Chapter 556 The Whole Family Is Together Now
"I…" Stuart tried to calm his emotions and said, "I'm sorry, Chicago. I've had a head injury, and I can't remember the past."
Chicago's lip quivered as tears streamed down her face.
She gently stroked Stuart’s head and soothed him, "Did you hurt your head? Does it hurt a lot?"
Stuart shook his head, then patted Chicago on the back. "No more crying, kiddo. Uncle's fine now, it doesn’t hurt at all."
"What's going on? Why is Chicago crying?"
At that moment, Janna, hearing the commotion, hastily ended her ongoing video conference and rushed out of the home office.
Upon hearing Janna’s voice, Stuart immediately looked up.
Janna stood in the doorway, immediately spotting the man holding Chicago.
She froze on the spot.
"Grandma..."
Fiona jogged up to Janna’s side.
"Stuart?" Janna asked in disbelief.
"Yes, yes, it’s Stuart!" Lilian, standing behind Janna, exclaimed with surprise. "He has lost so much weight! I almost didn’t recognize him!"
Ignoring Lilian's comment, Janna approached Stuart and gently touched his warm cheek, noticing the long scar on his forehead. "Where have you been? Why didn’t you come home if you were alive? I’ve been worried sick!" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face and she smacked Stuart lightly on the chest.
"Grandma, Uncle Stuart hurt his head, and he can’t remember how to get home!" Chicago cried, trying to explain to Janna.
"What happened to his head?" Janna immediately became anxious. She stood on tiptoe, trying to get a closer look at Stuart’s head.
"Janna, let’s go inside first. Let him sit down and then you can take your time," Fiona said softly.
Janna nodded vigorously. She quickly ushered Stuart inside.
Stuart had two head injuries; while the scar on his forehead was visible, it was the small wound at the back of his head that was said to be the main cause of his memory loss.
"Fiona, quickly contact the neurology and brain specialists!" Janna instructed urgently after examining Stuart. "The memory loss is one thing, but we can’t have any lasting effects!"
"Janna, arrangements have already been made. In addition to several from abroad, tomorrow the top domestic experts will be coming to Bay City," Fiona replied quietly. "Please try to control your emotions; we don’t want you getting worked up now that Stuart’s back."
"Okay, I won’t," Janna said this, but her hand was already squeezing Stuart's arm. "He’s lost so much weight; he must have been through so much these past months! Lilian, let’s get a dietitian over here tomorrow, and find a chef to prepare meals specifically for Stuart!"
"Understood!" Lilian nodded excitedly.
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
Thalassa came barreling out, clearly in a rush. "Where's Stuart? Where is he?"
Stuart looked at Thalassa, confused.
Thalassa spotted him too. She couldn't quite believe what she was seeing and surveyed him from head to toe. "How did you… somehow get younger?"
Stuart's appearance had indeed changed - his frame had shrunk slightly, and his hair had grown out longer, making him look almost a decade younger.
"Hello... who are you?" Stuart had seen Thalassa before in the family portraits but at that moment, he couldn't figure out who Thalassa was.
"I'm a guest here," Thalassa introduced herself with a straight face. "You used to call me 'sister', and you can keep calling me that."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Janna snatched a pillow and threw it at Thalassa.
Thalassa caught it with a delighted grin. "Now that we're finally all together, hey, how did you find him? Didn't he vanish across the ocean? How did he magically show up in Bay City?"
Fiona briefly recounted the story of Stuart's rescue and eventual return. Then, she affectionately tousled Chicago's hair. Exhausted from crying, Chicago nestled in her arms. Fiona proudly continued, "And as for how we found him, all credit goes to Chicago here. She recognized Stuart in the crowd, even with his mask on, as he was going for a hospital check-up."
"Really?" Thalassa moved forward, scooped up Chicago into her arms, and hugged her. "Babe, you're that incredible?"
"That's Uncle Stuart, not some stranger," slurred Chicago, leaning into Thalassa's shoulder, nodding off yet determined to keep her eyes on Stuart, forcing herself not to fall asleep.
She'd had dreams before - dreams where Uncle Stuart returned. But upon waking up, Stuart was never truly there. So now, Chicago worried that she might be in yet another dream of Stuart's return.
But it was past her bedtime, and after a long day spent outside, she was thoroughly exhausted. Not long after, a sleepy yawn escaped her lips, and in Thalassa's embrace, she drifted off to sleep.
Thalassa whispered, "The heavy stone that's been weighing on Chicago's heart can finally be put to rest."
Darwin got up, took Chicago gently from Thalassa, and carried her upstairs to bed. Earlier, after learning that Stuart was alive and well, Charles had retreated to his room to read.
Charles came rushing over when he saw Darwin bringing back a tear-streaked Chicago. "Has she been crying for long?" he asked with concern.
"Yeah," Darwin admitted, his heart aching a bit. It made him sad, especially knowing that Chicago seemed to prefer Stuart's company.
"Stuart was there as she grew up; it's only natural that she'd be more attached to him," Charles said, offering some understanding.
Darwin paused for a second, a moment of confusion fleeting across his face. Charles didn't look at him, but gently wiped away the tears from his sister's cheeks. "The sadness on your face is so clear, even a five-year-old could understand it," he said softly.
Darwin shook his head with a wry smile. "I can't help but feel regretful," he said, patting Charles on the head. "Dad missed out on so much."
Charles didn't meet his gaze, and simply replied, "You're doing just fine now. The past is the past, no need to dwell on it. Just don't make the same mistakes again."
Darwin immediately nodded in agreement. "I'll take your advice to heart, Charles!"
Charles gave Darwin a look as if he were looking at a fool, glanced at him once more, then went back to bed. "Goodnight, remember to turn off the lights when you leave."
Darwin chuckled in response. He then turned off the lights and left the children's room.
Fiona was just coming upstairs. "They asleep?" she asked.
"Yeah," replied Darwin as he walked over to her. "What brings you up?"
"Janna thought staying up late might hurt Stuart's brain, so she wrapped up the meeting early and sent him to rest," Fiona answered. She then glanced at the children's room, and then back at Darwin. "What was it I said?"
"About what?" Darwin asked, puzzled.
"About Chicago. Today was really a shock for me," Fiona whispered.
Darwin laughed. "Well, it seems we've always had a knack for finding people in Chicago... like how I was hit with an accurate throw of a little rubber ball on my first day back in the country!"
Fiona thought about it. It was true. "Anyway, thank heavens Stuart made it back alive. Our family’s only regret is finally gone!"
Indeed. It seemed like every issue that couldn't be resolved was now resolved. Everything that was hard to get past, was past. Stuart was back. Everything appeared to be moving in a better direction.
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