But now they were both hurting. Molly was hurting because of him, and he was hurting because of her, all because they loved each other so much. Brian tensed a bit in the chair and relaxed, sinking more into the chair as the weight of the pain he was feeling inside got heavier. He closed his eyes again and tried to appease his pain. .
Back in the hotel lobby, the doctor had arrived and was working on the wounds on Eric's back. Carefully he took several glass shards that had been lodged into his skin with a forceps and then bandaged the man's back. After he was done, he nodded to Eric and reminded, "Mr. Eric Long, the wounds are not deep so you don't have to worry much. However, as there are plenty of wounds that you have sustained, they will continue to hurt. For a few days, please avoid letting water touch the wounds. I will come and change your medicine every day."
Eric nodded. "Thank you," he said to the doctor, his voice void of any emotions. He was exhausted. He ordered the hotel staff to escort the doctor to the lobby doors. After the doctor was gone, Eric turned to Molly, who was still in the dazed and numb state and was looking ahead mindlessly. He groaned in pain as he got up to sit beside her. "Little Molly, you are not worrying about me, are you? These wounds are nothing. You know that I've gotten a lot of training as a candidate to rule the family ever since I was a child, right? So it goes without saying that there would be a lot of wounds along the way. These wounds I got today couldn't compare with what I've had growing up. I don't even feel them." Eric smiled at her, hoping that would lessen her worry.
Turning to face Eric, Molly stared at him with empty eyes for some time. She was suffused with complete darkness in her heart. She felt that she was filled with desperation and something sad, something terrifying. Whenever she tried to think on her thoughts and formulate a response for him, she could not think of anything. Her mind was full, yet it was empty.
Seeing that she was stiff and slightly trembling, Eric leaned over to wrap his arms around her, enveloping her in a warm hug. He hated to see her this way, suffering and enduring the hardships. It was unbearable for him. Molly had always meant something to him, for a long time. When that car was driving towards her at full speed, that was when his heart truly stopped and his mind went blank and racked with the sudden fear of losing her.
"Little Molly..." His voice broke. He gulped breathlessly. "I hate seeing you suffering like this. Stop acting like this, please! I...I can't stand seeing you so sad..."
Although his words were few, there were full of passion in his voice, and they touched Molly's heart and moved her so much that her tears immediately started falling from her eyes. Burying her face in Eric's chest, she let herself cry. She would continue to cry until her body had no more water if it meant that all the sorrows and the pain would be wiped away from her life and the happiness that used to be there would return to her life. "Eric, he abandoned me. He doesn't want me anymore. He has forgotten about me... What should I do? He... doesn't want me... What shall I do? What shall I do? He abandoned me... What can I do?" Molly repeated these sentences, over and over again, questioning both Eric and herself.
Eric felt a strong prick in his heart as if it was stabbed by someone with a sharp knife. "Let me help you," he said. He let go of Molly and looked at her with steady, resolute eyes.
Molly looked back at him, her tears blurring her vision. She did not know how she got so lucky as to have someone like Eric in her life; he would always show up and protect her, comfort her, made things alright for her when things were looking grim. Whenever she was in danger or in pain, he was right there. "Eric..." Her voice was infused with awe and gratitude.
"Don't say anything," he cut her off gently. "You don't need to thank me." Her thanks was the last thing that he needed to hear. He did everything out of his own desire to help her. To have her express gratitude and say thanks would be an insult. Quickly, he smiled at her, and was slightly nervous because he'd heard how rude that he might have sounded. "Brian is my cousin... and you are the girl that I love. If both of you are happy..." He paused, thinking about his next words. "then I'm happy too."
Molly's heart sunk and she blinked as though to fight back her tears. She understood what he meant, and she hated that it was because of her that he had been through so much trouble. Not wanting to add to his burden, she fought hard to keep herself from crying. Instead, she sniffed and then wiped her tear-stricken face with the back of her hands.
"Let's go." Eric stood up suddenly and then offered her a hand up.
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