Anthony didn’t respond. I pursed my lips and shot him a sidelong glare. “What? Are you upset about that sweetheart of yours?”
He raised a brow and chuckled. “No. I was just thinking you seem a little more naggy these days.”
What a bummer. I rolled my eyes and gave up talking, leaning aside and looking out the window instead.
The scenery outside flew by in a haze. My eyelids felt heavier as time passed. Why was I getting tired so easily these days?
As soon as we got home, Anthony proceeded to settle some of his pending work. It was already late, so I went back into the bedroom and headed straight to the shower. Just as I was about to call it a night, Hailey’s message came in.
I didn’t expect her to keep in touch with me so regularly, since we’d only met once.
The message was brief. Hello, Ms. Stanhope. Have you slept already?
I texted back: Not yet. What’s the matter?
Not really… Just wondering when you are coming over to A City again.
It had indeed been a while since I last went there. Is there something you want to talk about?
Her reply came in almost instantly: Nothing much, just wanted to ask since it’s been a while.
It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if such an answer came from somebody else, but Hailey’s different. For someone who was dealing with depression, there could be a hidden message behind her seemingly casual response.
I’ve been a little tied up these days, but I’ll definitely pay a visit when I’m free! If you aren’t too busy, why don’t you come over to K City?
Okay. Silence then followed.
Something felt odd, though I was too exhausted to think about it. My consciousness drifted off as soon as I lay in bed that I didn’t even realize when Anthony came in that night.
The next morning.
I was woken up when my phone rang. But while I was still tossing in bed, Anthony had already reached for it and answered the call for me.
“Who’s that?” I croaked groggily.
Instead of replying me, he sat up in a sudden jolt.
I rubbed my eyes and gazed at his alarmed face. “What happened?”
“Summer had a severe nosebleed and started coughing up blood,” he explained as he hung up the call and scrambled out of bed. “They’ve sent her to the hospital.”
At that, Anthony put on his clothes hastily and rushed into the bathroom.
I sat up in a daze for a good few minutes before it finally dawned on me. Summer is hospitalized! I thus jumped out of bed and immediately dialed Cameron’s number, but it went unanswered.
So I called Emery instead. When she answered, her voice sounded somewhat fuzzy against the noise in the background. “Sienna! Summer’s ill. Come to the hospital quickly!”
Before I could answer, Emery hung up abruptly. Perhaps she was in too much of a panic to explain everything over the phone. There wasn’t much time to waste, so I quickly grabbed a change of clothes.
Anthony came out just as I was done.
Hence, we left to the hospital right away.
Anthony’s phone rang constantly as we drove. Having both hands occupied on the steering, he glanced at me quickly. “Can you help me answer that?”
I took his phone in my hands and looked at the flashing ID. “It’s a number from W City!”
He signaled with a nod.
As I turned on the speaker, an unfamiliar voice echoed, “Mr. Featherstone, we’ve got some news. The factory where the child was sent to back then turns out to be a chemical plant. It seems quite a number of its workers were diagnosed with cancer due to radioactive pollution. The factory belongs to the Crest family, and it’s currently shut down.”
None of us said a word, and the voice continued, “That pollution was caused by an explosion which happened shortly before that incident with Mr. Crest. All workers who got involved had since undergone a health examination, though not everyone was affected by the chemical hazards.”
My mind went blank. The air around me felt heavy as I mulled over those words. I hung up the phone and looked at Anthony. “Jared did send Summer to the factory and let her stay there for some time. Could it be that she…”
My shaky voice trailed off. Anthony pondered in silence for a moment before he began, “Summer was with Kristina when we found her, so I’ve always thought that my initial hunches about her staying at the plant was wrong. Now it seems like she was indeed at the factory from the beginning, and Jared probably sent her to Kristina after the explosion.”
“But why would he do that? Summer is his child!” I could hear my own voice heightening as I fought against the tears that started to well up in my eyes. “Why did he send her there in the first place if he knew that it’s so dangerous?”
Anthony bit his lip for a second. “Who knows? Maybe he really wasn’t aware about it at first, which was why he handed her over to Kristina later on.”
“Even if that’s true, shouldn’t he have informed us? We could’ve brought Summer for a check up if we knew what happened! That way we could’ve at least made sure if she’s alright after that incident…”
At this point, I didn’t know what else to think about or say anymore. A storm had begun raging within myself, and I saw the hardened expression on Anthony’s face too. “Let’s not jump into conclusions for now. We’ll wait and see what the doctor says later. It could be that she just happened to be under the weather these days.”
He was right. There was nothing we could do except hoping that Summer would be just fine.
At the hospital, Xavier was wailing as Emery struggled to hold him still in her arms. “Sorry, Sienna. 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 Anthony 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, Anthony 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.
The doctor replied, “Acute leukemia isn’t the easiest to control, though there’s definitely a chance of recovery. Having said that, we’ll need your utmost cooperation as we do what we can for the patient. The treatment will also involve a handful of equipment and specific drugs from overseas, and frankly speaking, not everyone is able to bear the costs.”
“Money isn’t a problem,” Zachary responded, his face looking somewhat pale. “We’ll bear all the expenses as long as the child can be treated.”
Cameron nodded and chimed in, “Yes, that’s right! We’ll do everything that we can on our part. Please help us save the child!”
She then paused for a short while before adding, “Is there a reason behind Summer’s condition, doctor? She was born slightly premature, but there hasn’t been any other problem with her physical health thus far… Could it be hereditary?”
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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