Chapter 8

A woman sat under the shade of one of the trees extending from his compound to Hers. She looked frail, thin with bulged eye balls and  tired looking.

She was bald too, her brows too were missing.

She looked so much in distress, but upon all these, she still wore a gentle smile on her face, though it was tired looking and didn't seem to last for long.

Noah was frightened initially but soon recalled that he has seen Children like this in his mum's hospital before.

Noah stood on the same spot staring at her face, negotiating with his inner self on whether he should grab the door and run into his own compound or if he should smile back and quietly apologize for crossing the boundaries and return back to his compound.

But then his eyes left her face and went down to her laps, there he noticed she was bearing a little bundle, this brought an excited smile to his face and without thinking he left his sworn spot and ran off to her looking down to the bundle and touching the baby's face with his little hands.

"Ahhaaahhh….You love babies" The woman said laughing out at him..

"Guess what…me too" She said with a chuckle.

What she did next melted little Noah's heart, she adjusted the baby and tried to lift up Noah, so that they both could sit on her laps, when she saw she couldn't she told Noah to climb up himself while she drew him up, allowing him to squarely face the baby.

"Her Name is Annabel…Annabel Richardson" Her said proudly as smiled gratefully at the bundle on her laps.

"What's your name" she asked Noah, turning and looking into his small face "Noah Miller" he said with a smile.

"What on Planet Earth is going on here" Noah suddenly heard an elderly voice from behind them and turned towards the direction of the voice, there he saw an elderly man walking towards them with surprise on his face. On his hands he had a shovel and a basket of fresh tomatoes.

"Hey dadd" the Lady said Laughing..

"Ruth…isn't that much stress" he said with worried look as he walked to them.

"Hello little ones…he said patting Noah on his head and kissing Annabel.

"Papa, Annabel has a visitor, Noah" Ruth said again still smiling.

"I see." He said lifting his hand from Noah's head and once again casting a worried look towards his daughter…she just never heard, always outdoing herself, and oh how much she loved children, despite her cancer she went ahead and had Baby Annabel, Mr Richardson thought.

"Where did you come from little man" The Elderly man said once more casting a glance at Noah with a smile, Slowly Ruth and Noah pointed at the door just beside them.

"Hereee..How" Mr Richardson said appearing somewhat confused and with that he walked towards the door and slowly pulled the door and it opened with a creaking noise, with that he closed the door and walked back to his daughter.

"How on Earth did you discover that, Child" He said with a loud laughter and Little Noah joined him chuckling, he certainly loved this little family despite the very big problem they seemed to have.

"So you're a Miller" He said carrying the boy off Ruth's laps and setting him on the floor. He handed the basket of tomatoes to Noah and dropped the shovel.

He then went behind Ruth to push her wheelchair.

As they went in Father and daughter talked, chuckled and laughed.

They went into the room that looked like it belonged to Ruth, and there her dad propelled her to Rest for a while but she refused still clutching baby Annabel while sitting on her bed.

Then quietly The elderly man left the room together with Noah.

On reaching the sitting room he noticed that a part of Noah's leg was scrapped off with some dry blood.

"Wooo…."Mr Richardson exclaimed as he squatted down to Noah's leg.

"How did you get this" He said looking into Noah's eye and then walking off and coming back with a first aid kit.

"Thank you" Noah replied with a grateful smile.

"Won't your dad and mum be worried about your whereabouts…" The elderly man said to Noah with a concerned look.

"No…. they're busy"He said with a sad face

"Busy doing what"

"Fighting" Noah said looking close to tears

"They're always so mean to each other" he completed and fixed his eye on his hand playing with them.

The man carried Noah and giving him a little smile he said " I have an idea, Anytime they do that, slip into our house through your secret door"He said winking his eye and giving Noah a mischievous Smile.

Noah laughed out and nodded his little head in agreement…There could never be a better escape plan than these.