At the hospital, Xavier was wailing as Emery struggled to hold him still in her arms. “Sorry, Scarlett. He’s been making a fuss the whole time.” She looked at me somewhat apologetically and continued, “I think I should bring him home first. Hunter’s off at school, but both Zachary and Cameron are here. The doctor’s still checking on Summer, but don’t worry too much, I believe everything will be fine!”
I nodded and urged her to go. It’s only understandable that a child would feel uncomfortable under the cold weather and amidst the tense atmosphere.
The nurses wheeled Summer into the examination room while Cameron and Zachary followed closely behind them.
As we waited outside the room, Cameron began tearing up. “This is my fault, I should’ve brought her here for a check-up way earlier…” She sobbed. “The poor child’s had a few rounds of fever, but I’ve always thought they were just bouts of cold due to the changing weather. I just gave her the usual meds last night, thinking that she would get better after that. She suddenly started coughing out blood so much this morning!”
I held my mother’s hands in mine. “Don’t worry, Mom. Summer has always been a little weak, it’s likely that her body just isn’t faring so well under the weather. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
How was I supposed to tell her about the incident at W City? After taking care of Summer all this while, they had gotten so attached to her as if she was their own grandchild.
Zachary sat on the chair, panting slightly in exhaustion as worry clouded his weary face. Clearly, hurrying after the doctor and nurses back and forth throughout the hospital had taken a toll on his aging body.
Before long, the doctor came out from the room with a report in his hand. He glanced around at all of us before asking, “Is anyone here a family member of the patient?”
“We all are!” I answered, my eyes fixated on the sheets of paper in his grip.
He then gestured for us to follow him. “In that case, shall we all have a discussion in my office?”
In the doctor’s office.
He handed the report to Ashton while explaining, “These are the test results. The ALP levels in the child’s lymph nodes and liver are high, and her white blood cell count is severely beyond normal. Her bones and joints are damaged as well. I’m afraid things aren’t looking positive for the patient.”
In that instant, I felt as if my surroundings began to spin. Just as I lost balance, Ashton got hold of me and carefully sat me down on the nearest chair. As calm and collected as he would usually be, he was definitely shaken this time around. I could feel a slight tremor in his hands as he held onto my shoulders. “Doctor, is there anything we can do?” he asked.
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