Chapter 22 Woke Up
When I was five, Helen bought a bowl of fish, picked a few lively ones, and kept them in the bowl. A thin boy and I leaned over, excitedly watching the fish swim. We planned to raise them and release them into the ocean.
At seven, I got hooked on the cool fighting skills of female agents in action movies. So, I started practicing martial arts, dreaming of becoming a self-taught agent fighting evil at night.
But when I jumped off the railing, I hurt my knee and cried on the ground.
Brad gave me a lollipop and said, "Female agents don't cry. They focus on their missions."
I asked, "Do female agents eat lollipops?"
Brad thought for a moment and nodded, "Sure, some must complete missions with a lollipop in their mouth."
At ten, I skipped a grade. My classmates called me a little monster because I was ahead of them. They gossiped about me, and no one wanted to play with me.
I sat on the playground podium, crying with my backpack on. Brad sat next to me and handed me a cake, "You need to eat to have the strength to cry. Hang in there."
I ate the cake and forgot to keep crying.
At thirteen, some delinquent boys cornered me, demanding my pocket money.
I refused, pressing my hand against my pocket.
Just before they could hit me, Brad appeared and shielded me. He told them to leave if they didn't want a beating.
The bad guys scattered, and he carried me home. On his back, I felt like a princess for the first time.
That year, I wore a light blue pleated skirt and brought 999 folded lucky stars to the Pitt family's house for Daniel's birthday, wanting to give him all my luck.
Daniel looked at me coldly, "Why do you like these meaningless things? It's boring."
One sunny morning, I went to school. Daniel walked ahead, and I jogged behind, unable to catch up. I asked him to wait, and he coldly replied, "You'll make it. Just slow down."
My dreams from the past are fragmented. Even in dreams, Daniel could hurt me to the point of tears.
Oh, I saw Brad. He hadn't been back for almost two years. It had been so long I almost forgot him.
We hadn't seen each other in two years, only greeting on holidays. Brad rarely posted on Facebook, and I had no other way to know about him. I wondered what he was like now. Was he still the guy who gave me lollipops and cakes when I was sad?
The Brad who gave me lollipops was the only warmth in my dreams.
I walked along a bright path, and suddenly a thick fog appeared. I spun around, confused, unable to remember where I was going.
"Jane, come back!" I heard Helen calling me home.
Helen's voice was heavy and anxious, like she was crying!
Suddenly, it felt like I was back in my childhood.
Helen carried me on the empty street, the sound of her shoes scraping the ground was piercing.
A large net fell from somewhere, and Helen threw me out with all her strength, getting tangled in the net herself. The net sprouted sharp spikes, glowing faint blue. Helen's body was pierced, and every wound bled.
"Jane! Run quickly!" The net tightened, and Helen's voice grew weaker.
"No, Mom, I don't want to leave you. Stay with me, please?"
Helen shook her head and drifted away. I was terrified and got up to chase her. "Mom, wait for me!"
I suddenly opened my eyes, and the morning sunlight pierced straight into them. I quickly raised my hand to shield them.
A warm, dry hand pressed mine down, and a voice filled with joy said, "Don't move, be careful of the blood flow. Honey, our daughter is awake!"
I came to my senses, smelling disinfectant. Above me, a soft tube dripped medicine steadily.
I wasn't dead!
I remembered, it was that kind old man who saved me.
Another close call!
"Sweetie, how do you feel?"
Helen's haggard yet loving face appeared. 'How long had Mom been crying? Her eyes were red and swollen.'
"Mom." I called softly, raising my hand to touch her face.
Helen grabbed my hand and pressed it to her face, tears of joy streaming down, "My sweetie, it's good that you're okay."
Helen's voice turned into heartbroken sobs, her tears wetting my hand, "I thought I'd never hear your voice again. It's so good to hear you call me Mom!"
"Mom, don't cry, I'm fine." I comforted Helen, turning to look for Ronan.
"Jane, Dad's here. Don't be afraid." Ronan was on the other side of the bed. I looked at his face, feeling a pang of sorrow.
Was this still my elegant and handsome dad? His hair was messy, his face swollen, and stubble covered the lower half of his face. Only his eyes still held the familiar light of love.
"Dad, can you do something about Mom? Her tears are going to drown me again." I softly whined to my parents.
The three of us laughed. Helen gently patted my head, lovingly scolding me. Ronan turned and hugged both Helen and me, laughing joyfully.
Laughing, we all started crying again.
This time, it was tears of joy.
Helen said that when they found me, I was as cold as ice, motionless, barely breathing. She was scared out of her wits.
Ronan said, "We thought we'd never see you open your eyes again. We cried until we had no tears left."
I looked at my parents, seeing their haggard faces, and realized I had really scared them this time.
I thought, 'Mom, Dad, I'm sorry. It was my fault this time. It won't happen again.'
After crying and laughing, I asked Mom where the old man who saved my life was.
I had fainted as soon as I got out of the well that day.
It was the old man who saved me that stumbled to the shop in front to borrow a phone and call an ambulance, then stayed with me in the wind and rain, waiting for it to arrive. He took me to the hospital and used the few soggy bills he had to pay for my emergency treatment.
"Thanks to that old man, otherwise..." Helen couldn't finish her sentence, tears welling up again.
Ronan patted Helen's shoulder to comfort her, repeatedly saying, "Jane is watching, don't make her sad with you."
"Mom, when I get better, I want to thank that gentleman personally," I said.
If it weren't for that old man, I might have died.
He saved my life.
"Okay, when you get better, we'll go thank him together." Helen replied.
"Dad, how did you know I was in the hospital?"
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