Chapter 271 The Drowning of Mrs. Robbins
"No," Fiona said, her denial soft and tender despite the firmness of her words.
"Yes..." Darwin nodded with difficulty.
Fiona worried when she saw his head stir, fearing that any sudden movement might lead to further injury. Hastily, she cautioned him, "Don't move your head!" Her voice rose sharply with concern.
Darwin looked up at her and, against all odds, let out a gentle laugh.
Even though he was awake now, he still needed plenty of rest due to his injuries. "Tired? Why don't you sleep some more?" She suggested.
Her thumb caressed his hand gently, prompting a difficult plea from Darwin. "Stay with me."
Fiona nodded, "I'll stay."
It seemed to lift a weight off Darwin's chest.
The hospital bed was spacious enough for the two of them. Fiona left a dim light on and curled up at his side.
Before drifting off to sleep, she whispered, "Don't sleep too long this time..." The rest of her thought—'I'd be scared'—remained unspoken, as she decided to keep it to herself.
"Okay," Darwin replied softly.
He then sought out Fiona's hand. She cooperated, slipping her fingers between his and locking their hands together. Nightmares had plagued Fiona for days, but while lying beside Darwin, she finally found peace in her first serene sleep since the accident.
She slept deeply and undisturbed until she woke up naturally and caught sight of the clock across the room. "Ten o'clock?" She exclaimed, startled.
Springing up, her first instinct was to check beside her—Darwin was gone!
Fiona hurried out of bed. Though her knee had healed significantly, it still ached. She stumbled, nearly falling over.
At that moment, the door to the room swung open. Darwin, who was seated in a wheelchair, and Fiona looked at each other, both startled.
"What's wrong?" Darwin asked with an urgency in his voice that wasn't raspy.
"It's nothing," Fiona said, rubbing her forehead. "Did you go for tests?"
He nodded, "You were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want them to wake you."
"Okay." Fiona's knee still throbbed with pain—she'd gotten up too quickly in her panic, but she didn't want to worry Darwin.
The nurses promptly helped Darwin back into the bed, and Fiona plopped down next to him again.
"Come here," Darwin said, noticing the off-color on her face and extending his hand toward her.
Fiona moved closer. "What is it?"
"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.
She shook her head, dismissing it. "Just groggy from sleep."
After a moment's thought, Darwin called out to the nurse, "Please bring Miss Rhoads' medical file here."
"Don't!" Fiona immediately intervened.
The nurse looked puzzledly at Darwin.
"Why not?" He inquired; his gaze fixed on Fiona.
She lowered her eyelids, “Because it’s nothing serious. You should focus on yourself, I’m all better.”
"Good, but I need to know where you're hurt!" Darwin’s voice rasped.
Fiona let out a sigh.
Waving dismissively at the nurse, she said, "Go on with your work."
The nurse didn’t really have much else to do; her primary job was attending to Darwin.
Still, she slipped away quickly.
Darwin’s gaze held Fiona’s, as if waiting for her to reveal more.
Fiona touched her cheek and showed the abrasion on her arm, trying to minimize her injuries. "Just some scrapes."
Darwin’s brows furrowed, and he nodded slightly, implying without words for her to continue.
"And a bit of internal bleeding."
Darwin's eyes flickered sharply.
"I got it checked out yesterday; it's nothing serious!" Fiona hastened to reassure him.
"What else?" Darwin asked with concern in his voice.
Fiona pressed her lips together, pointing to her injured knee, "A small fracture."
"It hurt when you got out of bed just now, didn't it?" Darwin inquired.
Fiona nodded.
Annoyed, she asked, "Why do you sound like you're interrogating a criminal?"
Darwin remained silent and pressed the call button to summon the nurse back, who brought along pain medication.
After Fiona took the meds, the pain soon lessened.
"I'm sorry I got you involved this time," Fiona sincerely said, looking at Darwin. "Janna checked - they were after me."
"Nonsense." Darwin, eyes closed, held onto her hand with a weary grip. "You’re my wife. It’s my duty to protect you."
"I'm not,” Fiona protested softly.
"Only a matter of time," Darwin murmured.
Fiona said nothing.
Leaning closer to Darwin, she coaxed, "Sleep if you're tired."
"Mhm," he responded, but then his eyes snapped open. "What about our daughter? If you didn't go back, is she upset?"
"She won’t be," Fiona reassured while shaking her head.
Darwin was still unaware that the girl he referred to as their daughter was his biological child.
But his immediate concern for her happiness upon waking... perhaps he really was as devoted as he claimed to be.
Even if there were no blood ties, he was ready to love her as his own.
"That's a relief." Sleepiness began to overwhelm him. "In a few days... I'll buy her a present..."
"Sure."
Fiona's voice was gentle.
After watching Darwin's breathing become steady and even, she cautiously placed a tender kiss on the tip of his nose.
Not long after Darwin fell asleep, Ashton, aware that Darwin had awakened, came rushing over.
Not wanting to disturb Darwin’s rest, Fiona met with Ashton in the lounge.
"He hasn’t lost his memory? He’s not acting strange?" Ashton asked, her tone serious.
Fiona smiled and shook her head, "He’s fine. Right before falling asleep, he was still worried about our daughter being happy and talked about buying her a present in a couple of days."
Ashton's expression froze for an instant before she looked as if she'd been utterly disarmed by the charm of something she couldn't quite hold on to.
"Okay, I admit I'm not exactly holding firm here, but... that Mr. Solomon isn't as annoying as I thought!" She conceded with a reluctant grin.
"Just watch how you talk, huh? If you slip up and call him annoying to his face, you think you won't be totally embarrassed?" Fiona chided with a mix of patience and exasperation.
Ashton pinched her lips together as if to physically prevent her from saying anything else about him.
Then, as if she suddenly remembered something important, she clapped a hand to her forehead.
"Right, Lilian's mom—she drowned in the lake last night! Some jogger found her body this morning."
Fiona knew next to nothing about Lilian and preferred it that way. Yet, she couldn't help but react when she heard about Lilian's mother.
"How do you even know it was Lilian's mom?" Fiona asked.
"The media's been covering it. I saw some pictures on the news; Lilian had to go to the police to identify the body," Ashton whispered.
"I see..." Fiona replied, her interest only mildly piqued. She was more puzzled by how Lilian and Anniston had suddenly gone quiet; it was eerily calm these past few days.
Ashton glanced over at Fiona. Noticing her lack of interest, she swallowed the story she was about to share about the argument she'd witnessed between Lilian and her family at the hospital. It's not like Ashton was putting on a front; lately, she just had too much on her plate to care.
She kept the hospital's surveillance footage safe just in case. If Lilian settled down and left her and Darwin alone from now on, bygones would be bygones. But if Lilian decided to stir up trouble again, then Ashton wouldn't hesitate to act. Mr. Walker had a saying, "Courtesy first, force second."
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