More medicinal herbs were required for the kids to make a full recovery, and some of them had to be retrieved from the research institute.
Given Benny and Essie’s current condition, they would not be able to tolerate the pain until they made it back to the research institute and waited for Roxanne to finish preparing the traditional medicine concoction.
When Archie heard that, his face dropped in disappointment.
“How are they feeling now?” He collected himself and continued asking.
Roxanne’s gaze softened when she saw how concerned the boy was for the other two. She moved forward to sit down beside him.
Archie shifted aside to give his mother some space to sit.
Roxanne patted her son’s head and said, “You keep asking about Benny and Essie, but what about yourself? You drank that water too. How are you feeling?”
Even though Archie had less severe symptoms, Roxanne was still worried.
After giving it some serious thought, the boy replied, “My stomach is aching a little, and I feel a little sick, but it just feels like a normal stomachache from food poisoning.”
It was similar to what Roxanne was feeling.
The woman heaved a sigh of relief. “You should also have some medicine when it’s ready.”
Archie nodded obediently.
Meanwhile, Benny and Estella’s agonized cries from the tent could be heard intermittently.
Roxanne could feel her chest tightening. There was nothing she could do other than hope that the medicine concoction would be ready soon.
When she checked on the medicine concoction half an hour later, she noticed that it was not fully ready yet. If it was taken then, the medicine might not work to its full effect.
However, the little ones could not wait any longer.
Roxanne took out four disposable cups and scooped some medicine for herself and the three children.
Archie took one cup and drank it. Roxanne finished hers as well before bringing the remaining two cups to Benny and Estella.
The two little ones were hurting so much that they were curled up into a ball. When they noticed the woman entering the tent, they glanced at her weakly.
They were like two injured little animals, and one could not help but feel sorry for them.
Roxanne rushed to the kids’ sides and took Estella into her arms first without hesitation.
Besides the fact that she was a girl, Estella had drunk the most water. As such, she was in more pain compared to Benny.
“Ms. Jarvis…” Estella, who was in Roxanne’s embrace, called out weakly. Roxanne stroked her cheek and assured her, “Come on. You’ll not be in as much pain anymore after drinking the medicine.”
Naturally, Estella trusted her and leaned over to have her medicine. A frown instantly formed on her face after she took a sip. Roxanne placed the cup near Estella’s lips. However, the latter refused to open her mouth again.
Ever since Estella was young, she had always taken pills or been on an IV drip when she was sick. She had rarely had any traditional medicine. Hence, Estella could not stand the bitterness of it.
Just as Roxanne was worrying about how she could get Estella to finish her medicine, Archie walked in. “Hurry up and drink your medicine, Essie. I’ll give you a piece of candy once you finish it!”
He squatted down in front of Estella and waved his fist. Hesitating, Estella looked at Archie for a moment before opening her mouth and chugging the medicine. She then turned her head and looked at Archie expectantly.
Archie scratched his nose embarrassedly and said, “We ate all the candies earlier.” He had no choice but to lie to Estella just now. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have finished her medicine.
Upon hearing that, Estella was slightly unhappy. However, she knew that the boy had done it for her health. Hence, she recomposed herself and gave Archie a smile.
Only then did Archie heave a sigh of relief and turn to check on Benny. It was way easier for Benny to take his medicine.
Since they were young, Archie and Benny had always hung around in the research institute. They had tried different traditional medicines as if they were just a snack.
Many of them were way more bitter than the traditional medicine they were having now. Roxanne nervously observed Benny’s and Estella’s condition after they finished their medicine.
“How are both of you feeling?” Roxanne asked, concerned, as she did not notice anything amiss from both of them after some time.
Benny furrowed his brows and said, “I felt better when I just finished the medicine. Now, I’m starting to feel the pain again.”
Just as he finished his words, Estella, who was at the side, couldn’t help but let out a groan.
She had more severe symptoms and was the first to finish her medicine, so Estella had started to feel the sharp pain in her stomach again a few minutes ago.
However, she endured the pain as she didn’t want the boys and Roxanne to be worried about her.
But the pain was getting more and more intense, and she couldn’t bear it anymore.
Roxanne’s heart ached, and she was slightly upset when she saw Estella acting tough.
“Let me know if you’re in pain. You don’t need to force yourself to stand it.”
With that, she wrapped her arms around Estella.
The next second, Estella buried herself deeper into Roxanne’s arms like a weak kitten and held onto the latter’s shoulders tightly.
Roxanne’s eyelashes quivered as she could sense the pain that Estella was holding in. She then lowered her eyes to check on Benny’s condition.
Benny lifted his gaze to Roxanne and forced a smile to assure her. “Mommy, I’m fine.”
Her heart wrenched as she ruffled his hair and said, “You too. You don’t need to act strong for me.”
With that, Roxanne cuddled Benny closer with her other arm.
“We’ll be driving back to the city now, and it’ll take quite some time. Let me know if any one of you is in pain. Don’t hold it in by yourself.”
The children nodded obediently at her in response.
They exited the tent but didn’t have the time to pack their stuff.
Roxanne only told Archie to take the herbs she brought back just now, then got straight into the car and headed toward the city.
However, Roxanne felt a wave of regret right when she tried to turn her car around. She shouldn’t have camped here.
The road was extremely narrow.
If Roxanne had been given more time, she would’ve been able to turn her car around and leave the place.
But now, she couldn’t even think straight and wasn’t able to turn her car composedly.
Just as Roxanne was trying to keep her composure and leave the place as soon as possible, a few painful groans sounded from the backseat.
As panic swirled within her heart, she couldn’t control herself, and her limbs trembled from anxiousness. Before Roxanne could snap out of her daze, her car was speeding right toward a huge tree.
Her mind immediately went blank. Just as the car was about to crash into it, she finally snapped back to her senses and lifted her foot, which was flooring the gas pedal.
However, it was too late. The car slammed into the tree trunk, shaking violently at the impact. Immediately after that, the car engine died.
Estella and Benny, who were already experiencing terrible pain in their stomach, cried out loudly when they felt the violent jerk of the car. Tears flowed down their cheeks at the agony. “Mommy, are you okay?”
Archie had witnessed the entire thing play out. He immediately comforted Estella and Benny, then checked on Roxanne in concern. Roxanne’s hands were still shaking in fear.
Estella and Benny’s sobs and Archie’s questions were sounding in her ears. However, Roxanne could only stare at the giant tree in front of her, which was still shaking due to the impact.
It had been so close. Something bad would’ve happened if she hadn’t regained her senses in time.
Not only did she fail to take good care of them, but now she couldn’t even bring them back home when they were already feeling unwell. She had even put them in danger. Roxanne couldn’t help but blame herself. “Mommy!”
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.