Free Web NovelChapter 184: Let’s Just Start Over
After Michael had his wound dressed by a doctor, he brought Jake to a small shop located in the hospital to buy some oranges. Wendy would realize they had been lying if they went back to the room empty-handed.
As they returned to the room, Wendy heard their footsteps and asked, "Have you gotten the oranges?"
Michael held up the bag in his hand and smiled, "Do you want some? I’ll peel it for you. The oranges look quite sweet."
He then took one out and peeled it, then plucked out one slice and held it to Wendy’s mouth. "Try it!"
Wendy opened her mouth and ate the slice of orange. It was indeed very sweet.
In contrast with the fact that Michael had been injured because of her, his attentiveness just made her feel even worse.
"Michael..." Wendy said, her tone serious.
"Yes?"
She was sure Michael would not tell her about his injury, so she decided to just come straight out and ask him about it. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"What did I hide from you?" Michael’s heartbeat sped up when he heard Wendy’s question. His first thought was that she had remembered the past.
"Have you been injured?" asked Wendy.
Michael heaved an inaudible sigh of relief when he heard her question. He admitted to himself he was afraid that Wendy would recall the past.
Their life now as a family of four was precious to him because he was able to stay with Wendy and take care of the three of them. However, if Wendy remembered the past, he was afraid she would not be able to forgive him.
After all, he had been such a jerk in the past.
"I’m okay. It’s just a small scratch, don’t worry." Michael put another slice of orange at Wendy’s mouth.
Wendy no longer felt like eating.
"Michael...." her tone serious, Wendy said, "You don’t have to be so nice to me. You make me feel like I have done you wrong."
The words ’done you wrong’ made Michael’s feelings of guilt overflow. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
He looked down and murmured, "I am the one who has done you wrong."
Wendy knew he was referring to the incident from long ago, the one she could not remember. She did not know how their relationship was like then. However, it was an undeniable truth that Michael was good to her now.
"Since I don’t think I will be able to recall the past any time soon, let’s not let it affect our relationship." Wendy reached out, her hand searching for Michael’s since she was unable to see.
When she found his hand, her face broke out in a big smile and she said, "Let’s start over."
"Do you mean it?" Michael was obviously excited and eager.
They could get to know each other again and start over. If Wendy was really willing to give Michael a chance to make things right, he was more than happy to accept.
Wendy nodded.
"That’s great, Wendy!" reaching out, Michael enveloped Wendy in a tight hug.
Her soft warm body in his embrace stirred up waves of emotion in Michael. He actually had not properly hugged Wendy before.
In the past, he would often return home drunk and later on, he forced her to get a divorce. He wouldn’t have touched her. Five years after that, when she returned to the country, she hated him to the core. He wouldn’t have had a chance to hug her then, either.
This was the first time they were sharing a proper and sincere hug. It was funny, actually.
Their children were already five years old, but they had never given each other a sincere hug. It was a good thing the past was past. There would be many hugs in their future.
"I want hugs too!" Leah ran to them and put her short arms around Wendy and Michael as best as she could.
Jake could feel goosebumps as he watched them being all lovey-dovey.
Leah beckoned him, "Jake, come hug us too!"
Although his expression was unwilling and disdainful, Jake ultimately still joined them as he could not resist his sister’s big hopeful eyes.
***
Wendy was well on her way to recovery, and the dressing over her eyes could be removed in a few days’ time.
Since Leah did not return to Rheinsville City with Todd, Wendy was considering sending her to kindergarten where they were.
When Leah heard her mother and father talking about sending her to the same school as Jake, she immediately rejected the idea. "I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go to school! I want to stay at the hospital with Mummy! If I go to school with Jake, Mummy will be very bored all by herself in the hospital!"
"Mummy is not bored," Wendy knew what her baby was thinking. She said, "Leah has to be a good girl and study hard so she can become more beautiful and smarter!"
"Jake is already very smart. Leah doesn’t need to be so smart!" The little girl was trying her best to wrangle her way out of going to school. She hated school.
"There are many other little friends to play with in kindergarten. Isn’t that good?" her mother asked.
Leah shook her head stubbornly. "No good!"
Jake held Leah’s hands and looked at her coolly. His expression was a little exasperated as he said, "You just don’t want to do your homework! In the future, I will help you with your homework after school, okay?"
"If I don’t know how to do it, will you help?" Leah looked at her brother with big puppy eyes.
"Yes, but you have to try your best to learn!" replied Jake.
Unwillingly, Leah nodded, "Okay, then."
Wendy hadn’t known that Leah did not want to go to school because she did not want to do her assignments. There shouldn’t be that much homework in kindergarten, right?
"Leah’s documents are all in the drawer. Michael, can you help with the school registration?" asked Wendy. "Just register her at the same school as Jake."
Michael agreed. He took the documents out from the drawer and took a glance to confirm they were Leah’s. "I’ll bring them both to school now. It’s time for Jake to go anyway."
Michael was happy when he saw that Leah’s last name on her official documents was Stewart.
After he registered Leah for school and both the children had gone to class, he returned to the hospital to accompany Wendy.
When school was let out in the afternoon, he personally went to pick them up.
Michael didn’t have to pick the children up himself. He could have just sent someone.
However, it was his daughter Leah’s first day at school, so he wanted to be there for her.
Leah and Jake stayed at the hospital for the entire duration of Wendy’s stay. Michael had made arrangements and paid for the room next to Wendy’s for the children as they had insisted on staying there to accompany their mother. Neither wanted to go home.
He would put them to sleep before quietly leaving the room they were in and go to Wendy’s room.
There, he would be with her until she fell asleep before he left for the hospital business center.
During the period of time that Wendy was hospitalized, he spent his days with his wife and children, and his nights at the hospital business center where he caught up with whatever work he had.
"It’s getting late, you should rest too." Lying on the bed, Wendy urged Michael, "You don’t have to stay here with me. I will go to sleep soon."
"I will rest after you have fallen asleep," replied Michael gently as he pulled the covers over her.
Wendy knew that Michael would not leave if she did not sleep, so she obediently closed her eyes.
After a while, Michael gauged that Wendy should already have fallen asleep and got up quietly, then left the room without making a sound.
Once the room door closed behind him and he was in the corridor, Michael took out his cell phone to call his assistant for a summary of the day’s events at work.
Wendy had not fallen completely asleep yet. In her drowsy state, she heard the man leave quietly. She had only closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep because she did not want him to have to spend all his time with her.
Michael’s care had been immaculate the past few days and Wendy was not only touched, but she was also worried about him being overworked.
