Ian was the first one to arrive at the military grounds. Some of the hospital staff who were going along with him had arrived and they were waiting for the others. He waved at a doctor he was familiar with and he picked up his luggage from the trunk. 

Joshua got down along with Ronnie and all the girls who were in the area started to whispering to themselves seeing him. This boosted Jo’s attitude to another level and he raised his chin in an attempt to provoke Ian. But the man in question was not even in the vicinity. He had slipped away from the group and he was having a chat with the doctor he had just waved at.

Joshua stomped his feet in anger and removed his goggles. Oliver did not get down from the car. Since the car was tinted, he could see everything from inside without stepping out and nobody would even notice him. He could see Ivy and Aria from this position. Ronnie had parked the car right beside the gate of the grounds and there was no way Oliver would miss seeing his daughters.

Among the staff members from Regal Medical Hospital who were at the venue, Ian was the senior-most with many years of experience. So, everybody had chosen him to lead the team.

The military had given strict orders for the hospital management to not to send people who were over the age of forty-five and who were patients themselves. They would not want to add on to the already ongoing problems. As per the orders, only those who qualified were allowed to go.

Since Ian was in charge of the group, he had to make sure that everything was alright. The equipment and the medical kits were yet to arrive from the hospital. He had called and confirmed regarding it and everything would reach the military grounds safely on time.

After speaking some time with his colleague, he went back to where Joshua and Ronnie were standing. “Everything is set.” He said and leaned against the car. 

“Then, what are you waiting for?”

“Three more members are yet to arrive. So, we are waiting for them. We will go inside together and also, other than us nobody else is allowed in.” Ian informed him.

“So, we can’t go in?”

“No.”

“How much time do we have before you leave?”

“We still have thirty-five minutes.”

“I hope Noah comes here early so that Mr. West can take a look at his daughters. I don’t want Aria to rush inside on coming late else this trip of his going a waste.” Joshua sighed as he smiled at the girls who were ogling at him.

“Yeah. You can prevent Ivy from leaving early after we leave by kicking up a fuss with her like you usually do. But we can’t help with Aria.”

“I kick up a fuss Ivy?” Joshua asked with an incredulous look on his face.

“Don’t you?” Ian questioned him back. “That was what I noticed. Anything and everything will become a matter for you two to start fighting.”

Ronnie was listening to the two men speak and he remembered something which he wanted to convey to Joshua long back. In the midst of all the chaos that was happening in the last two days, he had completely forgotten about it. “Master Martin, I have something to tell you and you might be interested in it.”

“Is it? What is it that would be of great interest to me?” Joshua waited anxiously for Ronnie to continue speaking.

“I had gone to Miss West’s house yesterday and…”

“And,” Joshua prompted, his face was shining with interest.

“And Miss West was asking about you.”

“Who are you talking about, Aria or Ivy?” He asked. He was hoping the answer to be Ivy and somewhere in his heart he was excited to hear more.

“It was Ivy,” Ronnie told him what he wanted to hear and fireworks blasted in Jo’s heart. It was as though the New Year had come in advance for him. Flowers blossomed in his heart and he smiled subconsciously.

“What did she ask?” He was so overjoyed with the news that he failed to mask his joyous face in front of Ian and Ronnie.

“She wanted to know whether you had a girlfriend or not,” Ronnie answered without any delay, and Jo’s heart which was already soaring the sky, reached the outer space. 

Ian noticed the change in expressions on Jo’s face and he smiled. He could detect the budding feelings in his friend and he couldn’t say how happy he felt for him. His friend looked happy in a different way.

Joshua was always smiling and happy on the outside. But only Noah and Ian knew that was not how he felt inside. They could feel his sadness whenever he would suddenly turn silent and this was the cue for them to understand that he was reminiscing the girl in the past.

But for the past few weeks, they could see that he was getting less depressed and this was a great improvement in their eyes. This was all because of Ivy. Just hearing her name, Jo’s ears would perk up automatically.

“Did she really ask about it?” Joshua stared at Ronnie to see if he was lying.

“Yes. She did.”

“You are not lying right?” He questioned again to confirm it.

“What would I get by lying to you, Master Martin?”

“I side that.” Ian butted in their conversation.

Before Joshua could speak any further, they noticed Noah’s car. Seeing them arrive, Ian patted on the window to gain Oliver’s attention and pointed at the car that was being parked right beside theirs.

Oliver followed his finger and he noticed a car that was right beside the one he was in. He waited anxiously. The moment he saw Aria get down from the car, his eyes were filled with tears. But when Ivy got down, the dam broke and tears started flowing down his cheeks. How long had it been since he saw them? He couldn’t control his happiness. 

His daughters looked fine. They seemed healthy to him. He noticed that Aria laughed at something Ivy had said and at the moment, the only wish he had was to run to them and hug them tightly. His princesses had suffered a lot because of him. They had to deal with everyone and also take care of Susan.

Thinking of Susan, he wondered where she was and why she had not come to see their daughter off. He found it to be weird, but he brushed it off the next second. His eyes went back to his daughters and he smiled looking at them. They had become more beautiful when compared to the last time he saw them. The next moment something happened that scared the shit out of him. Ivy stared right back at him through the window as though she could feel his presence.