Free Web NovelChapter 255: Chapter 255: Psychological Trauma
They say your worst fears always come true. That was precisely the situation Su Li found herself in.
Su Li fought to control herself, but she couldn’t contain her fear and emotions.
"This can’t be happening. I saved him. How could he be mute? It’s impossible..."
Su Li stepped forward and hugged Little Tang Mo. "Little Mo, please don’t scare Mommy. Just say ’Mommy’ once, okay?" freёweɓnovel.com
Tears streamed down Little Tang Mo’s face even faster. Seeing Su Li’s expression, he began to struggle, curling into a ball and trying to hide behind the door.
The doctor rushed to stop Su Li. "Su Li, you need to calm down. Calm down, don’t get so worked up."
But how could Su Li possibly calm down?
"Doctor, you said Little Mo was all better. Please, check him again. Maybe he isn’t fully healed."
Su Li grabbed the doctor’s hand, her eyes full of hope.
The doctor glanced at Little Tang Mo behind the door, then back at Su Li, feeling a profound sense of helplessness.
"Little Mo’s throat is basically healed. He should be able to speak. He’s just not talking..."
The doctor lowered his voice. "The reason he’s not talking has nothing to do with his throat injury. It’s..."
"No, it can’t be like this... I rescued him from those traffickers. He’s not supposed to be mute, he can’t be! After everything I went through... why is it still like this? Why..."
Su Li sank to the floor, completely drained of strength.
The doctor couldn’t quite make out what Su Li was saying, but her despair and fear were palpable.
"We can’t jump to conclusions. Please, don’t be like this. I’ll call in some specialists from other departments for a consultation. We’ll figure it out after they’ve had a look, alright?"
The doctor moved to help Su Li up. "Don’t cry. You’re going to scare the child."
Hearing this, Su Li quickly covered her mouth. "I didn’t mean to..."
The doctor looked at Su Li, then at Little Tang Mo, and his heart ached with sympathy.
"It’s okay, it’s okay. Come on, get up."
Leaning on his support, Su Li got to her feet. She took one deep breath after another, desperately trying to calm herself.
"Little Mo, did I scare you just now? It’s okay, don’t be afraid. Come, let Mommy hold you..."
Su Li wiped her tears away with her sleeve, forced a smile, and reached out to embrace Little Tang Mo.
Little Tang Mo curled into a ball behind the door, desperately shaking his head.
’He understood everything. He knew why Su Li was crying. He knew it was because he couldn’t speak.’
’He wanted to speak, too, but he just couldn’t get the words out.’
’He just couldn’t make a sound...’
Watching Su Li cry, watching her force a smile as she reached for him, only made Little Tang Mo’s own pain worse.
Tears streamed down his face as he shook his head repeatedly. His mouth opened and closed, silently mouthing "I’m sorry."
’I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Mommy...’
’I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t mean to scare Mommy.’
’I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.’
Little Tang Mo opened his mouth and tried desperately to shout, desperately trying to speak, but he still couldn’t make a single sound.
"Little Mo, don’t rush. We don’t have to talk, okay? Let’s not talk anymore. Little Mo, stop trying..."
Su Li saw his desperate movements clearly, and her heart twisted in agony.
Tears streamed down her face again, beyond her control. "Little Mo, don’t talk. We’re not in a hurry. We’re not. Come, let Mommy hold you..."
Little Tang Mo shook his head frantically and tried to shout a few more times. When he realized he still couldn’t make a sound...
Overwhelmed with anguish and frustration, he slammed the back of his head against the wall.
"Little Mo, don’t...!"
A wave of profound grief washed over Su Li.
She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Little Tang Mo to shield his head.
"Little Mo, don’t, don’t..."
"It’s okay, Little Mo, it’s okay. If you can’t speak, you can’t speak. It’s alright..."
Little Tang Mo kept shaking his head frantically, his whole body rigid with tension, his face a mask of agony. Holding him, Su Li could no longer hold back her own sobs and began to wail. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The doctor, who had been about to reach for Su Li’s arm, froze in place.
He straightened up, blinked his slightly reddened eyes, and slapped his own forehead hard.
’Why didn’t I notice something was wrong sooner? Why!’
The doctor waved his hand, shooing away the curious onlookers who had gathered at the door. "Move along."
After they left, he spoke to the nurse outside.
"Go get Doctor Li and Dr. Zhao for a consultation. As long as they’re not in an emergency, tell them to come here first."
The nurse, sensing the urgency of the situation, nodded quickly. "Right away."
Just as the doctor was about to close the door, a sharp-looking young man abruptly blocked his way.
"Who are you?"
The doctor had barely gotten the words out before he was forcefully shoved aside.
"Su Li." Wu Sheng had been waiting in the room. When he sensed something was wrong, he came out to check and heard Su Li’s crying from a distance.
Wu Sheng burst into the room.
When he saw Su Li and Little Tang Mo behind the door, Wu Sheng’s expression changed.
His fists clenched unconsciously, the knuckles cracking. Without a word, he knelt and pulled both Su Li and Little Tang Mo into his embrace.
"Don’t cry, I’m here now..."
"Don’t cry..."
He patted Su Li’s back, then patted Little Tang Mo’s back.
Noticing how unbelievably tense Little Tang Mo’s body was, he frowned and began to gently rub the boy’s back.
"Don’t be afraid, Little Point. Uncle is here..."
Once Su Li and Little Tang Mo had calmed down a bit, Wu Sheng glanced toward the doctor’s office, then bent down and lifted both of them into his arms.
In a few large strides, Wu Sheng placed Su Li and Little Tang Mo on the hospital bed.
"What happened?"
Wu Sheng asked in a low voice without turning his head.
The doctor, who had been watching Wu Sheng, sighed. "The child can’t speak."
The doctor glanced at his watch. "I’ve already called for other doctors. We’ll have a consultation immediately."
Wu Sheng let out a deep breath and turned to look at Su Li and Little Tang Mo.
"Su Li?"
Su Li clutched Little Tang Mo tightly, taking one deep breath after another before responding, "Mmm."
"I heard," she said, wiping furiously at her tears. "I heard everything."
"Don’t panic just yet. Let’s wait for the results of the consultation."
Wu Sheng held Su Li’s shoulders, silently comforting her, and turned back to ask the doctor.
"Where will the consultation be?"
"It’s upstairs. You’ll need to step out for a while during the consultation."
"No problem," Wu Sheng nodded.
「Half an hour later, Wu Sheng was sitting with Su Li outside the consultation room.」
Su Li sat without a word, like a statue.
She said nothing, but anyone could see the pain and despair radiating from her.
At a time like this, words of comfort were meaningless.
Wu Sheng didn’t say anything either, just quietly sat beside her.
Nearly an hour later, the door to the consultation room opened.
Su Li shot to her feet.
"The initial diagnosis is that the boy’s inability to speak isn’t physiological. It’s psychological."
The doctor’s expression was grim. "After being suddenly treated that way by the grandmother who raised him, the mental and emotional trauma is far more severe than his physical injuries."
In short, Little Tang Mo’s psychological trauma was far more severe than his physical wounds.
"Based on the current situation, we can surmise that during the abuse, his grandmother may have forbidden him from speaking, or that speaking was always met with pain. So..."
"I know what’s going on." Su Li cut the doctor off. In her past life, psychological trauma had been the very thing that had made Tang Mo mute.
"What I care about is, can he be cured? When will he get better?"
The doctor was silent for a moment and then shook his head.
"I don’t know. I’m not an expert in this area. But don’t give up hope. Maybe he’ll get better after some time."
Su Li closed her eyes.
’Right, maybe he’ll get better after some time. Or maybe... he’ll never get better.’
