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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Sick Child
Last Updated:
2023-09-13 13:27:28
IcyDandelionDear readers, I'm sorry about the mistake earlier made in this chapter by mixing up two chapters from different books. Also, sorry for taking so long to notice. Thanks to those who pointed it out.
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A sense of dread coursed through Scott when he heard the sober tone of the doctor. He sat up on the couch as his palm suddenly became sweaty. "What is it, doc?""I carried out some tests yesterday. Cora said that Tommy had been stooling yesterday morning, so I had to take some of the fecal matter alongside his blood sample. I carried out some tests yesterday and..." the doctor paused."And what?" Scott's patience ran out. "What did you find?""It seems that Tommy has a kidney infection.""I beg your pardon? What the hell did you just say?" Scott felt he had heard wrong. But after the doctor repeated his words, his phone fell from his hand. He crashed back on the couch as tears stung his eyes.He turned his head to look at Tommy's sleeping face. How could this be? Why the hell was this happening? His precious boy was suffering from a kidney infection? This has got to be some kind of a mistake!With great doubt, Scott picked up the phone again and pressed it to his ear. The doctor was y
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A strange gust of wind blew into the reception hall after that angry voice. Scott froze when he saw his ex-wife scowling at him as if she was going to rip him apart any moment from now.Still oblivious, he uttered, "Zara, what are you doing here?"Zara tilted her head back in disgusted confusion. "What am I doing here? Did you seriously ask me that? You are holding my son's hand and you are asking me such a silly question!""What?" Scott looked down at Jayden and then back at his ex-wife. "This is your son?""Hey, Mommy!" Jayden squealed and ran to his mother before Scott could get an answer.Zara picked him up and held him tightly. She looked at him all over. "Did he hurt you, baby? I thought I told you not to talk to strangers. What were you doing with him?""He's not a stranger, Mommy. That's Tommy's father. You wanted to meet him on Monday, remember?"It wasn't until then that Zara realized what was going on here. The Tommy her son had spoken about with so much excitement was actu
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The grimace Cora had caused visible cracks in her heavy makeup. Her forehead had wrinkles as if she was some old hag. Oblivious to this, she stepped into the room while shooting Zara a hard glare. "Are you deaf? What are you doing here? And who the hell let you in?""I did!" A male voice came from the door before Zara could respond.Cora turned around and saw Scott holding two ice cream cones in his hands. He frowned at her as he walked in. "Have you forgotten that this is a hospital? Keep your voice down, will you?"In a fit of pique, Cora turned to Scott. "You knew about this? How could you allow her to come in? What business does she have with my son? With us!""Hold your horses, Cora." Scott shot her a searing glare. "How can I explain if you can't even keep calm for a second? Don't you know how to behave even in front of kids?"Hearing this, Cora's face flushed with embarrassment. She glanced at the bed and saw that Tommy and Jayden were looking at her with disappointed eyes."I'
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Half an hour later, Jayden reached out to hold his mother's hand as he lay on a hospital bed in a private ward. "Don't look so sad, Mommy. It doesn't hurt anymore. I am fine."Zara sniffed hard and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She had been crying since she saw blood oozing out of her son's mouth. While the doctor tried to stop the bleeding, she had cried with Jayden. Anyone who heard their wails from outside would have thought it was two people that got hurt.Now, Jayden was admitted on the doctor's orders so the swelling of his gums can be monitored. The little boy currently managed a smile as he stared at his sobbing mother."I'm sorry, dearie. I'll stop crying now," Zara said, sniffing hard.She then leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "I need you to be very honest with me as usual. When you fell, it was because Tommy's mother extended her leg in your way, right?"Jayden looked away briefly, unwilling to speak. But when his mother gave his hand a squeeze, he loo
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Zara suddenly had a splitting headache when she heard that. She froze and sucked in a quick breath as Scott flashed her an even more provocative smile. She watched him walk away. How in God's name did he find out about George's sexuality? Has this man been stalking her and everyone close to her for years now?No matter how hard Zara tried, she couldn't shake off the thought of being spied on. Scott knew things he shouldn't. She feared for George and his career. As a result, she called him. She told him all that Scott said."You don't have to worry about me, Zee. I'm already building a career here. If Scott likes, he can broadcast the news. Chances are that he will be labeled a fool for outing me. I'm just worried that you will be roped into the whole drama."Hearing this, Zara exhaled deeply. She knew what he went through before he decided to go back to the States two years ago. His mother had found out about his sexuality and they had a big fight. He abandoned everything he had here
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An ear-splitting cry brought Zara and Scott back to reality. Zara pulled away from him so swiftly as if he was some tall pole of fire. Combing her hair with her fingers, she blinked severally while avoiding his eyes."How could you do this to me, Scott?" Cora cried as she marched over with an ugly grimace.She then turned to Zara. "And you! Why the fuck were you in my man's arms!""Stop being delusional, Cora. You think I threw myself into his arms? That's far from what happened. It was a mere accident!" Baring her teeth, Cora moved closer and stabbed her finger just above Zara's chest. She then said word for word, "You are a lying thot. I just saw you staring at him with dreamy eyes while you were in his arms but you say it was a mere accident? Do you take me for a fool?""No, I don't!" Zara retorted, "I actually think you are just a delusional and blind bat. What dreamy eyes are you talking about? What's so special about Scott that would make me stare at him like that?""Zara, are
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"What? How can you make such an assumption?" Scott uttered, looking absolutely flustered.Cora was no fool. She noticed the change in his expression and got more suspicious. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she stood on tiptoes to look him in the eye. "That doesn't answer my question, Scott. Is Zara the reason why you have been so closed off to me? Are you in love with her?"Scott looked away without uttering a word. He was surprised at himself. Turns out, he didn't even know the answer to these questions. Why was he feeling so regretful, yet so angry since Zara reappeared? Was this some kind of—"Answer me!" Cora screamed, breaking his train of thought."Beat it, young woman!" He scolded her. "Stop raising your voice here. This is a hospital, remember?"Cora shook her head vigorously. "I won't stop until you answer my questions, Scott. Why is it so hard for you to answer? Do you have feelings for that bitch? Yes or no?""No!" he yelled and took a deep breath. He then opened his arms.
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It had been a couple of days since Tommy was certified fit to return home. Although he was still on medication, he was getting stronger by the day. The doctor had given Scott some good news when he was in torment the other day.According to him, the infection had been gotten rid of and Tommy's good kidney was gradually picking up function. After a series of more tests to be sure, he was sent home with a list of foods to avoid and also vitamins he needed to take daily.Scott was more than happy to see Tommy return to his old self. When they were having lunch a day after returning home, Tommy politely asked, "Daddy, can I attend Jayden's birthday party? He told me about it before he left the hospital. It's going to be fun!""Oh, is that so?" Scott mumbled between mouthfuls while stealing a glance at Cora. Just as he had expected, she was wearing a frown."Can I go, Daddy?" Cora suddenly dropped her pair of cutlery. Before Scott could say another word, she said, "Honey, how about we go
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Time seemed to stop as Zara let out a scream that reached the ears of the policemen outside the gate. She lost the sense of her surroundings as she looked at Scott's face. Even the gunshots from nearby and the thud that came moments later didn't draw her attention.Her tears fell on his face. He stretched his bloodstained lips again, flashing his red teeth at her. Coughing, he muttered, "Take care of Jayden. I love you two… So so much."Zara nodded her head. "I will. I'll take care of him. But don't leave me. Let's take care of him together, okay? I can't live without you. Stay with me, okay? I love you, Scott. Always have."Still smiling, Scott raised his hand and touched her face. He held her gaze for seconds which seemed like minutes. His hand slowly dropped. Zara held on to it and continued to tell him to stay with her.But at this moment, his eyes slowly closed. Zara's cry increased in tempo alongside Jayden's. The little boy was just as horrified as his mother. Zara shook Scott'
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All of a sudden, a loud noise came from not too far away. Portia and Cora looked in the direction of the exit."What was that?" they uttered at the same time.A gunshot came from a distance above. It was followed by several thuds, louder than the first one."It's the police! You are surrounded. Surrender right now!" a shout came from above.Portia immediately swung into action. "Stay here! I don't think they have found this place. I'll go handle them. Don't let these two get away, okay?"Being instructed, Cora nodded her head even though she was shaking. She sat on the ground while still holding Jayden's hands together. Portia quickly headed for the entrance with the knife still in her hand.Outside, several policemen broke down the door of the house with multiple battering ram. They took several positions while the best of them matched into the kitchen with guns.The door of the pantry was kicked down in the blink of an eye. They broke into twos, looking around in the pantry. A duo s
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"That shoe!" Scott's eyes widened as he leaned forward. He zoomed in on the live footage to have a better look. The other men also opened their eyes wide. Their eyes were on Portia's pair of blue and white trainers."I have seen that shoe somewhere before," Scott mumbled as he began typing on the keyboard again. Another tab opened. He clicked on the surveillance video Portia had given to them. Without wasting time, he looked at the footwear Zara had on when she arrived at the Andersons' home. It was a pair of pink and black sneakers. Quickly, he fast-forwarded the video to when she was leaving. Strangely, her footwear was no longer pink and black. It was blue and white!Scott increased the brightness level of the screen and zoomed in more just to make sure he wasn't mistaken. The footwear had indeed changed."Holy smokes!" Anthony exclaimed at the mystery that was unfolding before him.In silence, Scott scrolled up the body of "Zara". It was at this moment he noticed that the body s
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The person she was looking at was Scott. She imagined slapping him in that hard face of his for all the pain he caused her child. The nerve of him to show up here after everything!"Mrs. Anderson... Mrs. Anderson," Detective Marshall called out, snapping his fingers.Finally, Portia drew her gaze away from Scott. She looked back at the cop and said, "Can't we talk here?""I'm afraid, no. I also need to speak to your daughter."Portia turned. "I could call her out.""No, there's no need. To the best of my knowledge, she's under house arrest, I don't want to stress her more than she already is. Also, she could get into trouble with her probation officer. Just let us in. Or is there something you don't want to see in there?"Hearing this, Portia's face changed immediately. She eyed him and then turned around. She walked into the house, leaving the door open. The four men walked in immediately.As soon as they entered, Scott's eyes swept around the house. He walked around while the others
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"Mommy!" Jayden screamed as soon as he saw Zara sitting on the chair with her head hanging low. A rope was tied tightly around her. There was a dry patch of blood on her neck. Wisps of her hair stuck to her sweaty face. Her hands were tied together in front of her pelvis. Her collarbone was visible at this time, it was deeper than it had ever been. At the sight of his mother in this state, Jayden leaped to his feet and darted to her. Before he could get through the door of the cubicle where Zara was, Cora pushed him down with a smack. He fell to the dusty floor, hurting his back yet again. He screamed, "Aaaah!""Shut it!" Cora roared at him, raising her hand to hit him again.Jayden held his lips as he looked up at Cora with fear. His pale face instantly turned red. He coughed hard but still didn't let go of his lips. Suddenly, something caught his attention. He looked away from Cora. He soon screamed again, "Mommy!"Cora turned to look in the same direction as the little boy. She
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Cora drew her head back. Looking up at the ceiling, she let out an evil laughter that reverberated in the entire living room. There was a bloodstain on the figurine. The sight of it made her more joyful. She looked down at Zara again and smirked. "Stupid bitch!"The patter of flip-flops suddenly came from the side. It was followed by a scream-whisper, "Cora! Why did you do that?"Cora looked at her mother with a smile still on her face. "I told you she was going to come, Mom. She was about to search the whole house. I had to stop her."Holding her forehead, Portia didn't know what to say for a while. She looked upstairs to make sure Steven was nowhere in sight, then she asked, "How did she get here? Did she come in her car or taxi?""I don't know!" Cora shrugged. "Why do you ask?"Portia put two fingers on Zara's neck. After confirming that there was a pulse, she said, "Use your head, Cora! We can't just let her go. And if we keep her here, the cops are gonna come here. You could be s
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The mood in the Hall family's home was sadder than it had ever been in more than fifteen years when Zara's parents died. At the time, many people were crying, but today, it was a one-man crying marathon.Zara, who hadn't taken a shower since the day of Jayden's kidnap, dragged herself from the sofa and sat on the cold floor. Her crying increased in tempo. She dragged her greasy hair and scratched her red face. She looked like a woman who had just lost her husband.Mia moved closer and reached out. "You need to stop crying, Zara. You have been crying for more than two days.""If I don't cry, what else can I do? Eh! What else can I do? My son is missing. And the police keep telling me stories upon stories without having a single clue as the where Jayden is. Yet, I am not supposed to cry?" Zara asked sniffing hard.She suddenly slapped Mia's hand off her shoulder. "Leave me alone. Let me cry!"On the sofa opposite the two young ladies, Karen was seated in casual clothes. Her eyes were he
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"Yes!" Scott punched the air as he stared at the masterpiece he had made. There was a big smile on his face at this moment. He had taken the day off work and spent the entire morning and noon painting the huge Spiderman figure on the wall of a spare room.With one of his hands on his hip, he muttered to himself, "I just have to put a child's bed here and make it more comfortable. Then, I have to convince Zara to allow him stay the night a few times."The thought of bringing up the topic made Scott shiver. He could already imagine her shooting him a deathly glare. But he was going to give it a shot anyway. "She can't kill me, can she?"Scott chuckled as he imagined her agreeing after his incessant pleas. "She can be very stubborn, but once I make her see the good in this, she will surely agree."As Scott continued to talk to himself, there was a knock on the door. The nanny's voice came from outside, "Mr. Brown, your phone has been ringing. Sorry to disturb you."Scott turned to look a
