain-until now. For the

first time, doubt crept in. And with it came an overwhelming fear.

What if? What if he really couldn't find her? What if she really disappeared from his world just like this?

What was he supposed to do then? Hendrix didn't know. All he knew was that, at this moment, it felt like his whole world was crashing down on him.