"How would that have been a burden?"
Walden truly regretted not finding a way to make Walter stay all those years ago.
Walter, however, felt no regrets.
He was, after all, completely blind in one eye, making his chances of actually staying in the service incredibly slim.
Letting his old captain pull strings felt like stealing an opportunity from someone more capable, and he simply wasn't willing to do that.
Walter was a man of absolute integrity.
Claire knocked on the door, and Walden warmly invited her in without hesitation.
He immediately introduced her to Walter.
"Claire saved my grandson, which is practically the same as saving my whole family. Now she's helping me manage my health."
"Her medical skills are exceptional. Let her check your vitals and see if everything is alright."
Claire greeted the older man warmly. "Actually, I saw Mr. Hudson at the university today."
"You were swinging that cane with such force, you definitely intimidated quite a few people."
Walden had no idea what had happened and was instantly intrigued.
"Why didn't you mention this to me?"
When Walden asked, Walter's reaction was evasive. "It's nothing. Just my useless grandson being a two-timer."
"He was practically engaged to a lovely girl and still caused a massive scene at school. I was so furious I had to go teach him a lesson."
Claire quickly realized she might have spoken out of turn.
She remembered Dane telling her that Walden had a daughter who had fallen in love with a man from Sundara.
For the sake of that man, she had abandoned her own father.
In Walden's eyes, his daughter hadn't just betrayed him; she had betrayed their country.
She had betrayed everything he stood for.
To him, his daughter was a forbidden subject.
If Walden found out exactly why Walter's grandson was getting beaten, it would
likely dredge up his own painful memories.
Walden didn't press the issue.
He suspected Walter wasn't telling the whole truth.
But that was his private family matter, and it wasn't his place to interfere.
He made a mental note to have someone look into it later.
If his old friend's grandson was in real trouble, he'd lend a helping hand if he could.
Knowing she had nearly crossed a line, Claire stayed quiet and focused on checking Walter's pulse.
"Mr. Hudson's health is quite robust.
Aom some old injuries from
his youth, it's clear he
clear he exercises
regularly. He's very healthy .net>
"He has basically none of the underlying conditions common in people his age."
"Just be careful to avoid extreme emotional swings. Try not to get too angry, and take things in stride."
Claire left the warning pointed.
Walter nodded. "Don't worry, that little brat won't be the death of me."
Hearing
Walden offered a
elbet
comforting smile. "Walter, you know the old saying The kids will make
their own way in the world
"At our age, our health has to come first."
"Your son can handle worrying about your grandson."
"You shouldn't involve yourself so much."
"I'm honestly jealous of how fit you are. Unlike me-years of stress have just piled
up into a mountain of ailments."
"Do you know why I'm in the hospital right now?"
"Just because I ate some BBQ ribs!"
"We suffered so much back in our day, and now that life is finally good, we're too old to enjoy it."
"Whenever I want to eat something, the doctors forbid it, and my family forbids it."
"I was just craving them so badly I couldn't resist, so I had a rack of ribs."
"Who knew a single rack of ribs would land me in a hospital bed?"
Walden was still grumbling.
He was actually misremembering; he hadn't just eaten one rack of ribs. He had snuck two entire racks in a single day.
It was a massive dietary violation.
Walter looked at his old captain with pity. "Why don't you come stay with me in the countryside for a while?"
"Since I retired, I've been farming out
in the country. We eat fresh, organic food, and we raise all our ow
chickens and fish. There are no preservatives, and it's incredibly healthy!"