Chapter 11: Let Dad Marry You
Chapter 11: Let Dad Marry You
Inside the Hopewell Hospital...
Precious stood beside Wendy's hospital bed, clutching her hand as she stared at the woman's bandaged head.
Tears were streaming down the girl's face, and her sorrow was real this time.
Her eyes had turned red and blotch as she choked in her sobs.
"Don't cry, Precious."
"Uncle Luke," she sniffed and looked up at him.
"Beautiful Auntie will be fine, won't she?" Luke ached for his niece.
He reached out to hold her and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Everything will be okay.Didn't you hear what your Uncle Leo just said? Beautiful Auntie just suffered some minor bruising and a slight concussion.She will be fine after resting for a couple of days." His words did not stop her from crying though.
"But still! She bled a lot."
"Don't worry.Hasn't she stopped bleeding now?" Precious bawled harder.
"You're lying! My pet Snow died because it hit the wall and bled a lot! You all told me it was just sleeping but it never woke up! Waah...Beautiful Auntie was hurt only because she was trying to save me."
The girl shook free from her uncle and sobbed harder at Wendy's bedside.Luke turned to his brother helplessly.
"I can't do it, Ryan.You comfort your own daughter!" Ryan was standing on the other side of the bed, and he now frowned at the unconscious woman occupying it.
His expression was cold.
"Luke."
"Yes?"
"Change all the bodyguards around Precious."
Luke's face instantly became serious.
"Right away!"
His daughter had sneaked out of the office sometime after the audition without him or his brother knowing.
Since she always had bodyguards tailing her wherever she went, both Ryan and Luke had not worried much about Precious.
Little had they expected that this minor negligence on their part would bring heavy consequences. If it hadn't been for Wendy Finch, the little girl would have died.
"Daddy!"
"Come here."
Still sobbing, Precious walked into Ryan's open arms.
"Daddy, Auntie will be fine, won't she?"
"Yes.She will be waking up soon, I promise."
The girl's tears lessened at her father's assurance.
Luke could only gape at them, speechless.
What the hell? He had laid on thick with his charm and tried to cajole his niece, all to no avail.
His brother, on the other hand, only said a few words and she had quieted already! Luke suddenly felt like he wanted to cry, too.
The difference was just too much! Wendy woke up in pain.
Her head was pounding, as if someone was hitting it rhythmically with a large hammer.
She opened her eyes and started to reach out to touch her head.
"Don't move!"
Her hand had been pinned back down on the bed, and Wendy turned to see the person sitting on the chair beside the bed.
He was tall and...he seemed familiar in some way...Oh.
She remembered now.This man was that little girl's father.
"Where is that little girl? Is she okay?"
"She's fine!"
Luke interjected from the middle of the room and pointed at the sofa next to the hospital bed.
"She exhausted herself by crying so hard for so long; she's fast asleep now."
Following the direction of his finger, Wendy found the girl curled up in the sofa and sleeping soundly.A man's suit jacket was draped over her, and her tiny eyebrows were wrinkled into a tight frown.
If she had been able to look more closely, she would have seen beads of tears still nestled in the corner of the girl's eyes.As it was, Wendy sighed in relief before trying to sit up.
"Don't move!" Ryan said again, pressing against her shoulder.
"Uh..." Sensing the tension between the two, Luke rushed over, anxious.
"Miss Finch, the doctor said that you have a slight concussion. You need to stay in bed and rest properly."
"Oh.Okay then." No wonder she felt dizzy.
"What are the conditions?" Ryan asked out of the blue.
Wendy frowned at his expressionless face, not comprehending what he had said.
Once again, Luke stepped in.This time, he acted as an interpreter.
"What my brother is trying to say, Miss Finch, is that you saved our Precious. If you have any conditions as payment for this favor, please don't hesitate to tell us."
The corners of Wendy's mouth twitched. The girl's father sure didn't beat around the bush.
Well, for now, she had a splitting headache.
"Please pay the medical fees for me," she said calmly.
"Of course, that's to be expected," Luke replied.
"What else?"
"That's all." Luke looked from the woman to his brother, then back at her again.
"That's all?"
After all, Ryan was not the type to easily offer favors to other people.This would be a most advantageous opportunity, but why wasn't this woman asking for anything? Was she stupid? If so, then she was apparently among the stupidest.
"Miss Finch, why don't you think it over some more?" Wendy finally touched the gauze wrapped around her head, her movements slow.
"There's no need to repay me," she said, smiling bitterly.
"I don't know why I did it either.All I knew at that moment was I couldn't let the little girl get hurt.If it were to happen again, I doubt I would have the courage to do the same thing.Besides, I've grown fond of that little girl.We might have been destined to meet from the start.Saving her life is no big deal."
But then she sighed after speaking.
She was injured, and on the head, no less! How would she be able to join the shoot tomorrow? More importantly, how was she supposed to explain all of this to her son? Alas! This whole situation was just too depressing.
Oh, yes! Her son! She didn't know how long she had been in a coma.
Ray and Roger were probably still waiting for her news back at Studio City! Wendy sat up abruptly and immediately felt dizzy.
She clutched at the hospital bed guard and asked, "Where's my phone?"
"Here." Ryan handed her the device.
Wendy unlocked the screen, but it was all black.
The damned thing didn't have any power! How could this happen? What was she to do now? "What time is it?"
she asked Ryan, worry evident in her face. Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.
"Twenty minutes past three in the afternoon."
She had gone to the audition at ten in the morning.
More than five hours had passed since then! Ray hadn't heard from her in so long; how anxious her boy must be right now.
Noticing her anxiety, Ryan leaned over.
"They will be here soon," he said in a low voice.
"What?" Luke sighed and interpreted his brother's words again.
"He means that he has informed your friend of the circumstances just before your phone died.He should be on his way here and you will be seeing him soon."
Wendy glanced at Ryan, feeling at a loss.
Was this man incapable of speaking clearly? Nevertheless, she supposed she should be relieved.
There was only one person on her phone's contact list, so she was sure that it was Roger they had spoken with.
She decided to stay put as she waited for Roger and Ray to come.
She did just that, in addition to saying nothing.
The ward fell into an awkward silence.
But not everyone was feeling awkward, as a matter of fact.
Wendy was troubled by the prospect of explaining everything to her son, but Ryan personally thought it was nothing to fret over.
Luke, meanwhile, felt embarrassed by the whole setup.
Shortly after, Precious woke up.
She rubbed her eyes in daze before something occurred to her.
She jumped down from the sofa and looked up to see Wendy sitting up against the pillows on the hospital bed.
The little girl promptly burst into tears.
"Waah!! Auntie, you're finally awake!" She rushed over to the bedside and grabbed Wendy's hand.
"Auntie, you really scared me!" In spite of herself, Wendy's heart ached at the sight.
She patted the top of Precious’ head.
"Don't cry.I'm fine.Look."
"But you're not!"
Precious wailed and pointed at Wendy's head.
"You have stitches up there! You will have scars! You will be disfigured and ugly."
Wendy couldn't say anything to that, but her lips twitched again.
Who had taught this little girl about such talk? > Whatever she might have thought then was drowned out anyway, since Precious had decided to start bawling again.
"Auntie, it's all because you saved me.Don't worry! I will make my father take responsibility for it!"
"Uh...Huh?"
"You saved me, so in gratitude, I will make my father marry you!"