"Thanks, Fred," Derek replied.
"This is my son, Greg. He's friend with Violet. Can I leave him with you?" Fred asked Derek. Derek nodded and Fred left Greg with them.
Derek motioned for Greg to sit beside them. Greg took a seat but not before he spied a look at Lawrence and saw his tear-stained cheeks. 'He's so worried about Violet, ' Greg thought. 'But she's going to be fine.' Greg looked upwards and prayed. 'God, please look over Violet. She is a lovely and adorable girl with a beautiful smile. Please take care of her.'
The time ticked away second by second.
The clocked 5:00 am they were all wide awake and waited for news. Lily arrived and rushed to their group.
Lily rushed to Derek and Lawrence and said,"Mr. Derek, Mr. Lawrence, I've already called Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Cherry and they will take next flight home."
Lawrence nodded but did not say anything. His sister's condition was the only thing on his mind. And besides, he didn't know how he was going to explain this to his parents.
"Thanks for letting us know, Lily," Derek replied.
At the same time, the doors to the operating room opened, and Fred and a bunch of doctors walked out.
Derek and Lawrence rushed towards them, followed by Bill, Lily, and Greg. They needed to know about Violet.
"Uncle Fred, is Violet okay?" Lawrence was the first to ask.
Fred reassured Lawrence,"She was in danger but she's alright now.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, except for Lawrence, who still had worry lines on his forehead.
"But..." Fred looked at Lawrence and in a serious voice, said,"There are many wounds on Violet's back and legs, which must be stitched. The front-line doctors are operating on her now."
Lawrence felt his chest tighten again when he heard what Fred said. 'How much pain could Violet be in right now?' Lawrence thought to himself. 'There will be scars to remind her of what happened.'
Lawrence stopped himself from thinking the worst but tears fell from his eyes again.
Derek had the same worries as Lawrence and stayed silent.
Lily sobbed behind them while Bill embraced Lily, his eyes evoked sadness, as well.
Greg asked his father,"Daddy, is there something that can be done? Will Violet's wounds heal?"
Greg asked what everybody was afraid to ask. Everyone wanted to know what would happen to Violet's wounds after the operation.
Fred hesitated but he saw the look on Greg's face, then Lawrence and Derek, who also waited for his answer.
Fred changed the subject and turned to Lawrence, telling him,"I'll arrange a VIP suite for your sister. She needs to stay here until her wounds are healed. And I will check on her myself everyday." Fred was avoiding telling the truth until he had to because it was going to break everyone's hearts.
Lawrence nodded, his eyes lowered on the floor.
Derek replied for Lawrence and shook Fred's hand. "Thank you for taking care of Violet, Fred, we're really grateful."
Alice assumed Derek was at work and continued to eat her breakfast. "We have to hurry, Mommy. We still need to get Violet before we go to school."
Amy sighed. She thought she could hide it from Alice longer but she needed to tell her what happened. "Alice, honey, Violet is in the hospital. Something happened to her but the doctors are working on making her okay now."
Alice's spoon on her hand was suspended in mid-air, her mouth open, and her jaw hung down.
Alice clutched her heart and asked,"Why is she in the hospital? What happened to her?" She was nervous and worried.
Alice was Violet's best friend and she knew she wanted to know everything. So she told her what she knew from Derek.
"Violet went to the kitchen to get water and she broke the glass. She slipped on the water and fell on the glass. She also hit her head on the floor when she slipped and she's been unconscious since then. But the doctors said she's going to be fine now and they're just taking care of the wounds. She's gonna be transferred to a regular room after." Amy didn't want to upset Alice too much.
Amy continued,"I'll take you to school and then I have to talk to your principal about Violet."
Before she could say more, Alice interrupted her.
"I can't go to school today, Mommy! I wanna to go see Violet in the hospital," Alice pleaded. Alice rushed to Amy and embraced her. "Please, Mommy, let's go to the hospital together. I want to see Violet!"
"You can see Violet after school. She'll still be in surgery this morning," Amy suggested. She didn't want to expose Alice to Violet's condition just yet, in case Violet's appearance might disturb Alice.
"No, I need to be at the hospital myself," Alice cried. "If you don't take me, I will have to go there myself!"
Saying that, Alice intended to get out of the dining room.
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