Time flew, and six years had passed—it was near the new year now. At times, I would find myself imagining that everyone was still around like they used to.
“Don’t worry. Zachary had gotten the best doctor and the latest technologies for her. Summer is our lucky star, so she’ll definitely recover,” Cameron comforted. “You’re already a mother, so you should take good care of yourself too. Let’s go out for a family outing when you’re feeling better.”
I looked at her and nodded while leaning on her shoulder. That was the closest I had ever been with her. “Mom, thank you for taking care of Summer these few days. She might’ve been in a better condition if only I had brought her to the doctors earlier.”
She let out a sigh. “This is not your fault. None of us expected this. Luckily, your father and I had sufficient savings for the upcoming treatment. As long as there’s hope, we’re willing to spend everything on Summer to help her recover.”
I started tearing up as I felt blessed. With the financial support of the Moores and the Featherstones, Summer had an increased probability of recovering.
It was the reality. In the face of death, those with money could extend their life, even if it’s only for a day. On the other hand, those without money were only left with one choice—surrender their life to fate.
“Mom, did you hand over all the projects of J City to Nick?” I asked as Nick came to my mind.
She nodded. “Most of the projects of J City are from the Harrisons. His father passed not long after I got married to him. Nick was still too young at that time, so I had to take over the management of Cruise Corporation. Since Nick has grown up, it’s only right for me to hand the business over to him. Why did you ask suddenly?”
I stared into a blank space, thought for a moment, and told her, “When Summer’s situation starts to stabilize, I plan to bring her to J City to help with her recovery. The weather there is more suitable for recovery compared to K City, so she might recover faster there.”
She processed that thought and nodded. “Okay. Zachary and I will let the doctor know. We’ll transfer her to J City and arrange for her surgery to be performed there once we’ve found a suitable donor. Zachary and I could retire in J City too. However, Featherstone Corporation is doing very well now, I think you should talk about this with Anthony too.”
I let out a sigh. “I just thought of it and have yet to tell him anything.”
“There’s no need to rush. You should bring it up when everything else has stabilized.”
It was November in K City, and the temperature had dropped lower than usual. It felt like it was about to start snowing.
I was discharged after a few days of rest in the hospital. Meanwhile, Summer had to undergo chemotherapy. After her first session, she had lost quite a bit of weight. Her organs were affected by her illness to the extent that she had lost her appetite completely and didn’t feel like eating anything.
Zachary got some experts from overseas to discuss with the top specialist to come up with the best treatment plan for Summer. Anthony was listening intently. He had been busy at work, probably dealing with Murphy Corporation’s move on Featherstone Corporation.
“The most prominent damage is on the patient’s kidney. Even if we manage to get a suitable bone marrow donor, she would not be able to fully recover, as she needs a kidney transplant as well,” the doctor explained with a dull expression.
Another doctor added, “Unfortunately, these two organs are difficult to find. Every year, many patients do not make it till they get a donor. Hence, I suggest that Summer continues with the existing treatment.”
My heart broke upon hearing that news. Cameron pulled me out and consoled, “My dear, you’re currently pregnant. It’s not good for you to get too emotional. Don’t worry. I’ve got an idea to resolve Summer’s issue.”
I knew she was trying to comfort me. I recalled that Renee also had leukemia. Since she could not find a suitable donor, Sasha’s mother decided to stop the treatment and brought Renee to complete her bucket list.
I did not wish to do the same for Summer. That was just too cruel.
However, I had no clue what to do. It seemed like we were stuck in a corner.
After the discussion ended, Cameron and Zachary stayed to take care of Summer while Anthony brought me to the office. He was worried that I might overthink if I stayed at the hospital.
I had been zoning out frequently, thinking about Summer’s condition. Anthony was worried, so he had been bringing me around with him everywhere.
At the lobby, a lady welcomed us with a bright smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone, these dried mangoes are pretty sweet. Please try some.”
I could not remember her identity while Anthony looked at me and asked, “Do you like these?”
I shook my head.
“Mrs. Featherstone, you’ve got to try it first!” The lady passed a piece to me. I stared at her blankly and eventually tasted it.
As she looked at me expectantly, I recalled that she was Stella. I had forgotten as I had too much on my mind.
“How is it? Is it good?” Stella asked while smiling in excitement.
I nodded and replied, “It’s quite sweet!”
“See, I told you! I like it very much. I thought of you and wanted to pass them to you, but you had not been around lately. I bought these to express my appreciation, so please accept them.”
I was taken aback by her chattiness. I recalled that incident and asked, “How are your injuries? Are you feeling better?”
She nodded. “I’ve already recovered. Don’t worry. I’m quite tough.”
I let out a sigh of relief and took the dried mangoes. “Thank you. Please don’t buy me anything. Instead, I should be thanking you for taking that blow for Anthony.”
Her face flushed. “You’re too kind. It was actually Mr. Featherstone who had saved me. I ended up being a burden instead.”
“Let’s go. You shouldn’t be standing for too long!” Anthony said while he hugged me. I nodded in agreement as I felt uncomfortable after standing for some time.
Stella waved while smiling very brightly.
Anthony took over the bag of dried mangoes and advised, “Next time, don’t force yourself to accept what you don’t like.”
“She has good intentions. Also, these are sweet. You should try some.” I handed him a piece. “Stella seemed to be livelier than she used to be,” I said to Anthony with a skeptical look.
Anthony took a bite and continued, “There were some after-effects from her head injury.”
I recall that the doctor mentioned the possibility of a concussion. I looked up at Anthony and asked, “Could being livelier be a sign of a concussion?”
“She had forgotten many things. She had even forgotten Justin. Sometimes, her memories are jumbled up.”
I raised my brows, “Justin?”
He nodded. “That guy who went along to the hospital.”
The lift arrived at the office. There were snacks on the coffee table—all my favorite snacks.
In no time, I focused on the snacks and stopped asking him questions.
Anthony started to contact people to help speed up finding a suitable donor. It was a difficult task. Even if a donor was found, that person had to be a match. We had to find a kidney donor as well. Furthermore, it had to be a child’s kidney.
I lost my appetite after those thoughts occurred to me, so I looked at Anthony, who was staring into blank space.
There was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
It was Stella. She brought some drinks for us. She placed a cup of green tea in front of Anthony and a cup of hot milk tea for me. “Mrs. Featherstone, please try this. I made this using my special recipe.”
I smiled and thanked her. I took a sip, and it was not bad.
Slam. Anthony stood up while his face darkened. The green tea that Stella prepared dropped on the floor and shattered. He was holding his phone and exclaimed, “Bring him to the hospital immediately! I’ll be there.”
“What happened?” I shot up and asked, thinking that something bad happened to Summer.
He grabbed his jacket and told me, “Jared was almost killed in prison. I have to go now.” He glanced at Stella and ordered, “Stella, please sent Mrs. Featherstone back later.”
He rushed off right after.
I was lost in thought. He had been fine in there all this while. What exactly happened? Could it be that Zachary got someone to beat Jared up again for what happened to Summer?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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