Chapter75Rushing Home
Slowly sitting up, supporting himself on his forearms, a sharp pain flared from the wound on his chest. Since he was back at headquarters, the bullet must have been removed.
Without finding his cell phone, he eased himself out of bed and opened the door to his room.
Victor had posted two men at the door, who, seeing him stir, quickly went to inform Victor. It didn't take long for Victor to rush in, finding Matthew sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Matthew, you're awake? Why don't you lie back down, man? You shouldn't be up right after surgery."
Victor eyed Matthew sitting there, the white bandage around his chest already showing a hint of blood - it seemed he had pushed himself off the bed and disturbed his stitches.
"It's nothing. I'm not going to die. Where's my phone?" Matthew inquired. Tomorrow was the first day of kindergarten, and he had promised Hannah he would attend the open day for parents.
"It's here. I'll go get it for you." Victor responded, going back to retrieve Matthew's phone from the coat pocket.
Matthew took his phone and scrolled through Facebook, where Hannah had sent him several voice messages and a barrage of cute emojis.
He tapped on the voice message and heard the sweet voice of Hannah Garcia. "Dad, did you have dinner?"
And another, "Dad, Mom took Quentin and me to plant cacti today. We each planted one. Let's see whose grows faster."
After listening to both messages and carefully looking at every emoji Hannah sent, he finally pocketed his phone.
"Book me a private jet. I need to get back to Horizon City now."
"Matthew, why the rush? You were shot just inches from your heart. You could've died, do you understand that? Plus, you've just come out of surgery. Long-distance flying is not a good idea right now."
Victor flatly refused, a stern look on his face.
"Hannah and Quentin have their first day of school tomorrow – I promised them I'd be back."
Matthew didn't want to break his promise, and he trusted Kevin's medical skills. If the surgery was successful, there shouldn't be any serious complications.
He had been careless this time. Ever since he learned Madison was thinking of leaving, he'd been distracted. His reactions were slower than usual, so he let his guard get breached.
"You..." Victor was at a loss for words. Knowing Matthew's stubbornness, he resigned to arranging the private flight instead of arguing. Making sure Matthew's trip back was properly organized was better than a futile debate.
Half an hour later, everything was set. Victor personally drove Matthew to the airport.
"Did you find the person?" Matthew asked on the way.
"We've got them locked up in the basement. Haven't had the chance to interrogate yet."
"It must have been those thugs from the O'Reilly crew," Matthew mused, recalling a brief encounter with the perpetrator when their paths crossed inside the building. His mind had been preoccupied lately, and he hadn't given it much thought until he woke up and remembered.
"I was thinking the same thing. We’ll drag the guy over to them when the time comes," his associate said.
"All right, Matthew, you head back home. I’ve got things covered here."
It took him nearly eight hours to finally reach Horizon City. By that time, it was past 10 in the morning.
Straight off the plane, Matthew rushed to the daycare.
*
Hannah noticed that Dad hadn’t come home the day before school started. He hadn’t responded to her messages or calls. When she asked Madison, all she knew was that Dad was on a business trip and didn’t know when he'd be back. Hannah believed Dad would take her to school, so she stayed up all night waiting for him to return, but she fell asleep without hearing him.
The following day, Madison woke the kids up early. As soon as Hannah got out of bed, she asked, "Mom, is Dad back?"
When Madison told her he wasn't, the young girl pouted and said, "Dad promised he'd be here. He said he'd come with my brother and me to the open house at school. He must be waiting for us at the school gate. Let’s hurry up."
"Uncle Patrick said Dad had to go on a business trip, right? He might be too busy with work to come back in time. How about Mom and your godmother take you to the school?" Madison assumed Matthew wouldn't make it back on time.
Hannah was convinced Dad would be waiting for her at the school, so after breakfast, she couldn't wait to put on her little backpack, take hold of her mother’s and brother's hands, and head out the door.
As they were about to leave, they heard the sound of a car.
Hannah hurriedly opened the door and saw Rachel pulling up in her car.
Quentin followed, grinning, and said, "Godmother, you made it!"
"Yes, it's your first day, and your godmother’s here to take you," Rachel responded.
"Thanks, godmother."
Rachel looked up at Hannah, standing behind Quentin, her lips puckered in a sign of displeasure.
"What's wrong, Hannah? Pouting on the first day of school? Unhappy?" Rachel asked.
Quentin explained to their godmother, "She probably thought it was Dad, so she's a little disappointed."
"Does having Dad around mean you no longer love your godmother?" Rachel teased Hannah Garcia with a playful smile.
"No, it's not that, godmother. Dad promised to come but didn’t come home last night."
"He might be waiting for you at the school's entrance," Rachel consoled her, seeing the disappointment on her face.
Hannah's smile quickly returned. "That's what I'm thinking too. Dad must be waiting for us at the entrance. Come on, godmother, let's hurry."
Madison watched her daughter affectionately and chuckled as she opened the car door. The three of them settled into the back seat while Rachel drove toward the school.
Upon reaching the school, Rachel parked in the parking lot at the entrance since they couldn't drive in.
After getting out of the car, Hannah started searching for her Dad, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find him.
After several rounds and seeing the other children entering the school with their parents, the area outside had nearly emptied.
Finally, Hannah accepted the truth with a heavy heart that her Dad hadn't shown up.
Madison crouched down to comfort her daughter. "Honey, let’s go in for now, okay? Dad probably had something urgent to do. We can meet him on Parents’ Day next time, right?"
"Let’s head inside, sweetheart. Mom, godmother, and your big brother are all here with you," Quentin added, trying to lift his sister's spirits.
"Okay," Hannah murmured, her head bowed, still feeling down as she followed her mom, brother, and godmother into the school.
Hannah and Quentin were in the same class. They met up with their classmates in the room while the parents waited outside. Then, the teachers led the children to find their parents, who took them on a school tour.
The visit ended with a parent-child field day in the schoolyard, with fun sports activities where every kid could participate, and the top three winners would receive prizes.
Madison and Rachel accompanied Hannah around the school, marveling at the prestigious institution's advanced facilities and idyllic environment. The teachers narrated as they went along, and the two concluded in admiration that It must be nice to have money.
After the tour, they joined everyone at the athletic field. Quentin participated in a bouncing ball contest. It was a pair event, with a parent and child team competing to see who could bounce a ball most often within a minute. The pair with the highest combined count would win.
Quentin paired up with his mom for the first round while Hannah and her godmother energetically cheered from the sidelines.
Seeing her brother and mom win the second prize, Hannah leaped with joy.
Turning her head, she spotted Matthew strolling casually along the edge of the field.
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