“Has Mr. Gedding not returned to the clinic yet?” Olivia asked anxiously. “No,” George answered. “Hadn’t you asked yesterday? I’d have called you if he came back, wouldn’t I?”
“I know,” Olivia said. “However, Blake’s sick. It’s leukemia…” She was already choked up and unable to speak.
“What?!” George sounded much sober instantly, and it seemed that he had sat up. “How did that happen? Is it because they didn’t come back for their regular antiviral injections?”
Olivia shook her head, tears streaming down her face. It was also why she blamed herself. If it really was because of this that Blake fell ill, they, as parents, would be truly at fault.
“I don’t know, but didn’t you say they only need to get the injection once every six months to a year? It hasn’t even been a year yet.”
“That’s just my guess,” said George as he comforted her. “Either way, don’t freak yourself out. You’re a doctor, are you not? Try to keep it controlled using alternative medicine first and boost his immune system. I’ll fly back right away.”
“Don’t!” Olivia stopped him. “Wait in the clinic for Mr. Gedding. Call me once he returns.”
“I know, I know,” George replied at once. “How about you come to Mastar? The medical conditions here aren’t worse than in Criecia. What’s more, you can see Mr. Gedding right away when he comes back.”
Olivia was tempted by his suggestion. “Alright. Let me discuss it with Eugene.”
After hanging up the phone, she looked at Eugene and said, “Shall we go to Mastar? We can treat him there, and we can also see Mr. Gedding immediately when he comes back. Bringing the child to Mastar for treatment won’t raise suspicion. I’m worried Carter and Terry…”
She didn’t want to say anything ominous, but her worries were genuine. “Alright, I’ll arrange things with the company. We’ll leave tomorrow.” Eugene comforted Olivia by holding her in his arms.
The next day, Eugene and Olivia took their boys, who were already on summer break, onto a private plane to Mastar after sorting out matters at the company and home. On the plane, Olivia held Blake, who appeared very weak. Even his usually chubby lips lacked color.
“Mommy, I’m going to fall behind again in this exam compared to Carter and Terry.” Blake’s voice was feeble. It was heartbreaking.
At that, Carter stepped forward, held Blake’s little hand, and said, “No, we didn’t take the exam. We’ll compete again when you’re better.”
“Yeah!” Terry echoed, nodding vigorously. While Olivia was still perplexed why they hadn’t taken their exams, North spoke up. “We’ve all decided to retake the test after Blake’s better.”
Blake smiled. “You guys aren’t leaving me behind, I swear!”
“Blake, take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we arrive,” Olivia cooed, feeling a lump in her throat. At that, Blake wrapped his little arms around Olivia’s neck and reassured her, saying, “Don’t worry, Mommy. I’ll recover. When I’m better, I’ll play you ‘Mariage d’amour’, alright?”
Olivia nearly burst into tears. Her tears swirled in her eyes for a moment before she held them back. She nodded gently and said, “Okay, I won’t let anything happen to you either.”
After more than ten hours of flying, they finally landed. As soon as they got off the plane, they saw George waiting there in his usual trench coat, tall and upright. The gust of wind from the helicopter’s propellers blew his coat up like how they remembered him, but his expression now carried a hint of seriousness.
“George-“
