Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

"Ian." Noah's panicked filled voice broke the awkward conversation between Hailey and Aria.

"Ian, take a look at Grandpa. There's something wrong with him. Please see what's wrong."

Ian did not even wait for Noah to complete before he dashed towards the ward with Aria right behind him.

"Please stay here. Let us handle the matter." Aria stopped Noah and the others from entering the ward and intervene with the work. Even if Noah was against it, he did not speak a word and stood outside obediently.

"Please take care of him." He pleaded with her as he watched Ian check his Grandpa from where he was.

"We will do our best, Noah. I promise." This time, Aria did not sugarcoat her words and spoke like a doctor. Noah was already back to normal and there was no use to give him any false assurances. He could handle the truth well.

Noah and his family waited outside the ward for a long time as they watched the nurses running back and forth every few moments. However, none of them answered their questions, nor did they stop to give them any updates.

Seconds ticked by as slowly as a tortoise and to the Carter family, it was the most agonizing time of their lives. Not only did they have their hearts almost bursting out of their chests, but they were also losing their minds gradually, especially Noah.

'Grandpa, please, please, please. Please, fight for us. Your grandson is waiting for you to wake up and demand him to give you great-grandchildren. How can you leave before you play with my kids?' Noah prayed with all his might and begged for the last time. 'I am sorry for all that I said, Grandpa. Please just wake up and I promise, I'll never doubt you ever. Just please.'

Even his family members were praying silently and the air around them was so melancholic and serious that Ronnie who had just returned with some food for everyone stopped in his place. He had no idea what had happened. But he was smart enough to not intervene and speak at such a critical time. So, he just stayed in his place and watched patiently.

Finally, after a long wait, Ian and Aria left the ward and this time, there were smiles on their faces, unlike the previous times outside the operating theater when their expressions were grave.

"Ian, Aria, how's Grandpa? Please tell me he is alright." Noah rushed to them once again and looked at the two hopefully. Their smiles of relief somehow ignited hope in Noah and his family.

"Relax, Noah. We have good news for you." Aria was all smiles and she skipped towards Noah. "Grandpa showed signs of recovery and it will not be wrong before he wakes up."

To the Carters, Aria's words were like honey. They were the words of the Almighty and for a moment, everyone went blank.

"Does that mean Grandpa is out of danger?" Rachel was the first to break the silence and the others waited for either of the two doctors to answer them.

"Although Grandpa Carter's condition is critical, he is out of danger. But we still have to keep him under observation for two days in case of any complications." Ian answered her and this time, the Carter family showed visible reactions. They were filled with joy, excitement and most important of all, relief.

Tears of sadness turned into tears of happiness and relief and Noah immediately hugged Aria, tight, squeezing her with all his might but not to the extent of harming her in any way.

"Thank you, Aria. Thank you, Ian. Thank you so much."

"Finally, I'm meeting the man I fell in love with. Where was he hiding all this time? I was missing him." Aria's words elicited bursts of laughter from the people around her. Even Noah could help but chuckle and he kissed her hair lightly.

"I was here all this time, darling. You were ignorant of it. That's all." Noah too came back strongly and Rachel rolled her eyes in dismay.

"Damn these two. They started feeding us dog food. How disgusting!! Get a room you two. I do not want to start puking and end up becoming a patient here. I dislike hospitals the most. No offense, Aria, Ian." She scolded without caring about anything.

"None taken," Aria replied with a smile and Ian agreed with a smile.

"Mom, Dad, let's leave from here. Otherwise, we might end up stuffing ourselves with dog food. Ian, may we see Grandpa?" Rachel then turned her attention to her parents, who were watching the drama in amusement.

Ian choked on his laughter when Rachel dragged him into the conversation all of a sudden and it took him a few seconds to recover. "Umm...Rachel. You may not meet him right now. He is under serious observation. Please wait for a few hours. You'll be able to meet him then."

"That's fine then. I'm going to leave now. I'm sleepy. I'll come back after I have revitalized myself. Grandpa will kill me if he sees me this me. I resemble nothing less than a patient." Rachel patted her cheeks to emphasize her words. "Mom, Dad, are you coming with me? Anyway, there's nothing for us to do here."

"Mom, Dad, please take some rest. I'll be here. You guys must be exhausted. Please go home. I'll inform you if there is anything." Noah added.

"But..."

"He's right, Hailey. Noah will take care of Dad and with Ian and Aria around, we have nothing to worry about. We should probably return home and rest too. Otherwise, Dad will not be happy if he sees us this way. We look haggard and unbelievably bad. Let's go too." Samuel assured her and Hailey eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"Call me if there's something urgent. Otherwise, don't even dare. I am exhausted and I need to catch up on my beauty sleep. I'm leaving now." Rachel waved her wrist and walked away, leaving Noah, Aria and Ian chuckling at her antics.