Chapter 47 Somewhat Familiar Girl
Snapping out of his thoughts, Colton gave a nod and replied, “Hello.”
He paused before asking, “Were you the one who carried Ivan back?”
Lilly responded, “Yeah.”
The little girl had rosy cheeks and baby fat. Her huge eyes were clear and bright. It was the cutest thing when she bobbed her head while talking.
Colton could not take his eyes away from her.
“Thank you. I’ll drop by with Ivan soon to formally thank you.” Although she was a child, Colton did not soften the tension along his facial lines.
The men in black behind him entered the tent and quickly carried the unconscious boy out.
Colton nodded at Anthony and was ready to leave when Lilly jumped in. “Mister, you can’t leave…”
With Pablo guiding at the side, Lilly read after him, “He’s got an unusual illness. You must come look for me if he doesn’t wake up.”
Colton nodded nonchalantly.
It was clear that he did not take her seriously.
She was simply a four-year-old. What could she do?
It was not like he could count on a girl to save Ivan if the professionals could not do anything.
Colton took Ivan along and left.
Watching as the fleet of cars drove away, Lilly could not wipe the worried look off her face.
Bettany said, “Alright. Let’s head back.”
The family intended to camp out overnight at the wetlands park so that Lilly could enjoy the camping trip, the night sky, and the morning dew.
After all that happened, Bettany felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster that she could not get out of. The thought that Ivan was kidnapped… It was better for the family to make haste home.
The Crawfords had a family meeting and decided to pack up and drive back to the Crawford Mansion overnight.
Lilly fell asleep on the road…
Meanwhile, Cheryl’s family also collected their things and left once the Crawfords and Shaws were gone.
Tina looked envious. “Sigh. Did you see Lilly just now? Mr. Shaw smiled at her… I can’t believe the girl’s dumb luck. How she stumbled upon the unconscious boy is beyond me!”
Thomas chimed in, “Yeah! Unlike the Crawford family who has three boys, the Shaw family has no sons except Ivan… Jeez. Now, whoever Ivan has his eyes on in the future is lucky…”
Slumping against the child’s seat, Cheryl pretended to be asleep as she paid attention to her parents’ conversation.
She felt that the world was unfair. Why was Lady Luck always smiling at Lilly?
Cheryl would be blessed with good fortune too if she was born into the Crawford family.
Hmph! What was the big deal anyway?
…
Lilly fell into a deep sleep.
She dreamed about the ghost she carried back.
The ghost stared at her with a blank but bloody face.
Lilly jolted awake in a shudder.
She ran downstairs barefooted and shouted, “Granny!”
Fixating on Lilly’s feet, Bettany said, “You’re up, Lilly. Why aren’t you wearing your shoes?”
Anthony was back at the office while Liam and Edward went to the police station to deal with the follow-up.
God knew where the others went as only Jonas sat at the dinner table in a casual T-shirt and jeans, sipping on coffee.
He took a glance at Lilly’s bare feet and uttered, “Come here.”
Lilly said hello before Jonas picked her up and put her down on the chair next to him.
She asked Bettany, “Granny, did the boy yesterday wake up yet?”
Bettany replied, “I don’t know… Hang on. Let me make a phone call.”
Lilly bobbed her head.
Leaning back against the chair, Jonas pushed his golden-framed glasses up and chuckled. “Are you so concerned about him, kiddo?”
Tch. The Crawford family had only reunited with the precious girl, and now a boy had stolen her heart?
Lilly looked at her uncle.
While Jonas was good-looking, he looked like a bad man when he smiled.
“Uncle Jonas, saving a life is a doorway to heaven, do you know that?” Lilly earnestly answered, applying her knowledge to real life.
She dreamed about the boy and wondered whether he was dead or alive…
Jonah roared in laughter before nonchalantly picking up the jug to pour Lilly a glass of milk.
He then slid a plate of breakfast across the table to Lilly.
“Eat.”
His slender finger knocked against the table, hinting Lilly to pick up the pace.
With Lilly’s tummy rumbling, she could feel the hunger. She picked up a toast and bit into it.
Bettany happened to return and said, “Oh, Lilly. I just called them and heard back that Ivan isn’t awake yet.”
The old lady sighed.
Not only was the boy still unconscious, but it was said that he also stopped breathing this morning. He was rushed to the emergency room…
…
On the top floor of a private hospital across the city, Colton stood outside the emergency room, pursing his lips as he looked outside the window.
Sitting next to him was a woman. The woman rose to her feet not too long later and paced around outside the emergency room.
She was Ivan’s mother – Melody.
Colton paused before acting a little rusty in consoling her. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.”
Contrary to her name, Melody was hasty in nature. She peevishly snapped, “My son is in there. How can I not be worried?”
Colton had no words.
He quietly rubbed his nose.
Just then, the door of the operating theater flung open. The doctor walked out with a solemn look.
“Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, we have tried out best…”
With Melody going weak in the knees, Colton held her up and locked her in his arms.
Melody said in a trembling voice, “No way…”
The doctor shook his head. “You must prepare yourselves for the worst.”
Ivan had suffered a loss of blood when he was sent to the hospital. They had given him blood.
However, for some reason, his vitals were stable, but his breathing grew weaker.
“We have run all the tests we could, but nothing abnormal showed up on the reports…. Ivan’s turning blue in the face as if he’s poisoned, but the test results indicated no toxins in his system.
“There is no explanation for his sudden weight loss. He came in last night, weighing 60 pounds, but now he’s only 50 pounds heavy…”
The doctors scrambled their heads and could not figure out where the ten pounds in weight disappeared to.
It was a condition unseen and unheard of…
“I would suggest bringing Ivan home and making final arrangements so that he can live his last moments comfortably…”
It was the last thing the doctor would recommend as Colton may be an influential figure in Clodston. However, the doctor knew the child was beyond rescue.
Even God could not save him.
It was better for the boy to pass away at home than suffer in the hospital with tubes hanging out of him.
Tears streamed down Melody’s face.
Colton pursed his lips as his mind harked back to Lilly’s words.
He’s got an unusual illness. You must come look for me if he doesn’t wake up…
Having made up his mind, Colton uttered, “Come on. Let’s take Ivan back.”
Melody was devastated…
