Lawrence's eyes?remained fixed on his Sister's waxen face. Inside, Lawrence was guilt ridden, feeling scared, and repentant in his heart. 'I'm so sorry, Violet. This is all my fault. I promise I will never tease you again. In my heart, you are my dearest Sister, and I love you more than anyone else! Please, please! Be all right?!' Lawrence repeated to himself, over and over.
Lawrence could barely hold back the tears threatening to erupt again. 'Violet, I will devote all my life to fixing what happened. I beg your forgiveness, ' Lawrence silently swore.
Meantime, Alice Lu stopped wailing loudly, and quietly watched Violet Chu. Alice Lu noted the IV drip attached to her and earnestly prayed, 'Violet, you will always be the most beautiful girl in the world to me. In the future, when we are grown up together, I promise, I will do my very best to let you keep shining brightly and be the most beautiful girl in the world.'
Standing in a corner, alone, Greg Xiao stared out the window instead of the hospital bed because he was afraid that he would burst into tears. As he gazed at the high buildings outside, Greg Xiao's mind began to wander, and he was lost in thought, dwelling on Violet Chu's sweet smile he saw when they were in class. Whether giving a speech or playing with classmates out on the playground, Violet Chu was always active and funny. Her incident left him wondering if she would smile again after she woke up and left the hospital.
Gradually, Greg Xiao's resolve firmed up, and his eyes hardened. He told himself he would give up painting from now on, and instead, he would dedicate his time and efforts to help Violet. He wanted to rid her body of the scars. Because, in his heart, her smile was the most beautiful treasure and he wanted to see it always.
At the international airport
As soon as Jackson and Cherry stepped off the airport, they saw Bill beside the car, waiting for them.
Bill rushed forward to greet them and take the luggage as soon as he saw the two of them.
"Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Cherry, welcome back," greeted Bill.
"Bill, how is Violet doing now? Is she okay?" Cherry looked frail and her voice was weak as she asked.
Jackson held Cherry in his arm as they walked, and tried to calm himself down too.
"She's out of the crisis, but she is still in the ICU," Bill stated, unsure really how to explain the details.
As soon as Cherry heard about her daughter from Bill, tears overflowed Cherry's eyes.
Cherry had cried on and off the entire flight home, and Jackson was at a loss, knowing nothing about how to deal with a situation of this sort.
Bill was suddenly speechless seeing Cherry was so sad. He looked to Jackson for some insight from him on how to proceed.
"Let's get in the car first," Jackson told Bill.
When they were all in the car, Jackson looked at Cherry and said,"Babe, we're going to go straight to the hospital!"
"Okay," Cherry nodded.
The trip to the hospital was silent, with Cherry leaning on Jackson's shoulder.
Jackson was lost in thought, worrying for his beloved daughter. He treasured her so much and regarded her as the apple of his eye. He had already been given an outline of what happened over the phone from Lily. If it was true, he wondered how Violet would react to scars covering her body? How could there be scars left on his daughter?
Jackson could hardly keep up with his imagination. It was obvious a ten-year-old girl took great care, and paid attention to her appearance. So, how would he explain the accident to his lovely daughter?
Jackson nodded. He had been repressing a great deal of anger he felt in his heart. But, when he saw the words on the door of the VIP intensive care, he slowly began to unravel.
"Violet! Violet!" Cherry called out anxiously as she walked to the door. When she peered through the glass and saw her daughter, she burst into tears.
Cherry wanted to weep freely, but she didn't want to upset everyone else. So, she could only cover her mouth with her hand, biting down in an attempt to repress her sadness.
Jackson was more upset when he saw Cherry doing that. Derek didn't know how to console either of them.
After a while, Jackson got close to Cherry and put his arm around her shoulders. She was so weak from the stress and emotions that Jackson was afraid she might faint.
With so many people standing there, not one speaking, the silence in the doorway to the ward seemed almost eerie.
"Lawrence, what the hell went on while we were gone?" Jackson bellowed. Right, that moment, he wished anyone but his darling daughter was the one on the ward, and afraid he might react impulsively and regret it, Jackson didn't look back at the little girl laying in the hospital bed.
"I got home late last night, and..." Lawrence stammered. Standing in front of his parents, and feeling guilty, he lowered his head, too scared to look either in the eyes, especially his Mother who had a tear stained face.
"Why were you late? Didn't Bill pick you up after school?" As he spoke, Jackson turned a furious glare in Bill's direction. He wanted the truth and he wanted it now!
"No, because..." Bill stopped, unsure what to say. He knew Jackson was waiting for an answer. But how could he explain what happened yesterday?
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