Chapter 58 Accident, Lillian broke her arm
"No, don't send Lillian away!" Upon hearing this, Lucas started to cry and rushed over to hug Lillian.
Lillian gently stroked Lucas's head and soothed him by saying, "Lucas, it is indeed my fault that you got hurt because I didn't take good care of you. After I leave, you must keep taking your medicine and apply the ointment, okay? Ask Alice to help you apply it."
"I don't want to, I don't want to!" Lucas cried loudly, "Don't go, don't leave me behind!"
"Lucas, come here, I will ask Doris to come and keep you company," Alexander said while pulling Lucas toward him.
In a soft voice, Lillian addressed Mr. Sinclair, "Mr. Sinclair, I am truly sorry that Lucas is hurt. The doctor said it's not serious and he provided the medicine and ointment and the medicine should be taken twice a day. I apologize for making you angry again." Having said this, Lillian quickly turned and left the room.
Lucas struggled desperately and chased after her.
At the stairway, Lucas, holding Lillian's hand with one hand and sobbing uncontrollably, said, "Lillian, where are you going? Stay here, I'll talk to Alexander and make sure he's not mad!"
Lucas's mature plea was touching and made Lillian's eyes well up with tears.
Alexander caught up, intending to carry Lucas away, but Lucas refused and clung even more tightly to Lillian. With Lucas's arm injured, Lillian dared not pull him away too forcibly, while Alexander suspected that Lillian was using Lucas to her advantage.
"Lillian, don't think that holding on to Lucas will make me forgive you!" Alexander said sternly, "Let go of Lucas right now."
"Mr. Sinclair, please see clearly, I am not holding onto Lucas," Lillian protested, raising her hands to show she was not holding him back.
Lucas squatted down, hugging Lillian's leg and said fiercely, "I don't want Lillian to leave; if you make her leave, then I'm leaving too!"
"What did you say?"
Alexander thought he had misheard, unable to believe that Lucas would say something like this. Lucas had always been closest to him, so how could it be that after less than two months with Lillian, Lucas cared about her so much that he didn't want him anymore?
Alexander was jealous and didn't believe that if Lillian left, Lucas would actually follow her. Bending down to pull Lucas up, he said angrily, "When did you start making threats? Lucas, I'll tell you this, I'm not afraid of threats! I have indulged you too much, letting you fear nothing! Stand up!"
"No, I like Lillian! Alexander, don't make her leave!" Lucas cried out loud, his face covered in tears and snot.
Lillian couldn't bear to see Lucas in such discomfort and reached out to stop Alexander, coaxing him, "Mr. Sinclair, don't force Lucas. Let me soothe him. You might scare him with that approach."
"Don't touch me!"
Alexander swung his arm forcefully, and all his strength collided with Lillian. Since her balance was already compromised by Lucas clutching her legs, Alexander's shove sent her tumbling backwards, and in an instant, she was rolling down the stairs!
Lillian's world spun; the ceiling seemed to whirl as her vision blurred. When she landed at the bottom of the staircase, her body felt crushed under the weight of wheels, the pain was excruciating.
"Ah! Lillian!" Lucas screamed in fear, peering over the railing down at her.
Alexander rushed down the stairs, bewildered by the result of his simple gesture - how could he have accidentally pushed Lillian down the stairs?
"Are you alright? Can you move?" Alexander crouched beside Lillian, not daring to lift her carelessly as he witnessed her agony.
Tears streamed down Lillian's face as she clenched her teeth, and in anger, she blurted out, "Alexander, you... you jerk!"
Lucas ran downstairs and upon seeing Lillian's lips bleeding from a chipped tooth that resulted from the fall, he burst into tears, "Lillian, don't die, you can't die!"
"Shut up, stop crying!" Lillian took deep breaths to manage her pain, "I'm not dead yet!"
Alice hurried over upon hearing the commotion and said urgently, "I'm going to call for an ambulance."
"Don't, Alice, I'm alright." Lillian didn't want to cause more trouble, trying to rise despite the pain, "I haven't broken anything, we don't need to call for an ambulance."
The pain was overwhelming for Lillian, sweat beaded on her forehead. She said to Alexander, "Alright, I fell down the stairs, let's just say that's my way of apologizing for Lucas's injury."
Seeing Lillian stubbornly trying to stand but failing, Alexander lifted her in his arms and carried her back to her room.
"Easy, gentle," Lillian cried out as she was laid on the bed, "My back, my waist, everything hurts!"
Alexander, suppressing his anger, left the room to make a phone call without a word to Lillian.
"Lillian, does it hurt a lot?" Lucas, staying by her bedside, asked with concern.
Lillian's tears were still wet on her cheeks, but she didn't want to worry Lucas and forced a smile, "It doesn't hurt now."
She told him, "You don't need to stay here, go have breakfast with Alice. And later apply the medicine, you won't need a new bandage today."
"And, go wash your little face," she added with another smile.
Not wanting to upset Lillian further, Lucas obediently left. Alexander followed back into the room, standing beside the bed, and looking down at her, he asked, "Are you sure you haven't fractured anything?"
"No," Lillian closed her eyes, not wanting to see Alexander.
Alexander looked at Lillian with arrogance and said, "I didn't expect you to fall just because I waved my hand. I apologize. I've called the family doctor to come and give you a thorough check-up."
"It's not necessary," Lillian resented in her heart, "I'll rest a bit and then leave."
"Don't you snap at me!" Alexander scolded angrily, then took a deep breath and said, "Lucas insists that you don't leave, and you are injured, so we can talk about your leaving later."
Lillian stubbornly didn't speak. The truth was, her whole body was in so much pain she couldn't talk. Moreover, if she insisted on leaving, where could she go? Lisa would surely send her right back.
Seeing Lillian's tacit agreement, Alexander turned and left the room. After more than half an hour, the family doctor arrived, a man in his fifties.
"Dr. Adler, please examine her thoroughly," Alexander said politely.
Kyle conducted a simple examination on Lillian; she wailed throughout the process, claiming pain wherever he touched.
"Lillian, can you not be so fragile? Can you just endure it a bit?" Alexander, frustrated by her cries, said irritably.
Ever since she was a child, Lillian feared pain. She wasn't like others who could endure in silence whenever sick or injured; she always had to cry out as if shouting would ease the pain.
"I'm in pain, am I not allowed to cry now?" Lillian's tears flowed, whether from pain or sense of injustice.
Hearing this, Kyle let out a hearty laugh and said to Alexander, "Mr. Sinclair, the tenderness of a young lady is what endears her to others. The girl has no fractures, I checked, but seems to have bruises. Falling down from upstairs would cause serious bumps and be very painful. Apply some ointment, and she should rest in bed to recover quicker."
"How long will it take for me to recover?" Lillian asked.
"Considering you fell from upstairs, your bones are definitely injured," Kyle said, "At least a month, I'd say."
