You More than Anything in the World (Arissa)

“Just take care of yourself and try not to get hurt. It'd be hard to recover once you bleed,” Benjamin concluded.

Arissa stared at him in awe.

How does this guy know so much?

Mary couldn't quite believe her ears. I have diabetes?

Meanwhile, the children's eyes were filled with admiration.

He's so smart!

However, Tim wasn't just amazed; he was also concerned. “Will Grandma get better, Mr. Graham?”

There was a pang in Benjamin's heart as he saw the anxious look in the boy's eyes.

“There's no way to cure diabetes at the moment, Tim,” he answered while crouching down and pulling the child over. “We can only try to control it and keep her condition stable. It doesn't help that she's had this illness for a while now and that she's old, but Mr. Bailey has said that things won't get worse for her as long as she takes her medication for as long as possible.”

Tim bit his lip. That means she'll have to go through this every day?

Benjamin caressed the boy's head. “Diabetes is a chronic illness. Taking long-term medication is the only way to deal with it.”

Arissa gave Mary an assuring look, although the latter insisted she was fine.

Then, the younger woman came over to give her son a hug before shooting Benjamin a glare. “Couldn't you have put it in a gentler way?”

How worried this poor boy must be now!

Benjamin merely glanced at her. Mary wasn't in a critical condition, but he silently agreed to be more tactful with his words.

“Now that we've figured out the cause of Mary's condition, things will get better for her once she takes her medication. She won't have to suffer like she used to. She'll be much better for sure. We'll just have to take good care of her, make sure she doesn't get hurt, and keep track of her diet. She can live the same way we do!”

Tim nodded despite still biting his lip. He was just worried about his grandmother.

It pained him that Mary still had to go through such ordeals at her age.

The child walked over and held the old woman's ashen palm. “Don't be afraid, Grandma!”

Mary felt incredibly touched. “I'm not afraid. Haven't I gotten by all this while without any medication? Besides, your daddy just said this is a chronic illness. I'll be fine as long as I take more pills.”

Tears threatened to spill from the sides of Tim's eyes, and the sight of that made Mary's heart hurt.

She reached out to wipe his tears.

“Don't cry, silly! I'm not going to die!”

Arissa gazed at the old woman. Keeping a positive mindset was beneficial when one was ill.

“Trust in Dr. Bailey and his team, Mary. They'll give you the best possible medication. In fact, you may even be able to stop taking medication if you get better. What matters most is to watch your diet. Try not to eat or drink anything that has a lot of sugar.”

Mary nodded in response. “I'll be sure to watch what I eat.”

She then caressed Tim's head. “Help me keep track of my diet, okay?”

“I will!” Tim nodded fervently, making a mental note.

Then, Arissa took his hand. “Go pour your grandma a glass of water.”

“Okay!” The boy quickly did as told.