Chapter 21

"What? The courthouse is closed?" Sienna was stunned. She hadn't intended for this to happen. After a long walk without a ride, she finally reached downtown, only to find it too late.

Suddenly, everything blurred. Sienna shook her head, to no avail. Her eyes closed, and she fell toward Josiah.

"Hey!" Josiah was startled, and instinctively caught her.

"Sienna Shaw!" he exclaimed, his teeth clenched. Hadn't he told her to keep her distance? Now she was all over him? The same old Sienna. Never changing. This had to be part of some scheme.

"Listen, I said get up right now," Josiah commanded, but Sienna remained unresponsive. Frowning, he peered down at her. "Sienna! Hey! Wake up!"

She still didn't react.

"If you don't stop this, I'm going to touch you." He lifted his hand to pull her away, only to realize she wasn't faking it. Her face was as pale as a ghost—she had passed out.

"What's wrong with you?" Josiah asked, panic setting in. He scooped Sienna up and rushed to his car, speeding to the nearest hospital.

In the emergency room, Josiah anxiously asked the doctor, "What's her condition?"

"Severe menstrual cramps," the doctor said after examining Sienna. "This is common for women, but her case is quite serious. She's young; why are they this intense?"

Josiah fell silent. "How could I know?"

The doctor didn't press, but advised, "Menstrual cramps can be severe, especially in her situation. Once she comes to, ensure she gets a comprehensive checkup."

"Got it," Josiah replied, frowning.

The doctor added, "I've prescribed some medicine."

"Okay," Josiah said, taking the prescription. He went to pay, racking his brain to remember if Sienna had ever complained about bad cramps. He came up blank. All he could recall was her leaning on him for support.

Back in the ER, Sienna was regaining consciousness. She sat up, got dressed, and slung her bag over her shoulder, attempting to leave.

A nurse stopped her. "Where are you going? Your boyfriend went to get your medicine. You should wait."

Sienna paused. 'Boyfriend? Was that Josiah? I was with him before everything went black. But would he really bring me to the hospital? Anyway, it doesn't matter.'

"Thanks, I'll wait outside," she replied, not wanting to cause trouble.

"Alright," the nurse said, and walked away.

Sienna left the hospital.

Chapter 21 (Continued)

Meanwhile, Josiah had just picked up the medicine when his phone rang. "Hey, Grandma," he answered.

Miranda's voice was sleepy. "I just remembered something. Today's Fiona's anniversary. We should go pay our respects. My memory's been playing tricks on me lately."

"Josiah, make sure you take Sienna. That poor girl hasn't been able to visit Fiona in four years."

Josiah was taken aback. "Wait, what? Where's Fiona buried?"

Miranda replied, "Haven't you been there before? Bacchus Bridge."

Josiah frowned. Bacchus Bridge… So Sienna wasn't lying. She really had gone there today.

"Josiah? Did you hear me?"

"I heard you, Grandma."

Miranda sighed. "Sienna was spoiled, but we all were. She's grown up a lot since coming back. Be nice to her; she's alone."

"Grandma, I gotta run. I'll catch up later," Josiah hung up, rushed into the emergency room, and found the exam bed empty.

"Where is Sienna?" he asked the nurse.

The nurse looked confused. "She said she'd wait outside. Didn't you see her?"

"If I had, would I be asking?" Josiah sneered. "She's a patient who just passed out, and you let her leave? You could lose your job!"

The nurse's eyes widened.

Josiah stormed out, calling Sienna, but she didn't answer. Is she angry, or passed out again? he wondered. He headed back to Silver Beach.

On the way, he called Zach. "It's me."

"Mr. Flynn, what's up?" Zach asked.

"Check if anything happened near Bacchus Bridge today," Josiah ordered.

Zach replied, "No need. The overpass collapsed, and the fire department is still clearing the area."

Josiah closed his eyes. Sienna wasn't lying; she'd been stuck at Bacchus Bridge. But how did she end up at the courthouse? He recalled his words, "Crawl your way here if you have to," and her mud-covered state. He wondered if she had crawled.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. He didn't like Sienna, but he hadn't intended to bully her.

Chapter 21 (Continued)

He sped back to Silver Beach. The living room lamp was on. Sienna still isn't back? he thought.

He heard footsteps. Sienna emerged from the bathroom, changed and showered.

Relief washed over him, but it didn't improve his demeanor. "Sienna, you can't just leave without saying a word. Do you think it's funny to have me searching for you everywhere?" he snapped.

Sienna ignored him, too drained to argue. Search for me everywhere? How absurd! she thought.

She went to the sofa, spread a blanket, and lay down, turning her back to him. She had a performance that evening and needed rest.