Caught In His Embrace: A Second Chance Romance

Al preparations for the bone marrow transplant were completed.

The surgery was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

That night, Conner woke up feeling much better. The medication had mostly worn off.

The next morning, Sienna and Conner went to see Lucas for a final consultation.

Since everything had already been discussed, this was more of a formality. Finally, they signed the consent forms.

Conner followed Sienna as they left the doctor's office. "I haven't seen Joyce for days. I miss her."

As the door opened, Joyce's laughter rang out. "Hehe... That tickles, Mr. Flynn."

Josiah was here.

Sienna was stunned. She hadn't expected him to be out of bed.

Hearing movement, Josiah looked up and nodded. "I came to see Joyce."

Josiah had come over the moment he was able to move. He hadn't even freshened up, and his face was rough with stubble.

Playfully, he rubbed it against Joyce's delicate face, making her giggle.

Sienna smiled and asked, "Feeling better? Is it okay to move around like this?"

"I'm fine," Josiah answered. "I barely feel anything now."

"Mr. Flynn, are you sick?" Joyce seemed to understand and anxiously tugged on his sleeve.

Josiah chuckled and tapped her tiny nose. "The moment I see you, I feel all better."

"Really?" Joyce asked.

"Yes," Josiah assured her.

"Joyce," Sienna reached out to her daughter. "Time to eat something." She hesitated, then turned to Josiah, "Have you eaten? Join us."

A subtle wave of emotion passed over Josiah. "Sure."

"Yay! Mr. Flynn, carry me!" Joyce immediately stretched her arms toward Josiah.

"Hmph," Sienna pretended to be upset. "You just like Mr. Flynn now, huh? Fine, let him carry you then." She glanced at Conner. "Let's go get breakfast."noveldrama

*****

Breakfast was sumptuous. Tara even prepared soup and brought it over from Sunshine Neighborhood. A bone marrow transplant was a major procedure, so replenishing nutrients was essential.

Sienna served the soup to Joyce and Conner. Finally, she placed a bowl in front of Josiah.

Josiah hesitated. 'Soup for me too?' As an uninvited guest, he doubted Tara had made extra for him. He shook his head and said, "Give it to Joyce instead."

Sienna chuckled. "Don't worry, she's not missing out. This is mine.

You need it more than I do. Just drink it."

'She gave hers to me.' Josiah stared at Sienna with calm restraint, his voice slightly hoarse. "Okay."

He lowered his head, and the steam rising from the soup clouded his vision. He knew that Sienna was grateful to him, but her thoughtfulness still made his heart race, stirring indescribable emotions in his chest.

*****

The surgery went ahead as scheduled. Josiah came early, and Joyce was already awake. Her eyes blinked wide as she threw herself into his arms. "Mr. Flynn, you're here!"

"Of course." Josiah held the little girl. "Today is very important for you."

"Mr. Flynn..." Joyce lay on his shoulder, her voice muffled.

"Yes?" Josiah stroked her hair, already sensing what was on her mind. Lowering

his voice, he reassured her, "Don't be afraid, Joyce.

Follow the nurse, close your eyes, and take a little nap. When you wake up, it'll be all over."

Joyce looked up, blinking her eyes. "Wil you wait for me outside?"

"Of course," Josiah nodded without hesitation. "I promise, I'll be right here the whole time."

Just then, Sienna walked in.

"Mommy!" Joyce wriggled out of Josiah's arms and rushed toward her.

"Hey," Sienna caught her, laughing in surprise. "What's wrong? You have Mr. Flynn with you, and you still want Mommy?"

"Mommy." Joyce snuggled into Sienna's neck, her voice a little hoarse. "I'm not scared, so you don't need to be scared either."

Sienna froze, and tears welled in her eyes. She quickly looked up, blinking to hold back the tears. "Okay, we aren't afraid."

"Mommy." Joyce curled her pinky. "Let's make a pinky promise."

"Okay." Sienna smiled through her tears and hooked her pinky around Joyce's.

"You must keep your word," Joyce said.

"Al right." Sienna choked out, pulling Joyce into a tight embrace.

With everything ready, Conner and Joyce were taken into the operating room.

*****

The surgery was expected to take about six hours.

Cedric and Rosie came over, but since the procedure was long, Sienna asked them to leave after Joyce was taken into the operating room.

Cedric glanced at Josiah in the distance. Ever since he had told Sienna about Josiah's past, he wasn't sure whether they had reconciled. But this wasn't the time to ask.

He nodded, not insisting on staying After all, Joyce's parents were there, and he wasn't anyone special to Sienna or Joyce. Staying might only add pressure on her.

"I'll head out and come back tonight," Cedric said.

Rosie agreed, "I'm working a double today but getting off early. I'll come over after.

Let me know if you need anything."

"Okay. Go on, don't be late," Sienna said.

After they left, only Josiah, Sienna, and the two caregivers Josiah had hired

remained-one for Joyce and another for Conner.

Sienna sat on the couch and

checked the time - it wasn't even 10 a.m. She told herself to be patient. Closing her eyes, she prayed, 'Please, let Joyce and Conner be safe. At noon, Tara brought lunch. Sienna and Josiah had little appetite,

picking at their meals, neither bothering to persuade the other to eat more.

At 1 p.m., Conner was brought out first from the operating room.

Since he was the donor, his operation was shorter.

"Sienna." Conner was conscious, but still groggy from the anesthesia.

"Conner, how do you feel?" Sienna held his hand.

"I'm fine, just sleepy..." he responded.

A nurse explained, "He's stable. We'll take him straight to the inpatient room."

"Okay, thank you." Sienna sighed with relief and followed Conner and the nurse back to his room.

Although she was worried about Joyce, she couldn't neglect Conner either. "Conner." To Sienna's surprise, Tania was waiting at the door.

Seeing them, she immediately rushed over.

Her eyes reddened at the sight of Conner lying there. She glared at Sienna.

"You did it. Got exactly what you wanted, didn't you?" Tania snapped.

Sienna had no interest in arguing. She turned to Conner. "Get some rest. I'll check on you later."

Conner understood. "Sienna, go ahead. Don't worry about me."

"Alright." Sienna nodded, instructed the caregiver to look after him, and then

returned to the operating room.

Two hours later, the surgery was over. Joyce was brought out.