In the meantime, Tom was busy taking out the presents in the car trunk. Those were gifts to the family from Sonia and Toby. The sheer number of items took up much space on the ground.
When Tyler walked up to him, Tom was astonished at the sight of his tan skin. What has he been through? He was pale before he went abroad, but he's multiple shades darker now.
Though he noticed that change, he did not say a word about it for fear of embarrassing the kid.
"Hey, Tom. Are these all that need to be carried into the house?" Tyler stood there grinning, oblivious that Tom was shocked by his change.
Tom looked away and nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Fuller bought gifts for everyone. We need to carry them into the house."
"Okay." Tyler started lifting packages of all sizes from the ground. Since he was tall, stocky, and strong, he lifted the items without difficulty.
Tom was more relaxed with the extra help. Subsequently, he took out the last item from the trunk—Toby's wheelchair. When Tyler laid his eyes on it, he thought it was Sonia's gift for his grandma. In the end, Tom had to explain that the wheelchair belonged to Toby and not Rose.
Tyler was stunned to hear that and turned to his brother. "Toby, since when have you been using a wheelchair?"
He accidentally interrupted Toby and Sonia's conversation with his scream and earned an impatient glare from him. "I need it because I'm ill. What's wrong?"
"No, Toby." Tyler sounded worried. "Look, I'm not the smartest, but I'm not that dumb either. Not everyone needs a wheelchair. Even if you're sick, I don't think you're at the point where you need one. I thought you were always healthy. How did you fall sick?"
Tyler was vividly concerned. Sonia helped Toby into the wheelchair and explained, "He's gone through surgery not long ago and hasn't fully recovered. That's why he needs one."
"A surgery?" Tyler froze and asked again, "Sonia, what's the surgery? Was it dangerous?"
She stole a glance at Toby because she was unsure how to reply to Tyler. Looking across, Toby pursed his lips. "That's enough questions. Let's head in."
Tyler scoffed unhappily. "I was worried about you, but you seem annoyed at me." Then, he mumbled, "What a waste of my sympathy."
Toby overheard that and narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"
"Nothing." Tyler shook his head hastily and craftily denied any badmouthing because he did not want to be lectured.
On the other hand, Toby was tired of nagging his younger brother, so he played along when Tyler denied saying anything. He gently patted the back of Sonia's hand and whispered, "Darling, let's go."
"Sure." She nodded and wheeled him toward the entrance of the house.
Ever since they registered their marriage, he had started calling her 'darling' instead of Little Leaf. She found it unfamiliar and rather embarrassing, but the thick-skinned Toby insisted on calling her so now and then.
To her surprise, she adjusted to the term of endearment after two days. From there, she learned that change mostly happened when one was forced into a situation or given a push by someone else. Otherwise, she would probably not get used to their new relationship status.
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