Chapter 188 Have You Met My Parents?
The three of them trudged on. The ice and snow hadn't fully melted yet, making the trek a real pain, and Margaret was having a tough time keeping up.
"If I'd known it was gonna be like this, I would've had William fly us over in a chopper," Juniper grumbled, still kinda ticked off.
Instead of Angel hanging all over William, he should've just brought them to find Pryce. After all, the whole point of finding Pryce was to save Bradley. William should've been the one to get them here.
Margaret's face tightened, and she scanned the area with a frown. "It should be around here."
"You sure?" Juniper asked, skeptical. "There's snow everywhere, and it looks like a wasteland. Doesn't seem like anyone's living here."
"Stella said it was right here," Margaret said, stopping in her tracks.
Lyle, who'd been quiet the whole time, suddenly spoke up in a deep voice, pointing ahead, "Margaret, is it over there?"
Following Lyle's finger, they spotted a small cabin peeking out from behind a thick forest not too far away. Pushing through the trees, the scene changed big time on the other side.
"This has gotta be it!" Margaret's voice had a spark of excitement. She stepped up and knocked on the door. "Anyone home?"
No answer.
"Did we mess up? Maybe it's not here." Juniper asked, worried.
Margaret's face darkened, and she knocked harder, raising her voice. "Anyone there? Pryce, you in there?"
After a bit, the wooden door creaked open, and a middle-aged guy with graying hair came into view. His face was covered in a beard, kinda looking like the Pryce she remembered, just way older.
Margaret's eyes lit up. "Pryce, you remember me?"
"Betty?" Pryce squinted, staring hard at Margaret, muttering excitedly, "Betty, Betty."
Margaret blinked, confused. "Pryce, it's me, Margaret."
"Margaret?" Pryce snapped out of it, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. He said flatly, "Oh, it's you."
"Yeah, Pryce, you remember me? I was super sick as a kid, and you saved me. You even taught me medicine," Margaret said eagerly, worried Pryce had forgotten her.
Pryce nodded, giving her a once-over, his voice tinged with emotion. "You've grown up. Come in, let's talk."
Seeing that Pryce still recognized her, Margaret relaxed and turned to Juniper and Lyle. "You guys wait outside."
She knew Pryce didn't like strangers.
Margaret walked into the cabin, and Pryce shut the door with a bang.
"Sit." Pryce pointed to a wooden stool. "How'd you know I was here?"
Margaret sat down and got straight to the point, "Pryce, I need your help."
"You want me to treat someone?" Pryce guessed but shut her down right away. "Go home. I'm not leaving."
Margaret pleaded, "Pryce, I know it's sudden, but Bradley's life is on the line, and only you can save him. Please, can you help me?"
"Bradley? You mean Bradley Fisher?" Pryce's brow furrowed a bit.
"Yeah, Bradley and my grandpa were like brothers. Pryce, for my grandpa's sake, please save Bradley," Margaret pleaded, clutching Pryce's arm. She felt partly to blame for Bradley's condition. If Pryce didn't help, she'd carry that guilt forever.
Feeling Margaret's warm hand, Pryce's mind wandered.
"Pryce, please, I'm begging you!" Back in the day, Betty had grabbed his arm the same way, begging him to save her love.
Looking at Margaret, who looked so much like Betty, Pryce sighed, thought for a moment, and finally nodded.
"You'll do it?" Margaret's face lit up.
"Yeah," Pryce said, almost nonchalantly.
"Thank you, Pryce." Margaret felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. A smile crept onto her face. "Can we head to Ravenford now?"
Now that they had Pryce, the sooner they got to Ravenford, the sooner Bradley could wake up.
"I'll pack up." Pryce got up, went into another room, and came back with a wooden box slung over his back. Margaret recognized it as his medical kit.
"Margaret, do you remember the past?" Pryce suddenly asked.
Margaret's eyes dimmed. "Pryce, I don't remember much from when I was a kid. Grandpa said it was a side effect of the illness. Is that true?"
"Yeah." Pryce nodded, almost dismissively. "Let's go!"
"Pryce, did you ever meet my parents? What were they like?" Margaret hesitated before asking. She'd asked Xavier this before, but he always dodged the question or got mad. So she stopped asking, afraid of upsetting him.
'Maybe Pryce knows something?' she thought.
"No. When I went to your house, it was just you and your grandpa." Pryce's eyes flickered.
His answer left Margaret a bit disappointed. Her gut told her Pryce was hiding something. But she knew Pryce's type; if he didn't want to talk, no amount of questioning would help.
'Forget it,' she told herself. The urgent thing now was to get back to Ravenford and have Pryce save Bradley.
Margaret and Pryce walked out of the cabin, and Juniper and Lyle quickly joined them.
"This is Pryce," Margaret introduced with a smile, "Pryce, these are my friends, Juniper and Lyle."
"Pryce, we've heard a lot about you." Juniper and Lyle both admired Pryce's medical skills. But Pryce just gave them a cold glance, not really interested.
Juniper and Lyle knew from Margaret that Pryce had a quirky personality, so they just exchanged a look and followed quietly.
Back in the village, right at the entrance, a tall figure suddenly blocked Margaret's path. Margaret frowned. "William, what are you doing here?"
"I've been waiting for you," William said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, I've found Pryce. He's agreed to come back to Ravenford with me to save your grandpa," Margaret said calmly.
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