After helping her mother change clothes, Mayra hurried to the kitchen to make porridge and warm tea.
When she arrived in her mother's room, she saw Dr. Ayu checking her mother's blood pressure. Mayra set down a tray holding two glasses of warm tea for her mother and her guest.
"How is Mom, Doctor?"
"Mrs. Santi has high blood pressure. She probably felt dizzy while she was in the bathroom earlier, which is why she fell. I've prescribed her some blood pressure medication. Please make sure she doesn't get stressed, okay, miss?"
"All right, Doctor," Mayra replied. "Please have some tea first."
Dr. Ayu drank her warm tea until the glass was empty.
"Thank you for the refreshments, miss. In that case, I'll be going now."
"You're welcome, Doctor."
Mayra walked Dr. Ayu to the front door before returning to her mother's room. She saw that her mother was sitting up, propped against a pile of pillows for greater comfort.
"Do you want to eat now, Mom? I'll get you some porridge."
"Later, May. You should change your clothes first. Your clothes are wet, but you've been taking care of me this whole time."
"It's my responsibility, Mom. I'm going to my room for a bit, okay? I want to shower and change clothes. I'll come back here afterward."
"Okay," Santi replied softly.
Mayra went into the bathroom in her room and immediately poured cold water over her body. After changing clothes, the girl returned to her mother's room. There, she saw Mila sitting beside Santi while looking at her smartphone.
Mayra sat to Santi's right and gently massaged her mother's feet.
"Did you twist your ankle earlier, Mom?" Mayra asked softly.
"Is Big Sister Mayra praying for Mom's pain to get worse?" Mila snapped. Even though she looked busy with her phone, the girl had apparently been listening to Mayra.
"That's not what I meant, Mil. I was just asking Mom. I was worried one of her feet might be hurt. I could call a masseuse for her."
"That's enough. Don't argue, or Mom's headache will get worse. Mil, go eat something. You must be hungry, right?"
Mila got up and left Santi's room, leaving their mother alone with her older sister. Mayra smiled as she continued massaging Santi's feet.
"Does that feel better, Mom?" Mayra asked again.
"Yes, a little. Please get me the warm tea you made earlier!"
Mayra took the warm tea from the nightstand and helped Santi drink it. Although what Aisyah had said about Santi playing favorites between her and Mila was true, Mayra had never made an issue of it. It was only natural for Santi to love and spoil Mila because she was the youngest. Still, she sometimes felt jealous when she saw Mila acting spoiled with Santi while Mayra couldn't do the same.
"Do you want to eat, Mom? I'll get your porridge from the kitchen first."
Santi nodded weakly. Mayra hurried to get the porridge she'd made earlier and put it in a bowl. She also brought a glass of water, placing it on the tray beside the bowl.
Mayra fed Santi a little at a time. A smile occasionally spread across her lips. Whenever food was left at the corners of Santi's mouth, she wiped it away. She loved the middle-aged woman sitting in front of her so very much.
"That's enough, May."
"Just one more spoonful, Mom. After that, you can take your medicine. It'll help you get better faster."
"You don't want to take care of me?"
Mayra shook her head over and over. That wasn't what she meant at all. All she wanted was for Santi to stay healthy, nothing more. But Santi's feelings might have been sensitive at the moment, making her accuse Mayra of something that wasn't true.
Mayra took Santi's right hand after setting the bowl of porridge on the nightstand beside her mother's bed.
"Mom, it's not that I don't want to take care of you. Not at all. I want you to get better quickly because I don't want you to be in pain. I love you, Mom. If Mila and I are at college and you're still sick, who's going to take care of you? Our class schedules are really packed right now, Mom."
Mayra tried to make Santi understand, but Santi merely turned away. Mayra could only draw a quiet breath.
"Mom, take your medicine now, okay? I'll let Dad know so he can come home soon."
"Don't! Just let Dad come home like usual. Besides, there's nothing to worry about. I already feel better. Where's the medicine?"
Mayra fetched several pills that Dr. Ayu had given them. Santi swallowed them with the glass of water Mayra had prepared earlier.
"Now you should get some rest, okay?"
Mayra helped Santi into a more comfortable position. She covered Santi with a blanket and made sure her mother didn't need any more help.
Mayra carried away the tray with the bowl and glass Santi had just used. In the dining area, Mila was eating while giggling at something on her phone.
"Mil, eat properly first. That food isn't going anywhere if you keep playing on your phone while you eat."
"Tch, what the hell? You're so annoying. I'll do whatever I want while I eat. At least I'm not bothering Big Sister Mayra," Mila shot back curtly.
Mayra let out a long breath because Mila never wanted to listen to her. Even though everything Mayra did was because she loved her little sister so much.
Mayra set the tray she'd been carrying by the sink. Then she took a clean plate and sat across from Mila. She served herself some rice and side dishes.
"You don't have to pretend to care so much about Mom. I know you actually don't like her because she's always seemed to love me way more than you."
Mayra's hand stopped just as she was about to put the rice in her mouth. Even her throat felt too tight to swallow. She reached for the glass of water beside her.
"Mil, I'm not pretending to care. I really do care about Mom. You can think whatever you want, but my love for Mom is genuine," she said after taking a sip of water.