Chapter 321 Witnessing a Tragic Scene
During the hospital check-up, the Rhoads family bypassed the usual queuing process, but it still involved a lot of running around and juggling various forms and paperwork. Darwin had never taken his child to the hospital before.
After a round of examinations, he was exhausted. Fiona, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, always thorough in her queries about the details to watch for during the checks.
While waiting for Charles's test results, Fiona and Darwin sat side by side.
"I called Stuart over. You won't be handling Charles later," Fiona stated as she reviewed the forms.
Darwin frowned and replied with a touch of anger, "He’s my son, why can't I hold him?"
"If you spit up blood in front of Charles, you'll scare him," Fiona replied, her gaze briefly meeting his.
Darwin froze, taken aback. She knew about the blood…
"We won't leave Armie while Charles is undergoing treatment. Now that you know, I won't stop you from seeing them. But if you aren't fully recovered, I'd suggest you go back to the hospital," Fiona continued.
"You can forget about taking them away once I’m healed," Darwin said, his focus always missing her true intentions.
She slapped the forms against her thigh, looking at Darwin, "I've realized it's utterly impossible to communicate with you."
With that, she stood up, moved a few steps away, and sat down in another row of chairs.
Darwin remained silent, troubled.
Soon after, Stuart hurried over, not even giving Darwin a glance. He swiftly took the papers from Fiona's hand, "Just one last test to go, right?"
"Right," she nodded, her neck stiff as she gently massaged it.
"Neck bothering you again?" Stuart asked with concern.
Darwin watched them, his frown deepening.
"Some people really know how to choose their moments to cause trouble. They have no idea that Chelsea’s neck and stomach issues originated from being mistreated at work. All these years of gentle care, and she's hardly recovered. Then he goes and aggravates her condition with his deplorable actions," Stuart complained.
Darwin's silence lingered as anger welled up inside him. However, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact source of his anger.
"Enough with the insinuations," Fiona said softly.
As if on cue, Charles's examination finished, and he was wheeled out. His complexion appeared even paler than before he had gone in.
"Charles..."
Stuart's condescending demeanor shifted to one of genuine concern as he stepped forward to hold Charles.
"Uncle Stuart, let him do it," Charles softly rejected Stuart's approach, indicating he preferred Darwin's presence.
Darwin nudged past Stuart, scooping Charles up with an air of pride.
"I clearly give better hugs, and I'm way stronger than him!" Stuart grumbled, still within earshot.
Exhausted, Charles remained silent, fixing his gaze on Fiona.
Fiona's heart ached as she fought back tears. She held Charles' hand to her lips and whispered, "One last check-up and then you can rest."
He nodded, reaching out to touch her cheek.
Closing her eyes, Fiona leaned into the warmth of his palm.
Darwin watched the tender scene, his emotions a tangled mess.
After the last check-up, Fiona was ready to bring Charles back.
Suddenly, there was chaos in the hallway. A patient collapsed, coughing up blood in violent spurts. Just moments before, they were waiting for their turn behind Charles, and the patient's mother was chatting with Fiona.
The woman was battling an aggressive type of leukemia.
"Help! Somebody help!" the mother's cries pierced the chaos.
Fiona instinctively shielded Charles from the horror, covering his eyes. "Don't look, honey," she urged.
Darwin subtly shifted, blocking Charles' view as they hastened their departure.
A chill coursed through Fiona, leaving her hands and feet icy.
It wasn't until they'd left the building and were walking in the sunlight that she felt the grip of fear loosen slightly.
But the bloody scene and the mother's desperate pleas haunted her like a nightmare.
"Mommy."
Charles' voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Quickly looking up, Fiona managed a smile and said, "Mommy's here!"
"I want to sit in the sun with you," Charles said, blinking up at her.
“Sure!"
Fiona agreed enthusiastically. Darwin soon found a sunny spot and gently set Charles down between them.
Charles rested his head on Fiona's arm, their hands intertwined.
He never liked sunbathing, but he could remember how cold his mother's hands felt when she covered his eyes.
"Why isn't Dagmar here?" Charles asked after a while.
Fiona lowered her gaze, avoiding looking at Darwin. "He got called into work last minute. He told me to inform Charles, but I forgot with all the rush," she replied.
"You're lying," Charles stated bluntly.
Fiona's expression stiffened for a split second.
"I remember when I was sick, he'd come racing back no matter how busy he was. Now, with my leukemia diagnosis, how can he just stay away because of some temporary work?"
"It's just for today." Darwin finally spoke up. "Your uncle will be here tomorrow."
Charles gave him a quick glance. Then he closed his eyes again.
After a while, sensing Fiona's hand growing gradually warm against his, Charles chose not to bask in it any longer.
He then returned to his hospital room and quickly fell asleep.
Fiona sat by his side, tenderly and attentively tucking him in, while Darwin stood behind her, waiting to leave with her.
But she remained seated, unmoving, her shoulders starting to tremble subtly.
Darwin stepped forward, puzzled. "Are you crying?"
Fiona remained silent.
The scene from just moments ago had been too much for her.
She couldn't bear to think about what she'd do if Charles reached the same point.
"Just go ahead, leave," she said, trying to suppress her emotions so Darwin wouldn't think she was playing the victim again.
However, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Darwin pondered for a moment. "Charles is going to get better. The Solomon family is all getting tested for a match—it won't be long now before we have some results."
Fiona bit her lip, trying to stave off the overwhelming emotions of pain— It was futile.
Eventually, she just nodded slightly.
"Stop biting," Darwin said, frowning, gently prying her chin to release her lips.
As she looked up at him, Fiona felt a surge of repressed emotions. "It's my genetic defect that I passed onto Charles, leading to his illness," she whispered, voice choking up.
Darwin felt as though an invisible hand gripped his heart tightly.
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