Chapter 411: No Matter How Stormy, Nothing Can Block the Road Home
Raymond had Alvin check the medication Hubert prescribed for Margaret.
Alvin came back with good news. "The meds are fine, Mr. Howard."
Raymond let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Hubert was still trustworthy after all.
"Mr. Howard, you been pushing yourself too hard lately?" Alvin asked, concern etched on his face.
Raymond looked at him, puzzled. "You don't look so good. Maybe you should get checked out at the hospital?"
He suddenly remembered the frequent nosebleeds he'd been having.
"Cancel tomorrow's meeting and book me a full-body check-up," he instructed. Was something wrong with his health? He hoped not.
The next morning.
Margaret woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She glanced at her bandaged palm. Just moving it a bit sent a sharp pain through her hand.
No need to guess who had arranged the bandaging.
Yet, she felt no gratitude.
While washing her face and brushing her teeth, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her face was ghostly pale, even though she had successfully undergone a liver transplant.
There was still a bruise at the corner of her mouth, though the swelling had mostly gone down. She touched it gently, and it still hurt.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
It was a call from the prison guard: "Ms. Hughes, Percy wants to see you."
Percy had been Marlon's most trusted driver before his death, and he was the one who had killed Raymond's parents. Raymond had sent him to prison many years ago.
At the prison.
Through the glass window, she saw Percy looking older than ever, even more so than the last time she saw him.
Wearing a prison uniform, he held the phone to speak with her.
He kept sighing, tears streaming down his face, but he said nothing.
Margaret felt a growing unease. Why was he crying? Why did he suddenly want to see her?
"Percy, what do you want to tell me?" Margaret asked, puzzled.
Since seeing him, he had been crying, tears of deep regret.
Percy remained silent.
"Percy, does this have something to do with my father?" Margaret guessed.
Percy wiped his tears, guilt-ridden. "Ms. Hughes, I owe you an apology. I owe Mr. Marlon Hughes an apology. Mr. Hughes was a good man, always doing good deeds, yet he met such a tragic end. Raymond forced him into this. I... I failed you all..."
"Percy, explain yourself. What happened? Did my father have anything to do with Raymond's parents' deaths?" Margaret demanded.
Percy wept even harder, but said nothing more.
"Percy, answer me!" Margaret bit her lip, tears streaming down her face as well.
After a long silence, Percy finally murmured, "Mr. Hughes didn't do it. That night, we were driving and accidentally hit Gilbert. Mr. Hughes wanted to take him to the hospital, but as soon as I got out of the car, Gilbert ran off, probably afraid we'd demand compensation for hitting our car."
"Then why did my father take me and you to Ironwood Lane?" Margaret asked.
"Mr. Hughes was worried about him and wanted to find him to cover his medical expenses. But when we found him, his house was already on fire, and they were dead. When Mr. Hughes found out you were dating Gilbert's son, he didn't stop you. He felt guilty about Raymond's parents. But I can assure you, Mr. Hughes had no part in it."
"The fire..." Margaret began.
"It was an accident, caused by old wiring. Mr. Hughes felt he indirectly caused their deaths. If it weren't for the car accident, Raymond's parents wouldn't have been trapped and burned alive," Percy explained.
"Does Raymond know?" Margaret asked.
"He didn't at first, but after Mr. Hughes' car accident left him in a vegetative state, Mr. Howard found out the truth. He refused to accept it, believing the fire was Mr. Hughes' doing. After Mr. Hughes died, he pressured me to falsely accuse Mr. Hughes. But Mr. Hughes had been good to me; I couldn't do that," Percy said.
Margaret walked out of the prison in a daze.
She couldn't remember how she got out.
Her steps felt unsteady, like walking on cotton.
She didn't even notice Sarah entering the prison. Sarah spoke to Percy, "Did you tell her everything?"
"Just as you instructed," Percy replied.
"Good. I'll take care of your family. You can rest easy in here," Sarah said with a satisfied smirk.
At the hospital.
Raymond still didn't fully trust Hubert, so he drove to Everpeak Mountain Hospital to have Rufus personally conduct his check-up.
He planned to leave right after the check-up and wait for the results in a few days.
But Rufus called him back, looking serious. "Mr. Howard, you might want to stay a bit longer. There could be an issue with your health."
"What kind of issue?" Raymond's eyelid twitched.
Rufus pursed his lips. "It's hard to say right now. We'll need the test results to be sure. I've already expedited them."
An hour passed.
Raymond felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
It was the same feeling he had when he found out Margaret had a terminal illness.
Outside, the wind howled and rain poured, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
To calm his nerves, Raymond smoked one cigarette after another.
After finishing a pack, Rufus brought the test results to him. "Mr. Howard, your health is indeed not good."
"I had a liver transplant; issues are to be expected."
"No, it's worse than that."
"Give me the report." Raymond snatched the diagnosis from Rufus's hand.
He glanced at it.
His grip tightened on the paper.
His eyelid twitched.
His heart skipped a beat.
Raymond read it over and over, thinking he must have misread it, but the result remained the same.
"Are you sure it's not a misdiagnosis?" he clung to a sliver of hope.
Rufus replied, "You were the only patient I examined today. I oversaw the entire process. There's no mistake."
The diagnosis on the report: leukemia, late stage.
Recommended treatment: chemotherapy or surgery.
"How long do I have?" Raymond asked, looking up at him.
Leukemia had a high mortality rate.
Rufus said, "Three to six months. Chemotherapy and surgery might not cure it and could even hasten your demise. But I recommend you pursue treatment. After all, Mr. Howard, you're still young."
Three to six months.
His life was now on a countdown. How ironic.
"Mr. Howard, will you be admitted today or..." Rufus asked.
Raymond couldn't leave Margaret alone in Silverbrook. The apartment was so empty with just her. If he wasn't there, what if something happened to her?
"I need to discuss it with my wife."
Raymond didn't linger in Everpeak Mountain City. He left the hospital and drove straight to Silverbrook. He wondered if Margaret was awake yet. He wanted to get back in time to have dinner with her.
While driving, he dialed Margaret's number.
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