Kevin lowered his head as a frown lined his forehead. He took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Anne's neck.
There were deep teeth marks on her milky neck. Droplets of blood dribbled out of the cuts. Ella had bit Anne with all her strength.
"Ella," Anne called tenderly. There was no blame or anger in her voice. She wiped her blood from Ella's lips with her sleeve. "Who did you talk to?"
Ella was crying out loud. Looking at Anne infuriated her. She wiped her face angrily and pushed her. Anne lost her balance and fell to the ground. Ella turned on her heels and ran away.
Kevin was taken aback. He helped Anne up and turned around to see where Ella had gone. However, Eddy was already chasing after the little girl. The two ran after them.
"Ella, don't you believe me? Don't you believe my parents? They like you so much. How could they hurt your father? Would you rather believe a stranger than us?" Eddy held Ella's hand, looking anxious.
"I don't believe you. I just don't. I want my daddy back. I won't believe you until I see Daddy." Ella tried pushing Eddy away but couldn't escape from the boy's vice-like grip. She immediately bent down and bit his hand.
Eddy loosened his grip. Ella tried running. However, Kevin lifted her.
"Let go of me. Let me go. You are all liars! You are all bad people. You have kidnapped my father. Give him back to me!" She thrashed and kicked him.
Kevin turned around and looked at Anne for help. She sighed, but her eyes widened as her gaze flitted to Eddy.
"Eddy, what's wrong with you?" Eddy was holding his chest. He was drenched in sweat; his face turned ghastly pale, and his lips became purple.
Anne and Kevin looked at their son in shock.
Was he having a heart attack? Eddy had been healthy in recent years. His moods hadn't fluctuated; he had been calm and composed.
However, Ella's behavior had hurt him. He couldn't cope with the unnecessary chaos. Their boy was suffering right before their eyes.
Kevin put Ella down right away. He ran to Eddy, picked the boy in his arms, and bolted towards the car.
Ella stared at him in shock. She never expected such a thing would happen to Eddy. Anne picked the little girl clumsily in her arms and followed her husband.
Kevin fastened the seat belt and called the hospital right away. Fortunately, it wasn't rush hour; the roads were empty. They drove without any hassle.
"Eddy, open your eyes and look at me. Please don't sleep. Please! Look, Ella is also with you. Do you have something to tell her? Don't sleep. Look at her. Look at me!" Anne cried, hugging Eddy tight in her arms. Her lips trembled as the emotions bubbled up in her heart.
Eddy was conscious. He tried to smile, but his body had turned numb. He wanted to speak, but his tongue felt heavy. He couldn't utter a word.
His heart was still beating, but he couldn't feel anything. His eyelids grew heavy. Hearing his mother's cries, he wanted to assure her that he was fine, but darkness engulfed him.
He had lost control over his body.
His body felt stiff.
However, he summoned all his strength and slowly opened his eyes to look at Ella. Her body was shaking as tears cascaded down her cheeks.
She looked funny.
Eddy wanted to tease her and make fun of the way her face looked when she cried. But he couldn't.
Exhaustion consumed him. Eddy couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He heard a faint voice of someone calling his name but couldn't recognize who it was.
"Eddy, hold on! You must hold on!" Kevin screamed, trying hard not to break down in front of everyone.
"Eddy, don't sleep. Don't sleep! Open your eyes and look at me. I beg you! Please, don't close your eyes.
Please, Eddy!" Anne's tears dripped on Eddy's face, but the boy refused to open his eyes. He slipped into a coma.
"We have arrived at the hospital. Eddy, hold on!" Kevin parked the car in a hurry. He took Eddy in his arms and placed him on the emergency bed.
Without any delay, the nurse wheeled Eddy into the emergency room. Anne slumped on the chair in the corridor and stared at her hands. She felt as if she were a puppet at the mercy of others. Her spirits had died when they wheeled her boy to the emergency room.
Ella was still in the car. No one bothered to carry her out, nor did she try getting out.
The little girl began hitching with sobs. Eddy was admitted to the hospital because of her. She didn't want to hurt him in any way, but her friend was struggling for life.
She couldn't stop blaming herself. She felt that none of this would have happened if she hadn't pushed him away.
Guilt consumed her. She couldn't forgive herself for what had happened.
It was impossible to conceal such crucial news from Selma. Therefore, they called her right away. The woman rushed into the hospital as soon as she got the call. Her legs turned to jelly when she saw Anne and Kevin staring at the wall in a daze. Selma couldn't take it anymore; she fell to the ground.
Hearing the sound, Kevin turned around and saw his mother. He quickly ran to her and grabbed her hand, but Selma refused to move. She grabbed his collar and shook him. "How is Eddy?"
Kevin shook his head and pulled her up with all his might. "The doctor is still checking on him. We don't know the situation yet, but they have arranged to bring Bob's heart. If Eddy's condition gets worse, they will do a transplant right away. He should be fine."
Selma glared at Kevin.
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