Chapter 515 Busy but Blissful
Time sped on, bringing with it the scorching summer heat. It was also when Charles was due to be discharged from the hospital. After nearly a month of careful observation, his transplant prognosis was excellent, with no complications arising.
Early in the morning, Darwin went to handle Charles's discharge papers. Fiona had him dressed and his belongings packed.
"Charles, you've won a great battle!" Fiona squat down in front of Charles, smiling tenderly as she gently stroked his cheek. "Thank you."
No one knew how much Fiona had suffered during this time. She prayed day and night, wishing she could trade her life for Charles's.
"Thank you for staying with me, Mommy," Charles said before stepping forward and tenderly embracing Fiona. She hugged him tightly in return.
Once the paperwork was completed, Darwin drove Charles and Fiona back home. Getting out of the car, the surroundings were eerily quiet. The bodyguards who usually patrolled the area were nowhere to be seen.
Charles looked up at the gates, his fingers subconsciously touching his ears, a worried expression fleeting across his face.
"What's wrong?" Fiona asked, seeing Charles hesitating.
"Nothing." He shook his head, then proceeded to ascend the stairs to the front door as usual, albeit sluggishly.
Waiting for Fiona to open the door, he slowly stepped inside. As soon as the door was opened with a press of Fiona's finger, Charles timidly entered, only to be greeted by a barrage of poppers and confetti showers.
"Congratulations, Charles, on your triumphant return to health!" Thalassa and Chicago shouted in unison, though quite out of sync.
Smiling, Charles plucked the party popper from his head. Boy, it was noisy.
But then, during his hospital stay, everyone had visited him separately, never as a group. It felt like ages since he had such a gathering of friends and family, even if it was deafening. Still, he was genuinely happy.
Next up was the gift-giving segment. Everyone was spot on with their choices, bringing computer parts and related peripherals. Burl even brought a gift from the tech gurus at Solomon to celebrate Charles's recovery, along with a note "Get well and join us at Solomon as soon as possible. Time is precious, and we should spar to our heart's content!"
After a while, Charles went back to his room to put away his things, with Fiona in tow.
"You think everyone was too loud, don't you?" Fiona asked with a smile, sitting on his bed.
Charles was always that kid. The one who, if it weren't for sharing a birthday with his sister, would have banned the birthday song on his special day. He was never a fan of bustling merriment.
Surprisingly, this time Charles shook his head. Fiona was taken aback. Then, as Charles started placing the books he'd read in the hospital back on his bedside shelf, he added, "It's not noisy; I feel very blessed."
Fiona's eyes welled up with tears, a sudden rush of emotion.
"But once in a while is enough," Charles quickly added, breaking the rare emotional moment.
So deep down, he still found it too noisy.
"Mommy, can I see Daren?" Charles suddenly changed the subject, mentioning Daren for the first time.
"Of course, you can." Fiona nodded. "But Daren has been busy catching up with his studies, so you might need to wait a bit."
"Okay." Charles nodded obediently.
Speaking of Daren, Fiona dropped her gaze. Lately, all her attention had been on Charles. She hadn't yet spoken to Clarie to tell them they didn't need to move back. She knew that before winter arrived, Steven would be released.
Although Charles hadn't declared a hundred percent recovery, everything was going well so far.
The atmosphere at home today was nothing short of joyful. There had been laughter and happiness from morning till night. Janna was especially delighted.
After dinner, she even pulled Kenny and Darwin to the community's badminton court for a game. When they returned, the topic of the wedding came up.
"Both of you went behind our backs and got your marriage licenses without discussing it with us elders," Janna said, irritation heavy in her voice.
The two girls, one was her own beloved daughter and the other was the precious godchild she doted on so much.
Without a sound, her daughter married the guy she bickered with for ten years, and the goddaughter, even more outrageous, hooked up with someone six or seven years her junior.
However, Janna had to admit, as far as she could tell, the two guys weren't too bad.
They were handsome enough; otherwise, her girls wouldn't have fallen for them.
Besides, both came from good families.
So, Janna silently came to accept the situation.
"Grandma, it was my fault for not discussing it with you," Darwin said, extremely well-behaved in front of Janna.
He was quick to admit his error.
Kenny didn’t even get a chance to react.
He added solemnly. "Yes, we're both at fault."
Janna glanced at them. "I'll give you another chance, but dare you do it again?"
Darwin fell silent, while Kenny couldn't help but laugh.
Perhaps, Janna could read minds.
"Anyway, I want a detailed report from each of you as soon as possible," Janna continued.
"Report?" they both asked in unison.
Janna was speechless. "Did you let what I just said go in one ear and out the other? Wedding! Wedding planning!"
Janna's scolding made Darwin and Kenny tremble with alarm.
"You'll need to coordinate the timing," Janna said with a look of disappointment. "Fiona and Thalassa are going to be very busy with work, so don't expect them to worry about this!"
"Understood," they chorused.
As the three of them returned, they happened to run into Fiona on her way out, engaging in an emotional goodbye with Chicago in the garage.
"Where are you off to so late?" Janna asked.
"I'm visiting a child who's donating bone marrow to Charles," Fiona replied, patting Chicago on the back. "Be good, go with daddy."
Chicago whined a little more.
Darwin came over and picked her up. “Such a little cling-on. Why don’t I see you doing this when Daddy leaves?“
Fiona opened the car door and sat down.
“Remember to give Charles his medicine in half an hour,“ she reminded Darwin.
"Got it, come back early, and let me know if anything comes up," Darwin said, grabbing Chicago's hand and waving toward Fiona. "Bye-bye, Mommy."
Fiona smiled and left.
Even though Daren had mentioned several times about wanting to move out, Fiona never agreed.
Before she left, she’d fixed a time with Daren.
By the time she arrived, Daren and his sister were already waiting for her in the underground parking garage.
“Madam!“
Upon seeing Fiona, Daren and his sister immediately approached her.
Fiona seemed a bit resigned. "Haven't I mentioned, you can just call me Ms. Fiona?"
"I always forget!" Daren scratched his head.
"Look at Bettie's face - her wound has completely healed," Fiona observed, glancing at Bettie.
Blushing, Bettie nodded. "Yes!"
"You look stunning," Fiona complimented.
She had seen a photo of Darwin's biological mother.
She was a real beauty.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
