Chapter 503 Adrift at Sea
It took Charles quite some time to comfort Chicago.
However, out of concern, Charles still asked Fiona to spend the night with his sister.
On the ride back home, Chicago really spent the entire time nestled in Fiona's arms, not saying a word, crying inconsolably, her spirit wilted.
Every so often, tears would silently fall.
Janna felt incredibly distressed watching this.
She deeply regretted bringing Stuart away back then.
If he had stayed by Chicago's side, they wouldn’t have ended up in this situation today.
Once home, Chicago clung to Fiona like a koala.
“Grandma”…" Fiona looked towards Janna.
"Take care of Chicago." Fiona nodded.
Then, she carried Chicago upstairs.
After bathing, Chicago finally spoke, “Mommy, can I sleep in your room?“
"Of course you can," Fiona quickly agreed.
A little while later, the two of them lay together.
Chicago snuggled into Fiona's embrace, listening to her tell the story of "The Monkey King's Havoc in Heaven."
As she listened, Chicago suddenly asked, "Mommy, will Uncle Stuart come back?"
Fiona had already heard from Darwin about what happened at the airport.
She put down the book and wrapped Chicago in her arms. "I don’t know, sweetheart."
Chicago’s little lips turned downward, her eyes gradually reddening. "So, Uncle Stuart really is in trouble, right?"
She had seen Wendy secretly looking at a picture of Stuart and crying.
Every time she sent a message to Stuart, and Fiona saw it, there was such sadness in her eyes.
Fiona lowered her eyelids. "There was a really bad person who wanted to harm Grandma. Uncle Stuart had an accident and went missing while trying to save her."
Tears surged once again in Chicago's eyes.
"He's just missing, not dead, right?" she asked with a choked voice.
Fiona nodded. "Grandma, Daddy, Uncle Mike and I, we're all still looking for him."
Chicago buried her face in Fiona's embrace, holding her tight.
"I will pray to God, ask her not to take Uncle Stuart away..."
"Okay," Fiona soothed, stroking her back. "I'm sorry, Chicago. I hope you can forgive your parents. We lied about Uncle Stuart because we didn't want to upset you."
Chicago nodded faintly.
She was no fool and understood why her parents hadn't told her the truth.
"But you can't do that anymore," Chicago said through her sobs.
"I understand." Fiona kissed Chicago's forehead tenderly. "And don't worry about your brother; he's in the hands of the best doctors!"
Chicago nodded and hugged Fiona again.
When she felt insecure, just being close to her mother made all her fears disappear.
Soon, as she cried, Chicago fell asleep.
Fiona looked at her swollen, red eyes filled with heartache.
She kissed her face several times before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.
Since Stuart left, Janna hadn't been sleeping well.
Seeing Chicago so heartbroken today had distressed her too.
Tossing and turning at night, she got up to get some hot water from the kitchen and take a pill.
As she passed by the dining room, she saw the large family portrait on the hutch.
In the photo, Stuart stood behind Chicago, beaming goofily.
Janna's wrinkled hands trembled as they brushed over his cheek. "Child, come home soon. Chicago misses you, and I miss you too..."
Meanwhile in Bay City at a large port, the massive cruise ship steadily approached the dock.
The four-month world cruise, which had set sail from Bay City, was finally returning to port.
The passengers had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
They disembarked with laughter and light-hearted conversation.
In groups of twos and threes, they discussed where to go for a great meal after leaving the ship.
After all the passengers had left, the first officer approached the captain. "What about that person below deck?"
"What else can we do, take him to the police?" the captain sighed, his head throbbing with worry.
Flashback to a month ago.
Their ship was on the return voyage.
Late in the night, some crew members were out fishing when they noticed a broken plank of wood drifting not too far away.
The currents brought all manner of things to the area.
Initially, the discovery didn't attract much notice until someone with keen eyes spotted a figure lying atop a broken plank.
Given their location in international waters, miles from any land, the sight of a lone individual adrift sent shockwaves through everyone present.
Fortunately, the sea was calm that night. One of the crew, a strong swimmer, immediately dove in and swam over. Checking for breathing, he found it faint but present.
"He's alive!" the crewman shouted, elated.
The news quickly reached the first mate and the captain.
With the belief that saving a life was paramount, they hauled the man aboard.
It was only once he was on deck that they discovered his body covered in injuries, some so long soaked in seawater they were white and rotting.
Luckily, the ship was equipped with a decent medical team and facilities. They treated his wounds posthaste.
Originally, they planned to hand him over to the authorities at the next port.
However, during a feverish spell, the man spoke.
Everyone assumed he was a foreigner until he murmured, "Home... home..."
"He's from Armie Country!" the crew member who had saved him exclaimed.
"With his wounds, by my experience, he's probably a victim of foul play. With his current state, it wouldn’t be safe to just let him go. What if he ended up back in the tiger's den?" the captain said with concern.
He had seen his share of pirates colluding with local law enforcement to prey on trade ships.
"No way!" the crew protested, shaking their heads.
Spending their lives abroad, they deeply understood the longing for home.
Finding him in international waters and judging by his build, they had assumed he was one of their own, a fellow seaman.
There was a sense of solidarity.
"We should take him back to our country," said the first mate determinedly. "Safety is our signature promise."
And so, a consensus was reached in an instant.
"Don't get too optimistic. With such severe injuries, he's not likely to make it. And while keeping him aboard is no problem, we have wealthy ladies and gentlemen on this cruise. We can't let them find out, or we’ll all be walking the plank!" the captain warned before leaving.
Back on deck, it was only then that the first mate quipped, "Lucky guy, look over there."
The captain followed his gaze.
A great white shark was encircling the spot where the man had been found.
Had they arrived even a bit later, the man would have been shark bait.
Over the next month flew by in a blink.
The man remained undiscovered, though he flatlined several times and each time was resuscitated by the valiant crew.
Whenever the ship docked, the kind-hearted sailors used their own money to purchase medicine from the cities onshore.
Now, the man's external wounds had fully healed.
His recovery was astonishing, yet he remained unconscious.
After tidying up the cabin, the crew members banded together, taking their slumbering brother to the police station.
The police were taken aback and hastily moved him to a hospital.
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