Chapter 337 Please Forgive Me
My head was spinning as I watched Cecil drop right in front of me.
He coughed up blood but still managed to smile at me.
Jerry, who had been tripped by Sawyer, was just a step behind Cecil.
Jerry saw Cecil take the bullet for me and froze for a second. He quickly came over, covered my eyes with his hand, and said, "Hope, don't look."
I shook my head and stumbled forward in a daze. "Cecil."
All the good things Cecil had done for me flashed through my mind in an instant.
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to cover the bleeding wound on Cecil's body, unable to form a complete sentence.
Steven helped Orville capture Elmer and quickly took control of Sawyer and Skylar.
With Jerry's help, Orville managed to capture Elmer, and in return, Orville dealt with Sawyer and Skylar for him.
Steven thanked them and saw them off.
Elissa walked up to me and held my hand. "Hope."
Cecil's face grew paler by the second, but he weakly smiled at me. "I'm fine, Hope. Don't be scared. I'm really fine."
When we were on the ship, I deeply regretted ever trusting Cecil, but seeing him get hurt because of me, I couldn't feel nothing.
"Cecil." I wiped my tears. "How can you be fine!"
Jerry had already sent Steven to contact the hospital, just waiting for the medical staff to arrive.
Cecil smiled, looking at me with deep affection and tenderness. "I was wrong, Hope. You were right, I was wrong. I said I loved you, but I kept hurting you. Taking the bullet for you was my choice, the only thing I did for you that didn't hurt you."
"Hope." Cecil slowly raised his hand to wipe my tears. "Don't cry, and never cry again, okay? Even if I die, this life is what I owe you. The real Cecil died many, many years ago. It was you who kept me alive all these years."
"You'll be fine." I said.
"Listen to me." Blood gushed from Cecil's mouth, and he grew weaker. He glanced at my still-flat stomach. "I know losing the last child was very painful for you, so this time, it can't be you who gets hurt. Hope, forgive me, will you?"
"Cecil!" Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. My throat tightened, and I could only nod vigorously. "Okay!"
Cecil smiled in relief. The next second, the hand resting on me suddenly lost its strength and slipped down.
His hand fell, palm open, revealing a bracelet inside.
The doctor arrived at that moment and soon declared him dead.
My head buzzed, and I staggered.
Jerry held me steady. "Hope, he would want you to be okay too."
"Yeah." I held back my tears with all my might and nodded. "Let's bury him here."
"As you wish." Jerry agreed and instructed Steven to handle it.
Jerry took me back to the ship and into the room, where I clung to him tightly.
He lifted me and lay down on the bed with me.
"I'm so tired." I didn't know if I actually fell asleep last night.
"Then sleep." Jerry replied.
I closed my eyes and suddenly remembered something, "Is my mom and Claire okay? I remember hearing an explosion."
Jerry's eyes flickered, but I didn't see it as I was leaning against his chest.
"Just sleep for now." Jerry said.
I thought everything was fine. If something had happened, Jerry wouldn't hide it from me.
With Jerry by my side, I felt very secure and quickly fell asleep.
I didn't know if it was because I had just gone through a life-and-death struggle or because I watched Cecil die right in front of me that I had nightmares, all of them, and in the end, I dreamed of Claire, who spoke to me with a loving face.
But I couldn't make out what she was saying. It felt like she was saying goodbye, but why would she do that?
"Claire, don't go!" I saw Claire leaving and shouted in my sleep, chasing after her in my dream.
But no matter how slowly Claire walked, I couldn't catch up.
Suddenly, the scene shifted, and I stepped into the void, waking up abruptly.
"Don't move," Jerry said.
I was drenched in cold sweat, my calf gripped by a force that made me wince in pain.
As I slowly calmed down, I saw Jerry massaging my calf.
"You had a cramp," Jerry explained.
I did have a cramp, but he reacted faster than I did.
I asked, "Jerry, how long until we get back to Maple Valley?"
Jerry glanced at his watch and replied, "Around eight or nine tonight."
I said, "I want to go see Claire directly."
Jerry hesitated and then agreed, "Okay."
I felt something was off. "Are you hiding something from me?"
Jerry bent and straightened my leg, asking, "Is it better now?"
I moved my leg a bit and nodded. "Yes, it's better."
Jerry stood up. "Dr. Quill is on the ship. Let him give you a quick check-up."
"I'm sorry," I said.
Jerry seemed puzzled by my sudden apology. "What's wrong?"
I explained, "I just fell asleep without asking how your injury was."
Jerry seemed amused. He patted my face. "Even if you asked, the wound wouldn't heal instantly. Besides, you went through all this while carrying a child. I guess you didn't dare to sleep or eat well. Actually, I'm relieved you could sleep. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to sleep and your body would suffer."
I got up from the bed to check his injury.
Jerry said, "They're just scrapes. The cuts aren't deep. They've been treated and bandaged."
"I'm not looking at those." I made him sit by the bed and slightly opened his collar to look inside. "After you went to the emergency room, I didn't know what happened. When I woke up, I was on Cecil's ship and didn't know how your injury was."
Jerry held my hand and made me sit on his lap.
I resisted, and he pinched my face. "Don't worry. Your weight won't crush me. The wound on my back is fine, but..."
I saw Jerry suddenly become serious and quickly asked, "But what?"
Jerry leaned his head on my shoulder and sighed, "But it will leave a scar. You can't dislike me and leave me."
I couldn't help but feel helpless. If Jerry hadn't protected me, I might have been disfigured. How could I possibly dislike him? A scar was nothing as long as the body was fine.
"Don't worry. I could never leave you," I said.
Jerry's eyes showed a complex emotion where I couldn't see. But when he lifted his head, he was back to normal.
Jerry said, "I'll call Dr. Quill over and get you something to eat. Your stomach was growling while you were asleep."
Of course, it was growling. I had thrown up everything I ate, and my stomach was empty.
I tugged at his hand and shook it. "Can you also bring Elissa over? I want to talk to her."
Jerry nodded and then left.
As the door closed, my eyes drooped.
I felt a heavy weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Hope." Elissa arrived faster than Grant. I guessed she must have been waiting nearby.
"You scared me to death." Elissa hugged me and then said, "When that lunatic Sarah rushed at you, I tried to pull you away, but Jerry was faster, and I got pulled back by Francis. If I had reacted a bit faster, Jerry wouldn't have been so badly burned."
I gripped her hand tightly and said, "It happened so suddenly. You don't need to feel guilty. With the explosion and all the chaos, I'm just grateful you weren't hurt."
Elissa said, "You have no idea how powerful that explosion was. Francis pulled me away because the chandelier was falling. After you and Jerry went to the hospital, there were several more explosions. Madison..."
At this point, Elissa abruptly stopped talking.
I sensed something was wrong and asked, "What happened to my mom?"
Elissa hesitated, clearly hiding something from me.
Before I could press her, there was a knock on the door.
Elissa immediately went to open it. "Dr. Quill, please come in."
Grant felt that Elissa's attitude was like leading him into a trap. But he didn't think much of it, assuming Elissa was just worried about me.
Grant's arrival didn't stop me.
I saw Elissa trying to leave and called out to her, "If you walk out that door, we're not friends anymore."
Elissa had no choice but to come back, looking dejected.
"Elissa, tell me the truth."
Elissa said, "Madison is fine, just some injuries. She's resting in the hospital. I already told her you're okay. Claire... let Jerry tell you about Claire."
Just as I was about to ask more, Grant interrupted me, "Do you feel any discomfort? At that time, I was busy treating Mr. Hammer. After I finished with his injuries, I heard you had signs of a miscarriage and went to the emergency room. But when I got there, you were gone. Later, I heard you were taken away without emergency treatment. So, have you had any issues since then?"
I shook my head. "When I woke up, I felt like I had been treated. I could feel the baby was still there, and there were no problems. I just threw up everything I ate, and now my chest feels tight, but my stomach doesn't hurt. But I'm not sure about the baby's condition."
Grant reassured me, "If you were treated and you're three months along, a few hours shouldn't cause major issues. When we get back to Maple Valley, let Mr. Griffin check you out."
I was still worried. After talking to Grant, I looked at Elissa standing nearby. "Why can't you tell me about Claire?"
Grant knew the reason but couldn't say.
This matter was best explained by Jerry.
Grant said, "From the test results, there shouldn't be any issues. But pregnant women should avoid stress and major upheavals. No matter what happens, you need to stay calm."
I felt there was more to Grant's words. But before I could ask, Jerry came in with food.
Grant talked to Jerry about my condition, "Overall, there's no major issue, but given the recent stress, even at three months, it's not entirely stable. Avoid further stress."
Jerry hesitated briefly and replied, "Okay."
Grant left, and Elissa quickly followed.
Jerry set the food down and started feeding me porridge. "Have something warm to eat first, then eat some vegetables."
I turned my head away.
Jerry had a hunch.
Elissa was always prone to saying the wrong thing.
Jerry said, "Eat first. After you finish, I'll tell you everything you want to know."
I didn't want to eat, but my stomach growled twice at that moment.
I had no choice but to feed the baby inside me first.
I took the bowl of porridge and finished it myself. Then I ate some meat and vegetables.
After I was sure I couldn't eat anymore, I drank some water and looked at Jerry.
Jerry got up from the bed, pulled a chair over, and sat in front of me.
He held my hands and said, "I was planning to wait until we got back to Maple Valley and let Mr. Griffin check you out before telling you..."
I rarely saw this kind of emotion from Jerry; he seemed like he was about to break.
I asked, "If Mr. Griffin says the same thing as Dr. Quill, that I can't handle stress, would you still tell me the truth?"
Jerry didn't want to lie, but he couldn't avoid it because Claire was too important.
This explosion, while caused by Cecil, was ultimately because of them.
Claire was truly innocent.
Jerry had never been this cautious before.
Jerry said, "I can tell you the truth, but you and I both know that emotions can sometimes be uncontrollable. You can't get too upset."
Listening to Jerry, my heart sank.
Combining it with the dream I had, I had a very bad feeling.
It was an outcome I couldn't even bear to think about.
"Did Claire..."
I denied it in my heart, 'No. Claire is so good; she should live a good life. She has already been through so much; why can't she enjoy her later years?'
My tears fell uncontrollably.
"Hope." Jerry raised his hand to wipe my tears.
I grabbed his hand and urgently asked, "Tell me, Claire is just injured and resting in the hospital, waiting for me to visit her, right?"
Jerry's heart felt like it had a gaping hole. With every breath, it was as if air rushed in, causing an unbearable pain.
Jerry said, "Hope, some things are accidents, beyond our control."
"They can be controlled." I held back my tears and continued, "They definitely can be, Jerry. You're always so capable, and you can control it, right?"
Jerry also wanted to control everything. If he could, he wouldn't have let Claire die in an accident.
Jerry said, "Hope, have a good cry. After you're tired of crying, sleep. When you wake up, I'll take you to see Claire."
To be precise, to say the final goodbye.
I broke down instantly.
Jerry didn't say it directly, but I already sensed it.
Nothing ever made Jerry hesitant or at a loss for words, except for the fact that I was pregnant and he didn't want to upset me. But what could possibly upset me? It was Claire...
"Why?" I couldn't accept or understand it.
I wanted to stay calm; I had to be responsible for the baby inside me.
I couldn't lose one family member after another, but I couldn't control myself.
Just thinking about Claire leaving me forever made it hard to breathe.
"Hope." Jerry let my tears fall, not wiping them, just helping me breathe normally.
I said desperately, "Tell me why this happened?"
Elissa stood at the door, listening to the heart-wrenching cries, silently shedding tears.
Suddenly, a well-defined hand appeared in front of her, holding a tissue.
Elissa didn't take it and turned away.
Francis knew he had spoken too harshly at the airport.
Later, he was injured in the hospital and wanted her to visit so he could explain, but she didn't come.
The next time they met was at the banquet where Hope and Madison reunited.
Who would have thought such a big incident would happen at that banquet?
Elissa didn't take the tissue, so Francis wiped her tears himself.
Elissa slapped his hand away. "I want to let my tears fall. I don't want to wipe them."
Francis knew she was feeling sorry for Hope and said nothing. He just stuffed the tissue into her hand.
Elissa threw it away and went straight back to the next room.
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