Ciara came out of the car alongside Herzl, who seemed to be excited to see his uncle after all this while, with his face beaming with smiles as it always does.
"Its been ages, little sister." Dwayne uttered with a wide smile that was reaching his eyes immediately he saw Ciara approaching him.
Ciara shook her head slightly in disapproval. "Not that long, like you've assumed." She replied, reciprocating the smile and giving him a warm embrace.
"Yeah, I know." Dwayne nodded before turning his attention to Herzl, who did not bother to interrupt their exchanging of pleasantries. "What's up, young guy?" "I'm good, uncle Dwayne." Herzl uttered airily in response with a positive nod. "You stopped visiting us all of a sudden, why? I missed seeing you around, uncle."
"I have been busy all this while, you know I won't just forget you like that -not my precious big guy, no?" Dwayne told him, ruffling his hair affectionately, and his next question was directed at his sister. "Ciara did you not tell him I've been busy?"
Ciara frowned at her elder brother's choice of word. Of course, she did tell Herzl that his uncle has been busy otherwise, he would have paid them a visit, but Herzl decided to ask for himself, but now Dwayne seems to be pouring the blame on her.
Ciara scoffs before replying. "Of course, I do tell him -you should know this yourself." She muttered. "I guess he just wants to hear the truth from you."
Dwayne could only give a slight shoulder shrug instead of a reply to what his sister had said, and coupling it with a small sigh under his breath.
"So where are you both going to?" Dwayne inquired with pique interest. "-because I'm pretty sure I am not the one you came to visit; otherwise you would have informed me beforehand."
"We are going to see uncle Kent today." Ciara cited simply -she knows better than anyone, Dwayne would be quick to detect that their visit wasn't for him.
"What about him?" Dwayne asked, giving his sister a frown as he failed to see why they had wanted to visit him all of a sudden.
"How do you forget things easily?" Ciara questioned with a small hiss. "Have you forgotten that uncle Kent has been unwell for some days now, and he is already admitted to the hospital?"
"Oh! Poor me..."Dwayne muffled out, drawling. "I'm sorry, I've been thinking more of work these days that I did not even remember."
"That's why I have decided to pay him a visit, seeing that you are not chanced to do so." Ciara told him, hesitating with her next phrases. "It won't be proper if none of us shows up at the hospital, you know, for all the kindness he had shown to us."
Dwayne failed to notice the sarcasm laced in his sister's last sentences as he focused his gaze on Herzl. On noticing what Dwayne was doing, Herzl found it weird -frowning slowly.
"Uncle -?" He called out uncomfortably. "Why stare at me that much?"
Dwayne quickly diverts his gaze to Ciara as if he had just remembered something vital.
"I am thinking if you would allow Herzl to come to my house during the holiday." Dwayne suggested. "You know, he should come to spend his holiday with me; you've never allowed him before, you felt he's still little."
"Mum, when is the holiday?" Herzl quickly asked, getting excited over the holiday even when his mother had not given in her consent.
"It's still some weeks away, dear." Dwayne decided to answer Herzl's question. "You will come over here to spend your holidays. You know they are some certain things that your mum would not teach you simply because she's a lady, but I will."
"What's it, uncle?"
"No, don't be in a haste, young guy. It should be our little secret, you will know when it's time -okay?"
"I'll allow you to teach Herzl anything and everything you want to, except violence." Ciara quickly intervened, beating Herzl to it.
Dwayne gave out soft laughter. "You know I would never do so." He replied, with the trail of his laugh still on his face...
******
"We are here to see Carter Kent." Ciara said to the receptionist after exchanging pleasantries with her. "Can you please direct me to his ward."
The receptionist was kind enough to explain to her, how she will easily locate the ward without any stress, and she was glad about it.
Upon reaching the described ward, Ciara was surprised at his health condition, as a part of her told her he deserves more to it.
Kent was surprised to see Ciara at the hospital, she was the least person he had expected to come to see him. He grinned inwardly knowing fully that Ciara herself, had walked into the lion's den but funny enough, his hand was tied at the moment and there was nothing he could do about it.
If only Ferdinand was around...He wouldn't have to involve Brandon in this -he's too weak for such thing as harming human, himself, and Ferdinand had always been having the guts for it instead.
"Uncle Kent, how are you faring...？" Ciara hailed as her gaze met with his; she was quick enough to hold herself from smirking at him instead.
"Hello, Ciara." Uncle Kent responded, forcing out a small smile, even when Ciara knew that the smile was not real. "Is this Herzl?"
"Yes, uncle. He is." Ciara replied, with a short positive nod.
"The last time I set my eyes on him was when he was still a lad, but now he's all grown. Uncle Kent uttered, still wearing his feigned smile. "How time flies..."
"Who's he, mom?" Herzl whispered inaudibly to his mother. "I don't think I have seen him anywhere related to you, but he seems old." "Yes, you can refer to him as grandfather." Ciara cited in response. "He is mummy's uncle
-your granduncle."
"I'll call him granduncle instead, I'm used to calling uncles -adding grand to it won't hurt, right mom?" He uttered in a quick yet smart voice.
Ciara would also prefer he doesn't refer to Kent as grandfather, he's not the type who deserves such a title anyway.
She reluctantly turned her attention to her bedridden uncle, reciprocating the same smile as it -full of false and lies. She's only gathering the nerves to face him already to wade off any kind of suspicion.
"I was worried when I heard you were sick, so I had to come visit you. Dwayne sends his greetings as well, he's a busy bee and couldn't create time to pay you a visit..."
They did have a few chats and Herzl butting in where needed. Soon, he was starting to get bored and was urging his mother to let them leave. Ciara, who saw this as a reason to leave, couldn't help but seize the opportunity.
"I'll ask them to refund whatever amount you must have paid to them and clear everything at once." Ciara uttered airily as she stood from where she was seating. "You shouldn't consider it as something big, it's a token for all you've done for us."
Ciara was being sincere. Even if he is going to pay for his bad deeds, she still felt the need to repay the good days as well -but that won't stop Ciara from dragging her uncles in the mud...