The atmosphere was tense and intangible inside the CEO's office of the XS hospital. Jackson and Cherry sat next to each other, anxious and blank. Derek sat next to Fred Xiao.
Fred began in a serious voice, addressing both Jackson and Cherry,"Look, I am not going to keep you both in the dark about Violet's injury any longer." He had kept shut about it until Violet's parents came back. Fred intended to tell them what was wrong with their daughter and thought it would help them be prepared for whatever was to come.
Jackson gulped. He looked at Cherry and nodded, worried that she might not be able to take in, whatever it was that Dr. Fred had to say to them.
Fred looked at them kindly and continued,"The wounds on Violet's body aren't deep, so to say. But there are a lot of them. Especially on her back. Her back is full of these cuts," he paused to look at them. There was no change in their expression whatsoever and so he went on,"Violet will have a lot of scars on her body and her back. She may never even be able to wear a dress, without the scars showing."
Derek was quiet but in his mind, a tidal chaos was rising. He had already expected to hear this but he wasn't sure if Cherry and Jackson were prepared for it. He looked at them and thought, 'Can they take such a big blow? And what would poor Violet think of it? Will she be able to bear this fact and carry the burden of it for many years to come?'
"What about the wounds and bruises on her feet? Will she walk normally despite of them?" Cherry asked, anxiously.
Fred Xiao shook his head and replied,"That wouldn't be a problem. The wounds aren't serious. They will not handicap her in anyway."
Cherry heaved a sigh of relief, as if the tightness in her chest had eased, just a little bit. But again, her mind was turbulent just with one thought, 'How will Violet react to the cruelty that fate has brought upon her?'
"I want you to do one thing," said Fred with a grave look on his face. "Cherry, right now Violet will need all the support she can get. She is too young to fathom or bear such a big blow right now. You will need to comfort her when she wakes up, okay?"
Cherry finally broke. She had been trying very hard to hold back the tears, but there they flowed. She could no longer control her grief and began sobbing into Jackson's chest, leaning on his shoulders. Since she was heartbroken, she didn't care who was watching, right now.
Derek interrupted finally and asked,"Can't we heal the scars using modern technology? Lasers? Anything?" 'Jackson and I are not well versed with medicine at all. But Fred can do so much!' he thought to himself, in a desperate attempt to resolve this.
Fred took a deep breath and said,"As you know, our hospital is ranked top in the city for all cosmetic procedures. But the procedure you are talking about, still needs improving. And we are definitely not equipped to do it on a small child like Violet. It will be too much pain for her to bear, even if we do give it a shot." In his mind, Fred was feeling bad too but he knew he had to do the right thing. 'I must present an all round perspective of the patient's health to the family, ' he said to himself.
"What if we send her abroad to receive the necessary medical treatment?" Jackson asked coldly.
Fred and Derek casted glances at each other. After a pause, Fred finally spoke,"Well, South Korea and America are both countries that have cutting edge technologies, when it comes to medical beauty treatments. However, the results vary from patient to patient. There is no guarantee of any sort. Still, if you wish to send Violet to any of these places, I can put in a word to my friends there and ensure the best treatment for her."
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