A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

Zelda was pacing back and forth in the stark hospital hallway, her heels clicking impatiently on the linoleum. She cornered the young nurse, clearly irritated by her calm answers.

"You don't know what's really going on with us!" Zelda snapped, her voice rising. "Calliope isn't exactly Mother Teresa, you know. For all we know, she could be plotting something, trying to hurt us!"

"She's heartless! Absolutely heartless! She'd stab her own brother in the back if she had the chance!

And don't even get me started. She's a total jinx. She attracts disaster like a magnet. Ever since she showed up, our family's luck has gone straight down the drain! I almost died giving birth to her, you know! From the second she took her first breath, she's been nothing but trouble for me!"

The nurse blinked, struggling to process what she was hearing.

Wait, Calliope's her daughter? She thought, stunned.

How could anyone blame a baby for a difficult birth? Most mothers, she thought, would have risked anything for their child, even their own life. But Zelda seemed to hold a grudge against her own flesh and blood just for being born.

The nurse found it almost impossible to wrap her head around this woman's logic. Still, she'd dealt with plenty of irrational people during her years on the job. She knew just how to handle Zelda.

"Ma'am, I understand," the nurse said smoothly. "Why don't you wait here? I'll go check on the doctor's progress, alright?"

She added, "I'll ask Calliope to hurry up as best as she can!"

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong in there, you better let me know!" Zelda replied, hovering near the OR door, itching to burst in at any moment.

"Ma'am, this is as far as family can go. Please wait here. I'll keep you updated as soon as there's any news," the nurse replied firmly.

"Alright, fine!" Zelda huffed, crossing her arms.

As the nurse disappeared behind the swinging doors, Zelda resumed her anxious pacing, her irritation growing by the minute.

Time dragged on, and there was still no sign of the nurse. Zelda's impatience boiled over.

"That nurse is just stringing us along. She hasn't come out once!"

"Come on, Zelda, you heard them. It's a tough surgery; these things take time," Monty tried to reassure her.

"I know," Zelda snapped, "but how do we know she's not stalling on purpose? Maybe she wants us to sit here and stew, to get all worked up and worried!" She shot Monty a frosty look. "You know Calliope, she's never had our best interests at heart."

If she hadn't been out of options, she never would have let Calliope anywhere near Horatio. The thought of her precious son on Calliope's operating table made Zelda's stomach twist.

Monty hesitated, not entirely sure himself.

They were both on edge,

half-expecting some kind of disaster, when finally, the doors swung open and Calliope appeared, looking exhausted but calm.noveldrama

Zelda pounced instantly. "Calliope, what the hell took you so long? What kind of surgery drags on for hours?"

"Did you screw it up? Where's Horatio? Don't tell me you botched it!"

She lunged at Calliope, hand raised for a slap, but Calliope stepped aside neatly and caught her wrist in mid-air.

Just then, another doctor hurried over. "The surgery went beautifully. He'll be out

in just a minute. Ma'am, please try to stay calm!"

At this, Zelda yanked her hand away, glaring suspiciously at Calliope.

"Really? He's going to walk again?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

Calliope's voice was cool and even. "He'll need some rehab, but the surgery was a success."

Zelda just stared, her suspicion undiminished.